Tuesday, March 7 | 7 Films
TCM’s 31 Days of Oscars is shining the spotlight on Kid Classics such as 1935’s David Copperfield, 1942’s Jungle Book and 1946’s The Green Years. But truth be told, all seven films airing March 7 are not for children. They’re as much fun for adults who are kids at heart.
The best of the lot is David O. Selznick’s handsome production of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. The British writer’s masterpiece was first was serialized in 1849-1850 and published as a book in 1850. It was an example of the bildungsroman genre of the novel in which the title character narrates the story of his life. It was also considered Dickens’ most autobiographical novel described as a “very complicated weaving of truth and invention.”
Directed by George Cukor, David Copperfield was not only a box office hit, the film earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Editing and Assistant Director. It’s best known for introducing the talented and adorable British child star Freddie Bartholomew to American audiences and for its out of-the-box casting of caustic comic actor W.C. Fields as David’s friend Mr. Micawber, the eternal optimist who believes "something will turn up.”
Charles Laughton had originally been cast as Micawber but left the production after two days. Though Fields’ contract stated that he had to speak in an English accent, he didn’t. According to IMDB.com, Fields’ responded to criticism of his American accent in his typical acerbic style.
“My father was an Englishman and I inherited this accent from him. Are you trying to go against nature?”
The New York Times gushed with praise over the film: “The classic story of David’s triumphs and sorrows, and of the amazing people who were his friends and enemies, has been made into a gorgeous photoplay which encompasses the rich and kindly humanity of the original so brilliantly that it comes a masterpiece in its own right.”
Before David Copperfield, Selznick scored another big success with his 1933 adaptation Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women with Katharine Hepburn and directed by Cukor. After the extraordinary success of his 1939 production Gone with the Wind, Selznick was always looking for a project that would surpass the Civil War epic, as well as finding the perfect vehicle for his protégé and soon-to-be wife Jennifer Jones. And in 1946, he set out to remake “Little Women” with Jones and Shirley Temple, whom he had under contract. Mervyn LeRoy was hired as director and sets were constructed. According to TCM.com, there are many conflicting stories about why the production didn’t go forward including a studio strike. Daily Variety reported in 1948 that MGM had acquired the rights to Alcott’s book, had a completed script and LeRoy on board to direct.
The adored story of the four March sisters - Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg and how they grew was given the “A” treatment for the 1949 version. Shot in glorious Technicolor, the drama received Oscar nominations for Cinematography and won for Best Art Direction. MGM cast the film with the top stars of the studio: June Allyson, who at 31 was a bit too long in the tooth as Jo, Margaret O’Brien as Beth, Elizabeth Taylor sporting a blonde wig as Amy and Janet Leigh as Meg, with Peter Lawford, a tad too mature as the beloved Laurie.
The film was one of the top ten box office hits of the year, though, reviews were mixed especially for Allyson. The actress, along with O’Brien, was considered one of the top criers at the studio. A fact not lost on the New York Times. “Where June Allyson is fairly winning as Jo in her happier moods, she becomes a sodden depressant when she has to succumb to her tears.” And as for O’Brien’s death scene the reviewer lamented “granting the richness of the moment when she places a grateful kiss on the cheek of the stern old Mr. Laurence, warmly played by the late Sir Aubrey Smith, she overacts Little Eva in her final scenes in the film.”
MGM didn’t just adapt 19th century novels, but contemporary fare like A.J. Cronin’s best-selling 1944 novel “The Green Years” which revolved around an endearing Irish Catholic orphan named Robert who is sent to live with his stern, miserly Scottish and Protestant grandparents. Robert finds friendship and kindness with his larger-than-life colorful great-grandfather.
The studio paid a record $200,000 for the right to Cronin’s book. And it was worth every penny. The 1946 film is an utter delight. It became one of the top films of the year and earned Oscar nominations for Supporting Actor, though he has top billing for Charles Coburn as the great-grandfather and for the lovely Black-and-White Cinematography.
Dean Stockwell, then just 10, particularly enchanted critics and audiences as the young Robert with Variety proclaiming he was “the particularly bright spot in the well-turned cast, as well as a top addition to the list of Hollywood juvenile players” adding that the film gave him a “real opportunity to demonstrate a sensitivity and true dramatic poignancy….”
Tom Drake, who made quite an impression as the boy-next-door in 1944’s “Meet Me in St. Louis,” probably made young women’s hearts flutter as the older Robert. Both Stockwell and Drake have a wonderful chemistry with Coburn, who despite unfortunate hair and make, seems to be having a field day.
Rounding out the cast are Hume Cronyn as Robert’s odious, penny-pinching grandfather, Selena Royle as his long-suffering grandmother, Gladys Cooper as his stern great-grandmother, Jessica Tandy, who was married to Cronyn and pregnant with their daughter during production, as Robert’s aunt and Beverly Tyler as the love of the Robert’s life. Herbert Stothart’s engaging score is just icing on the cake.
The Kid Classics programming also features Paramount Technicolor animated Gulliver’s Travels from 1939. The studio was the home of Fleischer Studios which was co-founded by animator Max Fleischer and his younger director brother Dave. A major rival to Disney, the Fleischer siblings were responsible for bringing Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye and Superman to the big screen in a series of popular animated shorts. Their Gulliver’s Travels, which is the second animated feature film made, may never had been made if Walt Disney’s landmark 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hadn’t been such a success.
According to TCM.com., Max Fleischer had long wanted to try his hand at an animated feature, but Paramount’s Adolph Zukor shot down the idea until Snow White became a phenomenon. Zukor told the Fleischer’s they had a mere 18 months to produce an animated feature that would open Christmas of 1939.
Fleischer chose to adapt the Lilliputian section of Jonathan Swift’s 1726 satire. Max’s son, film director Richard Fleischer (Fantastic Voyage, 1966) would later say that it was his father’s favorite book since he read it to him at bedtime when he was a child.
Max Fleischer invented several animation techniques including the rotoscope where animators would trace over the frames of a live action film. This gave Gulliver a realistic look in contrast to the loopy exaggerated appearances and slapstick actions of the teeny tiny Lilliputians.
The film performed well at the box office and Victor Young’s score and the Ralph Rainger and Leo Robins’ ballad “Faithful Forever” earned Oscar nominations.
Disney’s 1967 animated musical classic, 1994’s live-action version and Jon Favreau’s 2016 live-action/animated adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” have cast its long shadow over Alexander Korda’s 1942 live-action Technicolor production The Jungle Book. The one-and-only Sabu starred as the teenage Mowgli, who was raised in the jungle by wolves.
It's a shame that this Zoltan Korda directed version is almost forgotten. Though some of the performances are wanting, it’s a gorgeous looking film that earned Oscar nominations for Miklós Rózsa’s Indian-music inspired score, Art Direction, Color Cinematography and Best Effects, Special Effects.
Theodor Geisel, best known as Dr. Seuss, ventured into script writing with the way, way out 1953 musical fantasy The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Tommy Rettig stars as a young boy who fantasizes about his pompous piano teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried). In his nightmares, he envisions Dr. T as the autocratic head of the Terwilliker Institute where he forces boys to practice piano forever. Mary Healy and her real-life husband Peter Lind Hayes play Rettig’s mother and their plumber who secretly loves her.
Dr. Seuss’ original script was 1,200 pages and contained "themes of world dominance and oppression coming out of World War II." Did we say this was his only feature film script?
Though Dr. T. received an Oscar nomination for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture for Friedrich Hollaender and Morris Stoloff, audiences and critics didn’t know what to make of the movie. In fact, during one preview audiences started leaving the theater 15 minutes into the screening. Musical numbers were cut; there were reshoots but to no avail. The good Dr. Seuss was so discouraged with the outcome, he wouldn’t talk of the film.
Conried did. He said that he had never had such a part before. “We rehearsed for eight weeks before I was engaged to shoot for eight weeks, an extravagance that I, as a bit player had never known…If it had been a success, with my prominent part in the title role, it would have changed my life.”
The Stanley Kramer production was definitely ahead of its time; its reputation has grown substantially over the years.
TCM ends Kid Classics with the 1973 musical version of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer featuring a script and songs by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman. Reader’s Digest got into film production in the 1970s with the aim of making family friendly films. Tom Sawyer was their best.
Tom Sawyer reunited Johnny Whitaker of Family Affair fame and Jodie Foster who had appeared the year before in Napoleon and Samantha (1972) as Tom and Becky Thatcher. Jeff East made his screen debut as Huck Finn and the supporting cast included Celeste Holm and Warren Oates.
The film earned three Oscar nominations for Costume Design, Art Direction - Set Decoration and Music, Scoring, Original Song Score and /or Adaptation for the Sherman Brothers and John Williams, who was also earned two more nominations that year for Cinderella Liberty. The 91-year-old Williams has been nominated for an Oscar 53 times with his latest for Steven Spielberg’s 2022 The Fabelmans. Williams has won five Academy Awards.
