Family Videos for Renter’s Top Weekend

Finding suitable fare for family video viewing this weekend--the biggest rental weekend of the year--isn’t easy. Adults don’t want to see anything too childish and, if the movie is too racy or violent, it’s wrong for the kids.

Here are some that might appeal to all those over 5:

“Mary Poppins” (Disney, 1964): This is the all-time great family entertainment, even edging out “E.T.” The tone of this utterly charming musical, which features some animation, isn’t too cutesy for adults. Julie Andrews plays the nanny with magic powers who solves the problems of the Banks family in London in the early 1900s. The real stars are Robert and Richard Sherman who wrote the Oscar-winning score that ranks with the best in film history.

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (MCA, 1982): One reason this is the all-time best-selling cassette is its broad appeal. Youngsters treat this like any other hot kidvid title--watching it over and over. But fans from 6 on up are also moved by this touching story of a boy (Henry Thomas) who helps a cuddly, lost alien find his way home.

“Sleeping Beauty” (Disney, 1959): Still the best of all the Disney animated features available on cassette. The classic fairy tale of a princess, in a deep sleep due to a curse, who can only be awakened by her lover’s kiss, offers something for adults and children. The wicked witch Maleficent is one of the great villains in Disney’s animated annals. The CBS-Fox version, featuring Christopher Reeve and Bernadette Peters, is excellent too.

“The Wizard of Oz” (MGM/UA, 1939): Children are thoroughly enchanted by this classic tale of Dorothy’s adventures in the land of Oz with Toto, the Cowardly Lion and the rest of the gang. Judy Garland’s performance as the young Kansas farm girl made her a star. Her performance of “Over the Rainbow” is one of the great moments in film history.

“The Little Mermaid” (CBS-Fox, 1984): This is a non-animated version of the Hans Christian Andersen tale of the mermaid who wants to be human. This “Faerie Tale Theatre” production, starring Pam Dawber and Treat Williams, is terrific family entertainment and one of the best productions in the distinguished series. May be hard to find but well worth the effort.

For family-oriented films that might appeal to older children (8-10) as well as teens and adults, try:

“Little Miss Broadway” (CBS-Fox, 1938): Though often maligned by film historians, this musical is one of Shirley Temple’s most charming movies. The plot isn’t much. Shirley plays an orphan coddled by a theatrical boarding house full of zanies, but she is at her scene-stealing best. Co-starring Jimmy Durante.

“Sorrowful Jones” (MCA, 1949): Bob Hope and Lucille Ball star in this remake of the 1934 Shirley Temple film “Little Miss Marker,” a sentimental comedy about a little girl hobnobbing with some lovable Damon Runyon race-track characters. “Sorrowful Jones” isn’t as good as the original but the chemistry between Hope and Ball makes this one work.

“The Sound of Music” (CBS-Fox, 1965): Saturated with sentiment and cheeriness and, at nearly three hours, on the long side, this is exceptional family entertainment nonetheless. Julie Andrews plays the governess who has to tame both a brood of seven children and their stiff widower father (Christopher Plummer). The great score, including “Do Re Mi” and “My Favorite Things,” compensates for the sugary excesses. A best picture Oscar winner.

“Sounder” (Paramount, 1972): The best movie yet made about poor Southern blacks during the Depression. When the father (Paul Winfield) is caught stealing to feed his family, the family members, including his wife (Cicely Tyson) struggle to survive without him. Like “The Color Purple,” which somewhat covers the same territory, it’s highly romanticized and sanitized. Still, a solid, sentimental, family entertainment.

“Lilies of the Field” (CBS-Fox, 1963): One of the best feel-good movies of the ‘60s, starring Sidney Poitier as the charismatic drifter who helps German nuns build a chapel in the Southwest. Fans recall that this movie earned Poitier his best actor Oscar but often forget that this is a good--though a bit corny--family entertainment.

“The Bells of St. Mary’s” (Republic, 1945): In this sequel to “Going My Way,” a lovable priest (Bing Crosby) and a stern Mother Superior (Ingrid Bergman) have to resolve their differences before joining forces to save the parish’s school from going under. You never quite believe Bergman as a nun (at times, she’s so much like Ilse in “Casablanca”), but the movie is still a heart-warmer.

“The Champ” (MGM/UA, 1979): This is a champion tear-jerker about a down-and-out ex-boxer (Jon Voight) embroiled in a custody battle with his ex-wife (Faye Dunaway) over their son (Ricky Schroder). Not at all subtle. Every plot turn geared to milking tears. Rent this one if you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned cry.

“Houseboat” (Paramount, 1958): Will the widowed government lawyer (Cary Grant) with a houseboat full of bratty kids wind up with the stunning housekeeper-aristocrat (Sophia Loren) who tends to his kids? Of course. That’s the way this kind of romantic comedy always ends. The fun of this cheery, endearing movie is watching the principals travel that long and winding road to love.

“Good News” (MGM/UA, 1947): This thoroughly silly college musical, co-starring June Allyson and Peter Lawford, is as much fun as any ‘40s musical. Set on campus in the ‘20s, there’s a thicket of subplots that wind up predictably. Critics tend to downgrade this one, but, for some enjoyable nonsense, it’s a good one to rent. The high point is the rousing “Varsity Drag” number.

“The King and I” (CBS-Fox, 1956): One of the best film musicals of the ‘50s, this Rodgers and Hammerstein vehicle made a star of Yul Brynner, who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of the rigid King of Siam who slowly falls for a schoolteacher (Deborah Kerr). The surprisingly strong chemistry between Brynner and Kerr powers the movie, which is short on plot. The score includes the standards “Getting to Know You” and “Hello Young Lovers.”

“The Red Pony” (Republic, 1949): A stirring, rather sentimental boy-and-his-horse story that’s among the best in the genre. The adults in this one are fairly dreary, which helps explain the youngster’s devotion to his horse. Myrna Loy and Robert Mitchum co-star.

“The Black Stallion” (CBS-Fox, 1979): No boy in any boy-and-his-horse movie ever suffered more for his animal than this spunky kid, played by Kelly Reno. An often thrilling movie featuring some scenes that might be too scary for small children. The best thing, however, about this tale is its glorious cinematography.

“The Littlest Outlaw” (Disney, 1954): Outstanding but often overlooked boy-and-his-horse story. Andres Valesquez plays a Mexican youngster who steals a stallion that’s scheduled to be destroyed. Exciting and tautly paced. Valesquez gives what some critics consider the best performance in any film in the genre.