MARY MARTIN as PETER PAN, 1956 Feature Telecast (DVD)

The historic live 1956 telecast of Mary Martin as PETER PAN, generally considered the definitive performance of this beloved musical. Only nine days after the initial Broadway run had ended, the cast and crew (under the supervision of Director Jerome Robbins) assembled in the large Brooklyn studios of NBC to perform the show live for television. Describing the enormous success of that telecast, Cyril Ritchard (Captain Hook) noted "...it was not just a TV performance, it was a stage production brought to the cameras." A year later, in preparation for the second PETER PAN live telecast, essentially the same cast reunited for several performances at the Ambassador Theater in New York City for invited audiences of children. This gave the 1956 telecast the same fresh theatrical quality as the first. The New York Times hailed the second telecast as “Thrilling!... The production had that electrifying excitement of theatre at its most finished and, above all, that contagious espirit that joins player and audience in a sublime escape from reality.” The stellar cast also includes Kathy Nolan as Wendy, Sondra Lee as Tiger Lily, and Heller Halliday (Mary Martin’s daughter) as Liza. The unforgettable songs – including “Never Never Land,” “I’ve Gotta Crow,” and “I Won’t Grow Up” – were written by Mark “Moose” Charlap and Carolyn Leigh, and Jule Styne and Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

Please note: Due to the early television kinescope process employed to record the live program in 1956, there are certain visual artifacts (a constant dot and some screen shading on certain camera angles) that are inherent in the original master and could not be removed from the final product in the restoration process. These artifacts are part and parcel of many early television programs.

Cast: Mary Martin, Cyril Ritchard, Kathy Nolan, Sondra Lee
Writers: Mark Charlap and Carolyn Leigh, and Jule Styne and Betty Comden and Adolph Green

Black and White, 105 minutes.

Please note: This DVD features the 1956 telecast.
Only the Collector's Edition Blu-ray contains both the 1956 telecast, and the 1955 telecast as a bonus.