Heidi (1968 film)

Last updated
Heidi
Heidi1968poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Based on Heidi
by Johanna Spyri
Teleplay by Earl Hamner, Jr.
Directed by Delbert Mann
Starring Maximilian Schell
Jean Simmons
Michael Redgrave
Jennifer Edwards
Walter Slezak
Theme music composer John Williams
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersFrederick H. Brogger
James Franciscus
Gyula Trebitsch
Cinematography Klaus von Rautenfeld
EditorsWalter Boos
Donald J. Cohen
Running time105 minutes
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseNovember 17, 1968 (1968-11-17)

Heidi is an American made-for-TV film version of the 1880 novel of the same name by Johanna Spyri which debuted on November 17, 1968 on NBC. It starred actress Jennifer Edwards, stepdaughter of Julie Andrews and daughter of Blake Edwards, in the title role, alongside Maximilian Schell, Jean Simmons, and Michael Redgrave. The score was composed by John Williams. The film was sponsored by Timex.

Contents

Heidi became a part of sports and pop culture lore as NBC's decision to pull away from coverage of an American Football League (AFL) game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders to air the film at its scheduled time of 7 p.m. Eastern, caused viewers to miss a frantic late comeback by the Raiders to win the game, prompting controversy and viewer complaints. [1]

Differences from the novel

The film altered the plot of the novel considerably, primarily by redefining the relationships of characters to one another. Heidi, instead of being the orphan of Grandfather's late son, becomes the orphan of the Grandfather's late daughter and her late husband; Dete becomes Heidi's aunt as the living but estranged daughter of the Grandfather. In addition, Heidi is further recast as Herr Sesemann's niece because of his late brother's marriage to Grandfather's late daughter. As Sesemann's niece, Heidi becomes cousin rather than simply companion to Klara, who early in the film is negatively portrayed as a hateful and spoiled child. By casting Simmons as Fräulein Rottenmeier, governess for both Heidi and Klara, the film remakes Rottenmeier as an extremely sympathetic character; she becomes almost a surrogate mother to Heidi. This drastic character transformation removes the antagonism between the two, thus removing the tension which dominates and enlivens the novel. Rottenmeier's personality is changed and she falls in love with Sesemann, and he with her, a situation not included in the novel.

The film also added a subplot in which Heidi's grandfather, a church organist in this version, has long been unable to play because of a family tragedy, which is shown to be his daughter's marriage to Sesemann's brother and her subsequent death. At the end of the film, he regains his confidence, mounts the steps to the organ, and begins to play.

Another difference between the book and the film occurs during Klara's attempts at walking after Sesemann has accepted the Grandfather's invitation for Klara to visit Heidi in his home. In the novel, Sesemann's kindly and strong-willed mother teaches Heidi to read and to pray; she visits the girls on the Alp. Her character is cut completely from the film. In the novel, Peter becomes jealous of Heidi's attentions to Klara and deliberately destroys Klara's wheelchair so that the crippled girl will have to return home; the chain of events resulting from that destruction ends in Klara's taking her first successful steps on the Alp while leaning on Peter and Heidi. In the film, Fräulein Rottenmeier and Herr Sesemann visit the girls, and Grandfather deliberately leaves Klara alone on the mountains, knowing that she actually can walk but has been afraid to try. Klara struggles to get out of her wheelchair, knocking it over and falling down in the process. As she tries to get up, she sees her father, Herr Sesemann, looking at her encouragingly, and haltingly walks towards him. The film ends with a significant glance between Fraulein Rottenmeier and Herr Sesemann, a glance which promises a future for them together. [2]

Cast

Production

The film was shot on location in the Swiss and German Alps, and Frankfurt.

Broadcast

NBC's decision to cut away from the Jets-Raiders game to air Heidi at 7 p.m. sharp (on the east coast) is noted as one of the most controversial occurrences in televised sporting history. Heidi Game program.jpg
NBC's decision to cut away from the Jets-Raiders game to air Heidi at 7 p.m. sharp (on the east coast) is noted as one of the most controversial occurrences in televised sporting history.

On November 17, 1968, the film's premiere on NBC unexpectedly became one of the most notorious moments in American broadcasting because it interrupted the conclusion of a game between the American Football League's two top teams — the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets at 1968 AFL season. NBC's network management had taken the decision to show the entire game until its completion even though it was contractually obligated to begin the broadcast of Heidi on the East Coast at 7:00 p.m. ET; the film's premiere would be delayed by the overrunning game. [3] The number of East Coast viewers calling NBC asking for confirmation that the game would be shown to the end caused all 26 phone lines at NBC's switchboard to fuse. [3]

The network management's decision was not conveyed to the NBC's control facility in New York. Consequently, Heidi began at 7:00 p.m. as scheduled, ending the East Coast broadcast of the Raiders-Jets game. Shortly afterward, Oakland scored two touchdowns within the final minute, winning the game 43–32 in a major upset. [4]

Nevertheless, the film was the highest viewed television program of the week and most watched television movie of all time with a Nielsen rating of 31.8 rating and an audience share of 47%. [5] It was surpassed as the most watched television film of all time by 1971's Brian's Song . [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Heidi</i> Swiss novel by Johanna Spyri

Heidi is a work of children's fiction published between 1880 and 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning and Heidi: How She Used What She Learned. It is a novel about the events in the life of a 5-year-old girl in her paternal grandfather's care in the Swiss Alps. It was written as a book "for children and those who love children".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Edwards</span> American actress

Jennifer Edwards is an American actress. She came to national prominence for her role in the 1968 NBC made-for-television movie Heidi.

<i>Heidi, Girl of the Alps</i> 1974 Japanese animated TV series

Heidi, Girl of the Alps is an anime television series produced by Zuiyo Eizo and based on the novel Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning by Johanna Spyri (1880). It was directed by Isao Takahata and features contributions by numerous other anime filmmakers, including Yoichi Kotabe, Toyoo Ashida, Yoshiyuki Tomino, and Hayao Miyazaki.

<i>Heidis Song</i> 1982 film by Robert Taylor

Heidi's Song is a 1982 American animated musical film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and based on the 1881 novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri. The film was directed by Robert Taylor from a screenplay by Taylor, Joseph Barbera and Jameson Brewer, and stars Margery Gray as the title character, alongside the voices of Lorne Greene and Sammy Davis Jr. It is one of only four films Hanna-Barbera ever made that did not feature their trademark characters.

Charles Henry Smith is a former American football running back. He played two seasons for the American Football League (AFL)'s Oakland Raiders (1968–1969), and 5 for the National Football League (NFL)'s Raiders (1970–1974). He also played for the NFL's San Diego Chargers in 1975. He attended Castlemont High School in Oakland, California, and then University of Utah.

<i>Heidi</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Allan Dwan

Heidi is a 1937 American musical drama film directed by Allan Dwan and written by Julien Josephson and Walter Ferris, loosely based on Johanna Spyri's 1880 children's book of the same name. The film stars Shirley Temple as the titular orphan, who is taken from her grandfather to live as a companion to Klara, a spoiled, disabled girl. It was a success and Temple enjoyed her third consecutive year as number one box office draw.

Heidi is a 2005 animated adaptation of the 1881 Johanna Spyri novel, produced by Nelvana, Telemagination and TV-Loonland AG.

The 1968 Oakland Raiders season was the team's ninth season in both Oakland and the American Football League. It saw the team try to improve upon its 13–1 record from 1967. They ultimately finished one game short of matching that year's result; their 12–2 finish still ensured that they would lead the league in wins for a second consecutive year. Led by third-year head coach John Rauch, they tied with Kansas City for the division title, which was settled by an unscheduled tiebreaker playoff, won 41–6 by the Raiders in Oakland.

Heidi 4 Paws is a feature-length children's film that retells the classic story of Heidi using dogs in all the acting roles. Heidi 4 Paws was syndicated to public television stations in the United States through American Public Television and WTTW Chicago in November/December 2008.

<i>Heidi</i> (2005 live-action film) 2005 British film

Heidi is a 2005 British family film directed by Paul Marcus. It is based on the iconic 1881 novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri, and stars Irish child actress Emma Bolger in the title role, alongside Max Von Sydow and Diana Rigg.

The Shell Seekers is a 2006 mini-series starring Academy Award-winners, Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell. The British-German co-production was directed by Piers Haggard. It is an adaptation of Rosamunde Pilcher's 1987 novel of the same name and premiered on Germany's ZDF on 25 December 2006. It was screened in the United States on the Hallmark Channel on 3 May 2008.

<i>Heidi</i> Game 1968 American Football League game

The Heidi Game or Heidi Bowl was a 1968 American Football League (AFL) game between the Oakland Raiders and the visiting New York Jets. The contest, held on November 17, 1968, was notable for its exciting finish, in which Oakland scored two touchdowns in the final minute to win the game 43–32. However, NBC, the game's television broadcaster, decided to break away from its coverage on the East Coast to broadcast the television film Heidi, which caused many viewers to miss the Raiders' comeback.

<i>Heidi and Peter</i> 1955 Swiss film

Heidi and Peter is a 1955 Swiss family drama film directed by Franz Schnyder and starring Heinrich Gretler, Elsbeth Sigmund and Thomas Klameth. It is a sequel to the 1952 film Heidi, which is itself an adaptation of the 1880 novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri. It was the first Swiss film made in colour and was one of the biggest grossing films in Switzerland for the year.

<i>Heidi</i> (1952 film) 1952 Swiss film

Heidi is a 1952 Swiss family drama film directed by Luigi Comencini and starring Elsbeth Sigmund, Heinrich Gretler and Thomas Klameth. It is based on the 1880 novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri. It was followed by a 1955 sequel Heidi and Peter.

<i>Heidi</i> (miniseries) 1993 American TV series or program

Heidi is a 1993 American two-part, three-hour television miniseries based on the classic Swiss 1881 novel of the same name by Johanna Spyri. Heidi originally aired on the Disney Channel on July 18 and 19, 1993, and starred Noley Thornton in the title role.

The 1968 AFL Championship Game was the ninth annual title game of the American Football League, played on December 29 at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York City, New York. In a rematch of the notorious Heidi Game played earlier in the season, the New York Jets (11–3) of the Eastern Division hosted the defending champion Oakland Raiders (12–2) of the Western Division. Although the Raiders had the better record, the Jets were slight favorites. The Raiders had hosted a tiebreaker playoff game the week before against the Kansas City Chiefs (12–2) to determine the Western Division champion, while the Eastern champion Jets won their division outright and thus were idle.

<i>Heidi</i> (1965 film) 1965 Austrian film

Heidi is a 1965 Austrian family film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Eva Maria Singhammer, Michaela May and Jan Koester. It is an adaptation of Johanna Spyri's 1880 novel of the same title.

<i>Heidi</i> (2015 film) 2015 Swiss film

Heidi is a 2015 Swiss-German Family Adventure Film directed by Alain Gsponer and based on the 1881 novel of the same name by Johanna Spyri. It stars Anuk Steffen in the title role, alongside Bruno Ganz, Katharina Schüttler, Quirin Agrippi, Isabelle Ottmann and Anna Schinz.

<i>Heidi</i> (2015 TV series) 2015 animated television series

Heidi is an animated children's television series, based on the 1881 novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri. The original television series from 2007 was a Swiss-French-Italian-Australian co-production in 27 episodes of 26 minutes.

<i>Heidi, bienvenida a casa</i> 2017 multi-national TV series or program

Heidi, bienvenida a casa is a telenovela created and produced by Marcela Citterio for Nickelodeon Latin America. Based on the 1881 children's novel by Johanna Spyri, Heidi, it stars Chiara Francia as the titular character. The series premiered on March 13, 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "Remembering History: The Heidi Game". Raiders.com. Las Vegas Raiders. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Heidi (1968 Family Drama Adventure)". Internet Archive. Internet Archive. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "The Huntley-Brinkley Report, November 18, 1968". 18 November 1968. 22:01. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  4. ↑ Matt Schudel (July 5, 2012). "NBC Chief faced 'Heidi Bowl' wrath (obituary for Julian Goodman)". The Washington Post .
  5. ↑ (2 December 1968). NBC holds thin lead in Nielsen nationals, Broadcasting , p. 39 ("The Heidi special on NBC, in last place in the hearts of football fans (Broadcasting, Nov. 25), took first place in the Nielsens with a 31.8 rating, 47 share.")
  6. ↑ "Hit Movies on U.S. TV Since 1961". Variety . January 24, 1990. p. 160.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.