Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1957)

This oversight was largely due to technology; the 1957 version, broadcast live, was preserved only as a black-and-white kinescope (i.e., a film recording made directly from a television screen, intended for studio use rather than viewing purposes; ironically, the broadcast was in color, but the kinescope was made from a black-and-white television).

Now at last the kinescope has been remastered for home video, and Andrews’ first screen performance is finally available for her fans to enjoy. Already a stage star in the Cinderella role of My Fair Lady’s Eliza Dolittle, Julie Andrews as Cinderella is a no-brainer, and the 1957 version is worth seeing for her performance and singing alone. At the same time, it’s fair to note that the 22-year-old star lacks the wide-eyed ingenue quality the 19-year-old Warren brought to her debut role in the 1965 version.

The 1957 version opens on a strong note with a rousing rendition of “The Prince is Giving a Ball,” and benefits from charming material involving the Prince’s royal family cut from later versions. But Edith Adams’s baton-twirling fairy-godmother-as-cheerleader dates poorly, and moving the glass-slipper scene from Cinderella’s house to the palace (almost making Cinderella a sort of royals stalker) is a bad idea. On the other hand, I like the way the denouement of this version softens Cinderella’s stepfamily and their ultimate fate.