Synopsis of Movie

Walt Disney met Alfred Hitchcock (not literally) in 1964’s The Moon-Spinners, a suspense melodrama starring a grown-up Hayley Mills. Joining the 18-year-old former Pollyanna and The Parent Trap star was silent film icon Pola Negri, who had retired from the acting business more than twenty years earlier.

Like any good exotic thriller, the film opens at a lush international locale: the Isle of Crete. American teen Nikky Ferris arrives at the Moon-Spinners Hotel with her Aunt Frances, but the mysterious husband-and-wife owners try to refuse their reservations. Aunt Frances finagles her way in, but Nikky’s natural curiosity is piqued.

When Nikky meets local young hunk Mark Camford, her suspicions are confirmed. Mark was fired from a bank in London after being falsely accused of a jewel robbery, and he thinks that Moon-Spinners owner Stratos is the real culprit.

One tense situation builds on another, as Nikky is kidnapped, escapes, then finds out one of her saviors isn’t really who he seems to be. The suspense comes to a head on board the offshore yacht of eccentric, cheetah-owning Madame Habib, who hopes to buy the stolen jewels.

The Moon-Spinners was definitely a change of pace, both for Disney and for Hayley Mills, and audiences weren’t sure whether they liked that or not. Despite its suspenseful nature, the movie was still designed for kids, but most just decided to wait for Disney’s next feature, Mary Poppins.

Movie Release History

1964 - The Moon-Spinners

Movie Sub Categories

live-action
drama
disney

Movie Studio

Disney

Cast

Nikky Ferris Hayley Mills
Stratos Eli Wallach
Madame Habib Pola Negri
Mark Camford Peter McEnery
Aunt Frances Ferris Joan Greenwood
Sophia Irene Papas
Anthony Gamble John Le Mesurier
Lambis Paul Stassino
Cynthia Gamble Sheila Hancock
Alexis..Michael Davis  
Yacht Captain Andre Morell
Police Lieutenant George Pastell
Orestes Tutte Lemkow
Hearse Driver Steve Plytas
Bus Driver Harry Tardios
Ariadne Pamela Barrie

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