An apprentice witch, three kids and a cynical magician conman search for the missing component to a magic spell to be used in the defense of Britain in WWII.
A down-on-his-luck inventor turns a broken-down Grand Prix car into a fancy vehicle for his children, and then they go off on a magical fantasy adventure to save their grandfather in a far-off land.
Director:
Ken Hughes
Stars:
Dick Van Dyke,
Sally Ann Howes,
Lionel Jeffries
A poor boy named Arthur learns the power of love, kindness, knowledge and bravery with the help of a wizard called Merlin in the path to become one of the most beloved kings in English history.
Director:
Wolfgang Reitherman
Stars:
Rickie Sorensen,
Sebastian Cabot,
Karl Swenson
During WWII in England, Charlie, Carrie, and Paul Rawlins are sent to live with Eglantine Price, who it turns out is an apprentice witch. Charlie blackmails Miss Price that if he is to keep her practices a secret, she must give him something, so she takes a bed knob from her late father's bed and places the "famous magic traveling spell" on it, and only Paul can activate it. Their first journey is to a street in London where they meet Emelius Browne, former headmaster of Miss Price's witchcraft training correspondence school. Miss Price tells him of a plan to find the magic words for a spell known as Substitutiary Locomotion, which brings inanimate objects to life. This spell will be her work for the war effort.Written by
Matthew Anscher <anscher@radonc.duke.edu>
According to the Laws of the Game, as authorized by the International Football Association Board, no goal should have been awarded during the soccer match. The referee would properly have stopped play at the point where the ball burst or became deflated (Law 2), if not earlier for substandard field surface or goalposts (Law 1), short-sidedness (Law 3), insufficient equipment (Law 4), severe injury (Law 5), advantage gained by being in an offside position (Law 11), or any of various fouls and misconduct (Law 12), including but not limited to: dangerous play, dissent, unsporting behavior, serious foul play, and leaving the field of play without permission. See more »
Goofs
Miss Price's house is mere minutes from the coast, and the White Cliffs of Dover are shown. In fact, children and many adults had already been evacuated from that area due to the risk of invasion. Children would not have been evacuated to that location. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Captain Ainsley Greer:
You there, which way to Pepperinge Eye?
Elderly Farmer:
Couldn't say, sir. It said on the wireless to paint out the sign posts in case the Nazis drop in.
Captain Ainsley Greer:
I'm not a Nazi, I'm a British officer!
Elderly Farmer:
That's what you'd say if you *was* a Nazi, isn't it sir?
See more »
Crazy Credits
The opening credits are based on the Bayeux Tapestry, a full account of the 1066 Norman conquest of Britain. See more »
Alternate Versions
There is one still-missing song that was intended to be in the film, entitled "A Step in the Right Direction." It would have occurred after Miss Price opened her package and found a broomstick. Disney could not locate any film footage of this number, but they found the audio tracks and still photographs of the number. The restoration team created a still-photo recreation to include as a supplement; it has appeared on most home video versions of the 139-minute cut. Because it was done on tape, it was decided audiences might find the switch from live action to still photos jarring. For this reason, it was left out of the film's reconstruction.
Before the December 1971 wide-release of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Disney released it in limited engagement theaters around the US with an approximate 130 minute running time around November of 1971 (2 hours, 10 minutes.) Whether or not "Step in the Right Direction" was included in this limited US release remains debated to this day. However, the approximate 10 minutes of film that was included in the November,1971, limited release, was removed from all widespread distribution prints around mid December of 1971. With the exception of Step in the Right Direction, this footage was not restored until the Special Edition 1996 DVD was released. Added footage within the special edition 1996 DVD restoration, brought the film to an approximate 140 minute, (2 hours, 20 minutes) running time. However, the true whereabouts of Step in the Right Direction's film footage for Bedknobs and Broomsticks remain unknown, but are presumed lost or destroyed. See more »
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of many movies that has always been with me, in my heart and memory from the time that I was old enough to focus my eyes on a television screen. Although it was already an "old" movie by the time I was able to watch it, Bedknobs and Broomsticks completely enchanted me. People here who say that the movie would not hold the attention of a young child are mistaken. I must have watched this movie dozens of times between the ages of 1 and 10 and every time I watched it all the way though, intensely engrossed through every scene. There are a handful of movies that hold very fond places in my childhood memories, this is one of them. It is a wonderful movie, and even now I still find the story charming. Angela Lansbury stars as Miss Price, a widow who is studying witchcraft through a correspondence course during World War II. She grumpily agrees to let three children board at her home in the country to keep them safe from the air raids going on in London. After the three children discover that Miss Price is an apprentice witch, they are swept up into a magical adventure on a traveling bed along with Miss Price and Professor Brown, the headmaster of the College of Witchcraft. The thing I like best about this movie, is that the magic never stops as the children along with the two adults journey to London, the Island of Naboomboo, Naboomboo Lagoon and Portabello Road. The children are treated to a marvelous adventure, flying through the skies on a bed, swimming underwater in a tropical lagoon, watching a football game played by animals and finally helping out in the war when Miss Price enchants a museum full of ancient suits of armor with the magic words, "Traguna, Macoities, Tracorum Satis De." The songs in the movie may be your typical musical-stock, but I challenge anyone to not tap their toes during "Portabello Road", or to not get "Englentine" stuck in their head. They just add another element of fun and enjoyment to an already delightful movie. The movie is well worth watching, and suitable for any child. Even today's children will find delight in the cartoon/human relations and the spectacular ending sequence were empty suits of armor are brought to life to fight for the good guys. I consider this movie a timeless classic that shouldn't be passed up.
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Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of many movies that has always been with me, in my heart and memory from the time that I was old enough to focus my eyes on a television screen. Although it was already an "old" movie by the time I was able to watch it, Bedknobs and Broomsticks completely enchanted me. People here who say that the movie would not hold the attention of a young child are mistaken. I must have watched this movie dozens of times between the ages of 1 and 10 and every time I watched it all the way though, intensely engrossed through every scene. There are a handful of movies that hold very fond places in my childhood memories, this is one of them. It is a wonderful movie, and even now I still find the story charming. Angela Lansbury stars as Miss Price, a widow who is studying witchcraft through a correspondence course during World War II. She grumpily agrees to let three children board at her home in the country to keep them safe from the air raids going on in London. After the three children discover that Miss Price is an apprentice witch, they are swept up into a magical adventure on a traveling bed along with Miss Price and Professor Brown, the headmaster of the College of Witchcraft. The thing I like best about this movie, is that the magic never stops as the children along with the two adults journey to London, the Island of Naboomboo, Naboomboo Lagoon and Portabello Road. The children are treated to a marvelous adventure, flying through the skies on a bed, swimming underwater in a tropical lagoon, watching a football game played by animals and finally helping out in the war when Miss Price enchants a museum full of ancient suits of armor with the magic words, "Traguna, Macoities, Tracorum Satis De." The songs in the movie may be your typical musical-stock, but I challenge anyone to not tap their toes during "Portabello Road", or to not get "Englentine" stuck in their head. They just add another element of fun and enjoyment to an already delightful movie. The movie is well worth watching, and suitable for any child. Even today's children will find delight in the cartoon/human relations and the spectacular ending sequence were empty suits of armor are brought to life to fight for the good guys. I consider this movie a timeless classic that shouldn't be passed up.