pagangirl1986
I remember watching this as a child; I grew up with it on VHS. Even to this day I remember the songs and can still sing them to myself. The video of it appears to be made from a play with fairly stagnant backgrounds. Even still, it's well done for the time. There are little things in the video that I'll never forget. Like the lines at the well of "Thank you kindly" and the reply "You are most kindly welcome". It seemed to me a bit odd that the prince was Hispanic/Puerto Rican from white parents, but dismissed it as fantasy and a movie, rather than trying to figure it out. I also liked that the step sisters weren't nearly so much as evil, as afraid of their mother and therefore did as she commanded them. This is seen during the first scene after the ball where Cinderella sings "When You're Driving in the Moonlight". The sisters are curious how Cinderella knows what she does and rather than accuse her, they question how she knows such things, curious. I don't think I'll ever forget this version of Cinderella and hope that I can find a copy of it to show my kinds some day
Aloneandatpeace
I agree, the classic Cinderella movie is the essence of dreams for many young women. I saw this movie with my Big Mama and Little Mama, in 1965 until it stopped appearing for they both passed away. The Wizard of Oz would show first, then came Cinderella. This movie provided me hope for ten years later, I was crowned the high school queen of my entire school. My life was similar to ashes, but I watched Cinderella each year with my two grannies and that day came when I was crowned a Queen. I finally purchased it on DVD, and every year I watch Cinderella and the Wizard of Oz to celebrate those precious moment shared with both my grannies (mother and daughter)
Neil Doyle
For the sheer pleasure of enjoying Rodgers & Hammerstein's music at their finest, Cinderella is well worth lending an ear to. The songs are still splendid: "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" is richly sung by STUART DAMON (in fine voice) and LESLEY ANN WARREN (not as polished as Julie Andrews in the original). And the others are given fine vocals too: "Ten Minutes Ago", "In My Own Little Corner", "Impossible", "In the Loneliness of Evening", "A Lovely Night" and "The Step-sister's Lament".As the two romantic leads, Warren and Damon do fine work displaying just the right amount of innocence and charm in their rather sketchy roles. WALTER PIDGEON and GINGER ROGERS make a regal pair as the King and Queen; BARBARA RUICK and PAT CARROLL are splendid as the clumsy step-sisters vying for the Prince's attention; and JO VAN FLEET does a wickedly funny impersonation of the Wicked Step-mother.Seeing it years later, I was surprised at how primitive the television sets were in those days (the late '60s) at a time when color TV was still a bit of a novelty...but they don't detract from the overall charm of the musical production.It's nice hearing STUART DAMON give a robust baritone voice to The Prince and the only shortcoming in LESLEY ANN WARREN's role is that her voice is not quite up to Cinderella's standards, especially after hearing Julie Andrews in the role.All that aside, it's an undivided pleasure to watch and listen to those gorgeous R&H melodies. The waltz theme alone is infectious.
ijonesiii
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.
AD
