The Parent Trap (1961)

Director:

David Swift

Writers:

Erich Kästner (based on the book "Das doppelte Lottchen" by)
David Swift (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

21 June 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

It's a LOOK-ALIKE, RING-A-DING, LAFF-AFFAIR!

Plot:

Teenage twin girls swap places and scheme to reunite their divorced parents.

Plot Keywords:

California | Summer Camp | Twins | Summer | Single Parent

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Hayley Mills	...	Susan Evers / Sharon McKendrick
Maureen O'Hara	...	Maggie McKendrick
Brian Keith	...	Mitch Evers
Charles Ruggles	...	Charles McKendrick (as Charlie Ruggles)
Una Merkel	...	Verbena
Leo G. Carroll	...	Rev. Dr. Mosby
Joanna Barnes	...	Vicky Robinson
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Louise McKendrick
Ruth McDevitt	...	Miss Inch (as Ruth Mc Devitt)
Crahan Denton	...	Hecky
Linda Watkins	...	Edna Robinson
Nancy Kulp	...	Miss Grunecker
Frank De Vol	...	Mr. Eaglewood
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kay Cole	...	Betsy - Sharon's Camp Inch Roommate (uncredited)
John Mills	...	Mitch Evers' Golf Caddy (uncredited)
Irene Tedrow	...	Miss Lockness - the Housekeeper (uncredited)
Lynette Winter	...	Ursala - Camp Inch Roomate (uncredited)

Directed by
David Swift

Writing credits
Erich Kästner		(based on the book "Das doppelte Lottchen" by)
David Swift		(written for the screen by)

Produced by
George Golitzen	....	associate producer (as George Golitzin)

Original Music by
Paul J. Smith		(music) (as Paul Smith)

Cinematography by
Lucien Ballard		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Philip W. Anderson		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark		(art direction)
Robert Clatworthy		(art direction)

Set Decoration by
Hal Gausman		(set decoration)
Emile Kuri

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas

Makeup Department
Pat McNalley	....	make-up
Ruth Sandifer	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ivan Volkman	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound supervisor
Dean Thomas	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Ub Iwerks	....	special photographic effects
Bob Broughton	....	visual effects (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gertrude Casey	....	costumer
Chuck Keehne	....	costumer

Music Department
Evelyn Kennedy	....	music editor
Franklyn Marks	....	orchestration
Richard M. Sherman	....	songs
Robert B. Sherman	....	songs

Other crew
Xavier Atencio	....	special titles
Leon Charles	....	dialogue coach
Don DaGradi	....	sequence consultant
Walt Disney	....	presents
T. Hee	....	special titles
Bill Justice	....	special titles
Susan Henning	....	twin double (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions (as A Walt Disney Production)

Distributors

• Buena Vista Distribution Company (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (distributed by) (as Buena Vista Distribution Co., Inc.)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• RKO (1962) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2005) (USA) (DVD) (2 film set)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Canada) (DVD) (2 film set)
• Hallmark Channel, The (2006) (USA) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording) | Dolby Digital (5.1 surround) (DVD Release)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #19646) | USA:G (re-rating) (1992) | USA:TV-G | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

The "isolation" cabin that Sharon and Susan stay in at camp is named "Serendipity".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Vicky is offered the canteen of water with the lizard perched on top, the canteen lid is open. When Vicky throws the canteen back, the lid is on.

Quotes:

Verbena 'Ever's Housekeeper':You didn't know what a good thing you had when you had it.
Mitch Evers:Huh?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

For Now for Always

A Classic Charmer

Although the split-screen technique had been around for a decade or so, it was usually more noted for its failures than its success, and the actor required to play dual roles usually took tremendous heat for their failure to create two physically identical but distinctly different characterizations on screen. But with THE PARENT TRAP, with the difficult dual role resting on the shoulders of an extremely young star, Walt Disney struck gold. It would be the single highest grossing film the studio had released up to that time, and even some forty years later the baby-boomers who flocked to see it in 1961 regard it as one of their favorite movie experiences.

But THE PARENT TRAP has a lot more going for it than mere nostalgia. The cast is really, really good, featuring the ever-likable Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in leading roles and a host of great character actors (including Leo G. Carroll and Nancy Kulp) in minor roles. And then there is Haley Mills. The daughter and sister of noted English actors, Mills was no newcomer to the screen when THE PARENT TRAP went before the cameras--she had even picked up an Oscar for her earlier Disney film POLLYANNA. Even so, this was no guarantee that she could pull off the feat of double roles, something that had daunted even the legendary Bette Davis. But she did.

The story has been told so often that surely every one knows it by now. A wife delivers twin daughters--but shortly afterward divorces her husband, and each wins custody of one child. The children are raised without any knowledge of each other's existence... until they unexpectedly bump into each other at summer camp, put two and two together, and devise a scheme to get their parents back together again.

Even today, and in spite of its familiarity, it's an amusing idea, and while the actual script is weak in spots the cast, and especially Haley Mills, makes the most of it. There's plenty of slapstick, lots of laugh-out-loud scenes, and enough charm to beguile all but the most cynical viewers. And Haley Mills clearly demonstrates why she was regarded as the single most gifted child actor of her era: although she plays both Susan and Sharon with the same edge of mischievous fun, they do indeed come off as completely different personalities.

Of course, digital technology has left the old split-screen technique in the dust, and today its easy to see the flaws in the technique that weren't so obvious at the time. And the quality of the film transfer is not the best: while this isn't the worst transfer I've seen, it is full of artifacts nonetheless. Even so, the appeal of the story, the cast, and most particularly Haley Mills make up for a lot, and this Disney double DVD comes complete with a host of bonuses (including a making-of documentary and an audio commentary track by director David Swift and Haley Mills) that fans will enjoy quite a bit.

If you were a fan of the film then, you'll remain a fan of it now. And if you want to introduce your family to a truly charming movie experience, you couldn't make a better choice.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer