In the history of TV animation, there are few bigger names
than Hanna-Barbera. A company founded by
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who created Tom & Jerry for MGM, they created a number of tricks and
methods that made producing animation for TV a viable option. They then went on to create a number of
popular characters and series like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, The
Flintstones, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, Scooby-Doo and many more.
Why do I bring this up?
Because almost every major animation studio will take a crack at a
popular fairy tale at some point.
Hanna-Barbera did it (for probably not the only time) for a 1967
telefilm production of Jack and the
Beanstalk.
The film is a hybrid of animation and live action. It stars Bobby Riha as Jack, Ted Cassidy (aka
Lurch from The Addams Family) as the voice of the animated giant, Janet Waldo
as the voice of Princess Serena (aka the Harp) and the one and only Gene Kelly
as the peddler Jeremy Keen. I should
also note that Gene Kelly also produced and directed the movie.
The movie starts with Jack coming down the road with his cow
and meeting Jeremy the peddler. There’s
a song and dance number (these happen quite often in this movie) and Jack walks
away having traded the cow for some magic beans. Jack goes back home and then we see him
telling his mother about how he messed up.
Jack’s mother doesn’t actually say anything herself and we don’t even see
her face (there’s a reason for this and I’ll get back to it later). Jack then disposes of the bean and goes to
bed only to find it grown into a giant beanstalk. He goes out to find who else but Jeremy and
Jack’s ex-cow. Jeremy had come by to
check on Jack after their trade.
Instead, he found a giant beanstalk which both he and Jack would both
climb.
That’s right. Jack
isn’t alone on his adventure. Because
when you sign Gene Kelly to your movie, you don’t relegate him to a bit part.
Anyway, they go up the beanstalk where they encounter a
giant, a golden harp that’s actually a cursed princess, a couple of woggle-birds,
a colony of scared mice and engage in many, many song and dance numbers
(because Gene Kelly) and also engage in some strange but amusing wordplay (it’s
hard to describe, you’ll just have to hear it for yourself).
This isn’t the first time Gene Kelly worked with Hanna and
Barbera or their characters. As you may
recall, he danced with Jerry the Mouse in 1945’s Anchors Aweigh. He acquits himself about as well here. Though, between his producing, directing and
the expanded role of his character, his role here might seem a bit outsized.
In fact, one could
argue that the movie is more like “Jeremy and the Beanstalk” with Jack as
Jeremy’s sidekick. The reason being that
Jeremy is given a love story in the movie with Princess Serena aka the Singing
Harp. The payoff is something else
though, but describing it involves MAJOR SPOILERS. So, be warned. You see, Serena is under a spell by an ogre
that bonds her to the rest of the harp.
The spell can be lifted with a kiss (because animated fairy tale). This kiss being quite naturally accompanied
by a song and dance number (again because Gene Kelly). Jeremy had fallen for her at first sight, and apparently her
for him. But getting to her proves
difficult. Eventually it does happen,
with the kiss and the song and dance and all that. They escape the giant and Princess Serena
wants Jeremy to stay with her. And he
sends her away because (and I’m paraphrasing) they’re from two different
worlds. She’s a princess and he’s just a
peddler. Now, they get back home and
dispose of the beanstalk and Jack’s mother comes out to meet them. Okay, so remember how I said we didn’t see
Jack’s mother’s face or hear her speak, to the extent that Jack basically
scolded himself? Well, she shows up and
SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE A LIVE ACTION VERSION OF PRINCESS SERENA. Maybe a little bit older, but still clearly
the model for the animated character.
And Jack’s mother isn’t a worn down middle-aged peasant woman. In this case she’s a middle-aged but still
quite lovely woman played by 1957 Miss America beauty contest winner Marian
McKnight. So, that’s the “happily ever
after” here: the peddler marrying Jack’s mother. I know I usually come across as a bit of a
traditionalist about “Jack and the Beanstalk”, but as someone who’s not exactly
a spring chicken myself anymore, I have to applaud a fairy tale production
where the older people get the happy ending (sidenote: has anyone ever compiled
a collection of folk and fairy tales specifically aimed at the over 35
crowd?). It is a bit strange from a
technical standpoint though. Because
even though Princess Serena may have been modeled to look like McKnight, she
wasn’t voiced by her. Princess Serena’s
speaking voice was provided by Janet Waldo and her singing voice by Marni
Nixon. I’m not sure why. Was it the standard for physical acting and
voice acting to be two separate things back then? And why did they avoid letting Jack’s mother
speak earlier?
Anyway, it’s not too bad.
Certainly not my least favorite “Jack and the Beanstalk”
adaptation. Though, I’m not sure which
would be my most favorite. It did win some accolades in its day. It won the '67 Emmy for "Outstanding Children's Program". Is this one
the definitive cinematic adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk"? No,
but “Jack and the Beanstalk” doesn’t really have one, and I’m actually kind of
glad it doesn’t. It means that no
Hollywood version can dictate expectations for this specific story and how it’s
adapted. Literary versions might still
dictate them, but a movie won’t.
I feel like of the popular fairy tales, “Jack and the
Beanstalk” can inspire a bit of confusion and debate. The fact that it’s basically about a young
trickster thief who gains his happy ending by robbing another character has
caused people to question its appropriateness, its message and where it could
have possibly come from. It’s led to
lots of “Jack was really the bad guy the whole time” hot takes and theories
that the whole thing is really a metaphor for colonialism (these people would
probably have had a field day with Disney’s Gigantic
if it had ever been made). And going
back to the earliest printed version only seems to make things more
confusing. Personally, maybe it’s just
me, but I think it’s mostly just a power fantasy for pre-Industrial English peasants. Let’s just say that the giant in this case is
a metaphor for the rich and powerful.
The royalty, gentry, landowners, etc.
Wouldn’t your average story listener in ages gone by appreciate the
story of little Jack getting the best of the giant, no matter the method? I know it’s not a very attractive answer for
many people. The idea that this story is
basically the equivalent of a dumb superhero comic or summer action movie and
that the subtext is as simple as “giant=rich and powerful”, but it is a possibility. But then, like I’ve said twice, maybe it’s
best we don’t have any grand insight into this story. Let everyone’s interpretation stand on its
own. Let human beings create their own
meaning and fill in the gaps. Then we
can see how the next adaptation surprises us. Until then, if you want to watch this version, it's on the Boomerang streaming service and available on DVD from Warner Archive.
Until next time.
