"Bless the Beasts & Children" (1971)

I saw it when it came out and recall feeling like I was banged over the head with the message - Stanley Kramer was always better as a producer than a director. The boxoffice was middling.

I've never seen it, but I remember when it came out the kids at school were doing this gesture where they'd give you the finger as though they were lighting a match, and said it was from "Bless the Beasts and the Children."

Would never be made today without a lot of changes.

Karen was amazing.

The actor pictured above is Miles Chapin, who is the son of Schuyler Chapin and brother of R&H head, Ted Chapin. He gave up acting years ago and is now a real estate broker of high end condos and apartments in NYC.

Chapin was prob my favorite in the film.

It was rated the new GP rating. GP was changed from the original rating Rated M: Mature Audiences – Suggested for Mature Audiences (Parental Discretion Advised) but that was a mouthful so the GP was installed as GP: All Ages Admitted - Parental Guidance Suggested. Two years later it was switched to PG

I believe the kid who played Cotton died of AIDS in real life.

He did.

Was he actually 26 when he was playing a kid?

The Nadia thread reminded me of watching this on TV one night. A quite enjoyable film - filmed on Catalina Island, I believe.

Had a crush on the actor who played Cotton (who was obviously gay in real life). Sad that the actor, Barry Robins, died from AIDS.

Anybody else remember seeing this film?

Barry Robins parents were friends of my parents. Everyone was so proud of him when he got the role in the film and everyone was devastated when he died. I was young and don't recall having met him, but he is remembered as being a wonderful person.

Is this on DVD anywhere?

We had to read the book for English class in grade 9 back in 1987. The teacher then showed us the movie. I was surprised the movie was pretty close to the book.

Despite the popularity of the title song, which was a hit for the Carpenters, the movie was not a success. It came and went in a week.

I think I was in grade seven when I read it. Didn't see the film until years later

Do you know if Barry was openly gay, R12?

I would think this film resonates with gay youth of the era? The "bedwetters" were sort of the outcasts of the time, a sorta precursor to the Bad News Bears. They had trouble fitting in with the more mainstream, athletic boys in the camp.

I saw this movie with my 7th grade class in its original theatrical release, as we'd just finished reading the book.

I always laugh thinking about it because one of my friends in class was this black girl, Alison, and when someone asked her about the film I remember her saying, "Oooh girl, we saw this movie with all these white boys in their tighty-whities.." Funny because that's mostly what I remembered about it, too.

Bill Mumy an excellent child actor.

I read an article about him which stated both he and Angela Cartwright were very bright, intuitive, natural actors. On "Lost in Space," they received little direction (according to the article and people who worked on the series) and that they could figure out what to do. In most of the first season's (which were good) episodes, that says something about intelligent child actors.

Sure won't find any kid actors today with the talent Bill and Angela had. Maybe the kids on The Middle, that's all I can think of.

Check out the kids on Black-ish r19. All four of them are brilliant and not even remotely cloying or cute.

Saw it when it first came out and didn't want to believe WIll Robinson grew up to be the scraggly Bill Mumy. What happened???

When Y&R came on the air...I had to ask, where do I know that theme from?

Was Barry Miller in this??

I've never seen this movie or heard of it.

Thank you for your helpful comment, R22.

^

In England 'Beast' is slang for Pedophile...

[quote]In England 'Beast' is slang for Pedophile...

Oh come ON! I was well over 18 and he was 21.

I liked the song.

My library has this on DVD. I will watch it, and then reply to this thread.

Fish head!

Fish head!

Eat them up!

Yum!

DUMB

[quote]Bill Mumy an excellent child actor.

I caught some of the Lost in Space episodes on MeTV a few years ago, and that really stuck out to me. He was very natural and played a bright child without the normal TV kid obnoxiousness and instead was very likable. He basically ended up as one of the leads of the series and helped carry the show (whether you think the show was good or bad or so bad its good).

He pronounces his name wrong

I first saw this on the late, late show (back when they used to have those) on some cable channel in 2000. I had just moved to LA and was couch surfing at a friend's, looking for an apartment, and my NYC vampire schedule was still in effect, so he would go to bed around 11 and I'd be up all night with nothing to do but watch TV. I had heard of the movie, and I remember my parents had the 8-track tape when i was super little, but I knew nothing about it.

I'm not sure if it was just me feeling very unsettled and adrift, living in a new town with no anchors and missing my friends, but the movie really got to me. I was totally captivated by it and cried like a baby at the end. I think I've seen it once more (uncut) on cable, and I still loved it. It's not a perfect film, but it's a perfect late night, all alone kind of film. I think it would be a great quarantine view for those of us who are by ourselves.

Miles Chapin ended up playing Beverly D'Angelo's nerdy brother in the movie version of "Hair". He had lost a lot of weight by the late 70s. By sight, Barry Robins comes off looking like a high school jock, but the scene where he rescues the bullied blond kid from the pond is very sweet, almost romantic. The actress who played Robin's vain mother was married to Mickey Rooney in the 1950s for 6 years. She still living at 90!

Several Canadians on this thread.

I saw it and I know I loved it but had forgotten it and now do not remember anything about it.

R14/ R18 We were shown this film at my school too! And then assigned the book... I think.

I remember thinking this is going to be shit based on the title, but finding the actual film far exceeded my expectations. Wouldnt mind seeing it again now I think about it