Moon Spinning

When I was a kid, I loved Hayley Mills, although I’m not sure if I saw the The Moon-Spinners (1964) when it came out. I saw a few of her movies as an adult, and always felt guilty about admiring her. In Moon-Spinners, is 17 (playing 14, it seems), so I’ll try to keep my admiration in check. 

It starts with Mills and her aunt Joan Greenwood are visiting a small Greek village. They want to stay at the Moon-Spinner Inn, but the landlady, Irene Papas, doesn’t want them. Maybe it’s because she’s hosting a wedding. (Pushy English.) But it is actually because her brother, the shady Eli Wallach forbids it. Later, they meet another guest, dreamy Englishman Peter McEnery, who seems to be having some kind of sub rosa argument with Wallach.

This is all a bit uncomfortable but Papas’ pre-teen son takes their side (like kids often do in these movies). Also, Mills wants to stick around to hang with McEnery. The plot soon unfolds - McEnery is under suspicion of stealing some jewels, but has figured that Wallach did the deed. He needs to find them before Wallach manages to kill him.

There’s a bit more stuff with the British consul, John Le Mesurier, who looks a bit like Boris Karloff here - so you know he’s crooked. And it all ends up on Pola Negri’s yacht- yes, that Pola Negri, lured out of retirement. She plays a much married, jewel-hungry play girl type, with a pet cheetah. Swoon.

We enjoyed this, but nostalgically. Mills’ character was more than a bit of an airhead, but that was her general type at the time. It had an interesting location and a great cast. And that Hayley Mills - I was in a London pub near Covent Gardens once, and heard a gentleman talking about hanging around a stage door to see her in the early 2000s. I think she might have said a few words to him. He held his companions rapt with this simple tale, and they all sighed when they heard it. Such is her power. 

Oh, I just remembered - I didn’t see Moon-Spinners when it came out, I saw another, non-Mills Disney, The Moon Cussers.