No Deposit No Return

Two would-be safecrackers at Los Angeles airport, nice guys who have 72 hours to pay off a $9K debt to mobsters, wind up as custodians to two pre-teen runaways, siblings out of prep school (with a pet skunk!) who want to fly to Hong Kong to see their mother. The kids get cozy with the not-so-crooked crooks and ransom themselves out to get their friends out of trouble. Out-of-touch Disney comedy with one big slapstick set-piece: the skunk gets loose on the beams of a skyscraper under construction (Don Knotts goes to rescue it and ends up with a bucket stuck on his head). Formula whimsy given a slight professional shine from David Niven and Darren McGavin, but the chattering tykes (Kim Richards and Brad Savage) are a nuisance and Knotts is on auto-pilot. * from ****

Duke and Bert played (Eavin and Don Knotts) are two safe-cracking burglars who are out to bust out their big job. They plan to rob the safe of a millionaire. Unfortunately they get entangled with the two grand kids of the millionaire. The grand kids want to run away and force the bank robbers to chaperone them. A comic Disney movie that proves that crime may not pay, but it can be funny.

It undoubtedly runs for too long, but 'No Deposit, No Return' still satisfied me.

It has a similar vibe to it as 'Candleshoe', which Disney released roughly twelve months after this. The plots are different, but there are a few things that I found alike; the obvious being David Niven, who appears as the older gentleman in both, as well as his character's living room; that latter claim is based on my memory only, mind.

Niven is good in this, though he's doesn't really do that much - at least compared to his co-stars. The two kid actors are solid, Kim Richards the standout; almost a year after Disney viewers saw her in 'Escape to Witch Mountain'. Darren McGavin and Don Knotts are a fun duo, while Herschel Bernardi - who reminded me a lot of Nick Sandow in terms of looks - does well too.

The plot is ridiculous, but I actually found enough entertainment in it - mostly thanks to the aforementioned cast. The humour, while nothing LOL-worthy, is satisfactory. My only true negative is the pacing of the run time. It's fine, but this story would've been perfect for 90mins; rather than 112mins - those extra minutes are very noticeable and, ultimately, add little.

When all is said and done, though, I had a suitable time with this.

What more could you ask for from Disney, their formula comedy films were a staple from the 1950s through the 70s. In this film, two children are supposed to spend their vacation with their grandfather. Problem is, they don't like him, so they concoct a plan to be kidnapped. The kidnappers couldn't have been better cast with Darren McGavin and Don Knotts.

This film couldn't be made in today's world, with all the child abductions going on, but back in 70s though, the atmosphere was different. The point of the movie though, is money is not what loves you back, and the grandfather needed to learn that. This is one of the last Disney films to star Don Knotts.

I have been watching this for longer than any other movie, over 25 years now, ever since I was a little kid. I have probably seen it hundreds of times, and yet to this day it still remains one of my favorites. It's very fun and clean comedy, more movies should be like this. Some of it is a bit crazy, like the long car chase, but it's also truly hilarious and great comedy that to me doesn't grow old. I also really like the story which is rather unique. It's great in the way that two would be criminals actually become very good people. I find it quite touching how they get to having a good time with the kids, and what they do near the end to help them. And it's got a very happy and satisfying ending. It's great fun, great comedy, and after all these years it's still one of my favorites.