1h 24min | Musical, Fantasy, Romance | TV Movie 22 February 1965 | Color, fs
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Stars: Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, Celeste Holm, Jo Van Fleet, Stuart Damon, Pat Carroll, Barbara Ruick, Lesley Ann Warren.
Eugene Loring ... choreographer
Watched on AmazonPrime.
18 songs in the Soundtracks.
I think of LW as a dancer, and she did a solo turn after the waltz with SD at the ball, but it was unimpressive to say the least.
Interesting to have TV-style lighting and sparkled effects, but seamless transitions for the magic. Technology has already advanced a lot by '65. The end credits does say it was pre-recorded.
This is another case where I'd like to merge the cast of the '57 original and this, namely Julie Andrews with SD. Of course, he has a tremendous advantage that they pre-taped the program; most of my objection to the '57 prince was the errors.
I'm surprised that I don't like CH better as the fairy godmother. Somehow I'm wanting a bit more whimsy in her performance and more lilt in her voice. She looks great.
PC (b. '27) as one of the stepsisters has visible creases in her skin; she'd have made a credible stepmother. But JV is well cast, with her pinched features, she's easily cruel.
The music still doesn't grab me, and most songs felt unfamiliar. I didn't check the soundtracks against '57 to see if the songs were the same, but I did recognize the "do I love you because you're wonderful, or are you wonderful because I love you" song.
CBS, dir. Dubin; 6
