TV Tuesday: Cinderella (1997)

 

Cinderella - 1997

Welcome back to the blog!  After a brief hiatus while I was on vacation, we are back.  Thanks for sticking with us.  For today's TV Tuesday offering, we have 1997's "Cinderella", a TV movie that puts a different spin on the classic story set to Rodgers and Hammerstein's excellent music.

The film's cast includes Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters, Victor Garber, Paolo Montalban, Veanne Cox, and Natalie Desselle.

Cinderella, a young woman who is basically a slave to her stepmother and stepsisters, is hopeful that one day she'll find love and happiness.  An incognito prince is also hoping the same thing.  They both know that the "dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me."

When the two meet up in the marketplace, the chemistry is instant.  The Prince doesn't give away that he's royalty, and all Cinderella reveals to him is her name.  They are separated when Cinderella's stepmother calls her away.

With the help of faithful family retainer Lionel, King Maximilian and Queen Constantina, the Prince's parents, plan to throw a lavish ball in order to find their son a bride.

Take a listen to this clip to listen to Queen Constantina begin the ball announcement with a run down of her son's exhaustive list of names.

Cinderella's stepmother gets her daughters prepared for the ball.  She's bound and determined to have one of them marry the Prince.

As they prepare for the ball, she counsels her daughters on the dangers of "Falling In Love With Love".

Meanwhile, Cinderella is left at home to dream up the ball "In Her Own Little Corner".

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother turns up and makes the "Impossible" possible.  She makes a way for the young girl to attend the ball, though cautions her that the magic will only last until midnight.

Cinderella arrives at the ball.  The Prince is instantly besotted and sweeps her onto the dance floor.  "Ten Minutes Ago I Met You," the two sing together.

Everyone is captivated by the beautiful young woman, even the King.  "She is stunning, isn't she," remarks Queen Constantine.  King Maximilian murmurs, "A vision...why if I were a younger man..."  The Queen gives him a look and asks, "Yes, dear?"  To which, he regains his composure and says, "Well, I'd be younger, wouldn't I?"

However, Cinderella's stepmother isn't enthralled by the woman whom she seems to recognize.

And her daughters lament over the fact that the Prince seems to prefer this mysterious girl to themselves.

Well, you know what happens.  The clock strikes midnight and Cinderella has to make a hasty exit from the ball, leaving behind one of her glass slippers.

Back at home, Cinderella's stepmother comes to realize that the mysterious woman at the ball was Cinderella.

Of course, the Prince decides to seek out the girl who captured his heart and left behind a glass slipper.

Naturally, he finds Cinderella.  Her stepmother and stepsisters are horrified when they see Cinderella's foot fit perfectly into the glass slipper.

The Prince whisks Cinderella off to the palace where they are married.  Cinderella's Fairy Godmother hovers over the proceedings while her stepmother and stepsisters have the palace gates shut in their faces.

Cast rundown:

   Brandy..........................................Cinderella

   Jason Alexander..............................Lionel

   Whoopi Goldberg............................Queen Constantina

   Whitney Houston............................Fairy Godmother

   Bernadette Peters...........................The Stepmother

   Victor Garber..................................King Maximilian

   Paolo Montalban.............................Prince Christopher

   Veanne Cox....................................Calliope

   Natalie Desselle..............................Minerva

And that's it for Cinderella.  With this movie, Brandy became the first African American to portray Cinderella.  The movie broke all viewership records at the time of its release, and it still holds the record for the best-selling video for a made for TV movie.  Whoopi Goldberg's jewels in the film were designed by Harry Winston for a cost of about $2 million.

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Annie (1982)

 

Annie - 1982

Coming up next we have 1982's "Annie", a high-spirited musical that follows a forgotten orphan named Annie as she finds a family with one of the wealthiest men in America.  Leapin' lizards!

The film's cast includes Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, Geoffrey Holder, Roger Minami, and Edward Herrmann.

Meet Annie.  She's an orphan that wonders who her parents are and what they are like.  "Betcha they're good, why shouldn't they be?  Their one mistake was givin' up me!" she sings.

Annie and the other orphans live in a run-down orphanage operated by a constantly drunk Miss Hannigan, who basically enslaves the girls in her charge by "making this dump shine like the top of the Chrysler Building!"

While the girls do the chores Miss Hannigan has assigned to them, the sing about how "It's A Hard-Knock Life".

While out of the orphanage one day, Annie saves a dog from the dogcatcher.  She comes home with him and she and the girls decide on what to name him.  They eventually call him "Sandy".

One day, Miss Hannigan gets a visit from Grace Farrell, the secretary to Oliver Warbucks, the billionaire.  Mr. Warbucks wants to invite an orphan to share his home with him for one week.

Grace chooses Annie, who is eager to go and see what Mr. Warbucks is like.

Miss Hannigan is not prepared to let Annie go without a fight.  She lets Annie go once Grace threatens her job.

So, off Annie (along with Sandy) go to the huge Warbucks mansion.  Annie is so excited to be there.

It takes Mr. Warbucks a bit of getting used to, that's for sure, but he soon warms up to Annie.

He also starts to fall for his secretary, Grace.  Annie is delighted when Mr. Warbucks takes them both out to see "Camille" with Greta Garbo at a special showing at Radio City Music Hall.

Eventually, Mr. Warbucks decides to adopt Annie, and he has a terrible time trying to convince Miss Hannigan to sign the adoption papers.

When Annie is told of the plan to adopt her, she is very hesitant.  She's grateful that Mr. Warbucks wants to adopt her, but she would still like to find her birth parents most of all.

Mr. Warbucks is galvanized into action.  He gets as many people as he can on the case: J. Edgar Hoover, William Randolph Hearst, Walter Winchell, just to name a few.

Mr. Warbucks even goes on the radio offering a reward of $50,000 if Annie's birth parents will come forward to claim her.  Miss Hannigan hears this and is suddenly struck with an idea.

To escape all the craziness that his announcement has caused, Mr. Warbucks takes Annie on a trip to Washington D.C. to visit President and Mrs. Roosevelt.  Annie tells them all that the sun will come out "Tomorrow".

Back in New York, Miss Hannigan has convinced her criminal brother and his floozy girlfriend to pose as Annie's birth parents in an effort to claim the reward.  Miss Hannigan knows that Annie's parents are really dead, and she is the only one in possession of this information.  Her brother kidnaps Annie and nearly kills her.

After Annie comes back safe and sound and the adoption is finalized, Annie proclaims, "I love you Daddy Warbucks".  An adoption party is hosted by Mr. Warbucks, and Annie gathers with her new family (including Grace) to watch a dazzling fireworks display.

Cast rundown:

   Aileen Quinn...................................Annie

   Albert Finney...................................Oliver Warbucks

   Carol Burnett..................................Miss Hannigan

   Ann Reinking..................................Grace Farrell

   Tim Curry.......................................Rooster Hannigan

   Bernadette Peters............................Lily St. Regis

   Geoffrey Holder...............................Punjab

   Roger Minami..................................The Asp

   Edward Herrmann...........................Franklin D. Roosevelt

And that's all for Annie.  Albert Finney shaved his head for the role of Mr. Warbucks.  When it came time for the premier, his hair had regrown, and young Aileen Quinn didn't recognize him.  Young actresses who auditioned for the role of Annie included Drew Barrymore and Kristin Chenoweth.  Shadow Lawn stood in for the Warbucks mansion.  Originally owned by the president of F.W. Woolworth Company, it was later sold for $100 at the end of the Great Depression.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.