In Holland, poor but industrious and honorable 15-year-old Hans Brinker and his younger sister yearn to participate in December's great ice skating race on the canal.In Holland, poor but industrious and honorable 15-year-old Hans Brinker and his younger sister yearn to participate in December's great ice skating race on the canal.In Holland, poor but industrious and honorable 15-year-old Hans Brinker and his younger sister yearn to participate in December's great ice skating race on the canal.
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 1 nomination total
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Jana Pearce
- Lucretia
- (as Jana Pierce)
Eleanor Sommers
- Trinka Brinker
- (as Ellie Sommers)
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Did you know
- TriviaBroadcast at 8:00 p.m. on a Sunday night of American Prime Time TV, February 9, 1958, as a "A Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation" - an ambitious 50 minute television color special based upon Mary Tapes Dodge's classic children story about a poor Dutch family struggling to overcome adversity; An original television musical-teleplay adaptation of "Hans Brinker and The Silver Kates," - was directed by Broadway Theater Director Sidney Lumet and Produced by George Shaffer; featured an original musical score by Hugh Martin (Meet Me in St. Louis). The NBC "Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation, Hans Brinker and The Silver Skates" followed in the tradition of the NBC Network's video-taped "live-performance" color special broadcasts: Mary Martin performing in her 1953-55 Broadway Musical, "Peter Pan." The division of RCA Color Television, aligned with their company's affiliated NBC Broadcasting Network, featured these "live" color broadcast specials in an effort to promote the television viewing audience to purchase a new color television receiving electronic set for the home entertainment center. Featuring a popular "Hollywood Movie Star Tab Hunter" in the titled original teleplay-musical skating and singing role as "Hans Brinker" - was a major Broadcast-Network television coup, for network programming viewer-audience ratings. This NBC "Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of Hans Brinker and The Silver Skates" event special, commercially sponsored by the Hallmark Greeting Card Advertising Division Agency, was a one-night TV special television production broadcast. "Hallmark Hall of Fame Presents" production's became monthly NBC TV Broadcast Special Events with their own advertising agency's in-house commercials, a TV advertising alliance with NBC TV, to present these special event productions through out the 1950s - 1980s decades.
- ConnectionsEdited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)
Featured review
Deserves to be on DVD, instead of kept on ice.
I attended the same New York City screening of 'Hans Brinker' as IMDb reviewer "tentender", which in fact was at the Paley Center for Media (they haven't called it the Museum of Broadcasting for several years now). The screening was attended by two of the original cast members, singer Peggy King and skater Ellie Sommers (still impressively beautiful a half century later!), and they kindly offered their memories of the production. 'Hans Brinker' was filmed live in a Brooklyn studio filled with 50,000 pounds of ice! It melted quickly under the hot lights necessary for colour filming.
Tentender's review of 'Hans Brinker' is mostly accurate. The camera work, colour photography and production values are remarkable. Hallmark clearly spent a lot of money on this ice-skating musical. (No cheap skates, they.) I was disappointed that cast members Basil Rathbone and John Fiedler were given so little to do. In the post-screening discussion, Peggy King recalled that the entire production was done quickly, with almost no rehearsal time ... and, since she had no prior skating experience, this was especially unsettling for her.
I've never taken Tab Hunter seriously, but in the title role here he skates very impressively. In the discussion afterwards, Ellie Sommers revealed that Hunter had been California regional skating champion during his high-school years.
I wish that I could praise this musical's score. The songs by Hugh Martin are lacklustre. Martin wrote some excellent songs elsewhere in collaboration with Ralph Blane, but as a solo songwriter he doesn't cut any ice (sorry!). Peggy King recalled for us that Martin had prepared for this project by taking a research trip to Holland. I'm no expert on Netherlands music, but Martin's score sounds like some Hollywood tunesmith's version of Dutch folksongs. Which I wouldn't mind if his songs were catchier. Peggy King's songs were written and arranged in operetta-style, which I feel was a poor decision.
The Paley Center's staffer Rebecca Paller told us that 'Hans Brinker' had 60 million viewers for its original 1958 transmission, and that this was the biggest audience for a 'Hallmark Hall of Fame' special for the next 14 years. So then why has this programme been locked away for half a century? 'Hans Brinker' could've done with a bit less glitz and a better score. Despite my quibbles, the cast is excellent and the skating is certainly impressive by any standard. I hope that this recording becomes available for home viewing. Too bad that the sexy ice-skater Belita wasn't in the cast ... or even Sonja Henie. My rating for this one is 7 out of 10.
Tentender's review of 'Hans Brinker' is mostly accurate. The camera work, colour photography and production values are remarkable. Hallmark clearly spent a lot of money on this ice-skating musical. (No cheap skates, they.) I was disappointed that cast members Basil Rathbone and John Fiedler were given so little to do. In the post-screening discussion, Peggy King recalled that the entire production was done quickly, with almost no rehearsal time ... and, since she had no prior skating experience, this was especially unsettling for her.
I've never taken Tab Hunter seriously, but in the title role here he skates very impressively. In the discussion afterwards, Ellie Sommers revealed that Hunter had been California regional skating champion during his high-school years.
I wish that I could praise this musical's score. The songs by Hugh Martin are lacklustre. Martin wrote some excellent songs elsewhere in collaboration with Ralph Blane, but as a solo songwriter he doesn't cut any ice (sorry!). Peggy King recalled for us that Martin had prepared for this project by taking a research trip to Holland. I'm no expert on Netherlands music, but Martin's score sounds like some Hollywood tunesmith's version of Dutch folksongs. Which I wouldn't mind if his songs were catchier. Peggy King's songs were written and arranged in operetta-style, which I feel was a poor decision.
The Paley Center's staffer Rebecca Paller told us that 'Hans Brinker' had 60 million viewers for its original 1958 transmission, and that this was the biggest audience for a 'Hallmark Hall of Fame' special for the next 14 years. So then why has this programme been locked away for half a century? 'Hans Brinker' could've done with a bit less glitz and a better score. Despite my quibbles, the cast is excellent and the skating is certainly impressive by any standard. I hope that this recording becomes available for home viewing. Too bad that the sexy ice-skater Belita wasn't in the cast ... or even Sonja Henie. My rating for this one is 7 out of 10.
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- F Gwynplaine MacIntyre
- May 19, 2010
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