Cinderella

No other version of CINDERELLA will ever come close to the magical conception presented to America in 1965.

Reasons:

The Tunes: timeless, perfect, memorable, stuck-in-my-mind, forever in my heart, Rodgers and Hammerstein's most catchy words and music - bar none...

The Actors: from the tender innocence of Leslie Ann Warren to the giddily comical Pat Carroll and Barbara Ruick, terrifically snide Jo Van Fleet, regal Ginger Rogers and Walter Pidgeon, handsome Stuart Damon,

The Story: simply told, tenderly and dramatically unfolded,

The Production: effectively suggests the magic by its otherworldly sets (no matter the changes in television and special effects that came much later in film history),

Forever an important part of growing up, still in my heart, my sister's heart and my dear parents' hearts...we often still sit down and watch...enjoying ever second together as if it were 1965, all over again.

I grew up watching this 1966 version of the Broadway musical Cinderella, which was shown on an annual basis for several years after its initial premiere. This musical version of the classic fairy tale features some wonderful songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein and originally premiered on Broadway with Julie Andrews in the title role. Lesley Ann Warren plays the role here and 40 years later, no matter what else she does, Lesley Ann Warren will always, first and foremost, be Cinderella to me. She is utterly enchanting in the role and her rendition of "In My Own Little Corner" is charming. Celeste Holm made a delightful fairy godmother, Walter Piedgon and Ginger Rogers added a touch of class as the king and queen, and Stuart Damon made a handsome and elegant Prince Charming. Jo Van Fleet was a memorable evil stepmother and Pat Carroll and Barbara Ruick score as the stepsisters and they stop the show with "Stepsisters' Lament", one of musical comedy's funniest songs. Well mounted with lavish sets and breathtaking costumes, Cinderella, like THE WIZARD OF OZ, should continue to be shown on an annual basis in order to renew our faith in miracles, love, and fantasies coming true. If this show is not available on DVD, it should be. A winner for children of all ages.

I was only about 6 years old, and back in the 60's, there weren't too many movies on television for children. I remember sitting in front of the small television on the floor mesmerized. The movie was a fantasy come to life! I have been looking for the movie for decades. Everytime I see a Cinderella movie, I check it to see if it is the one that I have been searching for these past 40 years. I have finally found it, and I can assure you, it is just as mesmerizing today, as it was back when I was just 6 years old. For a true fantasy, you can't find a better Cinderella than Lesley Ann Warren!

Famed composers Richard Rodgers And Oscar Hammerstein wrote "Cinderella" as an original television musical (their only one) for young star-in-the-making Julie Andrews. Supported by a cast which included Edie Adams, Howard Lindsay, Dorothy Stickney, Ilka Chase, Kay Ballard, Alice Ghostley and Jon Cypher, it received a tremendous publicity campaign and aired on March 31 1957. At the time, it drew a record number of viewers, although only the East Coast saw the live color broadcast (the rest of the country saw a black-and-white kinescope.) And, due in part to the poor quality of the kinescope, it was not repeated again until 2004.

Meanwhile, in 1964, Rodgers decided to mount a new production himself (Hammerstein had since died) with a new cast and adaptation, replacing the farcial quality of the original with a more traditional version. The result was another ratings smash, and as intended, a television perennial which was repeated for years. This time, the title role was played by young Lesley Ann Warren, who was introduced in this production and began a career which is still going strong today. Stuart Damon (later to gain fame on "General Hospital") played the prince. The supporting cast had Academy Award-winners Celeste Holm, as the fairy godmother, Jo Van Fleet as the stepmother, and Ginger Rogers as the queen. The beloved Walter Pigeon was cast as the king. And, as the two stepsisters Prunella and Esmerelda, were Pat Carroll and Barbara Ruick. Although the story stuck to the familiar fairy tale this time, the original songs were , of course, retained.

What more can be said for this near-perfect treasure? Ms. Warren is simply glorious as Cinderella, her fresh beauty complimented by her sweet singing voice, and Damon is her ideal Prince (Christopher) Charming. Celeste Holm sparkles as the fairy godmother, and she and Warren share one of the best numbers "Impossible/It's Possible". Van Fleet is a beautifully caustic stepmother, and both Carroll and Ruick are outstanding as the step-sisters. Unfortunately, both Rogers and Pigeon have little to do as the king and queen, but they ARE regal in their roles.

There are a couple of drawbacks--although critics at the time praised the "lavish production"; in reality it is done in the manner of a stage show, with sparse (and very basic) settings, and typical television camera-work. But the biggest error was using videotape instead of film for this production. Because of it's limitations, videotape does no justice to a show like this, severely limiting the visual values needed to compliment the other elements. It may be fine for situation comedies, but it was totally wrong for a musical fantasy. It must be admitted, however, that after a few minutes, one gets used to it, but what a difference film would have made! Because this version is the traditional one, it is my favorite of the two, but both are so different in approach and treatment, that each can be enjoyed on their own terms.

Two cast members of the 1965 version were already professionally acquainted with "Cinderella". Walter Pigeon provided the uncredited narration for the 1955 MGM film adaptation "The Glass Slipper" and Barbara Ruick was the daughter of character actress Lurene Tuttle, who played "Cousin Loulou" in the same movie. Another winner, that version featured Leslie Caron as Cinderella.

I was nine years old in 1965, and I fell head-over-heels in love with Lesley Ann Warren when I saw this film. I haven't seen it since the late '60s or so, but I still remember the songs and the overall feel of this classic (from a nine-year-old's point of view, of course). That just goes to show what a powerful effect a film can have when everything is done just right. One of these days I'll find this and watch again. Until then, I still have my memories.