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I am so thrilled to read the lovely comments on this little film. the reason being, I was the little girl who played Rachel all those years ago. I am now a middle aged lady with three grown children of my own. I live quietly,but busily. My children may be grown,but they always seem to need me. I am very lucky. What a privilege to have read such heartwarming comments,I didn't think anyone remembered. My family have seen stills of various films I was in, but have never been able to show them Hand in Hand, which I have to admit, was my favourite. I would love them to see it, it could still be relevant today. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Your kind words really mean a lot to me.

As far away from biblical epics as you can get, Hand in Hand is definitively the most spiritual movie I have ever seen. I saw it in 1969 and cried and cried. The next time I saw it was in college in 1978 and I cried profusely again. The boy and the girl in the leads are absolutely perfect. The movie succeeds in conveying the enormity of the exploration they are doing. And how in the process, their sense of love blossoms, both for each other, but mostly for God.

It is amazing how powerful films can be to a child. Upon reading the numerous reviews and postings of the wonderful movie "Hand in Hand", it is interesting how many of the writers who are probably in the same age bracket and, at least in the U.S., remember this movie airing on the CBS Children's Film Festival on a Saturday afternoon. I guess one can thank CBS, Kukla, Fran (Allison), Ollie and Burr Tillstrom for introducing this powerful film on religious understanding and tolerance within the friendship of two young children.

I remember Rachel and Michael (Loretta Parry and Philip Needs). Even though the film was probably 7 or 8 years old when I first saw the movie on TV, I can relate to them as a child. Perhaps because of how they were raised and the different religions they were taught, the children were a bit suspicious but after a while they got to know each other. What still gets to me after so many years is how misunderstanding and seeing people just as what their were raised can get in the way of seeing others as human beings.

There is a sense of curiosity and wonder getting to know someone who was raised from a different religion and that curiosity begets friendship and, ultimately, understanding. As directed by Philip Leacock (who would later direct numerous TV shows including Route 66, Gunsmoke and The Waltons) and written by Diana Morgan (from a story by Sidney Harmon), Hand in Hand is a sensitive and powerful film.

I am not a fan of remaking great films. But consider the state of religion in the U.S. and the world and how many conflicts occur for the sake of religion. With the right screenwriter, director and cast, I think Hand in Hand could be adapted to the current day. Until then, I concur with others on releasing this wonderful film on DVD.

Again, I must thank you all for your very kind comments. This is Loretta Parry. Shown under my married name. Since I last posted, I have divorced, (amicably),and have had the extreme pleasure of becoming a Grandmother 3 times, to the 3 most beautiful little boys,the youngest born only a few weeks ago. I am coming up to the big 60 in July, and cannot say I'm too delighted about it. It seems only a couple of years ago,when I was having my own children, and just a short time before that,was at school myself. The years and life have been very kind to me, my children and Grandchildren have become my life, and I just couldn't be more content. Thank you all so much for your continued interest in 'Hand in Hand'.Long may it have such a positive impact on us all.xxx

Hand in Hand shows that friendship can surpass any other barrier. It also shows how a child feels when he discovers that people are different. This is an excellent movie which should be put on either VHS or DVD This is a movie that helps both children and older people understand differences between people of different backgrounds. Michael wants to be Rachels friend and then he discovers how different their backgrounds are and feels that his friendship with Rachel is threatened because of that fact. I saw this movie when it first came out in 1961 and saw it again when it was shown on the Children's Film Festival in 1967 and again in 1968 and 1972. I have not seen it since but I can recall the scenes and the duologue as if I had gone seen the movie yesterday.I would not hesitate to recommend this movie to anyone