''The Two Little Bears'' is a 1961 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed in CinemaScope by Randall Hood, written by

George W. George George W. George (born George Warren Goldberg; February 8, 1920 – November 7, 2007) was an American theater, Broadway and film producer. His credits included the film '' My Dinner With Andre'' (1981) and several hit Broadway productions. ...

, and starring

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

Jane Wyatt Jane Waddington Wyatt ( ; August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was an American actress. She starred in a number of Hollywood films, such as Frank Capra's ''Lost Horizon'', but is likely best known for her role as the housewife and mother Marga ...

Soupy Sales Milton Supman (January 8, 1926 – October 22, 2009), known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television serie ...

Butch Patrick Butch Patrick (born Patrick Alan Lilley; August 2, 1953) is an American actor and musician. Beginning his professional acting career at the age of seven, Patrick is perhaps best known for his role as child werewolf Eddie Munster on the CBS comed ...

, Donnie Carter and

Jimmy Boyd Jimmy Devon Boyd (January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his 1952 recording of the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". Early years Jimmy Boyd was born in 1939 Mississippi into a musical fam ...

. The film was released on November 1, 1961, by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. The film was known as ''The Teddy Bears''. The film was the directorial debut of Randy Hood who was assistant to

Maury Dexter Maury Dexter (born Morris Gene Poindexter; June 12, 1927 – May 28, 2017) was an American producer and director of film and TV. He worked several times for Robert Lippert and American International Pictures. Life and career Dexter was born in ...

, head of Robert L. Lippert's production company.

Plot

Harry Davis, principal of the Burberry Elementary School, is concerned because his two little boys wish they were bears. One day, the two boys meet an old gypsy who tells them to use a magic cream and teaches them a spell to turn themselves into bears. When they find their sister's strange freckle cream, they do become bears. Unfortunately, when they turn back into boys, no one will believe their story.

Cast

as Harry Davis *

as Anne Davis *

as Officer McGovern *

as Billy Davis *Donnie Carter as Timmy Davis *

as Johnny Dillion *

Nancy Kulp Nancy Jane Kulp (August 28, 1921 – February 3, 1991) was an American character actress and comedienne best known as Miss Jane Hathaway on the CBS television series ''The Beverly Hillbillies''. Early life Kulp was born to Robert Tilden and M ...

as Emily Wilkins *

Theodore Marcuse Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Saskatche ...

as Janos *

Milton Parsons Ernest Milton Parsons (May 19, 1904 – May 15, 1980) was an American character actor. He appeared in more than 160 films and television shows between 1939 and 1978. In 1927, Parsons performed with The Strolling Players of Boston acting co ...

as Dr. Fredricks *James Maloney as Jefferson Stander *

Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside ...

as Grimshaw Wilkins *Jack Finch as Psychiatrist *Opal Euard as Fortuneteller *Jack Lester as Phil Wade *Richard Alden as Tom Provost *Charlene Brooks as Mary Jerdens *

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed onl ...

as Tina Davis

Production

Filming took place in May 1961. Robert L. Lippert announced plans for a sequel but it appears to not have been made.

sang two songs in the film, "Honey Bear" over the opening titles and "Speak To Me Pretty", which was a hit when it was released on a single. However, for some reason, "Honey Bear" was not released on disc at the time and remains unreleased to this day. The film was not released in the UK until late 1962, when it went out on release as the lower half of a double-bill with ''

Five Weeks in a Balloon ''Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, A Journey of Discovery by Three Englishmen in Africa'' (french: Cinq semaines en ballon) is an adventure novel by Jules Verne, published in 1863. It is the first novel in which he perfected the "ingredients" of hi ...

''.

References

External links

* 1961 films 20th Century Fox films American comedy films 1961 comedy films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films {{1960s-comedy-film-stub