Thanks to Joanna Wilson of Christmas TV History for today's guest review. Joanna has written multiple books about Christmas television and film. Any of her books would make a nice Christmas gift for holiday TV fans. Her most recent book is called A Is For Akron, an A to Z list of things to see & do in Akron, OH. Joanna has been a friend and inspiration to this blog for years.
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Yes - THAT Shirley Temple had a TV show! |
Christmas is certainly a time of nostalgia. Most of us
reflect back to simpler times, especially to our childhoods, when Christmas was
still filled with fantasy, magic, and life lived at a slower pace. With
this in mind, I'd like to share about an often overlooked Christmas episode of
the TV anthology series Shirley Temple's Storybook.
The 1960 episode "Babes in Toyland" was created during the second
season after the series had changed its name to The Shirley Temple Show--but it's the same series. Most
installments of the family-friendly series were a re-telling of popular fairy
tales or children's literary classics. "Babes in Toyland" however is
an hour-long adaptation of the 1903 operetta by Victor Herbert.
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In this 1960 episode, a now grown Shirley Temple introduces and narrates the story accompanied by her own children. Left to right: Charlie Black, Jr., Lori, and Linda Susan. |
The 1960 TV adaptation is a comedy version of Babes in Toyland and is loaded with
music and dancing. The story is a familiar one--youngsters Alan and Jane
are being looked after by their mean and nasty Uncle Barnaby who wants to
cash-in on the children's generous inheritance. Barnaby decides he
desires their money sooner, rather than later, and hires three cutthroat
thieves to set the innocent children adrift in a leaky boat.
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Uncle Barnaby (Jonathan Winters) is a greedy, nasty man. However, Winters' comedy style of mugging for the camera deflects a great deal of what could potentially be a frightening story. |
The adventure story continues when the children survive the
open seas and wash up on nearby shores. Alan and Jane are discovered by
the gypsy witch Floretta and find themselves among friends with the band of
dancing gypsies. That is, until Floretta sells knowledge of the children's
whereabouts to Uncle Barnaby. Alan and Jane escape and run into the
frightening Spider Forest, eventually entering Meantown.
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Jane and Alan (foreground) arrive at the gypsy camp where there is much dancing and merrymaking. |
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Jane and Alan are jailed in Meantown, accused of the crimes of smiling, niceness, and kindness! |
The nasty residents of Meantown find a way to jail the
youngsters in the center of town. Once again, Alan and Jane escape just
one step ahead of Floretta, Uncle Barnaby, and his three bumbling
henchmen. The next stop on Alan and Jane's flight is the kingdom of
Toyland, where all the toys for Christmas are made. The children feel
happy and safe amongst the land of the dancing toys and ask the royal Master
Toymaker if they can stay forever.
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To avoid being recognized by Uncle Barnaby, the children hide in plain sight as a dancing ballerina and wooden toy soldier during the Toyland Parade. |
The king likes the children, however Floretta, Uncle
Barnaby, and his minions arrive in Toyland to take Alan and Jane back
home. In the end, the Master Toymaker and the gypsy witch stand up for
the children and Uncle Barnaby's evil scheme is thwarted.
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In the end, the cast gathers to sing "Toyland," the most recognizable and still popular song from the original operetta. |
You may already be familiar with other filmed adaptations of
the operetta Babes in Toyland.
The most noteworthy include the 1934 movie starring comedians Laurel &
Hardy which has since been re-issued under the title March of the Wooden Soldiers. Walt Disney created his own version
in 1961 starring Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands. Let's not forget the
surreal 1986 TV movie version starring Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reeves. And, in
1997 an animated version was created featuring the voice talents of Jim
Belushi, Lacey Chabert, Christopher Plummer, and Charles Nelson Reilly.
Most of the adaptations alter the story quite a bit from the original
plot. However, I think the best adaptations are the ones that feature the
original music by Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough.
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While imprisoned in Meantown, Jane sings "Go To Sleep, Slumber Deep," to her brother Alan, another song from the operetta. |
Shirley Temple's "Babes in Toyland" features the
best of the original Herbert compositions including "Toyland,"
"Go to Sleep, Slumber Deep," "I Can't Do the Sum," and
"March of the Toys." In addition to these familiar Babes in Toyland tunes, the 1960 episode
features numerous shorter musical performances. This is an asset in an
hour long program which allows for more performances to be included while
preventing slow, drawn out segments. The program also squeezes in two
major dance sequences--the gypsy camp scene and the Toyland parade at the
end--which makes this Christmas TV variety program even more
entertaining.
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Can you recognize Shirley Temple under the fake nose and chin, gray wig and kercheif, and long pointy finger nails? She's Floretta, the gypsy witch. |
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Recognize these comedic actors' faces? Left to right:Joe Besser, Jerry Colonna, Carle Ballantine. Center is Jonathan Winters, of course. |
Even if you're not already familiar with the music from Babes in Toyland, you will be impressed
with the stellar ensemble cast in this 1960 musical comedy. Not only does
Hollywood icon Shirley Temple introduce and narrate this adventure story, but
she also stars in it as Floretta, the fortune-telling gypsy witch. The
evil Uncle Barnaby is played by Jonathan Winters. The three bumbling
cutthroats--Gonzales, Gonzorgo, and Rodrigo--are played by Jerry Colonna, Carl
Ballantine, and Joe Besser, respectively. And, the children, Alan and
Jane, are played by Michel Petit and Angela Cartwright.
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Jane and Alan lost in the Spider Forest. Jane is played by actress Angela Cartwright, who was also on The Danny Thomas Show in 1960. Later, she would appear in the TV series Lost In Space--and sing in the movie musical The Sound Of Music. |
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An added bonus--keen viewers may be able to spot animatronic fantasy figures--just like the kind that used to fill department store window displays at Christmas time--in the background of the Toyland scenes. |
In addition to the music, dancing, and amazing cast, I think
1960's Babes in Toyland has something
else going for it. The production was staged live which means the camera
captures the authentic performances as they occur--and a few unpredictable moments
as well. For example, the boat scene includes Petit nearly knocking over the
ship's mast to which he is bound. You can also see the boom microphone
above the actors' heads in several shots. Although the camera moves a bit more
slowly than we are used to, and the sets are often flat backdrops, I'm still
caught up in the fantasy and adventure of the storytelling and music. I
love the more simple production values of this 1960 TV episode. The lack
of CGI elements isn't a weakness but rather its strength--a reminder of simpler
times when entertainment included the viewers' imagination. At Christmas
time when I want to feel nostalgic, it's comforting to watch a program that
also makes me feel nostalgic for quality Christmas entertainment.
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Yes--Babes in Toyland is available for viewing on DVD. |
2 comments:
Thanks for your kind words and the opportunity to guest blog. It's always wonderful to share ideas with people with whom you share much in common.
We're always happy to hear from you, Joanna! Yay for the magic of the internet bringing cool people together!
:-)
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