MEMORIES:

Cast:

Studio:

Release History:

If one were looking for a definitive biography of author, Hans Christian Anderson, it wasn’t going to be found in this 1952 feature film. No mention of the clergy that deemed his work sacrilege, no budding genius in the staged of artistic development. Rather, this feature film that starred Danny Kaye was a pure fiction, the retelling of numerous classic stories by the author, realized through a combination of song and dance.

 

In the film, Kaye plays a Danish cobbler who weaves fanciful tales of ugly ducklings, fairies and Emporers for the local kids - who are so delighted by these stories, they begin to neglect their scholastic responsibilities. As a result, the cobbler is forced to leave town by the not-so-pleased adults. He heads to Copenhagen and encounters a beautiful ballerina by the name of Doro and she proceeds to interpret a number of these classic fairy tales though the magic of dance. Unfortunately for the cobbler, she doesn’t share his feelings of affection and dejected, he is forced to seek happiness elsewhere.

 

When famed film producer decided to take a risk and release a film about the works of Hans Christian Anderson, its success was far from certain, even with someone as talented as Danny Kaye in the starring role. But the gamble paid off and the film went on to amass huge box office numbers, as well as five Oscar nominations, including nods for the original score, as well as the composition “Thumbelina.” The movie was a success of fairy tale proportions and remains a beloved classic to this day.