Swiss Family Robinson *** (1940, Thomas Mitchell, Edna Best, Freddie Bartholomew, Tim Holt, Terry Kilburn) – Classic Movie Review 6938

Director Edward Ludwig’s 1940 adventure movie Swiss Family Robinson stars Thomas Mitchell, who is excellent as William Robinson, the patriarch of the Robinson family, shipwrecked on their way to Australia and stranded on a desert island during the Napoleonic Wars. Also aboard are Edna Best as Elizabeth Robinson and young Freddie Bartholomew, Tim Holt and Terry Kilburn as Jack, Fritz and Ernest.

[Spoiler alert] This interesting variant on the old story based on Johann David Wyss’s novel gets a good production and cast, so maybe it was its message that wartime audiences did not respond to, as the family is so happy on the island that they refuse rescue.

It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects – Vernon L Walker (photographic) and John Aalberg (sound).

Orson Welles narrates. Also in the cast are Baby Bobbie Quillan, Christian Rub, John Wray, Herbert Rawlinson.

It is the first movie from The Play’s The Thing Productions Inc based on famous works that were out of copyright, and it was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures.

Swiss Family Robinson is directed by Edward Ludwig, runs 93 minutes, is made by The Play’s The Thing Productions Inc, is distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, is written by Walter Ferris, Gene Towne and C Graham Baker, based on Johann David Wyss’s novel, is shot in black and white by Nicholas Musuraca, is produced by Gene Towne and C Graham Baker, and is scored by Anthony Collins.

It is followed by Swiss Family Robinson in 1960 from Walt Disney, who bought the rights to the 1940 version and confiscated all known prints of it. However, there were a few surviving prints, so the film still exists today.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6938

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