Johnny Tremain | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Robert Stevenson |
Written by | Esther Forbes Tom Blackburn |
Produced by | Walt Disney |
Starring | Hal Stalmaster Luana Patten Jeff York Sebastian Cabot |
Cinematography | Charles P. Boyle |
Edited by | Stanley E. Johnson |
Music by | George Bruns Tom Blackburn (lyrics) Song "Liberty Tree" by George Bruns and Tom Blackburn |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $700,000 [1] |
Johnny Tremain is a 1957 American adventure war film made by Walt Disney Productions, released by Buena Vista Distribution, [2] and based on the 1944 Newbery Medal-winning children's novel of the same name by Esther Forbes, retelling the story of the years in Boston, Massachusetts prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Johnny Tremain was the first Disney live-action film to be directed by Robert Stevenson. It was made for television but was first released in theatres. Walt Disney understood the new technology of color television and filmed his Walt Disney anthology television series in color, but the show, known as Disneyland at that time, was broadcast in black and white. After its theater run in 1957, the film was shown in its entirety on television in two episodes (subsequently known as Walt Disney Presents), rather than as a complete film on a single evening, on November 21 and December 5, 1958.
The film stars Hal Stalmaster, Luana Patten, Jeff York, Sebastian Cabot (in his second film role for Disney), Richard Beymer, Walter Coy and Ralph Clanton.
Johnny Tremain is apprenticed to a silversmith, Mr. Lapham. One day, wealthy Jonathan Lyte asks Mr. Lapham to make a sugar basin to match his grand silverware set. Lapham refuses because he believes he is too old for such jobs. Tremain believes he is skilled enough to do the job, and accepts. After trying several times but failing, he asks fellow silversmith, Paul Revere, for help designing a new handle. Revere tells him to make the handle deeper and larger. Eager to try the new design, Johnny breaks the Sabbath and accidentally burns his hand. The damage is so severe that he will never have full use of the hand again, and cannot continue as a silversmith apprentice. No one will hire him with only one usable hand. The Sons of Liberty recruited him as a messenger, to secretly inform members of the times and locations of meetings.
Johnny tells Priscilla Lapham, Mr. Lapham's granddaughter, that he is secretly related to Mr. Lyte. He shows her a christening cup bearing the Lyte family crest as evidence. Desperate for money, he approaches Lyte and shows him the christening cup. Lyte assumes that Johnny stole the cup, and files charges against him. Josiah Quincy defends Johnny in court. Introducing Priscilla as a witness, Quincy proves Johnny's innocence.
Afterward, Tremain and the Sons of Liberty became active in several notable events leading to the American Revolution, including the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's Ride, and the Battles of Lexington and Concord. During the Boston Tea Party, Dr. Joseph Warren offers to restore Tremain's hand, allowing him to return to his profession.
Walt Disney's daughter Sharon Mae Disney also had a small uncredited role as Dorcas, a young friend of Johnny and Priscilla (who in the novel was one of Priscilla's sisters).
The musical score for Johnny Tremain was composed by George Bruns with lyrics by Tom Blackburn. The film is notable for the song "Liberty Tree", which was later included on the 1964 Disneyland Records album entitled Happy Birthday and Songs for Every Holiday.
The film's theatrical release was accompanied by two Disney short subjects: the live-action nature story The Wetback Hound , and the cartoon special The Story of Anyburg U.S.A. .
Louis Marx and Company released an American War of Independence playset featuring character figures of the actors in the show as a film tie-in. [3]
The film opened in London but was not successful and Disney initially decided not to release the film in Europe. [4]
Portions of Johnny Tremain were released individually in 1968 for educational purposes. Two distinct sequences of the film were re-issued under the titles The Boston Tea Party and The Shot Heard 'Round the World. [5] Both were originally combined and shown on Disney's anthology TV series in 1958 as part of the episode The Liberty Story. [6]
Around the time of the film's production, Walt Disney intended to build Liberty Street in Disneyland as an annex to Main Street USA. The project never materialized. After Walt's death, the concept was revived and turned into the much more expansive Liberty Square in Walt Disney World, which opened as a part of the park's grand opening on October 1, 1971. [7] A Southern live oak tree found growing on the Walt Disney World property (originally six miles from the Magic Kingdom) was transplanted by Disney engineers and now serves as the square's Liberty Tree. Adorning it are 13 lanterns, representing the original 13 American colonies. [8]
Paul Revere was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, engaging in a midnight ride in 1775 to alert nearby minutemen of the approach of British troops prior to the battles of Lexington and Concord.
Song of the South is a 1946 American live-action/animated musical comedy-drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson, produced by Walt Disney, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is based on the Uncle Remus stories as adapted by Joel Chandler Harris, stars James Baskett in his final film role, and features the voices of Johnny Lee, Baskett, and Nick Stewart. The film takes place in the U.S. state of Georgia during the Reconstruction era, a period of American history after the end of the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery. The story follows seven-year-old Johnny who is visiting his grandmother's plantation for an extended stay. Johnny befriends Uncle Remus (Baskett), an elderly worker on the plantation, and takes joy in hearing his tales about the adventures of Br'er Rabbit (Lee), Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear. Johnny learns from the stories how to cope with the challenges he is experiencing while living on the plantation.
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Johnny Tremain is a work of historical fiction written in 1943 by Esther Forbes that is set in Boston prior to and during the outbreak of the American Revolution. Intended for teen-aged readers, the novel's themes include apprenticeship, courtship, sacrifice, human rights, and the growing tension between Patriots and Loyalists as conflict nears. Events depicted in the novel include the Boston Tea Party, the British blockade of the Port of Boston, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
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So Dear to My Heart is a 1948 American live-action/animated comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Its world premiere was in Chicago, Illinois, on November 29, 1948. Like 1946's Song of the South, the film combines animation and live action. It is based on the 1943 Sterling North book Midnight and Jeremiah. The book was revised by North to parallel the film's storyline amendments and then re-issued under the same title as the film.
Luana Patten was an American actress who appeared in films produced by Walt Disney Pictures, such as Song of the South (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), and Melody Time (1948). Later in life, she played roles in television.
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