OK, so what do we actually have here, with this 25 minute made-for-TV film from 1949? It was commissioned by Magnavox, an early foray into TV advertising with a syndicated show.
Does it hold up today? Was it even good for 1949?
Nope and maybe...
You can judge for yourself, but I would not guarantee that it's worth 25 minutes out of your life!
Some allowances do need to be made, as this was quite early for television. There weren't a lot of TV stations at the time and most people didn't have TV sets anyway.
This production was filmed in order to be syndicated, which is why it survives today. Most original programming at the time was live and is mostly lost, except for the occasional kinescope.
This particular program comes off to me as something that was done live, but just happened to be filmed. I can't imagine there were multiple takes.
What this show has going for it is that since it was produced for TV, nobody had seen it before and it's a version of an extremely popular classic story. Plus you could see it for free in the comfort of your living room, so whatever.
What it does not have going for it is any kind of a budget! Throw in some pretty amateurish acting and you don't have much!
It's not as if 1949 audiences were so unsophisticated that they'd accept anything for entertainment. A lot of movies and radio shows from that time still hold up very well.
What we're left with is a curio that is of some interest as another version of our favorite story (yay!) and a glimpse into what early TV watchers sometimes had to suffer through!
How much? Stay tuned...
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