Musicals On TV - Babes In Toyland (1955)

NBC, 1955
Starring Dennis Day, Barbara Cook, Dave Garroway, and Jack E. Leonard
Directed by Max Liebman
Music by Victor Herbert; Lyrics by Glenn MacDonough

In 1954, NBC was faltering in ratings. Their big variety shows were no match for the dramas and those newfangled sitcoms on CBS. Hoping to bump up their numbers, new head of programming Pat Weaver commissioned three "musical spectaculars" a month on Saturday, Sundays, and Mondays. Though the first of these, Satins and Spurs with Betty Hutton, didn't do well, the concept did eventually catch on. A version of Babes In Toyland put on in 1954 on Max Lieberman Presents was one of the more popular ones. It proved to be such a hit, it was rebroadcast on Christmas Eve the next year with a slightly different cast. How does this retelling of the beloved holiday fantasy look today? Let's head to Macy's to meet with its book-reading Santa Claus and find out...

The Story: Santa (Garroway) is very surprised to encounter a lost little girl named Joan (Ellen Barrie) wandering around the toy department. While waiting for her mother to pick her up, Santa reads her the story of Babes In Toyland. Tommy Tucker (Day) loves Jane Piper (Barbara Cook), but the evil Barnaby (Leonard) also covets her. In revenge, he fires Tommy from his job and tries to distract Jane's siblings with clowns and musicians. The distraction backfires; Jane and the kids remain devoted to Tommy. Barnaby finally lures Jane's siblings Ann (Karin Wolfe) and Peter (Dickie Belton) into the woods, bringing Tommy and Jane after them. It'll take the help of shy toymaker Grumio (Cox) and his walking puppets and life-sized toy soldiers to reunite the lovers and save Toyland.

The Song and Dance: For the most part, this remains quite charming. Day and Cook make a cute couple, Garroway is very funny as one of the more sarcastic Santas in TV history, and Barrie's an appropriately pert and modern young miss on his knee. Leonard chews every bit of the considerable and elaborate-for-the-time scenery as the old-fashioned grumpy villain. The Bill Baird Marionettes fit in far better here than they did in The Sound of Music a decade later and come off as charming and sweet.

I'll admit, I like this version better than the original 1954 broadcast with Jo Sullivan as Jane Piper and pretty much the same cast. Sullivan comes off as a little too sophisticated and "New York"-ish. Cook looks and sounds more appropriate for a fairy tale lass. The production is a little slicker here, too, and the clowns are slightly more tolerable.

Favorite Number: We open with a fun "Toyland Ballet" as Garroway and Barrie introduce each famous nursery rhyme character. Day and Cook get a soaring "Castle In Spain" as Day describes what they'll have after he finds another job. Bambi Lynn and Rod Alexander dance a lovely Spanish-tinged pas-de-deux to an instrumental version of the song as a fantasy sequence. Cox joins the Marionettes for a bouncy and adorable "Never Mind, Bo Peep" and a series of solos to the tune of the Victor Herbert song "Chansonette" from Naughty Marietta. Day sings the sweet Irish ballad "Barney O'Flynn" with local lass Karin Wolfe.

What I Don't Like: While this works better than A Christmas Carol, it's still hampered by the limits of early television. One clown in the 1955 version does manage an incredible drum solo, but the others in both broadcasts are dull and serve no real function. A ballet with the kids and the animals of the forest towards the end of the show also comes off as filler. Cox is ill-used in both specials; I wish he had more to do than just interact with the Marionettes and do a few lines with Day and the ingenue.

The Big Finale: Even after more than 60 years, this remains enjoyable holiday fare for fans of the cast, TV history, 50's musicals, or families with young children who will enjoy seeing favorite nursery rhyme characters recreated on-screen.

Home Media: Only on DVD from VAI Entertainment; alas, the DVD is pricey on Amazon. You may be better off looking for this one used.

DVD