''Pinocchio'' is a 90-minute musical adaptation of
Carlo Collodi's
classic 1883 book. It aired on
NBC on December 8, 1968, as part of the ''
Hallmark Hall of Fame
''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
'' series.
Peter Noone, lead singer of
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK a ...
, played
Pinocchio and
Burl Ives was cast as
Mister Geppetto
Geppetto ( , ), also known as Mister Geppetto, is an Italian fictional character in the 1883 novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator (and thus 'father') of Pinocchio ...
.
Walter Marks wrote the songs, and the script was adapted by
Ernest Kinoy.
Cast
*
Burl Ives — Geppetto
*
Peter Noone — Pinocchio
*
Anita Gillette
Anita Gillette ( Luebben; born August 16, 1936) is an American actress. She had numerous roles on Broadway, American television, and in feature films. She also made many appearances as a celebrity guest on television game shows.
Early life
Gill ...
— Blue Fairy
*
Mort Marshall — Cat
*
Jack Fletcher
Jack Fletcher is an American voice actor, casting director, writer and voice director. He has done voice acting and directing for anime and video games. He has been the English voice director for the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, starting wi ...
— Fox
*
Ned Wertimer — Farmer Whale
*
Charlotte Rae — Rosa Whale
*
Pierre Epstein — Weasel
Production
''Pinocchio'' was recorded on videotape at NBC's Brooklyn Studio.
Noone was fitted with a fake nose that initially was problematic for the production staff.
Richard Lewine
Richard Lewine (July 28, 1910 – May 19, 2005) was an American composer and songwriter on Broadway as well as television producer.
Biography
Career
Born in New York City, Lewine attended Columbia College before beginning his career as a compo ...
, the show's producer, described the problem to ''
TV Guide'':
"Since we didn't want to cheat the audience out of seeing it grow, we hired
Bil Baird to create one. Bil stood behind Pinocchio, out of camera range, holding the end of a rod that attached to the nose. When he pushed the rod, the nose, made from expandable material, lengthened. It worked beautifully," Lewine said.
"But when we went on camera, we discovered that you could see the separation between the fake nose and Peter's real one. Two hours of work with the make-up man solved the problem, but it was worrisome," he said.
Broadcast
NBC aired the special on Sunday, December 8, 1968, at 7 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time. It pre-empted two regular shows on NBC's schedule, ''
The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
''The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' is an American live-action and animated fantasy television series that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1968, through February 23, 1969. Produced by Hanna-Barbera and based on the classic Mark ...
'' and ''
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color''.
Songs
* "Chip Off The Old Block"
* "Wonderful World, Hello"
* "Beautiful People"
* "Little Bad Habits"
* "Walk With Him"
* "You Could Get To Like It"
* "It's A Dog's Life"
* "Too Soon"
References
*
External links
*
1960s American television specials
Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes
Musical television films
Pinocchio films
1968 television films
1968 films
1968 television specials
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