The Blue Bird (1940)

Director:

Walter Lang

Writers:

Walter Bullock (additional dialogue)
Maurice Maeterlinck (play)
(more)

Release Date:

19 January 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy

Plot:

A Germanic, gingerbread story, a little like Hansel and Gretel, which visits the future and the past and looks at the range of human nature...

Plot Keywords:

Open Grave | Unborn Child | Animal As Human | Grandparent | Family Pet

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Shirley Temple	...	Mytyl
Spring Byington	...	Mummy Tyl
Nigel Bruce	...	Mr. Luxury
Gale Sondergaard	...	Tylette (the cat)
Eddie Collins	...	Tylo (the dog)
Sybil Jason	...	Angela Berlingot
Jessie Ralph	...	Fairy Berylune
Helen Ericson	...	Light
Johnny Russell	...	Tyltyl
Laura Hope Crews	...	Mrs. Luxury
Russell Hicks	...	Daddy Tyl
Cecilia Loftus	...	Granny Tyl
Al Shean	...	Grandpa Tyl
Leona Roberts	...	Mrs. Berlingot
Gene Reynolds	...	Studious Boy
Stanley Andrews	...	Wilhelm
Frank Dawson	...	Caller of Roll
Sterling Holloway	...	Wild Plum
Thurston Hall	...	Father Time
Edwin Maxwell	...	Oak
Ann E. Todd	...	Little Sister
Herbert Evans	...	Footman
Brandon Hurst	...	Footman
Keith Hitchcock	...	Major Domo
Tommy Baker	...	Lover
Dorothy Joyce	...	Lover
Billy Cook	...	Boy Chemist
Scotty Beckett	...	Young lad
Juanita Quigley	...	Child
Payne B. Johnson	...	Child (as Payne Johnson)
Diane Fisher	...	Little Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alice Armand	...	Weeping Willow (uncredited)
James Blaine	...	Beech Tree (uncredited)
Alec Craig	...	Groom (uncredited)
Dorothy Dearing	...	Cypress (uncredited)
Claire Du Brey	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Edward Earle	...	Maple Tree (uncredited)
Caryll Ann Ekelund	...	Little Girl (uncredited)
Harold Goodwin	...	Hickory Tree (uncredited)
Otto Hoffman	...	Crab Apple Tree (uncredited)
Paul Kruger	...	Pine Tree (uncredited)
Dickie Moore	...	Young Lad (uncredited)
Imboden Parrish	...	Walnut Tree (uncredited)
Buster Phelps	...	Boy Inventor (uncredited)
Dick Rich	...	Elm Tree (uncredited)
Dewey Robinson	...	Royal Forester (uncredited)
Eddy Waller	...	Birch Tree (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Doorman (uncredited)

Directed by
Walter Lang

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Walter Bullock		additional dialogue
Maurice Maeterlinck		play "L'Oiseau bleu"
Ernest Pascal		writer

Produced by
Gene Markey	....	associate producer
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
David Raksin		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Arthur C. Miller

Film Editing by
Robert Bischoff

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Wiard Ihnen		(as Wiard B. Ihnen)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Gwen Wakeling

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
E. Clayton Ward	....	sound

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Ray Rennahan	....	associate cinematographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Natalie Kalmus	....	color advisor: Technicolor
Geneva Sawyer	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (first reel) | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Considered Fox's answer to MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939), the film was an expensive failure and marked the end of Shirley Temple's unimpeachable star power. Audiences found the idea of Shirley playing a nasty character hard to swallow.

Quotes:

Granny Tyl: Somebody must be thinking of us. I feel quite strong. I think we're going to have visitors. They seem to be coming near.
Grandpa Tyl: Maybe now I can finish my carving. I've been at this one for nearly a whole year.
Granny Tyl: That's because we're so seldom awake.
Mytyl, Tyltyl: Granny! Grandpa!
Granny Tyl: It's the children! Give us a hug, dears, a big one this time.
Grandpa Tyl: It's been months and months since you last remembered us.
Granny Tyl: The last time was Easter morning. The church bells were ringing.
Mytyl: Easter? Oh, we didn't go out that day. We both had very bad colds.
Granny Tyl: But you thought of us.
Mytyl: Yes, we missed you.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of Sinyaya ptitsa (1970)

Soundtrack:

Lay Dee Oh

A fantastic experience.

When I started to see this movie, didn´t expect nothing more but enjoy the wonderful presence of Temple. But watching the entire film, I can only say that is an amazing experience of fantasy, spectacular set decorations, unforgettable characters (Tylette and Tylo are lovely!)...and the most important thing: the beautiful meaning of the blue bird at the end of the movie. In one word: unforgettable! Thanks.