* Hans Christian Andersen (1952) on Veehd embed / report A completely fabricated biography of the famous Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen featuring several of his stories and a ballet performance of "The Little Mermaid"... Hans Christian Andersen is a 1952 Hollywood musical film directed by Charles Vidor with words and music by Frank Loesser. The story was by Myles Connolly its screenplay was by Moss Hart and Ben Hecht (uncredited) and was produced by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. It is a fictional romantic story revolving around the life of the famous Danish poet and story-teller Hans Christian Andersen. The title role was played by Danny Kaye.The film was an international success at the time. It is not a biographical movie and in the introduction describes itself as "a fairytale about the storyteller". A large part of the story is told through song and ballet and includes many of Andersens most famous stories such as The Ugly Duckling Thumbelina The Emperors New Clothes and The Little Mermaid.

Hans Christian Andersen: The top 10 films based on his tales - Mirror Online News Hans Christian Andersen: The top 10 films based on his tales To mark what would have been Hans Christian Andersen's 205th birthday, here are ten big screen adaptations inspired by the Danish author's work. Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email To mark what would have been Hans Christian Andersen's 205th birthday , here are 10 big screen adaptations inspired by the Danish author's work. The Little Mermaid Undoubtedly the most successful adaptation of an Andersen tale, this Disney animated classic from 1989 tones down some of the original’s harsher edges. The most notable alteration comes with the ending, dispensing with the heartbreaking demise of the mermaid into sea foam after she dies of grief. While it didn’t stick to Andersen’s original vision, it did at least provide the world with this unforgettable upbeat ditty. The Little Match Girl Legendary French film director Jean Renoir’s 1928 take on the tale of a young girl forced to sell matches on Christmas Eve also takes some liberties with the Danish author’s original storyline.

At times surreal, it is nevertheless rightly held up as an early cinema classic. The Red Shoes Honoured by the BFI as one of the Best British Films of all time, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 flick is often referenced by Brian DePalma and Martin Scorsese. It combines Andersen’s tale along with a story said to have been inspired by the real-life meeting of Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev with the British ballerina Diana Gould. Fantasia 2000 Disney’s IMAX update of its groundbreaking 1940 epic has a sequence inspired by Andersen's short story The Steadfast Tin Soldier, which sees a one-legged toy soldier coming to life to save a music-box ballerina from an evil Jack-in-the-box. The Princess and the Pea 2002 saw another Andersen fable hit the ultra-big screen, with this animated adaptation of the fairytale favourite for IMAX screens produced by an American-Hungarian production team. The Emperor’s New Clothes Here’s a dodgy 1987 musical stab at an Andersen tale from Cannon Movie Tales. Starring Sid Caesar and Lysette Anthony, it somewhat unsurprisingly went straight to video.

The Ugly Duckling This story of a homely little bird that eventually blossoms into a beautiful swan was treated to not one, but two fantastic Silly Symphonies animated shorts produced by Walt Disney. With the 1931 attempt created in black and white, advances in film technology saw a second Technicolor version created in 1939 that won an Oscar for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) the following year. Snezhnaya Koroleva This 1957 Soviet animated classic was later dubbed by Universal Studios with the voices of Sandra Dee, Tommy Kirk. It was redubbed again in the 1990s, this time featuring the voices of Kathleen Turner, Mickey Rooney and Kirsten Dunst. Disney currently has a new animated movie in production based on the story that’s pencilled in for a 2013 release. Thumbelina Said to be a move by Warner Bros to capitalise on Disney’s success with the Little Mermaid, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman’s cartoon flopped when it was released in 1994, with the film picking up a Razzie in the category of "Worst Original Song" for "Marry the Mole”.

Hans Christian Andersen Unlike Thumbelina, this 1952 Hollywood musical starring Danny Kaye was a big hit at the time. Billed as "a fairytale about the storyteller", it includes many of Andersen's most famous stories such as The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Little Mermaid. Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent Audience Reviews for Hans Christian Andersen ½ The top-grossing film of 1952 was this fictional "biography" of the Danish storyteller, tailored for Danny Kaye's talents; Jeanmaire was featured as a ballerina, but it was the Frank Loesser score that made the best impression: along with the Oscar-nominated "Thumbelina" were other Loesser standards such as "Wonderful Copenhagen," "The Ugly Duckling," and the film's big hit, "Anywhere I Wander." Michael Troudt ½ The fictional tale of the Danish poet and fairytale storyteller who's work has gone on to inspire virtually anything and everything for children...and Disney's cash cow.

Its not a biographical film of course (the film even says that), its basically a fairytale of sorts that kinda focuses on Andersen's life at a certain point. At this time he creates 'The Little Mermaid' out of love for a married woman. In the traditional Hollywood style of the 50's and previous years the film is heavily narrated through song and dance and has clearly taken pointers from other classics. The film is essentially a romantic tale with morals about Andersen going off to the big city of Copenhagen to try and start a new business there. Whilst there he falls for a married ballerina at the theatre whose husband treats her roughly. Andersen writes her a love letter in the form of 'The Little Mermaid' and dreams about rescuing her from her harsh husband. As we discover unfortunately for Hans he has misunderstood their relationship and returns to Odense. The plot is much deeper than that though as the tale of the little mermaid, I believe, is suppose to mirror Andersen's heartbreaking situation. He is smitten with the beautiful French ballerina who appears to be living a life of angst married to the theatres dance choreographer.

The mermaid is smitten with a Prince who ends up on the ocean floor when his ship sinks. The mermaid saves his life and falls in love at the same time, but like Andersen and his ballerina, they are both from different worlds. Andersen a poor cobbler, the ballerina a wealthy famous dancer, the Prince errr...is a Prince and the mermaid is a sea creature. So the mermaid seeks help from the sea witch who transforms the mermaid into a human so she can go and find the Prince. Andersen dreams of rescuing the ballerina and them both getting married living happily ever after. Alas when the mermaid finds the Prince he has affections for another and the mermaid must return to the sea heartbroken (I think she actually dies in the original story). The same for Andersen who eventually manages to speak of his affections to the ballerina but she too (much to our and Andersen's surprise) actually loves her harsh husband. So Hans must return to Odense for of sorrow but luckily there is a much happier ending of course. This was one of the first classical films my parents showed me and my brother when we were very young along with other golden Hollywood movies.

I won't beat around the bush though, this film will probably sicken most kids these days as its extremely soft centred and full of wonderful musical moments. What's more I'm pretty sure most modern folk these days will think this film dances gingerly around pedophilia the way Andersen is portrayed as a child obsessed loner. Anyway despite how excellent this film is I too cannot deny that some of it is really really sickly...almost vomit inducing, the 'Ugly Duckling' song for example. The music isn't as sublime as other big Hollywood pictures of the time no doubt, but there are plenty of very catchy little tunes that you'll find yourself humming to once the credits have rolled. As said some will turn your stomach with the whimsical levels going through the roof, yet others are a joy to behold. Personally I always loved the sequence with 'Wonderful Copenhagen' (try making a song with that city name in it!), 'The King's New Clothes' is a fun little number with the kids at the start and who can forget 'Thumbelina'. As I'm sure you have noticed these songs, and others, are famous works of the real Andersen which have become films in their own rights.

Most of these musical numbers are squarely aimed at the kids, fun bouncy and the kids can join in, but the adults do get some serious dance sequences too. Very much in the same style as some Gene Kelly dance sequences if you ask me, visually at least. These are mainly dream sequences dreamt up by Hans so they are much darker in tone at times with Hans fighting the ballerinas husband Niels. A stark contrast to everything else in the film but much more enjoyable now for me as an adult. The entire film looks like an explosion from an old fashioned candy store followed by an explosion from an old fashioned toy store. Everything is bright colourful and bold, it almost looks like a comicbook. Like many films of the era most every scene is obviously a set with forced perspective and matte paintings/backdrops but it all looks so vibrant and alive, it all looks good enough to eat. I'm not really sure if there is any kind of historical accuracy in the film with things like buildings and costumes, I kinda doubt it because all the costumes are so deliciously loud and zany but at the same time they do seem to have a genuinely realistic dated appearance.

All this and I haven't even mentioned the actual ballerina sequences in the film with the real ballerina/dancer Zizi Jeanmaire playing Hans crush. If you didn't think you'd ever be interested in ballet then prepare for a shock...because these sequences will grab your attention as you watch Zizi glide around like a beautiful swan...plus she could act and she's cute as a button! I love Danny Kaye in the film because he really does come across as a nice guy and he really looks Danish in his outfit. He's a different kind of performer to Gene Kelly of course but he has a pleasant aura about him so what he lacks in dance moves he makes up for with vocals and looks. Other than Kaye and Zizi everyone else is kinda meh methinks, they all look good in their roles don't get me wrong but no one really blows you away. I have always found this film hard to fully enjoy truth be told, one the one hand its a film for children and those parts are very sappy. On the other hand there are parts for adults which are obviously now much more to my taste as the kiddie parts fall away.

So in affect you enjoy the film when you're young for some of the picture, and when you're an adult you enjoy the other sections of the film, unfortunately its hard to enjoy both. In fact there are some scenes I just wanted to spin through on fast forward. I think these days I'm more impressed with the actual dancing than anything else, the songs are cute, the casting is fair but its the dancing that really held me. The ballerina sequences are virtually inch-perfect in my book. I can't be too harsh here because with a doubt this is a fantastic little fable, fairytale or folk tale...however you wanna look at it. To me it feels similar to 'The Wizard of Oz' in terms of visuals and being aimed at kids, yet its surprising how dark the film does delve at times. Yes the film is utterly outdated and the morals are presented in an extremely quaint and mushy way, but they do still resonate to this day to a degree...at least maybe for children. Overall the plot is a bit jumbled with bits for kids and bits for adults all centred around a tale of unattainable love basically...which is hardly what kids wanna see.

None the less you simply can't help but be entertained by this sprightly multicoloured world with Kaye and his musical melodious lessons in life. Phil Hubbs Super Reviewer No, it's not a biopic of the famous Denmark storyteller, but, as the opening credits declare, "a fairy tale of this great spinner of fairy tales." And that's exactly what this film is. Danny Kaye does an outstanding job in the title role, portraying Hans as a sweet-natured, gentle soul with boundless imagination and a tender, childlike innocence. Further complimenting the storybook quality set backdrops and Kaye's turn is the unforgettable score by Frank Loesser, which naturally, turns several of Andersen's best known fairy tales, such as "The Emperor's New Clothes", "Thumbelina," and "The Ugly Duckling." In fact, the best sequences of the film are the ones in which Hans spins his yarns before a group of wide-eyed children who, naturally, adore the man. But HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN is also a love story, and a rather tragic one at that.

Forced to leave the village since his stories distract the children from school, Hans gets involved with the Royal Ballet Company of Copenhagen where he falls madly in love with the prima ballerina, Doro. Unfortunately, she's married to the company's temperamental director, Niels. When Hans witnesses a quarrel between the spouses, his response is to draft a story which leads to the longest scene in the film: a spectacular ballet that retells the melancholy tale of "The Little Mermaid" set to the music of Liszt. (Fans of the Disney film take note: Andersen's original version, as portrayed here, is darker and sadder.) It's in this subplot that the film loses some of its momentum, but at the same time it lends an air of complexity to this "simplified" and fabricated telling. HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN earns my highest rating regardless, but also out of a personal bias: it was one of my favorite films growing up as a kid, and today it holds up quite well, even with the occasional slow spot. Jon Turner ½ I found this movie ho-hum. Sure, it is fun to watch Danny Kaye do a great job.

I wasn't as impressed when I was busy watching the story of Hans the Cobbler and a 20 minute ballet broke out. Red Lats Hans Christian Andersen (1953) | Rinema Hans Christian Andersen (1953) Signin to view reviews from people you are following. From Everybody: Editing Plot: Hans Christian Andersen is a 1952 Hollywood musical film directed by Charles Vidor, with words and music by Frank Loesser. The story was by Myles Connolly, its screenplay was by Moss Hart and Ben Hecht (uncredited), and was produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions. It is a fictional, romantic story revolving around the life of the famous Danish poet and story-teller Hans Christian Andersen. The title role was played by Danny Kaye.The film was an international success at the time.

It is not a biographical movie, and in the introduction describes itself as "not the story of his life, but a fairytale about this great spinner of fairy tales." A large part of the story is told through song and ballet and includes many of Andersen's most famous stories such as The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Little Mermaid.A studio cast recording of the film's songs was released by Decca soon after the film, with Danny Kaye, Jane Wyman, and a backup chorus singing the songs from the film. The album also included two Sylvia Fine originals made specifically for the album, "Uncle Pockets" and "There's a Hole at the Bottom of the Sea", and Danny Kaye's narration of two Tubby the Tuba stories by Paul Tripp. There was originally a 10" version without the extra songs.

Release Dates: Theatrical : 1952-11-25 : New York City Theatrical : 1953-08-14 : France Amazon.com: Hans Christian Andersen: Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Zizi Jeanmaire, Joseph Walsh, Philip Tonge, Erik Bruhn, Roland Petit, John Brown, John Qualen, Jeanne Lafayette, Robert Malcolm, George Chandler, Harry Stradling Sr., Charles Vidor, Daniel Mandell, Samuel Goldwyn, Ben Hecht, Moss Hart, Myles Connolly: Movies & TV Hans Christian Andersen Unlimited Streaming with Amazon Prime Start your 30-day free trial to stream thousands of movies & TV shows included with Prime. Start your free trial See all buying options Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com.

When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Get a $75.00 statement credit after first Amazon.com purchase made with new Discover itÂ® card within 3 months. Terms and conditions apply. See offer for details. Apply now. Editorial Reviews Once upon a time, there lived in Denmark a young shoemaker named Hans Christian Andersen whose magical tales delighted boys and girls throughout the land. Filled with music, laughter and "wonderful, glittering fun" (L.A. Examiner), this charming fable follows the adventures of the legendary storyteller and "recaptures the spirit of fairyland make-believe for children of all ages" (Southern California Motion Picture Council). Nominated* for six OscarsÂ(r), Hans ChristianAndersen is pure enchantment! Danny Kaye "is a delight" (Cue) as Hans, who one day journeys beyond the borders of his small village, across the sea and into the dazzling city of Copenhagen.

There he encounters marvels and wonders beyond his wildest dreams...and finds the inspiration forsome of his most unforgettable characters such as "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," "Thumbelina" and many more! *1952: Art Direction (Color), Cinematography (Color), Costume Design (Color), Scoring of a Musical Picture, Song, "Thumbelina", Sound Special Features Producers: Samuel Goldwyn Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) Subtitles: Spanish, French Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats. ) Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001 Run Time: 112 minutes Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com.

When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . By Roger Strutton on March 17, 2000 Format: DVD|Verified Purchase Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) was an Ugly Duckling. He lived in the third largest town Odense, in Denmark. The son of a cobbler he was poverty ridden and a failure as an actor and it wasn't until he moved to Copenhagen and won the patronage of Frederick VI, through his poetry, that he wrote his fairy tales and developed into a swan. Like many artists he wasn't particularly happy, and never did marry, although he was very fond of Jenny Lind (1820-87) the Swedish Nightingale a soprano given the name by P.T. Barnum during her tour of the United States between 1850-52.) Charles Vidor's film does state at the beginning, This is not the story of Hans Christian Andersen but a fairy tale about the great spinner of fairy tales.

The Danes objected to the way Hans Christian Andersen was portrayed even though Goldwyn had rejected 21 previous manuscripts, so the film company inserted this statement in the credits. Danny Kaye with his chiselled features does resemble H.C.Andersen when looking at his profile, but apart from this facial feature that's where it stops. Kaye had dark hair but Hollywood soon changed that and he became a blonde, Andersen also had dark hair but he kept it that way. Unlike some earlier musicals, this film does have a strong story line with loads of songs written by "Baby, It's Cold Outside", Frank Loessen, such as Thumbelina, Ugly Duckling, No Two People, and of course Wonderful Copenhagen. The scenery is very clever, the backgrounds look like illustrations from fairy tale books, but as the camera zooms in to the foreground the buildings and props become three dimensional similar to a pop-up-book. There are four ballet scenes that I probably found boring back in `52, but revisiting them now, they are visually very interesting, technically I wouldn't know if they are good or mediocre but for a Hollywood musical film, four ballets must of taken an enormous amount of consideration seeing as the film is really for kids.

Once again the backdrops for the ballets also resemble fairy tale illustrations and pop-up-books. Instead of a soprano, Andersen falls in love with a ballet dancer and here's a musical that doesn't have a very happy ending because poor Hans gets mixed up with a married woman. The ballet dancer Doro, is played by Zizi Jeanmaire, and is married to Niels played by Farley Granger. During the last part of the film, the audience is taken behind the scenes of the ballet company playing at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen, but this isn't a film of a show included in a show, similar to earlier musicals, but an uplifting musical film with lots of music with catchy tunes helped by a ton of children. The last ballet scene takes 17 minutes, quite long for a popular movie. In the film Hans writes a story especially for his love Doro, unfortunately Niels locks him in a cupboard so Andersen never sees her perform but has to use his imagination. The ballet takes place on land and under the ocean. The surface waves are pop-up so that the dancers can be seen dancing in between the swells, it's really very clever visually, and there's no trickery here.

Under the sea filled with monsters and witches, the heroine is probably attached to a pulley so that she can be seen swimming for the surface. There are no blue screens in this film, all effects are up-front and work perfectly similar to a staged ballet. Once again the technicolor process is used and this enhances the fairy tale effect with vivid colors. Hans Christian Andersen fairy stories are not violent when compared to the Grimm brothers, but the themes usually have a lesson, and in the story written for Doro's ballet, "The Little Mermaid," it is saying that aiming for the stars does not always bring happiness, but then of course Walt Disney hadn't yet arrived on the scene and he soon changed that philosophy. ByA customeron March 28, 1999 Format: DVD With all due respect, Leonard Maltin just doesn't get it with regard to this movie, and I hate to think his negative comments might prevent someone from seeing it. This was one of the most memorable movies from my childhood -- and I can only have seen it twice at the most, because there were no videos in those days. We had the soundtrack album and those glorious and, yes, melodic, songs burned themselves into my consciousness.

I could not wait until my daughter was old enough to share this movie with, and now that we are watching it together (she is three), it is a joy to see her, too, respond to the magic and music of Danny Kaye's charming performance. For the past three months it has been her most requested video, and when we aren't watching it, she wants me to sing the songs, and when I can't do that, she sings them herself! And now that she is familiar with the musical versions of the fairy tales, she wants them read to her, and is thereby learning to listen to much longer and more complex stories than before. This really is a special movie. No, it's not an accurate portrayal of Anderson's life, and it doesn't pretend to be. In fact it says right there in the opening frame, "This is not the story of his life, but rather a fairy tale about this spinner of fairy tales." And yes, the plot is a little limp. So as a movie it only gets four stars, not five. But it doesn't matter.

There is so much charm and magic and wonderful music here, that the experience of watching it, even over and over again, is a five-star experience that makes for lifelong memories. By Byron Kolln HALL OF FAME on March 1, 2006 Format: DVD HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN presents a fanciful, fictionalised re-telling of the famed storyteller's life, highlighted by Frank Loesser's beautiful score and the perfect casting of Danny Kaye in the central role. As the film opens, cobbler Hans is entertaining the children of Odense, Denmark, with yet another fantastic tale, much to the consternation of the schoolmaster who feels the children are having their time wasted when they should be studying. This seems to be the opinion of most of the townspeople, so Hans is politely told to leave town...for a while anyway. Hans and his young assistant travel to the bright lights and bustle of Copenhagen for a fresh start, but old habits die hard and soon Hans is entertaining a new group of children with his amazing storytelling talents.

When Hans is engaged to make slippers and toe-shoes for the city's ballet troupe, he becomes entranced by the prima ballerina Doro (Zizi Jeanmaire in her film debut) not knowing that she's married to the troupe's tough choreographer Niels (Farley Granger). His story of "The Little Mermaid", inspired by Doro, becomes the ballet's new work, but discovering the truth, Hans returns to Odense a hero, his storytelling now famous all over Europe. Danny Kaye is just was is called for in the role of Hans. His natural warmth, fatherly air and ability to combine pathos and heart serves him well in his performance. Zizi Jeanmaire as the glamorous Doro likewise is perfect casting (although Moira Shearer from "The Red Shoes" was first choice, pregnancy prevented her from doing the film). Having shot to fame in husband Roland Petit's ballet version of "Carmen", Jeanmaire adds a European beauty and elegance to her role, and Petit staged all the ballet numbers in this film too.

Farley Granger's Niels is the perfect foil to Danny Kaye's innocent and childlike Hans, and the love triangle is thrillingly brought to life in the Dream Ballet. Frank Loesser's score is what most people remember the film for, and it's one of the best written by the legendary composer-lyricist. He had just come from his phenomenal success on Broadway with the score of "Guys and Dolls" and Hollywood was eager for him to ply his trade for the movie musicals of the 1950's. Songs like "Thumbelina", "The Ugly Duckling", "Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen" and "I'm Hans Christian Andersen" have become well-known standards. "Inchworm", bookended by children chanting their times tables, is so lovely and gentle in it's beauty, and "No Two People" is a jaunty little duet for Hans and Doro in the Dream Ballet. This film was beautifully-photographed by Oscar-nominee Harry Stradling. The film also received Oscar nominations for Costume Design (Mary Wills, Madame Karinska), Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Music Scoring (Walter Scharf), Best Song and Best Sound Recording.

The Technicolor photography is absolutely stunning and the bold colours pop off the screen with their brightness and clarity. hans christian andersen film : definition of hans christian andersen film and synonyms of hans christian andersen film (English) Language English Hans Christian Andersen is a 1952 Hollywood musical film directed by Charles Vidor , with words and music by Frank Loesser . The story was by Myles Connolly , its screenplay was by Moss Hart and Ben Hecht (uncredited) , and was produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions . It is a fictional, romantic story revolving around the life of the famous Danish poet and story-teller Hans Christian Andersen . The title role was played by Danny Kaye . The film was an international success at the time. It is not a biographical movie, and in the introduction describes itself as "a fairytale about the storyteller". A large part of the story is told through song and ballet and includes many of Andersen's most famous stories such as The Ugly Duckling , Thumbelina , The Emperor's New Clothes and The Little Mermaid .

A studio cast recording of the film's songs was released by Decca soon after the film, with Danny Kaye, Jane Wyman , and a backup chorus singing the songs from the film, also including two Sylvia Fine originals made specifically for the album, "Uncle Pockets" and "There's a Hole at the Bottom of the Sea", and Danny Kaye's narration of two Tubby the Tuba stories by Paul Tripp. Contents October | 2013 | Comet Over Hollywood Comet Over Hollywood Home for classic movie lovers Search Happy Halloween from Comet Over Hollywood! This week’s video discusses: -My Louise Brooks costume based on the lost silent film “Now We’re in the Air” (1927) -My favorite horror film-which is limited, because I am too much of a scaredy cat to watch horror films -And I sing a little for you! My Halloween costume modeled after Louise Brooks in “Now We’re In the Air” (1927) Did you dress up as anything classic film related this year? Be sure to e-mail me your photos at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com and I will help you show them off on Comet!

For Throwback Thursday, here are some previous Halloweens we have celebrated together: Stay safe tonight. And if you throw flour in anyone’s face (a la Margaret O’Brien in “ Meet Me In St. Louis ” (1944), make sure everyone knows that you are the “most horrible.” Thanks for reading and watching! Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read? Share it: Like this: Like Loading... by Jnpickens It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week’s musical: Vincente Minnelli Starring: Judy Garland, Mary Astor, Leon Ames, Margaret O’Brien, Lucille Bremer, Marjorie Main, Tom Drake, June Lockhart, Harry Davenport, Chill Wills, Joan Carroll. Plot: “ Meet Me In St.

Louis ” revolves around the Smith family who lives in St. Louis and follows them from Summer of 1903 until the 1904 World’s Fair. The film is broken up into story segments such as Summer, Fall of 1903 with Halloween, Winter of 1903 with Christmas and Summer of 1904 when they go to the World’s Fair. Esther (Garland) falls in love the boy next door, John Truitt (Drake) and her sister Rose (Bremer) is a flirt who likes older men. The two younger sisters Tootie (O’Brien) and Agnes (Carroll) cause mischief. The conflict comes when their father (Ames) needs to move the family to New York. Trivia: -Van Johnson was originally supposed to play John Truitt rather than Tom Drake. -The daughter of a lighting man was originally cast as Tootie. When O’Brien was cast instead, the lighting man intentionally attempted to drop a light on O’Brien. -Arthur Freed dubbed Leon Ames’s singing voice. -Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli met on this film. They were married from 1945 to 1951.

-Garland was 21 when she was in this movie and was disappointed to play another teenager. She wanted to move on to other adult roles. -“Meet Me in St. Louis” was made into a Broadway show in 1989, according to “Hollywood Musicals Year by Year” by Stanley Green. -Director Vincente Minnelli’s first film hit, according to The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity by Raymond Knapp Judy Garland as Esther singing “The Trolley Song” -The film is based off a series of autobiographical stories by Sally Benson published in “The New Yorker,” according to Knapp’s book -A personal favorite film of producer Arthur Freed. -The highest grossing film at the time for MGM since “Gone with the Wind” (1939). -The film was remade twice for television. Once in 1959 starring Jane Powell, Jeanne Crain, Patty Duke, Walter Pidgeon and Myrna Loy. The second time was in 1966 starring Shelley Fabares and Celeste Holm. Highlights: -The terrific cast.

Though the leads are amazing, I would argue that the secondary leads of Marjorie Main and Harry Davenport steal the show. -Lon’s going away party with “Skip to My Lou” and Tootie and Esther singing “The Cake Walk” is one of my favorite parts. -I love the holiday portions of the film such as: –Halloween: Tootie and Agnes trick-or-treating in their spooky costumes-Agnes as a drunken ghost and Tootie as a horrible ghost. The two are dared to throw flour on neighbors and shout “I HATE YOU.” I’m always shocked that these kids parents don’t care they are starting a huge bonfire in the middle of the neighborhood. Margaret O’Brien as Tootie being the “most horrible” –Christmas: Esther (Garland) and Rose (Bremer) go to a dance and try to sabotage Lucille Ballard’s (Lockhart) dance card by giving her dopey boys to dance with. The scene where Esther dances with all of the silly boys is hilarious. –More Christmas: Tootie (O’Brien) is a snowman murderer. Tootie is upset the family is moving so she destroys the snowmen.

-And then there is Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully) Notable Songs: -The Trolly Song sung by Judy Garland. The most famous song in the film. It’s such fun and Garland did the scene in one take. -“Skip to My Lou”/”Under the Bamboo Tree” sung by Judy Garland and Lucille Bremer during the party scene. It’s so fun and I wish my party was like this. -“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” sung by Judy Garland is also another famous song from the film. It makes me mother cry every time. And I have recently inherited sappily crying during the scene. -“The Boy Next Door” sung by Judy Garland My Review: This is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s one of those movies that I have been watching since I was a baby and it never gets old. The humor, the gorgeous Technicolor and the wonderful songs. The story flows well and the songs fit in effortlessly. I can’t think about this movie without smiling. Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read?

Share it: This week, the Comet welcomes you into my home for movie night! Since June, I have been holding monthly movie nights known as “Classics at Comet’s.” My friends were interested in seeing what my classic film was all about so each month I present a film from a different decade. Watch to see what Classics at Comet’s is all about: What is are films you feel like everyone should see? Thanks for reading and watching! Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read? Share it: Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Cornel Wilde, Walter Brennan, Constance Bennett, Dorothy Gish Plot: Set in Philadelphia during the United State’s centennial celebration in 1876, the plot focuses on the Rogers family. Their Aunt Zenia (Bennett) comes to visit from Paris, France for the celebration and brings her French nephew Philippe (Wilde). The oldest Rogers sisters Edith (Darnell)-the flirty older sister who gets all the boys- and Julia (Craine)-the more quiet sister who has never had a romance- immediately both are enchanted by the Frenchman.

The two both work for his affections. Trivia -Composer Jerome Kern’s last musical score for either stage or film, according to “ Hollywood Musicals Year by Year ” by Stanley Green -The film was Fox’s response to MGM’s hit “ Meet Me In St. Louis ” (1944). Both films focus on turn of the century nostalgia. -Based on a book by Albert E. Idell -Very few of the actors do their own singing. Crain was dubbed by Louanne Hogan (who also dubbed Crain in “ State Fair “) and Darnell was dubbed by Kay St. Germain Wells (who also dubbed Darnell in “ Hangover Square “). Edith (Darnell) and Julia (Craine) compete for the attentions of Phillippe (Wilde). Comet Over Hollywood/ Screencap by Jessica P. Highlights: -The vibrant, Technicolor sets and costumes make this film. -The movie includes items that were introduced during this time period such as a magic lantern show. -Cornel Wilde carrying two dachshunds as he gets off the train….only because I’m a dachshund owner.

-I love the large cast ranging from silent film star Dorothy Gish, pre-code queen Constance Bennett to fresh faced Jeanne Craine. Notable Songs: For Jerome Kern’s last work before his 1945 death, none of the songs in this film were memorable. Many of them seemed misplaced. For example: Philppe (Wilde) and Jesse (Brennan) were about to have a serious conversation in a saloon about Julia (Craine) when African-American singer Avon Long enters the saloon and starts singing “Cinderella Sue.” Though the song was probably one of the more entertaining tunes in the film, it cut right into the middle of a scene. Why would they do that? Philippe and Jesse look ridiculous dressed in French costumes (after a masquerade) in a saloon. Comet Over Hollywood/Screen Cap by Jessica P. My Review: This is actually one movie I wish was not a musical. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the cast and the story line and thoroughly enjoyed watching it. But right as the plot was moving right along, it would come to a grinding halt with a misplaced, forgettable song.

It’s very obvious that this was 20th Century Fox trying their hand at a turn-of-the-century family stories since Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had so much success with “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944). However, “Centennial” is more frustrating than heartwarming. All of the actors did a wonderful job, particularly Jeanne Crain who has always been a favorite of mine. However, Cornel Wilde’s French accent sounded more like a Charles Boyer impression. “Centennial Summer” is a film I have searched for and wanted to see for years. Thank you to our friends over at Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings for letting me know it is currently up on Youtube and contributing to an enjoyable afternoon. Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read? Share it: by Jnpickens Hello readers! You have read Comet Over Hollywood here and maybe you follow me on Twitter or the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page. Now I’m bringing yet another way to celebrate classic Hollywood. Every week, Youtube videos – just another way to discuss classic films.

They could vary from testing a classic beauty tip, visiting a celebrity museum or footage from the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival. This week’s introduces the videos and myself and also further discusses the interview I had with actress turned nun Dolores Hart back in September. Enjoy! Subscribe on Youtube or follow along at Comet and look out for next week’s video! I’d like to give a special thanks to my friend and coworker, Ben Earp for helping me shoot and edit the video. If you enjoy trains, be sure to follow his youtube page as well . Thanks for reading and watching! Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read? Share it: Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Zizi Jeanmaire Plot: A fictitious telling of the life of Hans Christian Anderson. The film was not meant to be a biography of Anderson’s life but a “fairy tale about this great spinner of fairy tales,” said producer Samuel Goldwyn. Hans Christian Anderson (Kaye) is shoe cobbler and journeys to Copenhagen.

He becomes a cobbler and tells stories such as Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling and the Emperor’s New Clothes to the local children. With his stories he also become a famous writer. Anderson does work as a cobbler for a temperamental ballerina (Jeanmaire) named Doro and falls in love, not realizing she is married to Niels (Granger). Anderson confesses his secret love by writing the ballet “The Little Mermaid” for Doro. After Doro tells Hans that she is married, he returns home to Odense. Trivia: Danny Kaye as Hans Christian Anderson tells stories to village children. -Goldwyn had writers working on a “Hans Christian Anderson” musical in 1938, but the time was never right to produce it. Before starting, according to the A. Scott Berg biography “ Goldwyn .” -Farley Granger thought the film was ridiculous and said it was beginning to be a joke around town, “Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets boy,” he said, according to the “ Goldwyn ” biography.

-“Hans Christian Anderson” cost $4 million to make, according to “ Goldwyn .” -Danes did not appreciate the depiction of Hans Christian Anderson and Anderson scholars said Kaye looked nothing like Anderson, according to “ Goldwyn .” -“Hans Christian Anderson” is the second highest grossing Goldwyn picture behind “ The Best Years of Our Lives ,” according to “ Goldwyn .” -Actress and ballerina Moira Shearer was supposed to play the role of Doro couldn’t because she was pregnant. -Samuel Goldwyn originally wanted animated -Zizi Jeanmaire dances with Roland Petit in the Little Mermaid ballet sequence. The two were married in 1954 and remained married until Petit’s death in 2011. -The film opened the week of Thanksgiving in 1952. It was first aired on television in 1966. -Actress Barie Chase has an uncredited role has a ballerina. -The soundtrack released after the film includes Jane Wyman singing the female songs with Danny Kaye. Highlights: -There are two notable dream sequences in the film: 1.

Hans falls in love with Doro the ballet dancer has a colorful dream sequence of the couple singing “No Two People.” 2. Anderson gets locked in a closet and can not see the performance of “The Little Mermaid.” As he’s locked in the closet, he imagines how it is performed. The imagined performance is the one he audience sees.

Zizi Jeanmaire as Doro performs the ballet of “The Little Mermaid” in “Hans Christian Anderson” with dancer (and future husband) Roland Petit Notable Songs: It’s hard to pick a favorite song from “ Hans Christian Andersen ” because there are so many lovely songs that are all very catchy: -“Wonderful Copenhagen” sung by Danny Kaye, Joseph Walsh and sailors (a personal favorite of mine) -“No Two People” sung by Danny Kaye and Zizi Jeanmaire (but Jane Wyman on the commercial soundtrack release) -“Thumbelina” sung by Danny Kaye -“The King’s New Clothes” sung by Danny Kaye -“Ugly Duckling” sung by Danny Kaye -“Inchworm” sung by Danny Kaye (another personal favorite) My review: I can’t deny that the premise of this film is a little silly. The film and main character named after a real historical figure but purposefully and admittedly has nothing to do with his life? But I also can’t deny that I love this movie. It’s so light-hearted, happy and lovely. It’s an interesting change of role for Danny Kaye.

In films like “ Up in Arms ” (1944), “ Wonder Man ” (1945) and “ The Kid from Brooklyn ” (1946)- Kaye’s characters sang the fast talking songs (written by his wife Sylvia Fine) and played ridiculous zany characters. But Hans Christian Anderson allows Kaye to demonstrate his true vocal talents and play a calm, caring character. Kaye was interested in the film before even seeing the script, and I think it was a wise decision on his point. I can see why Farley Granger didn’t like this film, because he does look rather ridiculous in his period costume and is an unsympathetic character. I’ll admit, his talent was wasted on this movie. It’s such a small role, you wonder why he was picked. But that aside, “Hans Christian Anderson” is a film that simply makes me happy. I love the music, I love the color and I love Danny Kaye. Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read?

Share it: Don Weis Starring: Patty Duke, Jane Greer, Jim Backus, Warren Berlinger, Billy de Wolfe, Charles Lane, Dick Sargent, Ted Bessell Plot: Fifteen year old tomboy Billie (Duke) finds herself on the boy’s track team when the coach sees how fast she can run. Her secret to fast running is “a beat” she hears in her head. Billie doesn’t like being treated differently from her male teammates and wants to be an equal, not a girl. At the same time of her track success her father (Backus) is running for mayor under a “keep women in the home” campaign. Trivia: -Filmed between seasons of “ The Patty Duke Show ” -Actor Peter Lawford is listed as an executive producer for the film. -Kent McCord who later starred as Officer Jim Reed on the TV show “ Adam-12 ” has an uncredited role as a spectator student spectator. Highlights: -A dance number where Billie teaches the other male and female students how to have “the beat,” complete with the latest 1960s dance moves.

I don’t really see how it teaches the students anything, but it works in a nice dance number with 20 kids. -Character actor Charles Lane plays Billie’s track coach. It’s always a treat to see him. You can see him in 1930s pre-code films all the way to 1960s -Robert Banas who was Jet “Snowboy” in “ West Side Story ” leads the dance “She is a Girl is a Girl.” Notable Songs: -”Lonely Little in Between” sung by Patty Duke. An odd song where Billie sings about being a tom boy. Includes lyrics such as “I should have been a boy but I’m a girl.” She later sings “Funny Little Butterflies” which is the exact same tune, but now she has a crush and feels like a girl. Billie wins track meets, because she hears a beat in her head that makes her run faster My Review: The plot of “ Billie ” is actually pretty dumb, but it is still a fun one to catch. If you do come across it on TV, watch it–it’s seldom aired.

It has a lot of crazy one-liners such, mostly said by Jim Backus who seems to specialize in playing terrible parents (see: Rebel Without A Cause ). Some quotes include “Try to be more like your sister” and “You did great today, son” to Duke. Another favorite is when Billie’s sister Jean says “I’ve decided to quit college and come home” and dad says “That’s marvelous!” However, it is an interesting movie to see so many 1960s television actors such as Richard Deacon, Patty Duck, Jim Backus, Dick Sargent and Ted Bessell. You also get the chance to see 1940s actress Jane Greer playing Duke’s mother. It’s also interesting because this movie has some feminist undertones in a time when beach movies were focusing on sex and pretty girls in bikinis. Though “Billie” is a pretty terrible movie, It’s also a lot of fun. It’s fairly typical of most goofy, 1960s teen films. Overall, Patty Duke does a good job and is a driving force behind the films energy.

While her character was 15 year old, Duke was actually 19 when this film was released in 1965. The dance numbers and songs are energetic and make you want to dance along. If you are looking for some mindless, 1960s nostalgic, colorful film, “Billie” may be an alright fit. Warren Berlinger as Mike Benson, Clown the dog and Patty Duke as Billie. Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read? Share it: by Jnpickens This is the thirty-second installment of the monthly classic actress beauty tips that I have read about and tested. Actress Susan Hayward stayed thin with a three day diet of eggs and tomatoes. This week I went on a diet for Comet Over Hollywood. Red-headed Academy Award winning actress Susan Hayward claimed she stayed under 118 pounds by eating 2 eggs (prepared any way) and one tomato three times a day for consecutive three days. “If you continue more than three days, you may start clucking like a hen,” Hayward said in an interview.

Hayward claimed you could lose five pounds in three days with this diet, which seems highly doubtful to me. “Her (Susan Hayward) measurements are the same as they were when she was 20,” beauty columnist Lydia Lane wrote about the then 47-year-old actress in an Aug. 2, 1964, column, “Susan Hayward Gives Diet Tips.” The Comet isn’t anywhere near 118 pounds, but I’m always a fan of weight loss and eating healthy. I decided to give it a try. I like both eggs and tomatoes so I figured it couldn’t be that hard. Here is how the three days went for me: Tuesday, Oct. 1: Breakfast: Two eggs scrambled with a cut up tomato. It was delicious and filling. However, I realized eating one whole tomato for a meal is ALOT of tomato. Or alot more than I’m used to eating. Lunch: Was still full from breakfast so didn’t eat the hard boiled eggs and cut up tomato I brought for lunch. Dinner: Felt a bit like I was getting a cold so talked myself into getting a McDouble from McDonalds, instead of eating eggs and tomatoes for dinner. Wednesday, Oct.

2 Breakfast: Two scrambled eggs and a tomato again. Still tasted good. Lunch: Two hard boiled eggs and a tomato. Enjoyable meal made even better when I dabbed my egg in mustard. Dinner: Sunny-side up eggs on a toasted sandwich with a cut up tomato on the sandwich. Ate the rest of the tomato by itself. Filling but growing weary of eggs. Thursday, Oct. 3 Breakfast: Skipped breakfast because running late for work. Lunch: Another delicious meal of hard boiled eggs with a tiny bit of mustard and a tomato. Dinner: I went to the fair….and had a chicken pita wrap….Nothing fried or terribly unhealthy, but still not part of the diet. Friday, Oct. 4 I was going to add one more day to the diet since I cheated on two meals but ended up not eating all day because was too busy at work. Had spaghetti for dinner Hayward shows off her figure as she dances in the John Wayne film “The Conqueror” (1954). To review: Since it was only for a few days, I can’t say if I lost weight. I can say I continuously wanted to eat a cheeseburger.

However, eating healthier made me feel a little better about life. I stayed full after eating and my usually oily hair and skin felt fresher than usual at the end of the day. For me, eating eggs and tomatoes for both breakfast and lunch isn’t difficult, but eating it a third time for dinner is when it got tiresome. By that point, I wanted to cook a pork chop or even just eat some cereal and toast. I can’t say I will continue with Susan Hayward’s diet, but will probably continue to incorporate eggs into my diet at least once a day. I did consider taking a break for two days and doing the diet for three more consecutive days, but I’m pretty tired of eggs and tomatoes right now. So in review, though I didn’t drop rapid weight, I did feel better about life during this diet. Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page, follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read? Share it: T his is October’s edition of Comet Over Hollywood’s film references in music videos. Beyonce’s channels Audrey Hepburn in her music video “ Countdown ” released in October of 2011.

About 15 seconds into the video, Beyonce can be seen wearing a beatnik style outfit complete with a black turtleneck, black pants, white socks and black loafers. Beyonce channels Audrey Hepburn from “Funny Face” (1957) in her 2011 video “Countdown” The outfit is reminiscent of the outfit Audrey Hepburn wears in the 1957 musical “ Funny Face .” In the film, Hepburn plays an intellectual shop girl who is transformed into a model. Hepburn is taken to Paris but has more interest in talking with the beatnik crowd. Audrey Hepburn dances in a beatnik cafe in “Funny Face” (1957) The white socks Hepburn wears in the scene caused trouble on set. Hepburn thought all black, including the socks looked better. Director Stanley Donen said if she wore all black, she would fade into the the background in the dimly lit scene and there would be no definition in her movement, according to the Sam Irvin book “ Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise .” Hepburn burst into tears, went into her dressing room but came out wearing the white socks.

Later she sent Donen a note saying he was right about the socks, according to Irvin. Along with “ Funny Face ,” Beyonce also briefly references “ Fame ,” Twiggy in a Vogue shoot, “ Dreamgirls ” and “ Flashdance .” Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page , follow on Twitter at @HollywoodComet or e-mail at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com Love what you read? Share it:

Question: Which 1952 Hollywood musical film starring Danny Kaye includes many most famous stories such as "The Ugly Duckling", "Thumbelina", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Little Mermaid"?
Answer: Hans Christian Andersen