"The Parent Trap" (1961) is Family Friendly Old Fashioned Fun Says Minister

In the 1960's cinema was rapidly changing. Filmmakers were developing new and very experimental ways of telling their stories, as even Hollywood was becoming more and more influenced by the art house films being made overseas. Something else was happening as well. Censorship was becoming looser and it was no longer that one could take a child to any movie playing at the local cinema. One must keep in mind that in 1960 movies like Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Billy Wilder's The Apartment were released, neither of which could ever be considered family entertainment.

During this time though Walt Disney would be the one keeping family friendly entertainment and classic Hollywood conventions alive. This may seem kind of strange as Walt was one of the biggest experimenters in Hollywood in the 1930's and 40's. However the reason for this was not Walt playing it safer as the years went by. The reason for this was the same reason he had worked on much more experimental film ideas earlier in his career. Walt always stuck to his guns and made the type of movies he liked and movies like The Parent Trap were the type of movies he liked. What Walt also knew was that being family friendly was not enough. His movies had to be good films. This is why the live action Disney movies of the 1960's were so popular with audiences. They were good movies. They may not be critic's movies or as daring as much of 1960's cinema, but they were pure crowd pleasers and still are today. I am second to no one in my love of movies like Psycho or the French New Wave overseas, but the Disney movies of this era are just as good in their own right.

Of course being family friendly certainly helped the films win audiences at the time. It is important to remember these were not kid's movies, but family movies, and there was little coemption that could actually compete with them in that decade. The following is an article from Boxoffice magazine (dated August 7, 1961) that shows the effect The Parent Trap had on its family audience.


"LINCOLN- 'The best picture I ever saw.'

"One of Lincoln's leading ministers and civic leader, Dr. C. Vin White of First Presbyterian Church looked up Varsity Theatre Manager Walt Jancke to tell him this says Walt.

"The picture?

"Disney's 'The Parent Trap' which had played to top crowds for two weeks at the Varsity and moved over to the state theater August 1 for what Walt and State Manager Bert Cheever hoped would be another good house.

"Walt reflects the enthusiastic reception young and old have given the picture in Lincoln.


"'Its like old times,' he remarks 'standing in the lobby and hearing the people laugh and knowing that they are all enjoying the picture.'

"He sees in the public's reception of 'The Parent Trap,' a return to some of America's better movie days.

"'The boxoffice for this one will show this is the kind of picture patrons want,' he said.

"He sees the success of 'The Parent Trap' as a tribute to Disney's foresight and work.

"The Varsity opened with Jimmy Stewart in 'The Two Ride Together' August 1. After the state's 'The Parent Trap'  run another Disney production 'Nikki,' is scheduled."

The Parent Trap is one of my favorite live action Disney movies. The reason for this is very simple, it is pure entertainment at its absolute best. It never fails to put a smile on my face. It was remade rather well in 1998, but nothing can ever quite top that pure natural unpretentious charm of this movie.

Before we close this post, what do you say we sing one we all know.




-Michael J. Ruhland