Secrets of the Pirate's Inn

1st real full length movie I ever watched as a kid. Fun adventure kid movie searching for pirate treasure with a crusty old man they meet. Excellent plot, everyone bands together scavenger hunting for the next clue. This was the movie before there was a Goonies movie. Couldn't wait unit part 2 & 3 aired the next week on the Disney Sunday evening show. Drove my parents crazy rushing them home so I wouldn't miss any of it. Secret of Strawberry cove was next with the same kids, kid scary fun to watch. Had all my friends over with popcorn to watch. The best movie I watched as a kid. Of all the remake flops they are doing now days, this would be refreshingly new for kids today. Also enjoyed the Tom, Huck & Becky Thatcher adventure series too. Watching these movies on the internet is small, poor quality, and a waste not being on the big screen.

"Secrets of the Pirate's Inn" follows three young kids who help an old Irish sea captain find a hidden treasure with a mysterious foe on their tails. This movie is surprisingly very entertaining to watch and from what I know, many people can recall seeing it as children back in '69 and the memories they have of watching it. Remember when movies could just be fun and exciting and not have to do with race and sex? ME EITHER! I wish we could just go back to the good ol' days of film. The movie is available on YouTube, so you should definitely give it a watch. It's a shame this film isn't available on DVD because I'd totally buy it!

"Secrets of the Pirate's Inn" was made 16 years before "The Goonies." Steven Spielberg obviously made "The Goonies" as a loving tribute to the Disney TV movies that he and the rest of the kids of the 50's and 60's grew up on, and if you've ever seen "Pirate's Inn" you can't miss the resemblance. "Pirate's Inn" was done in the old Disney mold; i.e., inventive and with an eye to quality, and was one of the last good TV movies to come out of that studio after Walt's death.

Ed Begley plays a man who inherits an old, long-closed inn; the town abounds with rumors that pirates had at one time buried their treasure there, but no one knows where. Three local kids become friends with Begley's character, and together they try and solve the mystery. That wonderful, overlooked character actor Charles Aidman shows up to inject a sinister note in the proceedings. The atmosphere of the film is what makes it a success; we see lots of dark stairwells and passages leading downwards and hidden areas with secrets behind them. This is a film that keeps you interested and involved from the start. The three kids were later teamed up in "The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove," a TV film not nearly as good as "Pirate's Inn," but also worth a look.

"Pirate's Inn" is not available on video, which is a crime. The Disney channel's "Vault Disney" used to run these old TV shows at midnight/1am most nights, but the Disney Channel appears to have stopped running "Vault Disney," just another example that they've turned their attention to young kids today and no longer think there is an audience for these older shows. "Secrets of the Pirate's Inn" is a great, fun-filled movie, and I still enjoy watching it.

I really enjoyed the "Secret of the Pirates Inn" in the 80's for the first time. Then I was able to see the Disney Channel via the old, giant satellite dish. Disney had new programming then, but much of what they showed was the old classics. This movie is one of those. The story line would probably attract a younger audience (maybe 6-15 yrs. old), but the quality of the concept has stuck with me to my mid-thirties. I contacted the Disney Movie Club about this show with no response. My thought was this movie would make a great twin-pack with the release of one of their new "Pirates" movies. Oh well, looking forward to seeing it's release sometime in the future. It would no doubt be a great seller and enjoyed by the whole family!

I may or may not have seen Secrets of Pirates' Inn when it originally aired back in 1969 - I can't remember. My family watched the Disney show on Sunday nights (at least I remember it being Sunday night), so the chances that I saw it in 1969 are fairly high. However, even if I didn't, that doesn't affect the sense of nostalgia that filled me as I watched Secrets of Pirates' Inn a couple of days ago. It really took me back to my childhood - a time when kids played outside until dark, we looked for adventure in the wooded areas around the house, and dreamed of a mystery like the one the kids in this movie experienced. My friends and I would have jumped at the chance to go on a real treasure hunt, searching for pirate gold!

Getting back to the movie, Secrets of Pirates' Inn plays something like a toned-down version of The Goonies. Three average kids meet a sea captain who has inherited an old pirate haunt that may hide treasure. The kids agree to help the old man search for the gold. But someone else in town is also looking for the treasure. Can the kids help solve the clues, navigate the secret passages, and uncover the treasure first?

It's all great fun in that innocent sort of 60s Disney way. There's danger, but you know it's nothing that will cause any real harm to anyone. There's some drama and tension, but you know that in the end it will all be resolved in our heroes favor. The bad guys aren't all that bad and are easily apprehended. And the treasure is easy enough to find that you wonder why it wasn't found years ago. But, like I said, it's all fun.

I want to give a special mention to Ed Begley as Irish sea captain Dennis McCarthy. What a great and genuine performance!