In my opinion, this has got to be the best, if not one of the best, adaptations of one my favorite stories that I liked since I was a little kid. The first time I've seen Hanna-Barbera's 1967 TV movie "Jack And The Beanstalk" was when I was in 1st grade, I think, but I'm not sure. And after over 10 years, I re-watched it online and liked it even more because much of the dialogue and actions were not understood by me as a 7 year old because I wasn't paying attention to it very well. I knew who Gene Kelly was, the actor who portrayed Jeremy Keen the bean seller in the film, even when I was 7, as well as Hanna-Barbera because they created The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo and so forth. Over 20 years earlier, he "danced" with Jerry the mouse in 1945's "Anchors Aweigh". Bobby Riha does a fine job playing Jack, even though he may resemble other then-child actors during the era like Bill Mumy and Ron Howard. The songs are brilliant, the animation is exceptional for Hanna-Barbera's television production standards, the acting and voice acting was fairly realistic, the special effects were good, but when you watch closely, you can barely see the equipment, such as gym pads, props, harnesses, etc., in the shots, that kind of ruin the effect. But keep in the mind, this was the late 60s/early 70s, since technology was not as sophisticated as it is today, but nonetheless was it groundbreaking since this was Hanna-Barbera's first live- action/animation production for television. The film also includes wonderful choices for the cartoon characters. Ted Cassidy, known by most as Lurch from "The Addams Family", as the wicked but funny giant who looks kind of like a cross between Fred Flintstone and Bluto from Popeye, as I thought when I saw this flick for the first time ever. Janet Waldo, known mainly as Judy Jetson and Cindy Bear, was the speaking voice of Princess Serina, the harp and Jack's mother, who was portrayed by 1957's Miss America Marian McKnight. Princess Serina's singing voice was provided by Marni Nixon. Not to mention that on the day I post this, February 26, 2017, would mark "Jack and the Beanstalk"'s 50th anniversary of when it was first aired on television. I still really like this movie, even though it's primary audience is children, but that's OK. If you ask me, this movie isn't just for little kids, I think it's something that even childless adults would like, such as myself. Good movie, I recommend it to anyone who wants to see it.
Review of Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
(1967 TV Movie)
Wonderful Adaptation Of The Classic Fairy Tale!
26 February 2017