Pollyanna

Let's play the Glad Game! Just think of something that makes you glad in every situation. It could be the warmth from drinking hot chocolate when frost bite nibbled at your toes or watching rainbows dance through prisms after a storm and the sun peak through the clouds. One thing that makes me glad is Walt Disney's next film, Pollyanna. This lovely story by Eleanor Porter tells of a little girl who comes to live with her stern aunt. With a chipper attitude, Pollyanna shows a town full of Gloomy Guses that life is more enjoyable if you are positive, appreciative, and show a little bit of kindness to one another.

     

Written in 1913, Pollyanna became an instant best seller, ranking 8th when released and continued to gain popularity ranking 2nd in 1914 and 4th in 1915. Pollyanna was in high demand with 47 reprints from 1915-1920. Eleanor Porter continued Pollyanna's story with a second novel Pollyanna Grows Up in 1915. This Glad Girl with her Glad Game became gold with merchandise, even Parker Brothers got in on the action and created a Parcheesi like style board game called The Glad Game ( 1915-1967).

Several adaptations of Pollyanna were created a Broadway play starring Helen Hayes and a silent film produced by and starring the famous Mary Pickford. She loved the story so much she paid $115,000 to bring it to the screen. In Eleanor's hometown of Littleton, New Hampshire every year they honor the author by having an official Pollyanna Glad Day on June 8th. Of course even with its popularity there is still criticism (these people are not playing the Glad Game very well). Some feel Pollyanna's character is too optimistic and naive. So if someone calls you a Pollyanna, it's not meant as a compliment, which in my opinion is sad and wrong. Eleanor Porter felt disheartened by this, stating "You know I have been made to suffer from the Pollyanna books. I have been placed often in false light. People have thought that Pollyanna chirped that she was 'glad' at everything. I have never believed that we ought to deny discomfort and pain and evil; I have merely thought that it is far better to 'greet the unknown with a cheer."

There is several differences from the novel and Disney's version as is the custom it seems when Disney or Hollywood creates their own adaptations. Some would say Disney's Pollyanna was a little more believable than in the book. She saw the nicer side of life, but showed other emotions like sticking out her tongue when angry. The biggest difference is the ending to the film and how Pollyanna hurts her legs. In the film she falls from a tree after returning home from sneaking out to go to the town's bazaar. In the book she is hit by a car. They both have the whole town coming to Pollyanna's aid when she becomes depressed about her paralysis, encouraging her to look for the silver lining just as she had taught them to do.

To direct, Walt picked David Swift, whose background actually started as an office boy for Disney studios. He then worked his way up to the animation department working on films like Snow White and Peter Pan. "He had a certain joie de vivre, a kind man whose enthusiasm was infectious," recalled actress Nancy Olson. Not only did David direct the film but he wrote the screenplay and made illustrations of what he thought Aunt Polly's house should look like. Filming took place in Santa Rosa, California. They looked high and low for a three story Victorian mansion that could pass as being in the state of Maryland. They were unsuccessful with finding a three story mansion, but found the Mableton (McDonald) Mansion that fit the time period , being built in the late 1870's. David Swift would use some Disney magic and overlaid a matte painting in post adding the needed look to the house.

Pollyanna is full of stars. You may recognize a few if you had the pleasure of watching classic movies and TV shows like Sunset Boulevard (Nancy Olson), Bewitched (Agnes Moorehead), The Yearling (Jane Wyman), Toby Tyler (Kevin Corcoran), Patton (Karl Malden), Paths of Glory( Adolphe Menjou), How Green was My Valley (Donald Crisp), Love Me Tender (Richard Egan), Green Acres (Mary Grace Canfield), and about every TV western (James Drury). Then the leading role star Miss Hayley Mills who would go onto appear in six Disney films during her adolescence. The cast had nothing but compliments about each other and working for Mr. Disney. Nancy Olson was taking a break from Hollywood when Walt Disney asked for her to audition for the role of Nancy. She noticed a great difference between the Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney Studios, saying Disney Studios were much cleaner, an outgoing and friendly atmosphere, and had a sense of family. Hayley reminisced about her cast mate Karl Malden (Reverend Paul Ford);  "Karl Malden used to make me laugh a lot. He always said, when we did a scene together, the scene was about our two noses, because I have and still have not the most aristocratic nose in the business, and neither did Karl."

Hayley Mills was one lucky girl when it came to being cast as Pollyanna. Over 300 girls auditioned for the role and another girl was about to be signed when Hayley was brought in at the very last second after Disney had seen her first film Tiger Bay, which also starred her famous father, John Mills, but Hayley stole the show, even winning a BAFTA ( Most Promising Newcomer). "Making Pollyanna was a wonderful experience. I'd made one movie before in England and we shot a lot of it on location in Whales, and it was terribly cold.... And suddenly I find myself for the first time in my life in not just California, but Hollywood and that was a huge impact," recalls Hayley. On the first day of shooting Hayley performed the scene with Karl Malden on the hill where the Reverend is practicing his fire and brimstone sermon. It was terribly hot and Pollyanna's costume was quite itchy and all together uncomfortable. Mills said she was distracted the whole time, just wanting to go to the catering truck where there was so much American food she had never seen and tasted before. The cameraman didn't get a single take in the can that morning. Even with this set back Hayley was seen as a professional, Nancy Olson remembers the young Miss Mills coaching her little brother before an audition. " Look straight at the camera and mean what you say." "It was simple and yet profound advice from such a young actress," said Olson.

Not only did cast mates and crew like Hayley Mills, but audiences and the Academy, too. She would be nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress, win a Golden Globe for Most Potential Newcomer and then win the last special Juvenile Academy Award. Unfortunately for Miss Mills she had no clue about the Academy Awards and did not attend. Her parents made sure to keep her grounded and did not tell her. Instead she was stuck at Boarding School. In one interview you can tell she holds a slight grudge, missing out on meeting Shirley Temple, who presented the award. Annette Funicello accepted the Oscar on her behalf.

When asked in a later interview where she keeps her Oscar, she sheepishly admits that the statue was lost after coming back home from working on Good Morning, Miss Bliss. There must be a curse regarding juvenile Oscars because not only did Hayley's go missing but also Judy Garland' s and Margaret O'Brien's.

Pollyanna was released on May 19, 1960. Disney had a budget of 2.5 million to make the film and came back with 3.75 million back from the Box Office. Walt was disappointed, hoping for better results. "I think the picture would of done better with a different title. Girls and women went to it, but men tended to stay away because it sounded sweet and sticky." Director David Swift says he thought the film was too long and wanted to edit some scenes down, but Walt loved every minute and refused to let them cut anything. I bet after the box office results Walt would have been happy to listen to Swift. Disney just had to play the Glad Game and be happy with his new favorite star, Hayley Mills, who would be gold in her next film, The Parent Trap. There was so much positive that came from the film, showing audiences the power of love. Hayley Mills herself was struck by the power of positivity,  saying " There's an awful lot about Pollyanna that stuck with me, that positive thinking creates good things in your life, it creates health in your body. It attracts life!"

So Readers, I hope you can all be a little like Pollyanna and find something about everything to be glad about.