Loretta Young in Christine's Children (1962)

Obscurity factor: 7

Many people remember Loretta Young's anthology series from the 1950's. It ran for almost 10 years and was very popular. In the early 1960's she starred in another series called Christine's Children. Instead of being an anthology, it was a sit-com with elements of a drama.  Christine Massey is a widowed writer with seven children. She plies her trade with a woman's magazine published by Paul Belzer who also becomes her romantic interest on the show. Each episode really focuses on the life of the children and the ins and outs of growing up. There are two boys - twins played by Dirk and Dack Rambo and 5 younger girls.

Loretta Young's signature was her appearance at the beginning and end of each episode with a quote to frame the story. Her entrance in an exquisite couture creation was what many fans looked for, and this series was the pinnacle of that gesture, with gorgeous Hollywood Regency doors, through which Ms. Young entered in chiffon, lace or faille.

The series is recently available on DVD and the quality is very good, having been remastered from Ms. Young's original media. There is no video of it available online what-so-ever, that I can find.

Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD, not as well known has the original series)

Raquel Welch in Raquel! (1970)

When it comes to outrageous representations of the zodiac, no one can beat Raquel Welch in her 1970 television special (unless it's Anthony Newley, but that's another story). Raquel! is one of those strange, pre-MTV specials that's full of what we now call music videos with Raquel singing and dancing in some of the most gravity defying outfits. Her special guests are Bob Hope, Tom Jones and John Wayne - all in all it's a very strange show.

Here's a small sample of it. Raquel sings The Age of Aquarius in the desert with dancers in some of the most amazing costumes. It's uploaded to YouTube by jmannen77. This special is available on DVD.

Obscurity factor: 8 (available on DVD, but largely forgotten)

Jack Benny in The Mouse that Jack Built (1959)

Obscurity factor: 6

In the 1950's, Jack Benny had a very popular television show and was a huge star from his work on radio and in film. At the time, Warner Brothers were experimenting with making animated versions of television stars - they had already done The Honey Mousers - and his sly, gentle style of comedy translates very well to the medium. In this short, we get to see Jack interact with Rochester, his butler and Mary his fiance, all as animated mice. They make plans to go out and are tricked into going to the Kit Kat Klub, a night club the household cat has set up inside his mouth.

These cartoons are fun examples of an alternate take on the popular culture of the day. The trend continued into the 60's with episodes of shows like The Flintstones featuring Samantha Stevens from Bewitched and, infamously, Ann Margrock. This short is available on the Looney Toons: Golden Collection, Volume 3 DVD.

Obscurity factor: 6 (available on DVD, somewhat forgotten)

David Niven, Helen Hayes & Jodie Foster in Candleshoe (1977)

Obscurity factor: 4

Yesterdays post on Fitzwilly reminded me of this film. David Nivin plays a character similar to Dick Van Dyke's Fitzwilliam. Lady St. Edmund (Hayes) is the owner of an English estate that consists of a beautiful house and grounds, but no money to run it. She gets by with the help of her butler Priory (Niven) and a house full of orphans. They sell the produce the estate produces. Meanwhile, crook Harry Bundage (Leo McKern) believes that a great deal of money is hidden in the estate somewhere and sets out to steal it by enlisting the help of American street urchin Casey (Foster), who poses as Lady St. Edmund's long, lost grandmother. Of course, the rough and tumble Casey has a hard time adjusting to life on a country estate and is down with Harry's plan, until she's won over by the good hearted people of Candleshoe. Will they find the fortune before the estate is lost to back taxes? Will they foil Bundage's attempts to purloin it?

Candleshoe is one of those Disney films that tried to be entertainment for both adults and children. It's moderately successful on both those fronts. There are some tough moments for Casey that smaller children will find uncomfortable to watch and it's touch and go up to the very last moment as to whether the bad guys will win. The performances are nicely crafted and it's fun to see David Niven playing so many different types, even if the circumstances are a bit ginned up.

This film is available on DVD, though it's out of print. Above is a television spot for it, uploaded to YouTube by permvw. Turn up your speakers - the sound is low. The poster above is available from MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 4 (on DVD, known to Disney-o-philes and Jodie Foster fans)

Dick Van Dyke & Barbara Feldon in Fitzwilly (1968)

Obscurity factor: 8

Heiress Miss Victoria Woodworth (Dame Edith Evans) lives a comfortable life in the family home and wants for nothing. This is entirely due to the larcenous efforts of her staff, headed by her butler, Fitzwilly (Dick Van Dyke), because her father left her only $200. She is kept blissfully unaware of this fact, however. This house of cards is poised to come tumbling down when Miss Vicky hires Juliet Nowell (Feldon) as her personal assistant. She inadvertently foils several plots and puts the household in debt. To make up the balance Fitzwilly devises a plot to rob Gimbles department store of it's entire Christmas Eve revenue. Will they pull it off, and will the burgeoning romance between Fitzwilly and Juliet survive?

This is one of those frenetic 60's comedies with great cast of character actors including Ms. Evans, Norman Fell and Cecil Kellaway. It's not available on DVD, and there is absolutely no video of it available online that I can find. It appears to have been scrubbed, which may mean a DVD release is imminent...

Obscurity factor: 8 (not on DVD, not available on the web)

Barbara Stanwyck & Gig Young in The Gay Sisters (1942)

Obscurity factor: 7

The title of this film is a bit of an intentional misnomer. These sisters are anything but gay - in any sense of the word. Susanna Gaylord (Nancy Coleman) is drearily trying to find happiness after a 4 hour marriage the groom refuses to annul, Evelyn Gaylord (Geraldine Fitzgerald) is bitter and spiteful and Fiona Gaylord (Stanwyck) is hard as nails and completely unforgiving. They've been orphans (albeit rich ones) since they were children, and the estate their father left them has been in probate for 20 years. It's being held up by developer Charles Barclay (George Brent) who wants to buy the family mansion, tear it down and build a complex. Fiona refuses to sell and the standoff has been a stalemate. Of course there's more to this than real estate. There's more to the relationship between Fiona and Charles than meets the eye...

This super soaper is the film that gave Gig Young his name. He plays an artist who forms the sticky point of a love triangle between Susanna and Evelyn. Warner Brothers decided after casting him in this film that he should take the characters name professionally. It's sort of odd to hear the character referred to by name so often in the film (And they do it endlessly, using both given and surname so it almost seems like a parody) knowing that since then, the name also refers to the actor.

The Gay Sisters has yet to be released on DVD, though it can be watched in its entirety on YouTube, thanks to an upload by heapsoflovenozomi. Part 1 is above. It's also occasionally screened on TCM, which is where I saw it. The poster above is available at MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 7 (not on DVD, mostly unknown to the general public)

Carol Kane in Hester Street (1975)

Obscurity factor: 6

In the late 1800's, Gitl (Carol Kane) is coming to America from the old country to reunite with her husband (Steven Keats). Upon joining him in New York's lower east side she finds him a changed man, one who she is unable to relate to. As she tries to cope with a new way of life, raise their son and assimilate into a new culture she finds the tenuous bonds of her marriage stretched to their limits.

This charming film was a labor of love for director Joan Micklin Silver and it shows. It's simplicity and honest portrayal of the life of immigrants in America at the turn of the last century is beautifully researched and rendered. It's also a good lesson in staying true to your vision - distributors were less than enthusiastic about the prospects of this film, believing it would only have a market in synagogues and ethnic communities. The producer, Raphael D. Silver, discouraged by the response and against the advice of everyone decided to self-distribute. Imagine his surprise and joy when his job became an easy one of fielding offers after Carol Kane was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. Look for Doris Roberts in the cast as well.

This film is available on DVD, and can be watched instantly on Amazon and Netflix. Above is a scene from the film uploaded to YouTube by paikov. The poster above is available from MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 6 (known to film buffs, Oscar nominated, available on DVD, largely unknown to the general public)