Pollyanna (1960)

A young girl comes to an embittered town and confronts its attitude with her determination to see the best in life.

Director:

David Swift

Writers:

Eleanor H. Porter (novel), David Swift (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Richard Egan

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hayley Mills	...	Pollyanna
Jane Wyman	...	Aunt Polly
Richard Egan	...	Dr. Edmond Chilton
Karl Malden	...	Reverend Paul Ford
Nancy Olson	...	Nancy Furman
Adolphe Menjou	...	Mr. Pendergast
Donald Crisp	...	Mayor Karl Warren
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mrs. Snow
Kevin Corcoran	...	Jimmy Bean
James Drury	...	George Dodds
Reta Shaw	...	Tillie Lagerlof
Leora Dana	...	Mrs. Paul Ford
Anne Seymour	...	Mrs. Amelia Tarbell
Edward Platt	...	Ben Tarbell
Mary Grace Canfield	...	Angelica

Storyline

A little girl comes to a town that is embattled by feuds and intimidated by her aunt. By the time she must leave, she has transformed the community with her indominatable will to see the good side of even the worst situations and bring it out for the betterment of all.

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Plot Keywords:

girl | dysfunctional family | orphan | clothes | reverend | 

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Taglines:

Just wonderful entertainment!

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Official Sites:

Hallmark Channel

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alle lieben Pollyanna

Filming Locations:

Mableton Mansion - 1015 McDonald Avenue, Santa Rosa, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor®)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director David Swift, after looking at 362 girls for the part of Pollyanna, they still did not have anyone to play the part. One day, Walt Disney's wife Lilly went shopping with Disney studio head Bill Anderson's wife while they were in London on business. The two ladies saw Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay and thought she was perfect for the role of Pollyanna. The two men didn't listen to them, but they were so persistent that the men finally agreed to watch the movie and immediately decided to cast Hayley.

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Goofs

When Nancy and Pollyanna are delivering the charity baskets and they are at Mr. Neely's house, Nancy rushes Pollyanna saying, "Come on honey we still have three more to go." After they leave there they make another delivery, and after leaving that house Nancy has four jars in her basket and Pollyanna has one in hers. Shouldn't they have had two left if they had three to go at Mr. Neely's house?

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Quotes

Reverend Ford: Death comes unexpectedly!

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Connections

Version of Pollyana Moça (1958)

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Soundtracks

"Jimmy Bean"
By Hazel George (as Gil George)

User Reviews

Playing The Glad Game For Keeps

Filling the tiny, but oh so impressive feet of Mary Pickford in one of her most acclaimed silent screen classics was quite a chore for Walt Disney. But in an impressive American screen debut, Hayley Mills launched her career in a most impressive way as Pollyanna.

Pollyanna, who is now an orphan, comes to live with her aunt Polly played by Jane Wyman who is one reserved New Englander. She's the richest woman in town and pretty much everyone kowtows to her. But when the eternally optimistic Hayley Mills comes to live in that town, her infectious spirit seems to effect everyone and everything around her.

Pollyanna is one of Disney's best live action films, Mills and the rest of the cast make it believable without being maudlin. Disney gave Mills and Wyman an impressive roster of players in support that include, Donald Crisp, Leora Dana, Karl Malden, Nancy Olson, James Drury, Reta Shaw, Mary Grace Canfield, and Kevin Corcoran as Mills's partner in juvenile hijinks.

Two people deserve special mention. One is Adolphe Menjou because this turned out to be his last film. He plays Mr. Prendergast the old miser who lives alone and miserable, but who softens at the warmth Pollyanna brings in his life. The second is my favorite here, Agnes Moorehead, who plays crotchety old Ms. Snow, one of those old folks who seem to enjoy being sick and miserable. Her scene at the end with Hayley Mills is the most touching of all in the film.

Pollyanna like George Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life both never realizes all the good she's done in that town and like Jimmy Stewart's character faces a crisis. But all her friends rally to her in an It's A Wonderful Life type climax.

Walt Disney does a wonderful job in recreating that era before World War I in small town America, very much like The Music Man. Pollyanna is what they mean by fine family entertainment, as good now as it was when I first saw it in theaters in 1960.

In fact it might just make one curious enough to check out the Mary Pickford silent version.