Starring Keisha Knight Pullman, Phylicia Rashad, Dorian Harewood, and Vanessa Bell Calloway
Directed by Debbie Allen
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Jack Feldman
Pollyanna debuted in 1913 and was an instant sensation. The story of "The Glad Girl" who befriended an entire town and spread joy and happiness wherever she went, only for her positive outlook to be tested when tragedy strikes, resonated with people of every age and class. It became so popular, the word "Pollyanna" remains a slang term for an overly cheerful and optimistic person. Disney already had one go-around with this story in live-action in its hit 1960 version with Haley Mills. They dusted it off for their Magical World of Disney anthology series in 1989, with a mostly-black cast and a revised plot based on the 1960 film. How does a somewhat updated "Glad Girl" look now? Let's begin on the bus to Harrington, Alabama, in the 1950's with a sleepy Polly Whittier (Pullman) and find out...
The Story: After the death of her parents, Polly's sent from Detroit to live with her Aunt Polly (Rashad), a descendant of a founder of Harrington and the richest woman in town. Aunt Polly is proud of being able to provide the townspeople with anything they may need...but in her attempt to show how strong she is, she's shut everything else out, including music and laughter. Little Polly brings a great deal both to the depressed townspeople. She befriends orphan Jimmy Bean (Brandon Quintin Adams) when he makes fun of her for being rich, brings menacing Mr. Pendergast (Brock Peters) out of hiding, and convinces meek Reverend Gillis (Larry Riley) to write his own sermon that lifts people up rather than damning their souls.
Harrington is all-black because a bridge connecting the black and white sides of the town burned down in the 1930's. No one knew who did it. Miss Snow (Celeste Holm), the head of the white side of the town, blamed the black side, and Aunt Polly blamed Miss Snow and her people. It's Polly who finally brings the two sides together when she makes amends with Miss Snow. Aunt Polly's furious when the town holds a bazaar to raise money for music instruction for the orphans without her approval. It's not until her niece is grievously injured while sneaking out that Polly realizes how much her rigid and unfeeling behavior has hurt not only her niece, but both sides of the town.
The Song and Dance: Pullman and Rashad, then stars of the hit NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, are the thing here. Pullman is hilarious, charming with her aunt and the townspeople and an absolute riot with Jimmy, claiming she can spit further and run faster than him! Rashad comes off best of the adults as the tough woman who's coldness hides her belief that the only way people will love her is to make them fear her. Holm and Peters also do well as a far more frightening version of the shut-in older hermits Pollyanna cheers up in the book and the 1960 film. The costumes and sets are fairly lavish for 1989 television and go a long way towards showing off the world of rural 1950's Georgia and how segregation affected it.
Favorite Number: Polly insists to her new friends, the cook Mrs. Conley (Barbara Montgomery) and maid Nancy (Calloway) that she's "By Your Side" when they bring her up to her small but clean and cute room. "Honey Ain't Got Nothin' On You" is the big girl-group number on the radio that has Polly and the saleswomen at the dress shop dancing along when she insists they put on that "be boppin' Detroit sound." Jimmy Bean and his fellow orphans really get going outside the church with "Sweet Little Angel Eyes." Polly even joins in, but Aunt Polly isn't as impressed.
Aunt Polly tells herself she shouldn't want "Something More" after arguing with Dr. Shannon (Dorian Heywood) about letting go of her hold over the town...but the truth is, what she wants is to be loved. Polly sings about a "Rainbow Maker" after she goes to sleep...but she, Nancy, and her aunt sing about three very different ideas of having a rainbow in your life. Dr. Shannon, Nancy's sweetheart George (T.K Carter), and Mayor Warren (Ken Page) encourage the townspeople to "Shine a Light" and find it in themselves to defy the Harringtons. Likewise, when the Reverend finally trades in the gloomy fire-and-brimstone sermons for one based around "the glad texts," he encourages the entire congregation to "Stand Up!" in the film's best dance routine.
Trivia: Last movie for film legend Butterfly McQueen, who plays one of the fussy ladies in the town.
What I Don't Like: This has even less to do with the original book than the 1960 film. In the book, Pollyanna was hit by a car. Poor Polly doesn't even make it to the bazaar here. Aunt Polly was rich but not a rigid businesswoman, and the town wasn't under her control and didn't put on a bazaar. No bridge, either - that was invented purely for this movie, probably to emphasize the civil rights theme. Speaking of, that theme is hammered home with all the subtlety of a picnic basket to the face. The music is good, but not terribly memorable, especially compared to some of Menken's other work in this era.
The Big Finale: Charming and sweet fare for families and lovers of Menken's other work if you can find it.
Home Media: You'd think this would be a natural for Disney Plus, but to date, it's only release was a now-expensive DVD put out for the Disney Movie Club in 2008. You're better-off looking for this one used.
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