Babes in Toyland (1961)

Tom the Piper's Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep, cared for by Little Bo ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Donohue

Writers:

Victor Herbert (operetta), Glen MacDonough (operetta)

Stars:

Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Bolger	...	Barnaby Barnicle
Tommy Sands	...	Tom Piper
Annette Funicello	...	Mary Quite Contrary (as Annette)
Ed Wynn	...	Toymaker
Tommy Kirk	...	Grumio
Kevin Corcoran	...	Boy Blue
Henry Calvin	...	Gonzorgo
Gene Sheldon	...	Roderigo
Mary McCarty	...	Mother Goose
Ann Jillian	...	Bo Peep
Brian Corcoran	...	Willie Winkie

Storyline

Tom the Piper's Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep, cared for by Little Bo Peep, thus depriving Mary and the children she lives with of their livelihood, forcing her to marry Barnaby. The sheep are stolen, but Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Barnaby's henchmen, double-cross him by selling Tom to a band of gypsies instead, leaving Tom with the opportunity to escape and make his way with Mary, Bo-Peep, and other Mother Goose characters to Toyland.

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Plot Keywords:

color remake of black and white film | psychotronic film | campy | camp | sheep | 

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Taglines:

It's Bright! It's Wonderful! A Musical Holiday of Fun for Everyone!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This version takes liberties with the original 1903 operetta, but so does the 1934 film with Laurel & Hardy. For example, the characters of Grumio, Roderigo (who is mute in this production) and Gonzorgo were in this film but not in the L&H one. A side-by-side comparison would likely reveal that the two films are about even in their changes to the stage version.

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Goofs

When Barnaby, in his opening scene, closes the window shutters on Gonzorgo's and Roderigo's hands, the window sill bends as if made of foam instead of wood, so that the actors' hands wouldn't be injured.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sylvester J. Goose: Hello, everybody. My name is Sylvester, Sylvester J. Goose. My friends call me Syl, or sometimes silly.
[chuckles]
Sylvester J. Goose: At this time, it is with unmitigated pleasure...
Mother Goose: [behind curtain] Sylvester, talk faster.
Sylvester J. Goose: Talk faster? You're lucky to find a goose who can talk at all! As I was saying, it is my pleasure to present your hostess for this occasion, weighing one hundred and eighty nine pounds...
Mother Goose: Sylvester!
Sylvester J. Goose: [scoffs] I present the one and only Mother Goose.
[Mother Goose enters]
Mother Goose: Thank you, Sylvester.
[...]

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Connections

Version of Shirley Temple's Storybook: Babes in Toyland (1960)

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Soundtracks

Toyland
Music by Victor Herbert
Music adapted by George Bruns from Victor Herbert music
Lyrics by Mel Leven and Glen MacDonough
Sung by Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello, the children and the singing trees

User Reviews

I don't know what it is about this movie...

I think that when you're a kid, there are movies you just watch over and over and whether they're any good or not, you associate certain things with that movie. This is one of those movies. I think that my favorite scenes were the musical numbers -- when Annette sings the song about not being able to make ends meet, when the Gypsies come to town (especially that part!) the forest of no return number. It was just a cool movie with those sort of cheesy sixties special effects. I don't know if kids today would like it -- too much Pokemon and other stunning special effects and insane animation. But I think it's worth a shot.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babes in Toyland

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$10,218,316

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1