The Parent Trap (1961)

So I just watch the 1961’s The Parent Trap. This was one of the movies, like Pollyanna (1960) that I grew up watching in the 1990s. So I prefer it to the 1998 remake which I don’t like for various reasons in that review.

Spoilers ahead!

The Parent Trap is about a pair of identical twin girls who meet each other at camp for the first time. Since they both live with the other parent they decide to switch places on their parents so they can actually know the other parent. When their Mom has to go to California to unmix them hijinks ensure and hopefully leads the parents to getting back to together.

As I said I grew up watching this movie. I love the comedy of it. I hadn’t watched it in a very long time but it just as brilliant as it was the last time I watched it. The costumes, and the chemistry (or lack of it) from the actors was brilliant. The costumes were good. I really like the Split screen aspect of this movie which inspired was created by Walt Disney’s long time friend and collaborator Ub iWerks. I heard with other non Disney movies or TV shows the trouble when one of the actors has the first or last name of the main character that a different actor is portraying but dial that up to 11 when the name-twin, has to play the photographic double of Hailey Mills who is pretending to be Susabn pretending to be Sharon or vice versa and you get the 19961 director David Swift (who also director 1960s Pollyanna) headache! But as I said I like this split screen effect more then the computer combination that they did a little with the 1998 remake.

One thing I noticed this time around of watching 1961 The Parent Trap is apparently the foreshadowing at the beginning where Susan’s cabin booby-traps Sharon’s Cabin with string and honey on one of the cabin members’ toes which is basically foreshadows what the twins will do later to their Dad’s fiancée, Vicky when she’s tricked into going on a camping trip with them and their Dad.

Its a great movie there’s not a lot of music but the one song that’s use is absolutely brilliant and it was written by the Sherman brothers who will make popular songs like “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Bare Necessities”

As I said its a great movie and if you haven’t this movie please give it a try!

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