Cinderfella: Too Much Lewis

WARNING: PLOT SPOILERS! “Cinderfella” (1960), a gender reversal version of the classic fairytale, has the distinction of being the only Jerry Lewis film I’ve seen. As a child, I thought the movie was a lot of fun; as an adult, I notice the lows more than the highs. Dealing with the positives first: Judith Anderson. From her first scene to the last, she is a model of controlled acting and a welcome contrast to Lewis, whose constant mugging and spastic movements are all over the board.

Her slight redemption at the end is touching and one of my favorite moments of the movie.

The gorgeous Anna Maria Alberghetti. She is luminous and yet completely natural as the Princess. I found myself wanting to know more about her character and what would make her choose a complete goofball like Lewis. Even though he is obnoxious as hell, she makes you believe that she has fallen for him.

What can be said about Count Basie?

As the bandstand set rotates, it is hard not be impressed by its size AND the incredible music that Basie bestows upon the production. I give credit to Lewis on the selection of music for the film, as it truly elevates the entertainment value.

On the negative side, we are forced to endure watching Lewis’ overdone mugging to enjoy many of these musical gems.

Lewis attempts throughout to make us believe he is unintentionally hilarious AND a tragic melancholy victim. He fails at both.

Comic bits that start out as amusing quickly descend into a journey of boredom, continuing on way too long.

As the Producer, it seems like Lewis couldn’t make the tough decision of editing down his own performance into something that would have held the patron’s attention better.

Because he plays a blundering fool for the majority of the movie, his sudden change into a quiet and brooding romantic lead at the picture’s end is extremely jarring.

What makes it so sad is that there is so much to love here. Visually, it is a feast of color and composition. Lewis’ entrance to the ball, which is the perfect pairing of comedy and dance:

Anna Maria’s dance with Lewis; she is so good in this number that I am able to ignore Lewis, as he shamelessly attempts to steal the scene from her with his momentary body spasms that he felt added comic value.

The famous clock at midnight:

The race to get home before the transformation is completed:

I am not sure that the kids of today would be able to enjoy this movie as much as I did in my childhood, since their attention spans seem to be even shorter. As an adult, it falls into the “almost” category for me.

Interesting trivia about the film; this movie used the Chartwell Mansion in Bel-Air two years before it become famous as the Clampett residence in “The Beverly Hillbillies”:

Norman Rockwell created the art for the film’s publicity:

The art shows Ed Wynn as the Fairy Godfather (another gender reversal). On one hand, it feels like there is too little of Wynn, On the other, his style and Lewis’ feels like overload to me. Not a good pairing. The three-sheet poster which used Rockwell’s illustration: 

See more vintage movie and television photos at my main website.

Mr. Toad Mural Extravaganza!

One new one and a lot of re-hash for today (yes, still catching up on life!). First shot is the "new" one, showing two tots who have just experienced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Fantasyland. Of course, the real reason for attaining this photo is the view of the queue mural in the background! While we're at it, how about a shot from December 1957 of Donna Reed and Steve Allen also enjoying this dark ride classic?



And Jerry Lewis:



Vice President Richard Nixon and family:



The Audie Murphy family, circa 1956:



Here I used a little photoshop magic to get a better look at the mural (human distortion be damned!), circa 1958:



Last one is a June 1955 image of the exterior of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride:



More vintage and contemporary shots of Mr. Toad at my main website.

30th Anniversary of Fantasyland 2.0

Thirty-years ago today, Fantasyland 2.0 opened to the public, showing a version of this beloved land that was not possible back in 1955 when Walt Disney found himself short of money. Today's post celebrates all things Fantasyland, starting out with a construction shot of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Zooming in, it would appear that the original intention was to put something on the area where the crest now resides. However, this area remained blank for another ten years. Another cost cutting measure, perhaps?



Relive the excitement of Opening Day, July 17, 1955 as you read the publicity blurb that accompanied this photo of the first children to experience Fantasyland:

THE RUSH TO FANTASYLAND IS ON—Children sprint across the drawbridge and through the castle that marks the entrance to Fantasyland during today's premiere of Disneyland here. Fantasyland, on which Walt Disney's creators lavished their most vivid imaginations, remained closed until late in the day. A full scale stampede developed when it finally was opened.



Plenty of celebrities on hand for Opening Day festivities, including Jerry Lewis on Mr. Toad:



and Richard Nixon:



Anyone know what this cast member's shirt says?



In this October 1958 shot, you can see that the 3-year old Castle was already in need of a bit of maintenance, with scaffolds surrounding the turrets:





Although the style was charming, this October 1958 shot of the Mad Hatter stand shows the basic flaw with early Fantasyland: flat and somewhat cheap looking. Still, it is pretty cool to think that the people who painted these signs were not too far removed from the artists that first created these legendary animated characters.



A colorful 1960's overview of Fantasyland:



Flash forward to the 2.0 version, here are a few aerial/zoom views of what it looked like from the sky:







The entry sign on Harbor Boulevard is visible here:



The original stampede photo was recreated; the kids of 1983 seem just as excited as their 1955 counterparts:



The new façade for Peter Pan:



Snow White:



A few interior shots of the attraction:





A brand-new attraction for Pinocchio, who replaced the Fantasyland Theater:





Toad Hall comes to life:



Naturally a new restaurant, The Village Haus, joined the mix:



Which do you prefer? Fantasyland or Fantasyland 2.0?

UPDATE: Thanks to the generosity of Disneyland nametag/badge collector, Benson Myers, you can now see the debut of two items from his collection: badges given to members of the press and invited guests at the premiere of New Fantasyland:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Fantasyland photos on my Fantasyland web pages.