Michael's Movie Grade:A
Year Released: 1961
History
After all the praise critics gave Hayley Mills for her performance in Pollyanna, Walt knew that this young actress could be a very important asset to the studio. Because of this he soon put her into another Disney film. That film would be The Parent Trap. On top of this he reunited her with her director in Pollyanna, David Swift. This would be David Swift's last film for Disney. David Swift began his career at Disney as an animator in the late 1930's. Much of this time was spent as the assistant animator to the legendary Ward Kimball. He left Disney in the late 1940's. After that he would direct episodes for such shows as The Rifleman, Wagon Train and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He would return to Disney to direct Pollyanna and The Parent Trap. After this film he would leave Disney again. After this he would do more work on TV with such shows as Camp Runamuck and Barney Miller. He would also direct the feature film How to Succeed in Business Without Trying in 1967.
The story revolves around identical twins both played by Hayley Mills. Because of this naturally special effects would be important to this film. Cameraman Lucien Ballard later recalled how some of this was done, stating "They worked out this whole film using an old English process, much like the old blue-backing process to get the twins into various scenes. It involved double exposure with the backgrounds and it was very complicated. Plus when you were shooting you could never tell the girl which light to look into or anything. I told them it was too complex and asked instead for a double. Usually they sent relatives out for assignments like that but I told them I wanted a real double who really looked like Hayley. Finally I found a girl who was the same height, had the same features- everything was the same except her eyes were a different color, but I was able to compensate for that. And at several figures away, you couldn't tell the difference between the girl and Hayley. So I did a lot of over-the-shoulder shots, and threw out most of the vapor shots... But Walt made me put some of the trick shots back because he... liked technical things."
This was an interesting film in the career of actress Maureen O'Hara. Though she was a huge star in the 1930's and 40's, her career was on a downslide at this time. In 1957 the magazine Confidential told an untrue story about her having sex in the balcony of Grauman's Chinese theater, leading her to sue the magazine. She won this but both the story and her legal battle with the magazine hurt her career a lot. Maureen O'Hara, loved the script for The Parent Trap, but did not want to take the job because the pay was lower than she was used to, and she would not receive top billing. Walt would give into giving her more money, but Hayley Mills would receive top billing. O'Hara was impressed by how professional Hayley was. O'Hara later wrote about Hayley and the making of this film, "It got quite confusing, and even Hayley only knew which girl she was playing by which wig she was wearing. She hated wearing those wigs and thought the short one made her look like Laurence Olivier in Hamlet,"
David Swift liked the idea of broad comedy taking place at a summer camp, which was used early in this film. Because of this he would later make a TV series called Camp Runamuck, which revolved around that idea. That TV show would feature Frank DeVol, who played Mr. Eaglewood, in The Parent Trap.
This film was a big box office hit, and received great reviews from critics.
The Disney studio would make a made for TV sequel in 1986 called the Parent Trap II. That film would feature an older Hayley Mills in it. This would be followed by two more made for TV sequels, The Parent Trap III and The Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon, both released in 1989. The Parent Trap would be remade by the studio as a theatrical feature in 1998.
Review
Fantastic film.
This film is very charming as well as very funny. The characters are all very likable and well thought out. The humor ranges from over the top slapstick (cake in the face) to quite subtle humor (anything with the reverend). Both types of humor work great and never get in the way of each other. The scenes with Rev. Mosby are some of the funniest ever put into a Disney film. His subtle reactions to everything going on are laugh out loud hilarious. Honestly I don't see how anybody couldn't laugh when this guy is on screen. The acting is excellent. It is easy to see why Hayley Mills become a huge star for Disney, she is fantastic in this film. The whole cast is fantastic in fact. On top of this the story is very heartwarming.
The effect of having two Hayley's on the screen is incredible. Even if you set out looking for how they did it, there are times when you forget, that the same person on screen twice. You truly believe that these are two identical twins preforming together. Rarely if ever has this been done this well on screen before or since.
Overall this is a really, really good movie.
Film Credits
Director: David Swift
Writer: David Swift
Based on a book by Erich Kästner
Cast: Hayley Mills (Susan Evers, Sharon McKendrick), Maureen O' Hara (Maggie McKendrick), Brain Keith (Mitch Evers), Charles Ruggles (Charles McKendrick), Una Merkel (Verbena), Leo G. Caroll (Rev. Mosby), Joanna Barnes (Vicky Robinson), Cathleen Nesbit (Louise McKendrick), Ruth McDevitt (Miss Inch), Crahan Denton (Hecky), Linda Watkins (Edna Robinson), Nancy Kulp (Miss Grunecker), Frank De Vol (Mr. Eaglewood), Kay Cole (Betsy), John Mills (Caddy), Irene Tedrow (Miss Lockness), Lynnette Winter (Ursula)
Producers: Walt Disney, George Golitzen
Music: Paul Smith, Evelyn Kennedy, Franklyn Marks
Song Writers: Richard and Robert Sherman
Cinematographer: Lucien Ballard
Editor: Philip Anderson
Art Directors: Carroll Clark, Robert Clatworthy
Set Decorators: Emile Kuri, Hal Gausman
Costume Designer: Bill Thomas
Makeup Artist: Pat McNally
Hair Stylist: Ruth Sandifer
Assistant Director Ivan Volkman
Sound Artists: Dean Thomas, Robert O Cook
Special Effects Artists: Ub Iwerks, Petro Vlahos, Bob Broughton
Cameramen: Chuck Arnold, Harry Young
Costume Artists: Chuck Keehne, Gertrude Casey
Title Sequence: T. Hee, Bill Justice, Xavier Atencio
Double: Susan Henning
Dialogue Coach: Leon Charles
Consultant: Don DaGradi
Resources Used
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055277/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/212729%7C0/The-Parent-Trap.html
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Parent%20Trap%20%28The%29
-Michael J. Ruhland
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