Peter Pan
by Vincent J. Donehue
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Category: VHS Video
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Product details
Actor: Cyril Ritchard, Margalo Gillmore, Mary Martin, Maureen Bailey, Sondra LeeDirector: Vincent J. Donehue
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Release Date: 1998-05-05
Publisher: Goodtimes Home Video
Studio: Goodtimes Home Video
VHS Movie Reviews of Peter Pan
Movie Review: Peter Pan (Mary Martin)
Summary: 5 Stars
I was five years old when this program was shown live on television in 1955 and I can remember watching it. From then on I have loved all things "Peter Pan." I was despairing of ever finding this movie, so I was so grateful to discover it for sale on Amazon.com. I now nostalgically watch this movie with my six grandchildren and we all delight in "clapping to save Tinkerbell"! A wonderful, wonderful film!!!Movie Review: Classic TV needs to be back in print.
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many from my generation...and my parents' generation, I grew up with this classic TV production of Peter Pan. The cheap sets, shoddy special effects, and over-the-top acting didn't matter when I was seven, and they don't matter now. The production is still fun to watch, with its classic songs and Mary Martin's legendary performance.
However, it's been several years since this movie's been in print in any format. I'm fortunate enough to own a bootleg DVD copied from a VHS tape, but whoever owns the rights to the video and DVD releases of Peter Pan needs to bring it back into print, digitally restored and remastered for optimal video and audio quality, with a few nice bonus materials. Not everyone knows someone who can get them a bootleg, nor does everyone have $100+ for a used copy, or the equiupment and knowledge required to make their own homemade DVD from their video copies. This classic NEEDS to be available to the masses. Maybe even in a 2-Disc set with the kinescope version of the 1957 broadcast on disc 2, making this a true Special Edition.
If you can track down a copy for cheap or get your hands on a bootleg, go for it. This is classic TV, and a great production. Please, bring this back in print!
Movie Review: Watch out for bootlegs!
Summary: 5 Stars
The original release of this DVD from goodtimes is in a cardboard snapcase. Many sellers sell copies in a plastic case - this is a cheap copy and is worthless. Make sure it's in a cardboard snap-case before paying!!!Movie Review: Memories I passed to my kids and now grandchildren...
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this version on TV when I was 7 years old and every year after that! My children (ages 32-17) all know this version and know ALL of the songs by heart (as well most of the dialoge)! We watch it once a year as a family and now with our grandkids, sing and laugh the whole way through!! It's the best! I hope they digitally master this for the generations to come! It may seem corney to some, but it's a classic! We love it!Movie Review: Mary Martin's Peter Pan
Summary: 5 Stars
Musical comedy star Mary Martin may have not been as well-known to many of us if she hadn't appeared in a television version of the famous "Peter Pan" story on March 7, 1955. After achieving great success on Broadway, and limited success in Hollywood (in generally disappointing film roles), Martin joined Australian actor Cyril Ritchard in an outstanding adaptation of Sir James Barrie's classic tale of boys who would not grow up.
All of the elements of the story were incorporated in the NBC compatible color telecast, including the use of a woman in playing Peter Pan. Mary Martin was slender and cut her hair short; with the use of make-up, she was able to achieve the effect of portraying an adolescent boy who refuses to grow up. Peter lives on an uncharted island with other boys who don't want to become adults.
One of the amazing things about Peter, however, is that he has the ability to fly. (The effect was done through the use of special wires.) During one of his nighttime flights, he spies on a family in London and, eventually, persuades the children to come to his island. This includes the daughter, Wendy, who becomes a virtual mother to the boys. Soon, however, they are battling pirates and Indians. Peter Pan has considerable imagination in dealing with the threats, but there are numerous dangers, particularly from the pirates led by the notorious Captain Hook (wonderfully portrayed by Cyril Ritchard, who also plays the father of the English children).
Interwoven into this delightful adaptation are some memorable songs that became extremely popular. The original live telecast was so popular that NBC telecast it again in compatible color on January 9, 1956. Unfortunately, videotape was still being perfected and neither telecasts were taped. Eventually, as videotape became more practical, NBC was able to reunite Martin and Ritchard for a color taping of the musical in 1960.
Typical of early color telecasts, the color range is more limited than today's color, but it is still quite impressive and one can enjoy the fine performances by Martin and Ritchard and the top-notch supporting cast. Yes, the sets are somewhat limited compared to today's television productions, but that is not a big factor in enjoying this production.
It is wonderful that NBC was able to preserve one of the more enjoyable television productions from the "golden age" of early television. This is a story, too, that can appeal to both children and adults and is a reminder of a more innocent time when spectacular effects, sex, and violence were not as important (or even allowed).
Summary of Peter Pan
An entire generation of baby boomers grew up with this stagy but magical production, which originated on Broadway but was broadcast several times on TV. They may not know Mary Martin or Cyril Ritchard--two staples of the commercial theater in their time--for any other reason, but they'll always be able to name them as Peter Pan and Captain Hook. The story of the boy who wouldn't grow up includes a classic score with songs that can bring a tear of nostalgia to the eye of the middle-aged--like "I Won't Grow Up," "I've Gotta Crow," and "Neverland." The flying, the goofy comedy--it's all there in this video version of the classic TV broadcast. It's hard to know what sophisticated modern youngsters would make of it, but their parents will gladly sit and watch with them. --Marshall FineKids & Family Video
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