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:

Jane Wyman, Hayley Mills, Richard Egan

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

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:

disability | character name as title | pollyanna character | kiss | blue eyes | 

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Taglines:

One of the World's Sunniest, Most Lovable Stories Becomes an Unforgettable Motion Picture through the truly Great Talents of England's young HAYLEY MILLS

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Orphanage house is still on the Warner Brothers backlot and sits next to the house used in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988).

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Goofs

In Mrs Snow's bedroom there is a serpentine-fronted chest of drawers prominently displayed in several scenes. One of the drawers in the chest has been slid into place upside-down (this is easily discernible due to the shape of the handles and the position of the key-hole).

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Quotes

Aunt Polly: I'm your Aunt Polly.
Pollyanna: How do you do?
Aunt Polly: This is the pastor of our church, Reverend Ford.
Reverend Paul Ford: How do you do? I can see there's a family resemblance.
Aunt Polly: She looks very much like her mother.
Pollyanna: Mother always used to say I looked like you!
Aunt Polly: Would you be good enough to stand erect and in a proper manner, please? And where in the world did you get that dress?
Pollyanna: It came in the missionary barrels.
Reverend Paul Ford: Missionary barrels?
Aunt Polly: Yes, her father was a minister. As a matter of fact, he was a missionary in the British West Indies.

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Connections

Version of The Magical World of Disney: Polly (1989)

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Soundtracks

Little Brown Jug
(uncredited)
Written by Joseph Winner

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pollyanna

Filming Locations:

Southern Pacific Railroad Station, St Helena, 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