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Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957 Television Production) | 
 enlarge | Director: Ralph Nelson
Actors: Julie Andrews, Howard Lindsay, Dorothy Stickney, Ilka Chase, Kaye Ballard
Studio: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.91
You Save: $8.08 (40%)
New (43) Used (16) from $10.99
Rating:  52 reviews
Sales Rank: 8665
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 77 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 2127
UPC: 014381212723
EAN: 0014381212723
ASIN: B00068NVG6
Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 1957
Release Date: December 14, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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Amazon.com
The DVD era has unearthed another treasure. For the first time ever, Julie Andrews's performance in the title role of the original 1957 television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is available to the public on home video. Cinderella was created as a Broadway-style television production with an original score from the creators of Oklahoma! and Carousel, featuring such songs as "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," and "Stepsisters' Lament." Cast in the title role was the 21-year-old Andrews, at the time starring on Broadway in My Fair Lady (another Cinderella story of sorts), and the cast was filled out by a talented bunch of stage veterans (including Kaye Ballard, Edie Adams, Dorothy Stickney, and Stickney's husband, writer Howard Lindsay). On March 31, 1957, a then-record 120 million homes saw the program as it was broadcast, live and in color, but it was preserved only in black-and-white kinescope, i.e., by aiming a camera at a monitor during the broadcast. While this version probably looks better than we have any right to expect, the picture is still fuzzy black-and-white, which makes it a tougher sell for kids than the later color versions, 1965 with Lesley Anne Warren and the 1997 Disneyized version. But give older kids (say, 8 or so) credit for being able to look past the black-and-white picture and primitive effects and enjoy the charming songs, the excellent performances, and the prospect of seeing one of their favorite actresses play one of their favorite princesses. Fortunately, the DVD has also received the attention it deserves, with a new introduction by Andrews, a 20-minute featurette about the production, including interviews with many of the principals; Rodgers and Hammerstein's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show a week before the broadcast; and a gallery of color photos of the production as well as promotional material, which included paper dolls of Andrews. --David Horiuchi
Description
In this enchanting musical delight from the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, beautiful young Cinderella (Julie Andrews) finds her life of drudgery at the hands of her stepmother and two wicked sisters changed forever in one evening, thanks to a fairy godmother and a handsome prince. Lost for years, this first television production of this enduring classic remains a rollicking, tune-filled delight for young and old alike! One of the most beloved entertainers of all time, Academy Award -winner Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music) appeared in theaters this year in the smash hits Shrek 2 and The Princess Diaries 2. The much-revered musical team of Rodgers & Hammerstein produced such family favorites as The King and I, The Sound of Music, Carousel, South Pacific, State Fair and more! One of home video's most highly requested titles, Cinderella has been officially unavailable since its initial airing on March 31, 1957! This single performance spectacular was viewed by over 115 million people, a television milestone! Musical performances include beloved favorites "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible" and "Do I Love You (Because You're Beautiful)!" In 1957, Broadway's reigning songwriters and Broadway's brightest new star joined forces to create a new musical version of Cinderella; it's one-night-only broadcast on CBS-TV was viewed by more than 115 million people - the largest audience in the history of the planet! - and an instant legend was born. Julie Andrews, the toast of Broadway for her performance in My Fair Lady, played the title role, joined by a stellar cast of Broadway and television all-stars. Providing a new take on the timeless tale as well as a bounty of beautiful ballads, comedy numbers and waltzes, was the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, already at the top of their game thanks to such musicals as Oklahoma, South Pacific and The King and I. Though Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella has gone through several TV remakes and hundreds of stage productions, the original, magical version vanished after its initial broadcast, never to be seen again. Until now.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 47 more reviews...
 Cinderella - Julia Andrews Version 1957 August 2, 2008
Norene Morrow (Westbank, BC, Canada)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Loved Julia Andrews! Loved the special feature about the making of the show! Loved seeing Rogers and Hammerstein on the Ed Sullivan Show! These guys are icons. It is amazing what was accomplished on live television.
I find this to be a great historical record and and enjoyable performance. However, television and the staging of musicals has become more lavish and creative, so based on that criteria, my preference is the Brandy version. However, even Brandy does not hold a candle to Julie Andrews for being Cinderella! (And Leslie Anne Warren, 1965 version doesn't even come close!)
 ARCHIVAL PRODUCTION July 30, 2008
joseph cicala (philadelphia, pa)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was a good dvd if you really wanted to see the Julie Andrews production. Not so great if you wanted high quality viewing as this is a old taping and the technology wasnt invented yet. SO its kinda shadowy sometimes and dark and not high quality production values. It fit my purposes fine as I was researching different productions of Cinderella.
Wish I would have rented it first May 28, 2008
Clarissa Perry (Utah, USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Being an R & H movie I knew that it would be good, but having never seen it I wish I would have rented it first. The lines were odd. Julie Andrews voice though does make up for it. Glad that I have it, completes the colection of all the Cindrellas made.
 A Budding Andrews Shines in a Rustic Record of Rodgers and Hammerstein's TV Musical Classic May 17, 2008
Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
It was estimated that 107 million people saw the original broadcast of this made-for-television musical created by no less than the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. That represents an astonishing 62% of the U.S. population at a time when there was no pay-per-view, no cable, no TiVo. Having just read Julie Andrews' remarkable early-life autobiography, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, I have to admit my interest was piqued to see this seminal production. Andrews was all of 21 on the night of March 31, 1957, when she performed the title role live, and it's fascinating to watch her screen persona so fully formed seven years before her big-screen debut in Mary Poppins. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the musical specifically for her talents as she was then wowing Broadway audiences as Eliza Doolittle in the smash hit, Lerner and Lowe's My Fair Lady. The evidence refutes Jack Warner's later claim that she was not photogenic enough to be in the film version, and the 2004 DVD is the closest many of us will get to see what her Eliza was like.
Captured in black-and-white kinescope, the show is definitely a product of the Golden Age of Television with its flickering images and claustrophobic, sometimes awkward staging. However, as directed by Ralph Nelson (Father Goose), the story's universal charm and farcical touches, the expert cast of mainly Broadway veterans, and the memorable musical score more than offset the technical deficiencies. Andrews' bell-like soprano is at its best in her sadly hopeful ballad, "In My Own Little Corner". As the King and Queen, playwright Howard Lindsay (he co-wrote Life with Father and the original book for The Sound of Music) and his real-life actress wife Dorothy Stickney prove to be a comically adroit pair. Fellow stage legend Ilka Chase plays the malevolent stepmother with catty aplomb, and the comic duo of Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley fulfill the comic possibilities as the jealous stepsisters. Edie Adams lends a more saucy twist to the ethereal role of the Fairy Godmother. Much later a reliable character actor best known as the Chief of Police on Hill Street Blues, a stalwart Jon Cypher fits the cardboard dimensions of the gallant, smitten Prince and showcases a surprisingly robust tenor voice first in a soaring duet with Andrews on "Ten Minutes Ago" and then on the show's best song, "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?".
Like most of my generation, I am more familiar with the 1965 color remake (starring a very young, squeaky-voiced Lesley Ann Warren) since the original production aired only once. Running a fleet 77 minutes, it's a shame that the original color footage could not have been saved since the fairy tale atmosphere begs for it. Luckily, as part of the DVD, there is a gallery of color production and rehearsal stills to give you an idea of what the original audience may have seen if they owned a color TV set, a rarity at the time. Other DVD extras include rare archival footage of Rodgers and Hammerstein appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show to publicize the show (including a recited performance by Hammerstein of "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"), as well as a recently filmed introduction by Andrews. The best extra is a 25-minute retrospective featurette, "A Lovely Night: The Making of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Television Classic", which features Andrews, Adams, Ballard and Cypher fondly recalling the experience. Children may not be able to tolerate the black-and-white, but baby boomers will find particular joy in seeing this particular production.
 Don't Believe 'Em - Julie Andrews is NOT the only Cinderella! January 12, 2008
Lover of Good Quality (Renton, WA United States)
3 out of 9 found this review helpful
Because I had read other reviewers comments about this version of Cinderella being far superior to the other versions, I decided to purchase my own copy of the DVD. I didn't check to see if it was available to rent at one of the local video stores, because I know that it's only recently been restored for viewing after many years. But I didn't mind spending a little money on this much praised movie, because with so many positive comments about it, I just figured I was investing in a small piece of American history. Besides that, I just wanted to be able to make up my own mind about it compared to the other versions.
I've loved Julie Andrews in other movies such as "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music". Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Julie Andrews basher; I'm a fan. But I consider this version of Cinderella a let down, especially after all of the praise about it. I'm not sorry I purchased the movie; in fact, I'm proud to own it. This is because after learning that it was shown one time on television, filmed before a live audience and viewed that one night by millions of people, I can have nothing but the utmost respect for Ms. Andrews and the entire cast. I know that only the best of talent could do something of that magnitude. But I beg to differ with the reviewer who commented that Julie Andrews is the only Cinderella. Oh no she is NOT! On the contrary, despite the fact that Andrews was only about 18 when she made this movie, she looked too old for that part. Leslie Ann Warren (in the 1965 version) was far more vibrant, far younger looking and far prettier. Quite simply, Warren just LOOKED more like Cinderella than Andrews did. I'm a huge fan of black and white movies, but I feel the magic of "Cinderella" is lost when viewed this way. Yes, Julie Andrews singing is superior to Leslie Ann Warren's, but this doesn't take away from the fact that Warren did a fine job singing as well. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't realize Warren could sing so well. Jon Cypher also sang well and made a very engaging prince in the original movie, but he's no match for Stuart Damon. Damon was some SERIOUS eye candy in the 1965 movie, had a beautiful voice, and as far as I'm concerned, is the ONLY prince for Cinderella!
I admit that the 1965 version had the benefit of being filmed in color, without a live audience and with newer technology. Still, I found the 1957 version of Cinderella flat and boring. I called myself saving the best for last, viewing Brandy's first, Warren's second and Julie's (the ultimate) last to finalize my Cinderella viewing pleasure. The 1957 movie was not only a little difficult on the eyes (yes, I know it was done in kinescope picture and sound) but it also put me to sleep - in the daytime. The cast, singing and acting ability are no better in the original than they are in the other versions. Also, contrary to some of the other reviewers opinions, the cast, singing and acting in the Brandy Norwood/Whitney Houston version of Cinderella is great too. Obviously the Brandy/Whitney version won't go down in history the way the original did. But it's a fun interpretation of the story and far more visually stimulating and beautiful than the original. This is true of the 1965 movie as well. All three versions of Cinderella boast a wealth of talented artists with acting and vocal ability who do great justice to the lovely music of Rogers and Hammerstein.
Overall, I really think all of the pomp and circumstance about the Julie Andrews version of Cinderella has more to do with nostalgia than anything else. Most of the people who love it so much and think it's so superior probably just saw that version before any of the later ones. I'm sure the evening of March 31, 1957 was a magical night for them and millions of others as they watched the story of Cinderella come to life on television along with the beautiful music of Rogers and Hammerstein. But that's all it is people - pure nostalgia. If you enjoy the story of Cinderella as much as myself, do yourself a favor and see all three versions with Julie Andrews, Leslie Ann Warren and Brandy Norwood - then make up your own mind. But for me, the winner of the Cinderella award goes to the 1965 version with Leslie Ann Warren. That one gets my vote!
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