{"id":25784,"date":"2012-05-10T20:36:55","date_gmt":"2012-05-11T03:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25784"},"modified":"2021-02-03T12:05:26","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T19:05:26","slug":"tom-thumb-1958","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25784","title":{"rendered":"tom thumb (1958)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;He&#8217;s not for sale; he&#8217;s my son!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Poster-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-25786\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Poster-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Poster.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA poor woodcutter (Bernard Miles) and his wife (Jessie Matthews) wish for a son of any size, and are delighted when the Forest Queen (June Thorburn) blesses them with Tom Thumb (Russ Tamblyn). When a pair of thieves (Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers) convince Tom to help them steal a bag of gold, his parents are falsely accused of the theft, and Tom enlists the help of his friend Woody (Alan Young) to capture the real culprits.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Falsely Accused<\/li>\n<li>Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, and Mythology<\/li>\n<li>George Pal Films<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Peter Sellers Films<\/li>\n<li>Russ Tamblyn Films<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that &#8220;Russ Tamblyn had his best role&#8221; in this &#8220;classic M-G-M production of the Grimm fairytale, directed by George Pal&#8221;. He notes that the &#8220;film is colorful, isn&#8217;t at all schmaltzy, and has imaginatively designed sets and a spectacular musical number in which the remarkably talented Tamblyn does a great dance with Pal&#8217;s puppets&#8221;. However, he concedes that &#8220;if you&#8217;re an adult, you may wish you were a kid again so you could enjoy it as you once did&#8221;. I&#8217;m largely in agreement with Peary, though not quite as enthusiastic. It&#8217;s fun to see Pal&#8217;s classic &#8220;Puppetooning&#8221; on screen:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons-1024x561.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons-1024x561.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons-768x421.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons-1536x842.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons-492x270.png 492w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Puppetoons.png 1855w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and Tamblyn&#8217;s athletic dancing is consistently superb:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing-1024x578.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing-1024x578.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing-1536x867.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing-478x270.png 478w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Tamblyn-Dancing.png 1827w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; but his character is poorly conceived; indeed, it&#8217;s downright creepy seeing the 24-year-old Tamblyn placed into a <em>cradle<\/em> by his adoring adoptive parents: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle-1536x865.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle-479x270.png 479w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Cradle.png 1805w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8212; and one never quite understands exactly how old he&#8217;s meant to be (nor, for that matter, where he came from before magically appearing on their doorstep). <\/p>\n<p>Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers are appropriately buffoonish as the &#8220;evil twosome who want to use Tom for their own ends&#8221;, but their quibbling schtick eventually wears out its welcome:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-1024x570.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"356\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-1024x570.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-768x427.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-1536x855.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-485x270.png 485w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2-1038x576.png 1038w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Sellers-Thomas2.png 1835w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and while Miles and Matthews make a sweet elderly couple, they aren&#8217;t given much screentime after the nicely conceived opening sequences. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple-1024x564.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"353\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple-1024x564.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple-768x423.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple-1536x846.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple-490x270.png 490w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Opening-Couple.png 1831w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the requisite romantic subplot &#8212; between lovely Thorburn and Young (who will be forever etched in my mind&#8217;s eye alongside <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0054557\/\">Mr. Ed<\/a>) &#8212; is, perhaps predictably, rather insipid. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance-1024x582.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"364\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance-1024x582.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance-1536x873.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance-475x270.png 475w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Romance.png 1807w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With all that said, there&#8217;s enough life and color to this production that ff parents will surely feel fine putting it in front of their kids. <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16369\"><em>Pinocchio<\/em> (1940)<\/a> it ain&#8217;t &#8212; but then few films are. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> If you think you vaguely recognize Matthews from somewhere, it may be from her starring role 20+ years earlier in the enormously successful British musical <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10096\"><em>Evergreen<\/em> (1934)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Russ Tamblyn&#8217;s athletic dancing<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2-1024x581.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"363\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2-1024x581.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2-1536x872.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2-476x270.png 476w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Dancing2.png 1823w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine special effects<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-68315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Tom-Thumb-Special-Effects-1.png 1811w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though those interested in Pal&#8217;s Puppetooning will certainly want to check it out. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0052427\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/fantasticmoviemusings.com\/2016\/12\/30\/tom-thumb-1958\/\">SciFilm Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/fantasy\/tom-thumb-1958.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/1403\/tom-thumb#articles-reviews?articleId=25874\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/tom-thumb\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s not for sale; he&#8217;s my son!&#8221; Synopsis: A poor woodcutter (Bernard Miles) and his wife (Jessie Matthews) wish for a son of any size, and are delighted when the Forest Queen (June Thorburn) blesses them with Tom Thumb (Russ Tamblyn). When a pair of thieves (Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers) convince Tom to help them steal a bag of gold, his parents are falsely accused of the theft, and Tom enlists the help of his friend Woody (Alan Young) to&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=25784\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25784"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68317,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25784\/revisions\/68317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}