johnstonjames next to Disney's delightful cartoonish contrive, this is my favorite version of 'Cinderella'. and not to commit iconic blasphemy, R&H's very best musical.i know i know. how can i say such a thing when 'South Pacific' and 'Oakiehomie' are such monumental works? simple. they're just that. monumental. how dull, boring and oppressively overpowering. i like it when things are kept pure and simple. R&H completed this in half the time and effort as their other works, and that bare basics approach works in this production's favor. rarely are media musicals this sincere and unpretentious. a pure delight for anyone that relishes sweet unpretentiousness. it also has the straight-forward, raw quality that only live television and performances can provide.and the performances in this can be just wonderful. not only is Dame Julie a perfectionist delight a Cinders, but the supporting cast is just marvelous fun. Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley are liltingly hilarious and "lovely" as the awkward stepsisters. and Edith Adams and Ilka Chase are wonderful. this has to be the most entertaining "fairy godmother" you could imagine outside of Disney. "impossible", stands right alongside "Bibbidi-Bobbidi" as one of musical's most delightful and very best.even though this first rate, Broadway-like production, is only preserved in a primitive, rough, kinescope telecast videotape, young unexperienced viewers must keep in mind that the original CBS-TV broadcast was seen by the largest TV audience on the planet at that time. it was a television, historical event that reached millions and millions of viewers stretching from Canada to Cuba. a real milestone in the "Golden age" of television. by today's standards, that event is "impossible" to conceive.for anyone that loves American television history, this is a true national treasure. and if you let yourself believe, "impossible things are happening everyday".

mrinemom4 This is a great version of 'Cinderella' and I've seen many of them! I'm so fond of Julie Andrews and this is a really special version. I'm hoping many people can see this and enjoy it! Even if this was made many years ago, it was a clever story with great singing. Too bad the movie found was in black and white. My 11 year old decided he didn't want to watch it! I wonder how many people still remember watching it? The step-mother almost reminded me of Anges Moorehead. It's nice to see these old movies once in a while. I'm glad there are some movies that we can enjoy once in awhile. What part I liked was, well, all of it! Thank you for your time!

phillindholm Back in the golden age of television, when TV specials were just that, waiting for the broadcast of a show like "Cinderella" was truly an anticipated event. Add the names of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Star-in-the-making Julie Andrews, and you have an entertainment milestone! This was the celebrated songwriters only musical especially written for television, and it is a classic. The project was specifically intended to showcase Andrews (then appearing on Broadway in "My Fair Lady"). The hand-picked cast included Ilka Chase as the stepmother, Edie (here billed as Edith) Adams as the fairy godmother, and Broadway Stars Howard Lindsay and his wife, Dorothy Stickney as the king and queen. A newcomer, John Cypher, later to gain fame on ''Hill Street Blues'' was cast as the prince, and up and coming comedians Alice Ghostley and Kaye Ballard played the stepsisters. Because this was before the advent of videotape, the production was kine scoped while being broadcast live, although the original color kine scope was lost. Julie Andrews may look somewhat matronly (even at 21) to be Cinderella, but her lovely voice and star quality carry her through. Fans of "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound Of Music" will be pleasantly surprised to see how vulnerable she can be. Cypher is a suitable prince, with a good voice, while Adams is pushing a bit too hard as the godmother. Ilka chase, as the stepmother, and Ghostley and Ballard as the stepsisters are more silly than wicked. In all fairness though, this version was written more as a modern take off on the fairy tale, while the 1965 remake returned to the mood of the traditional story. The sets and costumes are rather cut-rate, somewhere between medieval and '50s modern, but they get by. Andrews is really the reason to see this, and it did attract a record audience at the time. The DVD is a treat with a remastered black-and white picture which, while not perfect, is good enough. There are several nice extras, including a documentary with Andrews, Cypher, Adams and Ballard reminiscing about the making of the production. Either for historic or entertainment reasons, "Cinderella" is well worth having. It's not every day you can watch a star being born.

Louis G. Partridge This is the first that I had seen the original TV version. I had seen both of the other television versions -- the 1965 Lesley Ann Warren version and the 1997 Brandy version. This version is so superior to the others. The copy at the Museum of Television and Radio is in black-and-white although it had been presented in color. If you are in New York and get the chance to visit the museum, the presentation is well worth the 1-1/2 hours. Oh, yes. The commercials which are part of the recording are quite humorous.