CINDERELLA 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: MUSIC FROM THE PAST

The most difficult thing to do when writing this column is to choose a single title to write about when so many good ones are being released that week. For instance this week. Do I write about season 4 of THE WALKING DEAD? Or what about the blu-ray release of the classic THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE? Then again season 2 or ELEMENTARY is just out as well. Fortunately you can read reviews of those releases online at the Digital Views blog. That's because I've chosen something nostalgic being released to write about this week.

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA first aired on CBS over 50 years ago. That's hard to believe. But a new DVD 50th anniversary edition has comes out this week and will bring back many fond memories for those who remember it. I remember it because in all honesty it was the first glimpse I had of Lesley Anne Warren who became my 6 year old crush. But that's not the reason this new DVD is worth picking up.

Certainly you all know the story of Cinderella already. The young girl who was treated poorly by her step-mother and step-sisters, forced to do the cleaning and cooking while they thought only of themselves. Who was given the chance by her fairy godmother to go to the ball, dance and romance the prince and later found to be the woman he was looking for when only her foot would fit the glass slipper he took across the country to find his one true love. Okay maybe I should have said spoiler alert but honestly if you don't know this story already something is wrong.

There had been various versions of the story produced, most famously the animated version done by the Disney Studios. In looking into this version I found that it had been done already for television back in 1957 with Julie Andrews starring. At the time shows were broadcast live so there is no copy of that version. That prompted CBS to remake the program in 1964, starring the then unknown Lesley Ann Warren in the lead role. This is the version just released on DVD.

Looking back it's amazing when you realize that at the time Broadway musicals were fairly common to be seen in television versions. While this was written specifically for television and not taken from Broadway, it still has that live performance feel to it as well as the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein music and lyrics. Today most kids have no idea who these two were but at the time they had the biggest set of Broadway hits ever found. For those of us who grew up with them we still remember their music and my guess would be you've hummed one tune or another by them in the past year if you're over 40.

The fantastic combination of what these two gentlemen brought together and were able to convey to videotape here is what makes this musical special. There is no overabundant amount of detail in everything from scenery to props to costumes. Everything seems so simple. There is no major league dramatic or political statement being made here. It's just a plain old love story with music to match. And yet it works on every level. It features fantastic music that you'll find yourself singing long after the DVD stops playing. While watching it I was amazed that after all these years I still remembered some of the lyrics to these songs, songs I hadn't heard in decades.

Today's kids face a jaded life filled with instant gratification in the forms of movies and music via things like downloads and Netflix. They have no concept of waiting to see a special or movie that only showed once a year or maybe one time only on TV. This show played yearly up until 1974. Now that it's on DVD it means those of us who enjoyed it can watch it every year we want if not more often. I know my plans are to have my great niece and nephew sit and watch it with me. That's the beauty of these classics being made available this way. It also gives me the chance to let them know about how we used to wait.

Major kudos goes to Shout Factory for releasing this version complete with a short retrospective from the past remaining casts filmed several years back. The quality of the DVD is fantastic and is sure to provide countless hours of entertainment for all who buy a copy. Once again they've outdone themselves with a release that might have been forgotten otherwise. Instead we now have the chance to enjoy it once more. With any luck a new generation will be exposed to it's beauty and consider looking into the other classics from Rodgers and Hammerstein. One can only hope.

Click here to order.