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Hans Christian Andersen [1952] (1 disc)

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Director:Charles Vidor
Writer:Moss Hart
Composer:Jerome Moross
Songs:Frank Loesser
Length:112 minutes
(1 hour 52 minutes)
MPAA Rating:UR
Sorting Category:Comedy
Sorting Tub:Charlie
IMDB Rating:6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating:80%
Amazon Rating:4.5/5 stars
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Classifications:
  • Comedy
  • Kids
  • Family
  • Drama
Available Formats:
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Synopsis: Hans sets out on a trip to Copenhagen where he falls in love, ends up in jail and simply can't stop telling fantastical stories.


Reaction: Fun songs and Danny Kaye make this a great family movie.


Personal Rating: 7/10

Select Cast and Crew
Charles Vidor => Director
Moss Hart => Writer
Jerome Moross => Composer
Frank Loesser => Songs
Beverly Washburn => Girl Outside Jail Window (uncredited)
Danny Kaye => Hans Christian Andersen
Erik Bruhn => The Hussar in "Ice Skating Ballet"
Farley Granger => Niels
John Brown => Schoolmaster
John Qualen => Burgomaster
Joseph Walsh => Peter (as Joey Walsh)
Karolyn Grimes => Copenhagen match girl (uncredited)
Philip Tonge => Otto
Roland Petit => The Prince in 'The Little Mermaid' Ballet
Zizi Jeanmaire => Doro (as Jeanmaire)

Random Trivia For This Title:

  • [?] Moira Shearer was to have played Doro, the prima ballerina, but had to withdraw when she discovered she was pregnant
  • Danny Kaye's re-creation of eight songs from the Frank Loesser score, released on a Decca album with accompaniment by [?] Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra and Chorus, zoomed to the number-one spot on the [Billboard] album chart in January 1953. The LP reigned in first place for an impressive 17 weeks. Rerecording the delightful patter duet, {No Two People}, Mr. Kaye was joined on record by Jane Wyman, who substituted for Danny's film partner, Zizi Jeanmaire.
  • In order to cover the necessary camera tricks, and to add "magic" to the Little Mermaid ballet, it was decided that, rather than presenting it as an actual ballet, they would have Hans imagine how it would look. This allowed them to do things on the screen which would be impossible on the stage.
  • This film marked the finish of producer [?] Samuel Goldwyn's distribution pact with RKO, which resulted in 20 releases spanning 11 years, beginning with The Little Foxes.