Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

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.

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Ralph Wright (animation story), Ted Berman (animation story)

Stars:

Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Roddy McDowall

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Angela Lansbury	...	Miss Price
David Tomlinson	...	Emelius
Roddy McDowall	...	Mr. Jelk
Sam Jaffe	...	Bookman
John Ericson	...	Col. Heller
Bruce Forsyth	...	Swinburne
Cindy O'Callaghan	...	Carrie
Roy Snart	...	Paul
Ian Weighill	...	Charlie
Tessie O'Shea	...	Mrs. Hobday
Arthur Gould-Porter	...	Capt. Greer (as Arthur E. Gould-Porter)
Ben Wrigley	...	Portobello Rd. Workman
Reginald Owen	...	Gen. Teagler
Cyril Delevanti	...	Elderly Farmer
Rick Traeger	...	German Sergeant

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

bedknob | alternate history | good versus evil | spell | magic | 

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Taglines:

The most magical one of all!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

13 December 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bedknobs and Broomsticks: 25th Anniversary Special Edition

Filming Locations:

Dorset, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$18,530,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 139 min (1996) (restored) 99 min (re-release) (1980) 130 min (initial US release) (November 1971)

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (5.0) (L-R)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last Disney film released while Roy O. Disney was still alive. He died a week after its US premiere.

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Goofs

Shots of the armor of the knights on horseback alternate between them advancing just a few feet up when German soldiers are in the shot and several hundred feet up when no other characters are in sight.

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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?

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are based on the Bayeux Tapestry, a full account of the 1066 Norman conquest of Britain.

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Alternate Versions

The Disney Channel, to commemorate the film's 25th Anniversary, once showed the 1996 139m restored print with a special introduction by Angela Lansbury.

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Connections

Referenced in Nurses: Jumpin' Jack Flash (1993)

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Soundtracks

Finale (Reprise of 'The Old Home Guard')
(uncredited)
Performed by male studio chorus
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

User Reviews

My Favourite Disney Film

I saw this film many years ago and I thought it was pure magic. It was a lovely film full of escapism which could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

The performances throughout the film by it's actors and actresses are magnificent. The songs are great and the special effects are lovely for it's time. The story is a beautiful one.

I love films like this and I last watched this film around 1986. As I said earlier, it is pure escapism-one of those beautiful films which whisks you away from real life problems into a lovely fantasy world. It is pure brilliance.

I would recommend this film to anyone but particularly to young children born after it was released-even today in 2002 it can be enjoyed.