Alice in Wonderland (1933 film)

1933 film

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Alice in Wonderland" 1933 film – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Alice in Wonderland

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Norman Z. McLeod
Screenplay by|

* Joseph L. Mankiewicz
* William Cameron Menzies

Based on| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
by Lewis Carroll
Produced by| Louis D. Lighton (uncredited)
Starring|

* Charlotte Henry
* Richard Arlen
* Roscoe Ates
* Gary Cooper
* Leon Errol
* Louise Fazenda
* W. C. Fields
* Skeets Gallagher
* Cary Grant
* Raymond Hatton
* Edward Everett Horton
* Roscoe Karns
* Baby LeRoy
* Mae Marsh
* Polly Moran
* Jack Oakie
* Edna May Oliver
* May Robson
* Charlie Ruggles
* Alison Skipworth
* Ned Sparks
* Ford Sterling

Cinematography|

* Bert Glennon
* Henry Sharp

Edited by| Ellsworth Hoagland (uncredited)
Music by| Dimitri Tiomkin
Distributed by| Paramount Pictures

Release date

* December 22, 1933 (1933-12-22)

Running time

| 77 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Alice in Wonderland is a 1933 American pre-Code fantasy film adapted from the novels by Lewis Carroll. The film was produced by Paramount Pictures, featuring an all-star cast. It is all live action, except for the Walrus and The Carpenter sequence, which was animated by Harman-Ising Studio. The film was seen by Walt Disney, and inspired him to create his company's 1951 animated adaptation. [1]

Stars include W. C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty, Edna May Oliver as the Red Queen, Cary Grant as the Mock Turtle, Gary Cooper as The White Knight, Edward Everett Horton as The Hatter, Charles Ruggles as The March Hare, Richard Arlen as the Cheshire Cat, Baby LeRoy as The Joker, and Charlotte Henry in her first leading role as Alice.

This adaptation was directed by Norman Z. McLeod from a screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and William Cameron Menzies, based on Lewis Carroll's books Alice in Wonderland (1865) and Alice Through the Looking-Glass (1871). It also drew heavily from Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus's then-recent stage adaptation.

When Paramount previewed the film in 1933, the original running time was 90 minutes. By the time it was shown to the press, it was truncated to 77 minutes. Many reviews, including the savage one in Variety, made a point of how long it seemed at an hour-and-a-quarter. Though being released at this shorter time, it is often mistakenly reported that Universal Pictures edited it when it bought the television rights in the late 1950s.[2] Universal released the film on DVD on March 2, 2010, as the first home video release.

It is the only major live-action Hollywood theatrical production to adapt the original Alice stories. The next major live-action Hollywood production to do so is a two-part adaptation for television in 1985, and the second major live-action Hollywood production for movie theaters to use the title Alice in Wonderland was made by Tim Burton for Disney in 2010 as a sequel to the original story.

## Plot

[edit]

Alice (Charlotte Henry) and Dinah live peacefully in their home, until chasing a White Rabbit into a hole. Falling in, Alice is transported to various doors. She drinks a bottle that reads "Drink Me, Not Poison", which makes her grow big. Her tears flood the room while weeping. She eats a cookie and turns tiny. Swimming in her tears, she meets a couple of odd men named Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. She encounters a tea party, where the Mad Hatter and March Hare live. She meets the Cheshire Cat, then she meets Humpty Dumpty, who tells her what an unbirthday is. She leaves and meets a caterpillar and changes size again. Alice returns to her normal size and runs away from the caterpillar and meets the Queen of Hearts. They play croquet by grabbing a flamingo by the neck. Alice is welcomed to a castle, realizing that she is Queen or Princess of the land. The people of Wonderland start to go crazy and gang up on Alice by running towards her, Then Alice gets choked by the Queen, wakes up in the drawing room, and relieved that it was only a dream.

## Cast

[edit]

* Richard Arlen as Cheshire Cat
* Roscoe Ates as Fish Footman
* William Austin as Gryphon
* Gary Cooper as White Knight
* Leon Errol as Uncle Gilbert
* Louise Fazenda as White Queen
* W.C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty
* Alec B. Francis as King of Hearts
* Richard "Skeets" Gallagher as White Rabbit
* Cary Grant as Mock Turtle
* Lillian Harmer as The Cook
* Raymond Hatton as The Mouse
* Charlotte Henry as Alice
* Sterling Holloway as Frog Footman[a]
* Edward Everett Horton as The Hatter
* Roscoe Karns as Tweedledee
* Baby LeRoy as The Joker
* Mae Marsh as The Sheep
* Polly Moran as The Dodo
* Jack Oakie as Tweedledum
* Edna May Oliver as Red Queen
* May Robson as Queen of Hearts
* Charlie Ruggles as March Hare
* Jackie Searl as The Dormouse
* Alison Skipworth as Duchess
* Ned Sparks as Caterpillar
* Ford Sterling as White King

### Uncredited

[edit]

* Billy Barty as White Pawn/The Pig-Baby
* Billy Bevan as Two of Spades
* Colin Campbell as Frog Gardener
* Jack Duffy as Leg of Mutton
* Meyer Grace as the Third Executioner
* Ethel Griffies as Ms. Simpson
* Charles McNaughton as Five of Spades
* Patsy O'Byrne as Aunt
* George Ovey as Plum Pudding
* Will Stanton as Seven of Spades
* Joe Torillo as Second Executioner

## Reception

[edit]

Its status as a box office bomb cast doubt on whether a live-action fantasy with strange-looking characters could be successfully presented on the screen, until MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939).[citation needed] It was banned in China under a category of "superstitious films" for its "strangeness" and unscientific elements.[3]

Variety magazine said that the timeless classic book is too surrealistic and adult-oriented to have a good film adaptation. It said the film is "vividly realized" with genuine humor and a satisfying literary treatment, and the cast is "a stunning aggregation of screen names", but the experience is a non-sequitur "volume of separate four-line gags".[4]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Holloway would later star in Disney's 1951 film adaptation as the voice of the Cheshire Cat.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Harman-Ising's Alice". Michael Sporn Animation. September 30, 2010.
2. ^ "Alicia en el país de las Maravillas (1933)". IMDb.
3. ^ Yingjin, Zhang (1999). Cinema and Urban Culture in Shanghai, 1922–1943. Stanford University Press. p. 190\. ISBN 9780804735728. OCLC 40230511.
4. ^ Rush (December 1933). "Alice in Wonderland". Variety. Vol. 112\. p. 10. Retrieved July 23, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Alice in Wonderland at IMDb
* Alice in Wonderland at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
* Alice in Wonderland at the TCM Movie Database
* Review at TVGuide.com Archived April 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
* Reprints of historic reviews, photo gallery at CaryGrant.net
* Alice in Wonderland available for free download from the Internet Archive

* v
* t
* e

Lewis Carroll's Alice

* Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
* Through the Looking-Glass

Universe

| Characters|

| Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland|

* Alice
* portrayals
* Bill the Lizard
* Caterpillar
* Cheshire Cat
* Dodo
* Dormouse
* Duchess
* Gryphon
* Hatter
* Tarrant Hightopp
* King of Hearts
* Knave of Hearts
* March Hare
* Mock Turtle
* Mouse
* Pat
* Puppy
* Queen of Hearts
* White Rabbit
* Minor characters

|

Through the
Looking-Glass|

* Bandersnatch
* Humpty Dumpty
* Jubjub bird
* Red King
* Red Queen
* The Sheep
* The Lion and the Unicorn
* Tweedledum and Tweedledee
* White King
* White Knight
* White Queen
* Minor characters

Locations
and events|

* Wonderland
* Looking-Glass world
* Unbirthday

Poems|

* "All in the golden afternoon..."
* "How Doth the Little Crocodile"
* "The Mouse's Tale"
* "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat"
* "You Are Old, Father William"
* "'Tis the Voice of the Lobster"
* "Jabberwocky"
* Vorpal sword
* "The Walrus and the Carpenter"
* "Haddocks' Eyes"
* "The Mock Turtle's Song"
* The Hunting of the Snark

Related|

* Alice Liddell
* Alice syndrome
* Alice's Shop
* Illustrators
* John Tenniel
* Theophilus Carter
* The Annotated Alice
* Mischmasch
* Translations
* Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
* Through the Looking-Glass

Adaptations

| Literature|

| Novels|

* Davy and the Goblin (1884)
* The Nursery "Alice" (1890)
* The Admiral's Caravan (1891)
* A New Alice in the Old Wonderland (1895)
* Gladys in Grammarland (1896)
* The Westminster Alice (1902)
* Clara in Blunderland (1902)
* Rollo in Emblemland (1902)
* Lost in Blunderland (1903)
* John Bull's Adventures in the Fiscal Wonderland (1904)
* Alice in Blunderland: An Iridescent Dream (1904)
* Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Retold in Words of One Syllable (1905)
* New Adventures of Alice (1917)
* Alice in Orchestralia (1925)
* Alice Through the Needle's Eye (1984)
* Automated Alice (1996)
* The Looking Glass Wars (2004)
* Seeing Redd (2007)
* ArchEnemy (2009)
* Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland (2010)
* Unbirthday: A Twisted Tale (2020)

|

Comics|

* Tweedledum and Tweedledee (1943)
* Lost Girls (1991)
* Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (1993)
* Pandora Hearts (2006)
* Cheshire Crossing (2006)
* Alice in Sunderland (2007)
* Alice in Murderland (2014)
* Wonderland (2015)

Stage|

* Alice in Wonderland (1886 musical)
* Alice in Wonderland (1979 opera)
* But Never Jam Today (1979 musical)
* The Hunting of the Snark (1991 musical)
* Through the Looking Glass (2008 opera)
* Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2011 ballet)
* Wonderland (2011 musical)
* Peter and Alice (2013 play)
* Wonder.land (2015 musical)
* Alice's Adventures Under Ground (2016 opera)
* Alice by Heart (2019 musical)

Film|

* 1903
* 1910
* 1915
* Alice Comedies (1923–1927)
* 1931
* 1933
* Betty in Blunderland (1934)
* Thru the Mirror (1936)
* 1949
* 1951
* Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959)
* Alice of Wonderland in Paris (1966)
* Jabberwocky (1971)
* 1972
* 1976
* 1976 (Spanish)
* Alice or the Last Escapade (1977)
* Jabberwocky (1977)
* 1981
* 1982
* Malice in Wonderland (1982)
* Dreamchild (1985)
* The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987)
* 1988 (Czechoslovak)
* 1988 (Australian)
* Abby in Wonderland (2008)
* Malice in Wonderland (2009)
* 2010
* Alice in Murderland (2010)
* Malice in Wonderland: The Dolls Movie (2010)
* Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
* Come Away (2020)
* Alice and the Land that Wonders (2020)
* Alice, Through the Looking (2021)

Television|

* Alice in Wonderland (1962)
* Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid like You Doing in a Place like This? (1966)
* Alice in Wonderland (1966)
* Alice Through the Looking Glass (1966)
* 1983 (TV film)
* Fushigi no Kuni no Alice (1983)
* 1985 (TV film)
* Adventures in Wonderland (1992)
* Alice through the Looking Glass (1998)
* Alice in Wonderland (1999)
* Alice (2009)
* Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013)
* Alice's Wonderland Bakery (2022)
* Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024)

Artwork|

* Alice in Wonderland sculpture (1959)
* How Doth the Little Crocodile (1998 artworks)

Music|

* "White Rabbit" (1967 song)
* "Don't Come Around Here No More" (1985 music video)
* Alice in Wonderland (2010)
* Almost Alice (2010)
* "Alice"
* "Follow Me Down"
* "Tea Party"
* Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
* "Just Like Fire"
* "Alice" (2020 song)

Video games|

* Through the Looking Glass (1984)
* Alice in Wonderland (1985)
* Märchen Maze (1988)
* Wonderland (1990)
* Alice: An Interactive Museum (1991)
* Alice no Paint Adventure (1995)
* Alice in Wonderland (2000)
* American McGee's Alice (2000)
* Alice in the Country of Hearts (2007)
* Alice in Wonderland (2010)
* Alice: Madness Returns (2011)
* Harbomania (2025)

Related|

* Dungeonland (1983 module)
* The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (1983 module)
* Disney franchise

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Norman Z. McLeod

* Taking a Chance (1928)
* Along Came Youth (1930)
* Finn and Hattie (1931)
* Monkey Business (1931)
* Touchdown (1931)
* The Miracle Man (1932)
* Horse Feathers (1932)
* If I Had a Million (segments "China Shop" and "Road Hogs", 1932)
* A Lady's Profession (1933)
* Mama Loves Papa (1933)
* Alice in Wonderland (1933)
* Melody in Spring (1934)
* Many Happy Returns (1934)
* It's a Gift (1934)
* Redheads on Parade (1935)
* Here Comes Cookie (1935)
* Coronado (1935)
* The Milky Way (1936, uncredited)
* Early to Bed (1936)
* Pennies from Heaven (1936)
* Mind Your Own Business (1936)
* Topper (1937)
* Merrily We Live (1938)
* There Goes My Heart (1938)
* Topper Takes a Trip (1938)
* Remember? (1939)
* Little Men (1940)
* The Trial of Mary Dugan (1941)
* Lady Be Good (1941)
* Jackass Mail (1942)
* Panama Hattie (1942)
* The Powers Girl (1943)
* Swing Shift Maisie (1943)
* The Kid from Brooklyn (1946)
* The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
* Road to Rio (1947)
* Isn't It Romantic (1948)
* The Paleface (1948)
* Let's Dance (1950)
* My Favorite Spy (1951)
* Never Wave at a WAC (1953)
* Casanova's Big Night (1954)
* Public Pigeon No. 1 (1957)
* Alias Jesse James (1959)

Authority control databases: National |

* United States
* Spain

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template