This is a scene from the 1985 made-for-TV musical Alice in Wonderland, featuring a wonderful performance by Carol Channing. The film had a star-studded cast, and the songs were all composed by Steve Allen. The musical performances include:
Part 1 – Alice in Wonderland
- “I Hate Dogs and Cats”by Sherman Hemsley (as The Mouse)
- “You Are Old, Father William” by Sammy Davis Jr. (as The Caterpillar)
- “There’s Something To Say For Hatred” by Martha Raye and Imogene Coca (as The Duchess and The Cook)
- “There’s No Way Home” by Telly Savalas (as The Cheshire Cat)
- “Laugh” by Anthony Newley (as The Mad Hatter)
- “Off With Their Heads” by Jayne Meadows and Robert Morley (as The Queen and King of Hearts)
- “Nonsense” by Ringo Starr (as The Mock Turtle)
Part 2 – Alice Through The Looking-Glass
- “How Do You Do, Shake Hands” by Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence (as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum)–
- “The Walrus and the Carpenter” by Karl Malden and Louis Nye (as The Walrus and The Carpenter)
- “Jam Tomorrow” by Carol Channing (as White Queen)
- “The Lion and the Unicorn” by Harvey Corman and John Stamos (as White King and The Messenger)
- “We Are Dancing” by Lloyd Bridges (as White Knight)
- “Can You Do Addition?” by Ann Jillian and Carol Channing (as Red Queen and White Queen)
The film also featured Red Buttons as The White Rabbit, Roddy McDowall as The March Hare, Arte Johnson as The Dormouse, Sid Caesar as The Gryphon, Jack Warden as The Owl, Donna Mills as The Rose, Sally Struthers as The Tiger Lily, Merv Griffin as The Conductor, Patrick Duffy as The Goat, Steve Allen as The Gentleman in Paper Suit, Pat Morita as The Horse, George Gobel as The Gnat, Jonathan Winters as Humpty Dumpty, Ernest Borgnine as The Lion, and Beau Bridges as The Unicorn.
And of course let’s not forget Natalie Gregory, who to date is the youngest actress to have played the role of Alice in a television or sound-film production based on Lewis Carroll’s novel, being only nine years old at the time of filming.
The film seems to have mostly been forgotten these days (though it did get issued on VHS and later on DVD). While I can hardly be objective about it due to nostalgia1This was one of the movies we taped off of TV with our first-ever VCR back when it was first aired, and as such one of many movies my sister and I watched repeatedly as kids. I can still remember the words to most of the songs, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she could still remember every line of dialogue., I am willing to go on record in saying that it’s a lot more fun than the 2010 film.
Optional discussion prompt: What unpopular, forgotten, or just plain weird pop culture did you enjoy as a child?
Have a Great Night Thread, Avocado!