Martin Ridgeway

### Personality

Mean, selfish, snobbish, strict, careless, sneaky, conniving, fiendish, cruel, bossy, and grumpy

### Description

Elderly, moustached bald man with white hair

### Occupation

Bank president
Miss Wigginton's boss (formerly)
Snowmobile Race Champion

### Goal

To buy the resort in order to log the highly valuable timber located on Baxter's property (failed)

### Friends

Double L. Dingman (formerly) and Miss Wigginton (formerly)

### Enemies

Johnny Baxter, his family, Stouthart, Jesse McCord, Wally Perkins, Double L. Dingman, and Miss Wigginton

### Fate

Reluctantly agrees to loan Baxter the money necessary to repair and expand the resort.

### Quote

"Now, let's stick to facts. You cannot meet the payment and it's due today!"
"There are no buts about it. If you refuse to sign the quit claim, you force me to start foreclosure proceedings tomorrow morning!"

**Martin Ridgeway** is the main antagonist in Disney's *Snowball Express*. He is the president of his own bank in Silver Hill and Miss Wigginton's former boss. He is known to have won the town's Snowmobile Race three years in a row. He was portrayed by the late Keenan Wynn.

## Role in the film

When Johnny Baxter attempts to secure funding for his plans for the Grand Imperial Hotel he inherited from his recently deceased great Uncle Jacob Barnesworth at Silver Hill after quitting his old job and moving his family from New York to there, Martin Ridgeway expresses great interest in Baxter's daring idea, but also offers to buy the lodge supposedly in order to convert it into a boys' school in honor of his deceased great uncle but Baxter declines, therefore, Ridgeway, in turn, declines to give Baxter a loan, citing him as a bad collateral risk and specifically pointing out that Baxter has no experience in hotel or restaurant management, likely making his business venture a failure. However, during this exchange, Ridgeway's secretary, Miss Wigginton appears quite agitated, but does not speak up.

A few days later, after a disastrous ski experience leaves Baxter recovering from serious pain and injury, Ridgeway surprisingly comes to the hotel, meets the rest of Baxter's family including their pet Saint Bernard dog, Stouthart who takes a sudden dislike of the former, and somehow gives him a check for $3,000 to help him get started with the necessary repairs for the lodge. Although Ridgeway's check covers the repair including the one for the hole in the kitchen recently caused by an exploding water heater; thanks to Wally Perkins' clumsiness, there's nothing left for the ski lift Baxter had in mind. Luckily, thanks to Jesse McCord, the Baxters are able to use an old donkey engine as a makeshift ski lift.

Business at the hotel appears successful at first when hundreds of skiers come and check in due to their train having been blocked by an avalanche caused by Wally's antics when trying to blow out a tree stump with dynamite until one day, after a disastrous ski lesson leaves Wally dangling over a ledge after inadvertently skiing down a steep mountain and Baxter coming to his rescue, McCord accidentally causes the donkey engine to slide down the mountain and crash through the hotel, therefore, leaving the Baxters once again completely broke and without customers when they check out and the hotel in worse shape than before.

Desperate and obviously unable to meet his obligations to the bank this month, Baxter comes to Ridgeway once again in order to ask for an extension on his loan after explaining to him what happened at the hotel but this time, Ridgeway simply refuses and instead, offers him $200 out of his pocket money to see him and his family safe back home to New York under the false pretense that he likes him as a "favor" rather than throwing down good money into the hotel and being forced to all the trouble and unpleasantness of getting a foreclosure.

Slightly insulted and more depressed than ever, Baxter declines the offer and vows to get the money within the next 5 days left somehow; an act which Miss Wigginton admires from Baxter as she pushes and encourages him never to give up no matter what behind her boss's back. Noticing a sign for the Silver Hills Snowmobile Race, with a specific prize for each place, Baxter decides to enter the race in order to win the money needed to pay Ridgeway back within 5 days time.

On the day of the race, Ridgeway races with Double L. Dingman while competing against other racers including Baxter and McCord on their own snowmobile built by Wally himself. When Ridgeway and Dingman find themselves cornered with Baxter and McCord during the race, Ridgeway simply cheats and deliberately throws them off balance by bumping his snowmobile against theirs and finally, kicking it off the track, which leads his competitors racing through a mine tunnel until they end up back on track in the race and one step ahead of Ridgeway and Dingman; much to their chagrin. However, due to Baxter and McCord's snowmobile in bad condition after taking much damage, Ridgeway and Dingman finally win the race despite their competitors having come close and narrowly losing the race in the end.

On the day of the deadline, Ridgeway arrives with Miss Wigginton, having brought the deed transfer papers to the lodge for Baxter to sign. When Baxter hesitates, Ridgeway sarcastically states that he could do well in other sorts of business; especially, insurance. When Baxter asks him if there's another way he could get an extension on this, Ridgeway falsely claims that he feels as bad about this as he does and cons his way by stating that the latter is simply providing a home for wayward boys rather than losing a lodge.

Having had enough of his despicable lies, Miss Wigginton finally has the nerve and courage to stand up to her boss in defense of Baxter without any worry of losing her job either. Miss Wigginton reveals that the reason why Ridgeway really wants this place is because there are 3,000 acres of Douglas-fir that goes with it originally donated to the local Indian tribes by Barnesworth for as long as the tribe occupied the land, whose timber he intends to log once he has bought the resort. Then, McCord further backs Miss Wigginton's point up when he reveals that the land upon which the town was built on was granted by Barnesworth himself on the condition that several buildings should be erected, namely a library, a church, and two hospitals: one for humans and one for animals.

However, due to the Indians having either moved out or died, the land automatically reverts back to the Jacob Barnesworth estate, or in this case, to Johnny Baxter himself as he is the heir and next of kin to legally claim the land, therefore, making Baxter see through Ridgeway's true colors and intentions at last. Then, Ridgeway reminds Baxter about meeting the payments due today and at the same time, threatens to start foreclosure proceedings tomorrow morning if the latter refuses to sign the papers. Luckily, Baxter's son, Richard points out that he didn't see any library when they first came into town and asks why doesn't the land revert back to his father, which Ridgeway tries to brush off as ridiculous. Fortunately, Miss Wigginton states that if the deed restrictions have been violated, there is an automatic reversion to the grand tour, therefore, making Baxter the legal, rightful, and official owner of the town of Silver Hill itself including Ridgeway's own bank.

Finding himself defeated and unable to con his way out this time and worried about facing jail time for trying to cheat the Baxters out of what is rightfully and legally theirs, Ridgeway nervously and reluctantly agrees to help Baxter loan the money needed for some repairs, new furniture, and especially, first-class double chair lift for the new ski lodge soon to be added in order to expand the resort; much to his chagrin. Then, after inviting Baxter for lunch tomorrow in order to talk this idea over, Ridgeway asks for some water and aspirin, which Baxter's daughter, Chris and Wally (now Chris' new boyfriend) gladly and voluntarily accept to provide him with in the kitchen.

## Gallery

Ridgeway with Double L. Dingman in the Snowmobile raceRideway and Dingman vs. Baxter and McCordMartin Ridgeway's defeat