Pippi Longstocking

[ryuuseipro]

This is the promo for the DVD release of The Shirley Temple Show (AKA: Shirley Temple's Storybook), the series that ran from 1960-1961. Among these episodes is "Pippi Longstocking!" Originally aired on February of 1961.

Although this was the very second adaptation of the character (the first was done in 1949 in Sweden), this is very important historically, as it was:

• The first American adaptation of Pippi.
• The first to cast a child actress as Pippi. (Previously, 26-year old Viveca Serlachius played Pippi in the aforementioned first adaptation.) She's played here by Gina Gillespie (who also played Madeline in another episode).
• The first Pippi featured in color.

And for you sci-fi/horror movie fans, look for the late, great Tor Johnson (another Swedish superstar) as the circus strongman who confronts Pippi! This, along with The Beast of Yucca Flats, was his last performance.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3s6_A09rUk[/ame]

(Incidentally, I really liked the "Winnie the Pooh" episode featured here, which predates the Disney version, and looks closest to the books!)

 

[ryuuseipro]

I've been wondering, should we move this thread to the "Power Chamber," or just make a new thread there altogether, because this is becoming a really good discussion thread!

Anyways, here's something that rather surprised me! This is an article about Hayao Miyazaki's aborted 1971 Pippi Longstocking, The Strongest Girl in the World animated film project! I can tell that this was one of Miyazaki's greatest ambitions, as many of his young heroines were very Pippi-like (especially Mimiko from 1972's Panda Kopanda, which I'm guessing he created to make up for the aborted Pippi project)!

http://www.ghibliworld.com/news.html#0405

If given the opportunity today, Miyazaki could make a terrific version of Pippi. He seems to be a very big fan, and was apparently very much influenced by the Inger Nilsson series from 1969!