MGM Children's Matinees were a series of vintage

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

family films curated by executive Tony Myerberg that were re-released to theatres between 1970 and 1973. As the name implies, they were shown only as Saturday and Sunday matinées. The series was likely inspired by the success of lower-budgeted children's films released on weekend matinees by

K. Gordon Murray K. Gordon Murray (1922–1979) was an American producer, most notable for his redubbing and re-releasing of foreign fairy tale films for U.S. audiences. He is often cited as the "King of the Kiddie Matinee." Murray also marketed many of the Mexp ...

and Barry Yellen's Childhood Productions.

List of titles

The films ranged from old favorites such as ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'' (1939), ''

Lassie Come Home ''Lassie Come Home'' is a 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Technicolor feature film starring Roddy McDowall and canine actor Pal, in a story about the profound bond between Yorkshire boy Joe Carraclough and his rough collie, Lassie. The film was d ...

'' (1943), and ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English c ...

'' (1949), to later widescreen films such as the 1960 remake of ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' is a picaresque novel by American author Mark Twain that was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, th ...

'', to then-recent fare such as ''

Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion ''Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion'' is a 1965 light comedy-adventure film, produced by Ivan Tors, Leonard B. Kaufman, and Harry Redmond Jr., directed by Andrew Marton, and starring Marshall Thompson and Betsy Drake. The film was shot at Soledad Ca ...

''. It also featured the 1970

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He ...

cult feature ''

The Phantom Tollbooth ''The Phantom Tollbooth'' is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster, with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, first published in 1961 in literature, 1961. The story follows a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly recei ...

''.

History

All the trailers for the films in the series were newly created, using footage from the original trailers of the films, and combining them with new narration. For example, the narration for the series trailer for ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction action film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on a film story by ...

'' targeted the boys in the audience and focused solely on the science fiction elements, and "

Robby the Robot Robby the Robot is a fictional character who first appeared in the 1956 film ''Forbidden Planet''. He made a number of subsequent appearances in science fiction films and television programs, which has given him the distinction as "the harde ...

", and none of the romance between

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...

and

Anne Francis Anne Francis (September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011) was an American actress known for her ground-breaking roles in the science fiction film ''Forbidden Planet'' (1956) and the television action-drama series '' Honey West'' (1965–1966). ...

. The series was officially discontinued after 1973, though in some markets, theatres continued to program films using MGM's ad materials into the late 1970s.

Competitors

Tony Myerberg left MGM, and set up a similar franchise at

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, Paramount Family Matinee, that also repackaged reissues of family films owned by the studio like '' Hello Down There'' (1968), ''

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. It stars Gene Wilder as chocolatier Willy Wo ...

'' (1971), ''

Black Beauty ''Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse'' is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was written from a horse as main character's perspective. She wrote it in the last years of her life, during which s ...

'' (1971), and ''

Charlotte's Web ''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...

'' (1973), with acquisitions from other producers, including '' Alice in a New Wonderland'' (1966), ''

Tom Thumb Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first known fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, ...

'' (1972), '' Aladdin and His Magic Lamp'' (1970),The Animated Movie Guide - Google Books (pg.9)
/ref> '' The Magic of the Kite'' (1958), ''

Kingdom in the Clouds ''Kingdom in the Clouds'' (Romanian: ''Tinerețe fără bătrînețe'' – literal title: ''Youth Without Old Age'') is a Romanian fantasy film from 1969. It was directed and written by Elisabeta Bostan from a story by Petre Ispirescu (''Tinerețe ...

'' (1969), ''

Rumpelstiltskin "Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child. Plot I ...

'' (1955), '' Heidi, Child of the Mountain'' (1952) and its sequel ''

Heidi and Peter ''Heidi and Peter'' (German: ''Heidi und Peter'') is a 1955 Swiss family drama film directed by Franz Schnyder and starring Heinrich Gretler, Elsbeth Sigmund and Thomas Klameth. It is a sequel to the 1952 film ''Heidi'', which is itself an adaptati ...

'' (1955). The series officially ran from 1974 until 1976.

References

{{Amazon MGM Studios Children's film series American children's films Children's Matinees 1970s in film

List of titles

History

Competitors

See also

References