I Lost It At The
Kiddie Matinee!!!
As every film buff, archivist and collector knows, any film genre since the dawn of cinema boasts its own unique group of "lost" films, that is, productions which, having been released once, have since fallen through the cracks of time and memory.
Benefiting from little or no theatrical, TV or home video release, some "lost" films have turned out to be truly extinct, others remain mysteries, while yet others likely exist but have not retained enough popular interest to warrant a resurrection.
This "lost" factor is true of major and minor productions alike. Supposedly, almost 2/3 percent of all films made before 1940 are considered lost (destroyed or missing). This stunning figure makes sense, as early cinema was considered either the lowest of art forms, or else a throwaway business product, neither worthy of preservation.
Ironically, the more recent the film, the less likely it is to be ever considered "lost". Films of the past twenty years have more prints extant than can ever be destroyed, and are replicated endlessly on various home viewing formats. But who cares?
To the true film buff, the interesting stuff is the old and the obscure, the most intriguing being productions by small independent producers and distributors, films which may have been marginally known even in their heyday, and are completely erased from popular memory today.
This syndrome is as (or especially?) true in the Kiddie Matinee genre. Films specifically produced and distributed for young babyboomers were often considered one-shot throwaway product, with very little chance of afterlife, either in re-release or on television. Additionally, the phenomenon of the home viewing market was not even envisioned during the reign of the Kiddie Matinee.
As such, there are a disproportionately large number of films in the Kiddie Matinee catalog which we consider to be "lost". This being a subjective term (open to constant revision as old films are being released on home video every day), we consider a film "lost" if it is not readily available to the current viewing public. This does not imply that the film no longer exists. More than likely, prints of said films are floating around somewhere, and all that is needed is enough interest to bring them out of a producer’s closet or a film distribution depot.
With that in mind, here follows a brief overview of a baker’s dozen Kiddie Matinee titles which we consider to be currently "lost", along with whatever information and promotional material we have been able to dig up. (Dates shown are U.S. release dates.)
Be assured there are more, many more...
(click on the title for more information, including credits and graphics, if available):
To anyone who knows the whereabouts of any of these films, we say
THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR (1969)
This late Childhood Productions release, of the German film DAS TAPFERE SCHNEIDERLEIN, played the U.S. Kiddie Matinee circuit briefly in 1969, and has not been seen since! Even the German PAL video version is hard to find, and to our knowledge, the English-language version has never turned up on either TV or home video. This Grimm fable about a small man fighting giants and monsters looks terribly exciting from the TV spots, and is surely a Kiddie Matinee classic!
CINDERELLA (1966)
Another big Childhood Productions release, this Americanization of Fritz Genschow’s popular fairy tale ASCHENPUTTEL seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth after its initial release. Perhaps because of the strong identification of this title with the Disney cartoon of the same name, this obscure live-action version was destined to be forgotten. As director Genschow’s other fairy tales are all quite appealing, we feel this is likely a lost gem. A soundtrack album with songs by the Deluggs was released on this title too. Although CINDERELLA appeared quite briefly in the mid-1980's on a very obscure video label (and severely cut as well), we still consider this excellent feature as good as lost.
THE JOLLY GENIE (1964)
One of the most obscure independent U.S. Kiddie Matinee movies, little is known about this 40-minute live-action fairy tale, other than it was released in November 1964. A glance at the strange production stills shows what a weird flick this must be. Add to this the sobering fact that it was produced and directed by Wesley A. Barry, who the year before gave us one of the most unusual and visionary science-fiction pictures of the 1960’s, CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS, and you have a bona-fide sleeper-in-waiting. THE JOLLY GENIE also holds the distinction of being the first "credited" screen role for stuntman-turned-actor Richard Farnsworth, who soon went on to great acclaim in films such as COMES A HORSEMAN, THE GREY FOX and THE STRAIGHT STORY.
THE LOST WORLD OF SINBAD (1965)
A rare fantasy film from American International Pictures, released to both drive-ins and Kiddie Matinees, this big-budget Japanese adventure (original title DAI TOZUKU) starred Toshiro Mifune as Sukezaemon, a sailor who travels to a land full of magic and evil.
THE MAGIC WORLD OF TOPO GIGIO (1965)
Everybody’s favorite rodent puppet made the jump from the Ed Sullivan Show to the Big Screen with this rarely-seen science fiction adventure, in which the Italian Mouse takes a trip to the moon. Not to worry, though; forty years later Topo Gigio is still a beloved cultural icon, with toys and TV shows and videos abounding, both here and abroad. But we still can’t find his original adventure!
THE MIRACLE OF SANTA’S WHITE REINDEER (1964)
This appears to be a truly "lost" film. The only references we have ever seen to it are a newspaper ad in the New York Times, Thanksgiving weekend 1964, and a small newspaper ad block which was sold on ebay several years ago. The ad block lists Charles Winninger (SHOW BOAT, NOTHING SACRED, STATE FAIR) as director and Fritz Feld (AT THE RACES, THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, THE PHYNX) as the star. The title seems to be a take-off on Disney’s release of 1963, THE MIRACLE OF THE WHITE STALLIONS. Does anyone have any information on this mystery film?
MOTHER GOOSE’ BIRTHDAY PARTY (1970)
An unseen fairy tale anthology feature from K. Gordon Murray, composed of short digests of earlier fairy tale features such as LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN and RUMPELSTILTSKIN.
THE PRINCESS AND THE MAGIC FROG (1965)
A very low-budget U.S. feature, also released as AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW, this looks, from the lobby cards, like it was filmed in someone’s back yard, not unlike THE MAGIC CHRISTMAS TREE. Directed by actor Austin Green (JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF TIME, THE STERILE CUCKOO).
SANTA’S CHRISTMAS CIRCUS (1966)
An utterly bizarre concept yields an undoubtedly surreal experience. This film was more of a legend than a reality until the theatrical trailer turned up on Something Weird Video’s great Kiddie Matinee DVD for THE WONDERUL LAND OF OZ plus JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. Kansas City Kiddie TV show host Whizzo the Clown (Frank Wizarde) stars in this regional Kiddie Matinee feature, which appears to be filmed entirely in a tiny TV studio set. The "Circus" animals appear to be small girls in dancing costumes. The film looks like nothing more than an expanded episode of the obviously claustrophobic TV show. Can this micro-budget wonder NOT be a classic badfilm?
THE SECRET OF MAGIC ISLAND (1967)
Perhaps the most sought-after Kiddie Matinee obscurity, released by Embassy Pictures in 1967, this English-Language version of the bizarre French fantasy UNE FÉE... PAS COMME LES AUTRES (aka ONCE UPON A TIME, 1956) holds the curious distinction of being the SECOND feature film (1947’s BILL & COO was the first) to consist of live animals playing all the character parts! As such, it is surely a unique experience, especially as the villain is a groovy-looking monkey!
THE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES (1968)
The most obscure of the German fairy tales released by the King of the Kiddie Matinee, K. Gordon Murray. Taken from the Grimms’ Brothers fable DIE HEINZELMÄNNCHEN, this was Murray’s final theatrical fairy tale release.
TAFFY AND THE JUNGLE HUNTER (1965)
A rare Kiddie Matinee release by former drive-in kings Allied Artists (their other Kiddie Matinee release was Alexander Row’s THE MAGIC WEAVER), this jungle adventure about a boy, a monkey and an elephant starred Jacques Bergerac (formerly the psycho-killer in THE HYPNOTIC EYE!), and was produced by Al Zimbalist, who produced schlock classics such as ROBOT MONSTER and CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON.
THE TINDER BOX (1969)
A most hard-to-find East German fairy tale, released by Childhood Productions during their last season, based on the Hans Christian Andersen fable DAS FEUERZEUG , about a foolish young soldier who finds treasure and loses it all -- almost. (Late word has it that THE TINDER BOX has finally surfaced on DVD in Europe! Stay Tuned!)
"SHOW US THE MOVIE!"