Alice Through the Looking Glass (TV 1966)

Alice is sitting on staircase leading upstairs, she tries to kill her boredom of which she is prey. Meanwhile down... See full synopsis »

Director:

Alan Handley

Writer:

Lewis Carroll (novel)

Stars:

Judi Rolin, Roy Castle, Robert Coote

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Judi Rolin	...	Alice
Roy Castle	...	Lester the Jester
Robert Coote	...	The Red King
Richard Denning	...	Alice's Father
Jimmy Durante	...	Humpty Dumpty
Nanette Fabray	...	The White Queen
Ricardo Montalban	...	The White King
Agnes Moorehead	...	The Red Queen
Jack Palance	...	Jabberwock
Tom Smothers	...	Tweedledum
Dick Smothers	...	Tweedledee
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Iris Adrian
Maryesther Denver
Chanin Hale
Jackie Joseph

Storyline

Alice is sitting on staircase leading upstairs, she tries to kill her boredom of which she is prey. Meanwhile down... See full synopsis »

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Plot Keywords:

two way mirror | reference to through the looking glass | walrus | alice in wonderland | chess | 

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Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alicia a través del espejo

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lester the Jester does not appear in Lewis Carroll's original novel. He was intended by the writers of this TV version to be a direct imitation of the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz", which, at the time that this "Alice" was telecast, was rapidly becoming the most popular theatrical film on television (the most famous version of that story, The Wizard of Oz, was, at that time, telecast annually by CBS.)

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Connections

Version of Malice in Wonderland (2009)

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Soundtracks

"The Backwards Alphabet"
(El alfabeto al revés).
Escrito por: Moose Charlap y, Elsie Simmons.
Cantado por: Tom Smothers (Tweedledum), Dick Smothers (Tweedledee) y, Judi Rolin (Alice).

User Reviews

A great musical for kids

I have very fond memories of this TV movie. I remember seeing it as a small child on VHS and loving it. I just saw it again recently, and it still holds up well, even as an adult. It's a stage play adaptation of Lewis Carroll's famous sequel to "Alice in Wonderland". But the focus is more on the songs than it is on the adaptation. This is a good thing, because the songs are quite good and very catchy. It's also wonderfully performed by a cast who you could tell had a lot of fun making it.

A word of caution, the stage play feel of this movie is quite apparent. It was made for TV, so don't expect high production values. In fact, it feels more like a variety show than a movie. Nevertheless, the sets and costumes are quite imaginative, and little kids will be drawn in by the children show look of the movie.

The best part of this movie are the songs themselves. They are very memorable and some are classics in their own right. Decades after seeing it for the first time I could still sing along to many of the songs. You could tell they were influenced by 1939's "The Wizard of Oz", because the songs, pacing, and overall feel is very similar to that movie, albeit on a smaller scale. There are several cameos by prominent performers (Jimmy Durante, the Smothers Brothers, Ricardo Montalbon, Jack Palance and Roy Castle among others). The performances are very upbeat and delightful ... another reason why little kids will love this movie.

The most important role is, of course, Alice herself. Alice is portrayed by the adorable Judi Rolin. Judi Rolin was 20 when they filmed this, so Alice is a bit older than she was in the book, but they definitely made a wise choice in casting her. Judi Rolin's beautiful smile, childlike innocence, energy, and gleeful singing definitely make this movie. Had it not been for Rolin, I'm not sure this film would have worked at all. It's a shame she wasn't cast in more roles after this.

All of that being said, this film is not for everybody. I admit that I am viewing it with rose tinted glasses as I did love the movie as a kid. It strays very far from the source text, and, in a way, is almost a whole new story. At its worst, it can be quite corny, and the almost overly optimistic atmosphere, low budget costumes, scenery and camera tricks will probably make more than a few people roll their eyes. But most kids will not care. They will love the songs and the happy atmosphere. And those of us who are not yet completely jaded in our adulthood will still enjoy it.