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47-696: The series was successful; by 2001, more than six million Mandie books had been sold. Leppard said that she could write a Mandie book in two weeks, barring any interruptions. A direct-to-video film based on the first book, Mandie and the Secret Tunnel , was produced in 2009, starring Lexi Johnson and Dean Jones . Mandie was born on June 6, 1888, and grew up in a log cabin in Swain County, North Carolina , with her beloved father Jim Shaw, her stepmother Etta, and her stepsister Irene. She knew nothing about her family background until her father died. Mandie

94-480: A franchise , including a short-lived animated TV series . A direct sequel, Beethoven's 2nd , was released the following year. Two thieves, Harvey and Vernon, steal a group of puppies from a pet store. A St. Bernard puppy escapes and sneaks into the Newton family's home. George, a control freak and workaholic, does not want a dog, but his wife, Alice, and their children, Ryce, Ted, and Emily, convince him to take

141-483: A captive Jack Russell Terrier that Beethoven had earlier befriended. Sparky bites Varnick in the crotch, causing him to fire a shot in the air. Ted hears the gunshot and drives the car through the warehouse. The car crashes into a cart and launches numerous syringes into Varnick, sedating him. As the Newtons reunite with Beethoven and free all the captive dogs, they notice Harvey and Vernon trying to escape, but Ted sends

188-456: A cute dog. Nor did I find anything particularly new in Beethoven , although I concede that the filmmakers secured an admirable dog for the title role, and that Charles Grodin, who is almost always amusing, has what fun can be had playing the grumpy dad." He concluded Beethoven is "the kind of clever, innocuous family entertainment that's always in short supply." Negative reviews criticized

235-573: A dramatic turn, in the NBC television film When Every Day Was the Fourth of July (1978) he portrayed Ed Cooper, an attorney in the 1930s who agrees to defend a man who has been accused of murder, accepting the case only after urging from his daughter. He reprised the role of Ed Cooper in the ABC television sequel The Long Days of Summer (1980). He appeared with Gregory Peck and Danny DeVito as Bill Coles,

282-760: A fervent born-again Christian , starred in Into the Light , a musical about scientists and the Shroud of Turin , which closed after only six performances. He had far more success touring in the one-man show St. John in Exile as the last surviving Apostle of Jesus Christ , reminiscing about his life while imprisoned on the Greek island of Patmos . One performance was filmed in 1986. He made one more Broadway appearance, in 1993, at

329-505: A grade of A. The Washington Post ' s Rita Kempley praised the film as a "a waggish tale of canine chicanery, an uproarious if impawsible symphony of drool, doggy fidelity and chewed shoes." Johanna Steinmetz of the Chicago Tribune wrote that " Beethoven charms its way through [its] highly formulaic premise with the help of some smart animal-handling, a few excellently realized visual stunts and narrative montages of life

376-409: A la dog." The Hartford Courant said: "The most important work comes from a hulking, brown-eyed, sad-faced big star named Chris, who makes Beethoven into a Benji for the '90s, a sort of canine Wallace Beery or Walter Matthau . Roll on, Beethoven." In The New York Times , Caryn James wrote Beethoven is "much more enjoyable than it has any right to be" and "tugs all the right strings, in

423-488: A manner strangely reminiscent of Home Alone . It is savvy about kids' troubles...[and] is sentimental but not gooey. Most important, its cartoonish bad guys offer villainy without any true danger and are vanquished by a non-adult hero". James's colleague Janet Maslin also gave a positive review, opining that while the film is "no classic...it's a sunny, energetic children's film with a good notion of what young audiences like." James added Charles Grodin "provides much of

470-1022: A mystery to solve. In Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure , she finds a cave with gold that belonged to a Cherokee warrior. She gives the gold to the Cherokees to help them build a new hospital. In Mandie and the Forbidden Attic , Mandie attends Miss Heathwood's Boarding School for Girls in Asheville , North Carolina where she is taught how to act like a lady of high society. In the last published novel, New Horizons (2006), Mandie and her friends attend college at College of Charleston Ladies' College in Charleston , South Carolina , where Mandie majors in business administration and minor in English literature and visual art . New Horizons

517-530: A powerful performance as an ex-con trying to reform (with Joe's help) on Bonanza Season 3 Episode 8 "The Friendship" which aired 11/11/1961. Jones subsequently starred in the NBC television sitcom Ensign O'Toole (1962–63), produced by Four Star Television , portraying an easy-going and inexperienced officer on a U.S. Navy destroyer . His costars included Jack Mullaney , Jack Albertson , Jay C. Flippen , Harvey Lembeck , and Beau Bridges . He also recorded

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564-608: A singing album, Introducing Dean Jones , for Valiant Records . As Ensign O'Toole was the lead-in show on NBC to Walt Disney's The Wonderful World of Color , Disney ordered a print of Jones' latest film Under the Yum Yum Tree to study. Disney signed Jones for Disney film productions beginning with That Darn Cat! . His performance was well-received. Jones continued with Disney for many years, starring in films such as The Ugly Dachshund (1966), Monkeys, Go Home! (1966), Blackbeard's Ghost (1968), The Horse in

611-423: Is a 1992 American family comedy film , directed by Brian Levant and written by John Hughes (under the pseudonym " Edmond Dantès ") and Amy Holden Jones . The film's story centers on a St. Bernard dog named after a German composer who finds a home with a suburban family. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a surprise hit at the box office, earning $ 147.2 million worldwide. The film spawned

658-467: Is always apparent." He concluded that "despite [ Beethoven ' s] crudities, overstatement and predictable plot...there's something a little goofy and sweet about it". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, writing in his review that "this is not the sort of entertainment I scour the movie pages for, hoping desperately for a new film about

705-533: Is called the "Book One" of the Mandie: Her College Days series, but was the only one to be published before the author's death. The Mandie books are Christian as well as mystery in theme. Mandie prays when troubled, and attempts to demonstrate Christian virtues of tolerance and compassion. Mandie is proud to be part Cherokee , and she has a diverse group of friends, including a girl with intellectual disability . Some critics have noted that

752-658: Is further aggravated when the dog's antics ruin a barbecue he is hosting for Brad and Brie Wilson, unpleasant venture capitalists looking to invest and swindle him out of his car air freshener firm. The Newtons take Beethoven to veterinarian Dr. Herman Varnick for a routine medical exam, unaware he is secretly involved in unethical and deadly animal experiments. Dr. Varnick tells George of a supposed mental instability among St. Bernards that makes them potentially dangerous and violent, advising him to watch Beethoven closely for any sign of viciousness, but actually he seeks large-skulled dogs such as St. Bernards for an ammunition test. Under

799-399: Is kept. Beethoven manages to escape his cage but is recaptured by Harvey and Vernon, who are revealed to be working for the doctor. As Alice uses a phone booth to call the police, George goes to the top of the building and spies through the skylight. The skylight crashes and George falls to the ground in front of Varnick, who prepares to shoot Beethoven. Before he can, he is impeded by Sparky,

846-542: Is more like a failed kiddie version of a TV crime drama. And the film never quite recovers." Hal Lipper of the Tampa Bay Times called the film an "87-minute commercial" for pet food company Iams , but praised Bonnie Hunt's performance. The plot line of Alice leaving the work force after an alarming experience with a babysitter was criticized in multiple reviews because of its perceived bias against working mothers. In The Boston Globe , Betsy Sherman wrote

893-640: The Angela Lansbury series Murder, She Wrote in 1984 and 1988. Jones was married to Mae Entwisle from 1954 to 1971; the couple had two daughters. He was married to actress Lory Patrick from 1973 until his death in 2015. Jones became a born-again Christian in 1973 or 1974. His book Under Running Laughter (1982) recounts his experience of Christianity. He had previously suffered from bouts of depression. His wife, Lory, said, "One night he got down on his knees and prayed that God would free him from

940-622: The Motion Picture Association of America . Beethoven opened in 3rd place at the North American box office, with a total of $ 7,587,565. In its 4th week of release, it moved to the number 2 spot. The film ultimately grossed $ 57,114,049 in North America and $ 90,100,000 in other territories, for a total of $ 147.2 million worldwide. The soundtrack to the film was released on December 15, 1992. The film

987-718: The Vivian Beaumont Theater , in a special two-day concert staging of Company featuring most of the original Broadway cast. Jones began as a contract performer for MGM , beginning with a small role as a soldier in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) and he later played disc jockey Teddy Talbot in the Elvis Presley film Jailhouse Rock (1957). He portrayed a soldier in both Imitation General (also 1957) with Glenn Ford and Never So Few (1959) with Frank Sinatra . He gave

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1034-639: The 1960 play There Was a Little Girl . He stepped into the role in Boston , with only one day's notice. In 1960, he also played Dave Manning in the Broadway comedy Under the Yum-Yum Tree , a role he repeated in the 1963 film version starring Jack Lemmon and Carol Lynley . After working in film and television, Jones was set to return to Broadway as the star of Stephen Sondheim 's musical Company in 1970. Shortly after opening night, he withdrew from

1081-887: The 80-minute Bible overview God's Story: From Creation to Eternity , and was the voice of Father Tim for Focus on the Family Radio Theatre audio drama At Home in Mitford in 2003. In July 1994, Jones was a guest on 100 Huntley Street , a Canadian Christian discussion program. In 1998, Jones founded the Christian Rescue Committee (CRC), an organization that helps provide a "way of escape to Jews, Christians, and others persecuted for their faith". Jones died of Parkinson's disease in Los Angeles on September 1, 2015, at age 84. His remains were cremated. Beethoven (film) Beethoven

1128-705: The Bird Cage Theater at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California . Jones attended Asbury College (renamed Asbury University in 2010) in Wilmore near Lexington, Kentucky . A member of its Class of 1953, he did not graduate, but the university in 2003 awarded him an honorary degree. On March 4, 2011, he addressed the community during the dedication ceremony of Asbury's Andrew S. Miller Center for Communications Arts. After appearing in minor film and television roles, Jones made his Broadway debut in

1175-581: The Cherokee and African American characters are at times depicted sentimentally and as speaking in a stereotypical dialect. For instance, Uncle Ned's speech is filled with terms like " happy hunting grounds ", " squaw ", and " papoose ". Author Lois Gladys Leppard was a Federal Civil Service employee in various countries around the world. She made her home in South Carolina until she died on October 5, 2008. Stories of her own mother's childhood are

1222-467: The Gray Flannel Suit (1968). The Love Bug (1969), The Million Dollar Duck (1971), Snowball Express (1972), The Shaggy D.A. (1976), and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977). Jones' signature Disney role would be as race car driver Jim Douglas in the successful Herbie series. In addition to the two feature films, Jones starred in the short-lived television series Herbie,

1269-477: The Love Bug (1982) and the television film The Love Bug (1997). In 1969, he was the host of a short-lived sketch-comedy hour on ABC-TV titled What's It All About, World? that became a variety show midway into its run, when the title was changed to The Dean Jones Variety Hour . Away from Disney, Jones costarred with Broadway-era co-star Jane Fonda in the romantic comedy, Any Wednesday (1966). In

1316-508: The adult appeal of Beethoven . He underplays his comic scenes where another actor would have been mugging furiously, but he still lets on that George is a softy underneath it all." In the Los Angeles Times , Michael Wilmington said: "The movie is about the way pets humanize uptight suburbanites. And the suburbanite here, Charles Grodin as George Newton, is a good part of what makes Beethoven work. Grodin's mastery of uptight types

1363-500: The basis for many of the incidents incorporated in this series. Set before the Mandie series, starting in 1898 when Mandie is 9. Mandie: Her College Days Set after the Mandie series, around 1904. Now 16, Mandie and Celia attend Charleston Ladies' College . For older children or young adults . Special Mandie books Mandie movies Dean Jones (actor) Dean Carroll Jones (January 25, 1931 – September 1, 2015)

1410-433: The direction of Steve Rash , but he left the production due to creative differences and was replaced with Brian Levant . On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , it has an approval rating of 31%, based on reviews from 29 critics, with an average score of 4.7/10. The critical consensus reads: "Fluffy and incorrigible, Beethoven is a good boy who deserves a better movie." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave Beethoven

1457-539: The dog in. The dog is named "Beethoven" when Emily plays a portion of Ludwig van Beethoven 's Fifth Symphony on the piano and he barks along to it. Beethoven quickly grows into a large dog and George must clean up after the lovable but slobbery, mischievous animal. The dog becomes an important part of the family: he helps Ryce talk to Mark, a boy she's in love with, scares off bullies for harming Ted and saves Emily's life when she falls into an irresponsible babysitter's swimming pool. George still maintains his dislike, which

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1504-467: The dogs after them. Harvey and Vernon escape into a junkyard, only to be attacked by four ferocious Doberman guard dogs. Dr. Varnick, Harvey, and Vernon are arrested for animal cruelty. The Newtons are praised as heroes in the news and George takes a new liking to Beethoven. The Newtons go to sleep, saying good night to Beethoven and all the other dogs they rescued. John Hughes left the Beethoven script for Universal Pictures when he parted ways with

1551-407: The film had "a strange tone of desperateness in its depiction of a 'perfect' suburban nuclear family. An assortment of grotesque supporting characters become threats to the family, and are dispatched by Beethoven." The American Veterinary Medical Association expressed disapproval for the film's evil veterinarian plot and sent letters of protest to Ivan Reitman , the film's executive producer, and to

1598-511: The film's plot, with some expressing it recycles cliches from other dog films like Turner & Hooch . Others pointed out the film's darker elements may be too scary for young kids. Chris Hicks of the Deseret News wrote that "the first half brings to mind the best elements of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids , with its delightful portrayal of domestic bliss gone awry. But the second half

1645-412: The guise of doing a follow-up exam on Beethoven, Varnick visits the Newton home. After applying fake blood onto his arm and Beethoven, Varnick provokes Beethoven into a fight and convinces George that the dog attacked him, but Emily protests that the attack was fake. Varnick warns George that Beethoven may be turning aggressive and must be put to sleep, or he will have no choice but to press charges. Against

1692-439: The impact on his family. The Newtons go to Varnick's office to find Beethoven, but he lies and claims the dog has already been euthanized. George then remembers that the receptionist told him that Beethoven would not be put to sleep until the next day. George then notices that Varnick has no bite marks on his arm and, realizing Emily is telling the truth, punches Varnick. The Newtons follow Varnick to his warehouse, where Beethoven

1739-521: The miserable moods that he had always suffered. He told me that in an instant it was gone and he felt peace and joy flood into his heart." Jones appeared in several Christian films. In 1977 he portrayed Charles Colson in the feature film Born Again . He voiced the narrator in Birdwing Records' 1979 studio album Nathaniel the Grublet . Jones also voiced the standard English narration for

1786-478: The president of Peck's company, which was fighting a hostile takeover by DeVito, in Other People's Money (1991). Jones, who was known for playing pleasant characters, took on the role as Dr. Herman Varnick, the evil veterinarian in the family film Beethoven (1992). He employed method acting for the first time in his career and did not break character off-set throughout the film's shooting period much to

1833-429: The protests of Alice and his kids, George reluctantly takes Beethoven to Varnick's office. On the way there, George remembers that his father took the family dog to be put down at the vet, which George never forgave him for. George fears that his family will similarly hate him. When George returns home, his fears are proven true when his family leaves the dinner table. George changes heart when Alice pushes him to consider

1880-451: The show, due to stress that he was undergoing from ongoing divorce proceedings. Director Harold Prince agreed to replace him with Larry Kert if Jones would open the show and record the cast album. He agreed, and his performance is preserved on the original cast album , although it was Kert who received the Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1986, Jones, by then having become

1927-495: The studio. Hughes allowed Universal to make the film on the condition that he be credited under his pseudonym, Edmond Dantès . It became an open secret in the industry that Hughes was behind the pseudonym. The dogs featured in the film were owned and trained by Eleanor Keaton . Beethoven is played by canine actor Chris, who had 12 doubles. Principal photography began on May 1, 1991, in Los Angeles, California , under

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1974-549: The surprise of cast members as well as family and friends who had never seen him so immersed in a role. He maintained his relationship to the Beethoven franchise by providing the voice of George Newton in the animated television version of Beethoven . He also appeared in a small role as Director of Central Intelligence Judge Arthur Moore in the film adaptation of Tom Clancy's Clear and Present Danger (1994), which starred Harrison Ford . Jones also appeared in two episodes of

2021-479: The truth about her history that her paternal grandmother was Cherokee. Mandie is proud of her Cherokee heritage, and Mandie soon meets many new friends among the Cherokee people. However several times throughout the series she meets people who tease her because she is part Native American. Many of the books in the series are spent in Cherokee, North Carolina , where she stays with her uncle and always manages to find

2068-674: Was an American actor. He was best known as The Walt Disney Company 's main leading man in the 1970s with his roles as Agent Zeke Kelso in That Darn Cat! (1965), Jim Douglas in the Herbie franchise (1969–1997), and with other film companies such as Dr. Herman Varnick in Beethoven (1992). He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Albert Dooley in The Million Dollar Duck (1971). In 1995, he

2115-515: Was followed by four sequels and three standalone films that use the Beethoven name and the premise of a St. Bernard, but the plots are less and less connected as the series goes on. Beethoven's 2nd was released to theaters in 1993. The remaining sequels were direct-to-video films: Beethoven's 3rd (2000), Beethoven's 4th (2001), Beethoven's 5th (2003), Beethoven's Big Break (2008), Beethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011), and Beethoven's Treasure Tail (2014). An animated TV series

2162-574: Was inducted as a Disney Legend for his film work. Jones was born on January 25, 1931, in Decatur, Alabama , to Andrew Guy Jones, a traveling construction worker, and the former Nolia Elizabeth Wilhite. As a student at Riverside High School in Decatur, Jones had his own local radio show, Dean Jones Sings . He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War , and after his discharge worked at

2209-522: Was soon sent away to live with the Brysons to take care of their baby son. Then her father's old friend, Ned Sweetwater, a Cherokee , came to take her away from the family who treated her cruelly and escorted her to the home of her uncle, John Shaw, who Mandie had never seen. In Mandie and the Secret Tunnel , Mandie is reunited with her birth mother, Elizabeth, in Franklin , North Carolina . She learns

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