If this beloved television special was the first movie I'd seen Van Johnson in, I'd love him. It's such a cute musical, and he's just adorable! Set to the music of Edvard Grieg and spoken entirely in rhymes (much from Robert Browning's poem), this fairy tale features two novelties: Van Johnson in a dual role, and Claude Rains singing. I couldn't believe it either, but there he was, prancing around, singing, and looking like he was having a blast.
The opening is so cute. A little boy observes the famed piper (Van Johnson in a brown wig and goatee) playing his flute in the woods. He runs home to tell his friends in the village. "I saw the piper again," he tells a man with his back to the camera. "He looked just like you!" The man turns around and says, "Is that so?" It's Van Johnson again, but with his clean-cut face and strawberry hair.
Originally shown on television during Thanksgiving week, it was so successful it was rerun for several years, sparking the annual tradition of showing a family friendly movie on NBC. And, in another interesting bit of trivia, the few movies that had been shown prior to 1957 (like Mary Martin's Peter Pan), this one was not aired live. This was the first motion picture to be filmed for television! Even watching it today, it's still an entertaining classic. Great for kids, and great for the young at heart.
The opening is so cute. A little boy observes the famed piper (Van Johnson in a brown wig and goatee) playing his flute in the woods. He runs home to tell his friends in the village. "I saw the piper again," he tells a man with his back to the camera. "He looked just like you!" The man turns around and says, "Is that so?" It's Van Johnson again, but with his clean-cut face and strawberry hair.
Originally shown on television during Thanksgiving week, it was so successful it was rerun for several years, sparking the annual tradition of showing a family friendly movie on NBC. And, in another interesting bit of trivia, the few movies that had been shown prior to 1957 (like Mary Martin's Peter Pan), this one was not aired live. This was the first motion picture to be filmed for television! Even watching it today, it's still an entertaining classic. Great for kids, and great for the young at heart.