The Prince And The Pauper (1961)

[DAVID RAYNER]

I have a set of eight original Front-of-House colour stills from Walt Disney’s British made live action version of The Prince and The Pauper, filmed here in early 1961 and released in April, 1962 and starring Guy Williams and child star Sean Scully.



One of the stills shows a scene that isn’t in any print of the film I’ve ever seen…whether at the cinema or on television. It shows Williams having a sword fight in a large room in a mansion with Scully standing in the background, leaning against a large tapestry that covers one wall of the room. Does anyone know what this scene was all about and why it was cut out of the film?



Also, I found another still from the film today on eBay, showing Sean Scully in a town square, looking up at a big statue. This scene isn’t in the release print, either. This tends to make me think that originally, this version of The Prince and The Pauper had a much longer running time than the 93 minutes version it was originally released in.



Below: the then 13 years old Sean Scully in a frame from the film.

[Steve Crook]

Originally posted by DAVID RAYNER@May 18 2005, 03:15 PM

I have a set of eight original Front-of-House colour stills from Walt Disney’s British made live action version of The Prince and The Pauper, filmed here in early 1961 and released in April, 1962 and starring Guy Williams and child star Sean Scully.

One of the stills shows a scene that isn't in any print of the film I’ve ever seen…whether at the cinema or on television. It shows Williams having a sword fight in a large room in a mansion with Scully standing in the background, leaning against a large tapestry that covers one wall of the room. Does anyone know what this scene was all about and why it was cut out of the film?
Also, I found another still from the film today on eBay, showing Sean Scully in a town square, looking up at a big statue. This scene isn’t in the release print, either. This tends to make me think that originally, this version of The Prince and The Pauper had a much longer running time than the 93 minutes version it was originally released in.

That does happen fairly often with publicity stills - but less often with lobby cards (Front-of-House colour stills). It's where they've filmed a scene and the stills photographer took some stills of that scene - but then they decided to drop that scene in the final edit.



It's not mentioned on the BBFC site so I can't check what running times it was submitted with initially and if any cuts were requested. As it's a "made for TV" and made by Disney in the States, might any published running times not be allowing for adverts?



Steve

[DAVID RAYNER]

Thanks, Steve. It was made in this country at Shepperton studios and directed by Don Chaffey with an all British cast (with the exception of American Guy Williams) and released to cinemas over here, but probably intended to be run on the Disney TV programme in the States.

[DAVID RAYNER]

It is on the BBFC site, Steve, I've just found it on there. It was classified on April 5th, 1962 and the running time was 93 minutes, 27 seconds. It says that the film was passed with no cuts being made. So whatever happened to the missing scenes, the BBFC didn't cut them out.

[Steve Crook]

Originally posted by DAVID RAYNER@May 18 2005, 04:17 PM

It is on the BBFC site, Steve, I've just found it on there. It was classified on April 5th, 1962 and the running time was 93 minutes, 27 seconds. It says that the film was passed with no cuts being made. So whatever happened to the missing scenes, the BBFC didn't cut them out.

Ah yes, so it is. I was looking for it with reference to the director or stars - but they don't seem to have recorded those.



So it probably is just that they made stills from some of the scenes that didn't make it past the final edit



Steve

[DAVID RAYNER]

It was probably trimmed in length in order to go out as a double bill with Walt Disney's Moon Pilot in April, 1962.