Peter Pan (1960)

In this magical tale about the boy who refuses to grow up, Peter Pan and his mischievous fairy sidekick Tinkerbell visit the nursery of Wendy, Michael, and John Darling.

Director:

Vincent J. Donehue

Writers:

Jerome Robbins (adaptation), J.M. Barrie (based on the play by) (as Sir James M. Barrie)

Stars:

Mary Martin, Cyril Ritchard, Lynn Fontanne

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Martin	...	Peter Pan
Cyril Ritchard	...	Mr. Darling / Captain Hook
Lynn Fontanne	...	Narrator
Maureen Bailey	...	Wendy / Jane
Margalo Gillmore	...	Mrs. Darling
Sondra Lee	...	Tiger Lily
Joe E. Marks	...	Smee
Norman Shelly	...	Nana / Crocodile
Joey Trent	...	John
Kent Fletcher	...	Michael
Jacqueline Mayro	...	Liza
Edmund Gaynes	...	Slightly
Bill Snowden	...	Curly
Carson Woods	...	Nibs
Benedict Herrman	...	First Twin (as Brad Herrman)

Storyline

In this magical tale about the boy who refuses to grow up, Peter Pan and his mischievous fairy sidekick Tinkerbell visit the nursery of Wendy, Michael, and John Darling. With a sprinkling of pixie dust, Peter and his new friends fly out the nursery window and over London to Never-Never Land. The children experience many wonderful and exciting adventures with the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily's Indian tribe, and Peter's arch enemy, the dastardly pirate Captain Hook.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | peter pan character | captain hook character | tinker bell character | tiger lily character | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Martin, in the role of Peter Pan, received a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in the 1955 Tony Awards. Cyril Ritchard won a Tony for Best Performance by a leading Actor in a Musical for his dual role as Mr. Darling and Captain James Hook. Technical Director Richard Rodda received a 1955 Tony Award for Best Stage Technician. The Los Angeles and San Francisco Civic Light Opera founder and producer Edwin Lester acquired the American rights to adapt the J. M. Barrie's 1904 play "Peter Pan" and Barrie's own novelization of "Peter and Wendy" as a stage musical for Mary Martin. The music is by Mark Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, most of the lyrics written by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Incidental music by Elmer Bernstein and Trude Rittman. Musical orchestrated by Albert Sendrey. Directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Scenic Design by Peter Larkin, Costume Design by Motley, Lighting Design by Peggy Clark. Flying Supervisor Peter Foy and Flying Effect by Joseph Kirby. Prior to opening in San Francisco's Geary Street theatre district's Curran Theatre, the production was rehearsed at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. During the San Francisco performance schedule, additional musical material was ordered by Jerome Robbins and Edwin Lester, revisions continued when the expensive musical transferred to Los Angeles in August, 1954. The show opened in a busy Broadway season, competing with such notable shows as The Boy Friend, Fanny, Silk Stockings, and Damn Yankees. However, while still in Los Angeles, a deal was made for the musical to be broadcast on the NBC's Color Television network 90 minute anthology series "Producers' Showcase," that aired every fourth Monday, on March 7, 1955. "Peter Pan" opened on Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre on 20 October 1954, with a limited run of 152 performances, closing 26 February 1955, closed so that it could be broadcast on television, although box office continued to be strong throughout the Broadway run. The aim of the "Producers' Showcase" was to broadcast expensive color spectaculars to promote the new color television system developed by NBC's parent company RCA. On March 7, 1955, NBC presented "Peter Pan" live as part of "Producer's Showcase" as the first full-length Broadway production on color TV. This 1955 NBC television production utilized the same Broadway theatre where the musical had been performing with the color television cameras situated throughout the theater's main floor and balcony seating areas. The television show attracted a then-record viewing audience of 65 million viewers, the highest ever up to that time for a single television broadcast program. Marry Martin won an Emmy award for the 1955 television production. So well received that the musical was re-staged live for television on 9 January 1956 with the same cast, sets, and costumes. Both of these broadcasts were produced live and in color, but only black-and-white kine-scope recordings survive.The telecast special followed with rebroadcasts in 1956, and in 1960 with the same stars, production costumes, and scenery. The re-staged 1960 telecast had new children in the cast because the original kids had grown too old for their parts. The musical has enjoyed several revivals onstage in 1979, 1990, 1998. Following the successful 1955/56 "Peter Pan" telecast, the NBC Color network mounted a television production of Irving Berlin's Broadway stage musical "Annie Get Your Gun," directed by Vincent J. Donehue, starring Mary Martin as Annie Oakley and John Raitt as Frank Butler, William O'Neal as William Frederick 'Buffalo Bill' Cody. Telecast live as part of the "Producer's Showcase," in color from the NBC Burbank Studios #2 and #4, with an audience, on 27 November 1957.

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Goofs

Live theatre productions have different rules than cinema, regarding suspension of disbelief. Most examples of crew or equipment visible, and related imperfect illusions, are not goofs in this genre.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Some say that as we grow up, we become different people at different ages, but I don't believe this. I think we remain the same throughout, merely passing in these years from one room, to another, but always in the same house. If we unlock the rooms of the far past, we can look in and see ourselves beginning to become you and me.
Wendy, John: [dressed up like their parents and dancing] One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three.

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Connections

Spoofed in Human Nature (2001)

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Soundtracks

Never-Never Land
Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Jule Styne
Sung by Mary Martin

User Reviews

To me, the undisputed champion of Peter Pan films.

This is truly a magical movie. The singing, the colors, the flying. Mary Martin embodies Peter Pan so gracefully and whimsically that I cannot imagine this character as played by anyone else. I view this Peter Pan as the best and most classic depiction of the boy who never grew up.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Peter Pan

Filming Locations:

Vitagraph Studios - 15th Street & Locust Avenue, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color