Alice in Wonderland (1931)

Director:

Bud Pollard

Writers:

Lewis Carroll (novel), Ashley Ayer Miller (dialogue),

Stars:

Gus Alexander, Lillian Ardell, Meyer Berensen

Cast

Credited cast:
Gus Alexander	...	The Mock Turtle
Lillian Ardell	...	The Cook
Meyer Berensen	...	The March Hare
Tom Corless	...	The Cheshire Cat
N.R. Cregan	...	The King of Hearts
Ruth Gilbert	...	Alice
Patrick Glasgow	...	The Knave of Hearts
Pat Gleason	...	Knave of Hearts
Ralph Hertz	...	The White Rabbit
Leslie King	...	The Mad Hatter (as Leslie T. King)
Vie Quinn	...	The Queen of Hearts
Jimmy Rosen	...	The Caterpillar
Raymond Schultz	...	The Dormouse
Charles Silvern	...	The Gryphon
Mabel Wright	...	The Duchess

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

tea party | mouse | alternate dimension | cook | teenage actress playing preteenage girl | 

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alicja w krainie czarów

Filming Locations:

Metropolitan Studios, Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metropolitan Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987)

User Reviews

Curiouser Curiosity

The first "talking" movie version of "Alice in Wonderland," produced in Fort Lee, New Jersey, in 1931, two years before Paramount's all-star production. Ruth Gilbert stars as Lewis Carroll's heroine in this black and white featurette (running under an hour) directed by Bud Pollard.

I'd been casually searching for a copy for years, and finally managed to get ahold of a DVD copy of a pretty battered 16mm print.

Well. It's about what you'd expect for a 1931 talkie -- a creaky curiosity of a film with overly broad acting, awkward pauses, rudimentary costumes and sets and a primitive-sounding soundtrack.

I have a hard time imagining that anyone enjoyed watching this, even in 1931; it comes across as little more than a filmed community theater production of "Alice" without any real sense of Carroll's wit or whimsy. (Then again, that's how I also feel about the 1933 movie starring Charlotte Henry, despite its higher production values.) The climactic trial of the Knave of Hearts does boast a decidedly shocking twist not found in the book that probably had Lewis Carroll turning in his grave.

A heavily made-up Ruth Gilbert was about 18 when she played Alice; a little of her "little girl" routine goes a long way. Now and then she tries to affect what may have been a trans-Atlantic accent, but most of the time she carries on like a Broadway chorine. (When confronted by the other characters toward the end, this all-too-American Alice yells at them, "Come on, all of you! Who's afraid of a paltry pack of cards!")

Still, despite its shortcomings, this film remains interesting from a historical perspective, not only as the first sound "Alice," but also as a reminder of Fort Lee's prominent place in early film history.