The Borrowers is a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV special first broadcast in 1973 on NBC.[1] The movie script was adapted from the 1952 Carnegie Medal-winning first novel[2] of author Mary Norton's Borrowers series: The Borrowers. The film stars Eddie Albert, Tammy Grimes and Judith Anderson. It was directed by Walter C. Miller.
| The Borrowers | |
|---|---|
 The Borrowers (1973) DVD Cover | |
| Genre | Family Fantasy |
| Based on | The Borrowers by Mary Norton |
| Written by | Jay Presson Allen |
| Directed by | Walter C. Miller |
| Starring | Eddie Albert Tammy Grimes Judith Anderson |
| Music by | Rod McKuen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Duane C. Bogie Robert Kline |
| Producers | Walt deFaria Warren Lockhart |
| Production location | Whitby, Ontario |
| Running time | 81 min. |
| Production companies | 20th Century Fox Television Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates Foote, Cone and Belding Productions Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions Walt DeFaria Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | December 14, 1973 |
In 1974, the special was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming and was nominated for Outstanding Children's Special (producers Duane Bogie, Walt deFaria and Warren Lockhart), Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (performer Judith Anderson), Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (performer Juul Haalmeyer) and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (director Walter C. Miller).[3]
The special tells the story of the Clock Family, tiny people who live under the floorboards in a Victorian-era English house.
This movie is presently in the public domain.[citation needed]
Plot
editIn a 19th-century English manor, the bedridden matriarch Sophy spends her time continually fortified with wine. She is attended by a strict housekeeper and an ancient groundskeeper. They are unaware of a few-centimeters-tall family of "borrowers" who have set up residence under the mansion's floorboards. The miniature family survive on various items which the father manages to lift during unseen expeditions aboveboard. Sophy is actually aware of Pod, but, aware of her alcoholism, decides he is a delusion.
All seems well until Sophy is required to temporarily house her 8-year-old great nephew. The boy happens to spot Mr Clock during a raid on a dollhouse, and he begins a series of events (including releasing a ferret under the floor to catch the tiny inhabitants) which cause the borrowers to flee into the countryside. However, they are eventually saved by a friendship which develops between the borrowers' daughter, Arrietty, and the boy, who becomes the family's champion.
Cast
edit- Eddie Albert as Pod Clock
- Tammy Grimes as Homily Clock
- Dame Judith Anderson as Great Aunt Sophy
- Karen Pearson as Arriety Clock
- Dennis Larson as The Boy
- Beatrice Straight as Mrs. Crampfurl
- Barnard Hughes as Mr. Crampfurl
Awards and reception
edit- 1974 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (Won)
- 1974 Outstanding Children's Special (producers Duane Bogie, Walt deFaria and Warren Lockhart) (Nominated)
- 1974 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (performer Judith Anderson) (Nominated)
- 1974 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (costume designer Juul Haalmeyer) (Nominated)
- 1974 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (director Walter C. Miller) (Nominated)
Reviewers generally found the movie a good message for its intended audience of young viewers, but a mediocre watch for adult tastes. One wrote: "(The) teleplay follows a delightful path as the Clock family wriggles free of trouble, and the values that Pod [the Clock family patriarch] represents — as compared to the fearfulness and small-mindedness of the story’s normal-sized grown-ups — comprise a lovely message for young viewers."[4] Another wrote: "Eddie Albert plays his father character a little too broadly for my tastes. Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with either the script or the acting. It’s watchable, but could have been a lot better."[5]
Filming locations
edit- Toad Hall, Whitby, Ontario
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Hallmark Hall of Fame - Movie List (1970s)". Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ "The Carnegie Medal - Full List of Winners". Archived from the original on 30 April 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
- ^ IMDB.com
- ^ Peter Hanson (27 June 2014). "The Borrowers (1973)". Every 70s Movie. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- ^ Dave Sindelar (25 November 2007). "The Borrowers (1973)". Fantastic Movie Musings. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
External links
edit- The Borrowers at IMDb
- The Borrowers is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive