Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960)

Taken in by distant members of his family after being orphaned, Toby Tyler runs away to join the circus.

Director:

Charles Barton

Writers:

Lillie Hayward, James Otis Kaler (novel),

Stars:

Kevin Corcoran, Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon

Cast

Credited cast:
Kevin Corcoran	...	Toby Tyler
Henry Calvin	...	Ben Cotter
Gene Sheldon	...	Sam Treat
Bob Sweeney	...	Harry Tupper
Richard Eastham	...	Colonel Sam Castle
James Drury	...	Jim Weaver
Barbara Beaird	...	Mademoiselle Jeanette
Dennis Olivieri	...	Monsieur Ajax (as Dennis Joel)
Edith Evanson	...	Aunt Olive
Tom Fadden	...	Uncle Daniel
Oliver Wallace	...	Bandleader (as Ollie Wallace)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Dietrich	...	Downtown Parade Organist
Michael McGreevey

Storyline

Taken in by distant members of his family after being orphaned, Toby Tyler runs away to join the circus.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | horse | traveling circus | costume | tiger | 

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Taglines:

Here comes...the HAPPIEST SHOW ON EARTH!

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Genres:

Family | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Toby Tyler

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Disney was able to bolster interest in this Kevin Corcoran vehicle by using Henry Calvin and Gene Sheldon in co-starring roles. They were both the co-stars of Disney's hit television series Zorro which was then off the air due to legal disputes between Disney and the American Broadcasting Company.

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Goofs

In the first scene Toby Tyler is supposed to be selling concessions at the circus, but he sits down to watch Mademoiselle Jeanette and Monsieur Ajax performing their acrobatic horse routine instead; the last shot shows Jeanette and Ajax in different costumes because it is a shot from a later scene in the movie where Toby Tyler performs the act with Jeanette. Therefore the last shot of their routine has Toby Tyler performing instead of Ajax.

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Quotes

Toby Tyler: I got my own horse back home.
Mademoiselle Jeanette: Toby, really?
Toby Tyler: Name's Old Red, he's not really old that's just his name,
Mademoiselle Jeanette: Is he a gaited horse?
Toby Tyler: [confused] Gated?
Mademoiselle Jeanette: You know, what gait does he favor most?
Toby Tyler: Oh, I guess he favers most the gate that leads down to the pasture. Lots of sweet clover down there.
Mademoiselle Jeanette: [giggles] Toby, you're joking.

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Connections

Version of Circus Days (1923)

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Soundtracks

"Biddle-Dee-Dee"
Written by Diane Lampert and Richard Loring

User Reviews

Disney Adaptation Strays Far from the Original

I've mentioned elsewhere that Disney's adaptations of famous works sometimes avoid the dark and dreary messages of the original works.He wished,it seems,to provide wholesome family entertainment.IN this regard,he succeeded.But,after seeing this film,as I did when it first came out,I was horrified when I got around to reading Kahler's book.Let's see the differences.

1.)Toby,in the story,is a sly,fat, lazy glutton,who leaves a brutal orphan's home in order to avoid doing his chores,and being punished for dishonesty.He joins the circus,and wages an undercover war against the evil management.

2.)The circus is a dreary,run down dump,managed by vicious alcoholics who beat and cripple children.Toby,consequently,starts a guerrilla war against them.

3.)The people who work in the circus,when they aren't brutal bullies,are among the most grotesque characters in Victorian American fiction.

4.)Toby DOESN'T become a star on horses.Mr.Stubbs isn't a cute chimp,but a mangy,pathetic,morose old monkey.And the hunter does kill him.

5.)The story ends with the manager of the orphanage taking Toby back.And you get the feeling that all will not be well.

So,while the film adaptation sticks to some of the facts,the underlying message has been avoided.