tom thumb (film)
| tom thumb | |
|---|---|
 Original poster by Reynold Brown | |
| Directed by | George Pal |
| Produced by | George Pal |
| Written by | Ladislas Fodor |
| Starring | Russ Tamblyn Terry-Thomas Peter Sellers |
| Music by | Douglas Gamley Ken Jones |
| Cinematography | Georges Périnal |
| Editing by | Frank Clarke |
| Studio(s) | Galaxy Pictures Limited |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| Release date(s) | 4 December 1958 (London, premiere) 22 December 1958 (United States) |
| Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $909,000[1] |
| Box office | $3.25 million[1] |
Deliberately uncapitalized, tom thumb is a 1958 fantasy-musical film directed by George Pal and released by MGM. It was based on the fairy tale of the same name. The film is about a tiny man who manages to outwit two thieves determined to make a fortune from him.
It starred Russ Tamblyn in the title role, with a largely British supporting cast (it was filmed in both Hollywood and London), including Bernard Miles and Jessie Matthews as Tom Thumb's adoptive parents, and comic actors Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers as the villainous duo who try to exploit the tiny hero for profit.
Director Pal worked with cinematographer Georges Périnal, animators Wah Chang and Gene Warren, art director Elliot Scott and special effects artist Tom Howard to create the animated and fantasy sequences. Ken Jones wrote the music and Peggy Lee wrote the songs.
The film is referenced in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) and Pinkeltje (1978). The film is also featured in That's Dancing! (1985)
The film is also known as Der kleine Däumling in West Germany, El pequeño gigante in Spain, Hüvelyk Matyi in Hungary, Le meravigliose avventure di Pollicino in Italy, Les aventures de Tom Pouce in France, O Pequeno Polegar in Brazil, Peukaloinen in Finland and Tummeliten in Sweden.
The filming locations for the movie were in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA and London, England, UK.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Russ Tamblyn - Tom Thumb
- Alan Young - Woody
- June Thorburn - Forest Queen
- Terry-Thomas - Ivan
- Peter Sellers - Antony
- Bernard Miles - Jonathan (Tom's Father)
- Jessie Matthews - Anne (Tom's Mother)
- Ian Wallace - The Cobbler
- Peter Butterworth - Kapellmeister
- Peter Bull - Town Crier
- Stan Freberg - Yawning man (voice)
- Dal McKennon - Con-Fu-Shon (voice)
- Suzanna Leigh - (uncredited)
[edit] Soundtrack
- "tom thumb's Tune"
- (uncredited)
- Music and Lyrics by Peggy Lee
- Sung and danced by Russ Tamblyn and the Puppetoons
- "After All These Years"
- (uncredited)
- Music by Fred Spielman
- Lyrics by Janice Torre
- Sung by Jessie Matthews (dubbed by Norma Zimmer)
- "Talented Shoes"
- (uncredited)
- Music by Fred Spielman
- Lyrics by Janice Torre
- "The Yawning Song"
- (uncredited)
- Music by Fred Spielman
- Lyrics by Kermit Goell
- Sung by Stan Freberg
- "Are You a Dream"
- (uncredited)
- Music and Lyrics by Peggy Lee
[edit] Reception
The film was the 8th most popular movie at the British box office in 1959.[2]
According to MGM records the film earned $1.8 million in North America and $1.45 million elsewhere, making a profit of $612,000.[1]
[edit] Awards
At the 1959 US Academy Awards, the film won an Oscar for Tom Howard in the category of Best Effects, Special Effects.
At the 1959 BAFTA Awards, Terry Thomas was Nominated for a BAFTA Film Award in the category of Best British Actor.
At the 1959 US Golden Globes, the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical.
At the 1959 Laurel Awards, the film was nominated for Top Musical, while Russ Tamblyn was nominated for a Golden Laurel for Top Male Musical Performance.
At the 1959 US Writers Guild of America Ladislas Fodor was nominated for a WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Musical.
[edit] Home video
tom thumb has been released as a DVD for all regions and to VHS.[3][4][5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c 'The Eddie Mannix Ledger’, Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study, Los Angeles
- ^ "Year Of Profitable British Films." Times [London, England] 1 Jan. 1960: 13. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
- ^ "tom thumb". Warner Archive. http://shop.warnerarchive.com/product/tom+thumb+1000250773.do. Retrieved 2013-02-27. Produced to order.
- ^ Tom Thumb (DVD (region 1)). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. October 3, 2000. http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Thumb-Russ-Tamblyn/dp/0790750732/. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
- ^ Tom Thumb (VHS videotape). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. December 7, 1994. http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Thumb-VHS-Russ-Tamblyn/dp/6301976320/.
[edit] External links
- tom thumb at the Internet Movie Database
- Tom Thumb at Rotten Tomatoes
- Tom Thumb at Yahoo! Movies
- Tom Thumb at Answers.com
- Tom Thumb at Turner Classic Movies
- Tom Thumb at Toonerific Cartoons
- Tom Thumb at Soundtrack Collector
- Tom Thumb at Moria.co.nz
- Tom Thumb at RopeOfSilicon.com
- Tom Thumb at Kiddie Matinee
- Tom Thumb at VideoHound's MovieRetriever.com
- Tom Thumb (Der kleine Däumling) at Zelluloid.de (German)
- Tom Thumb (Der kleine Däumling) at MovieMaster.de (German)
| ||||||||||||||
