CBS Children's Film Festival
Encyclopedia
CBS Children's Film Festival is a television series of live action films from several countries that were made for children (several of them dubbed into English
). Originally a sporadic series airing on Saturday mornings, Sunday afternoons, or weekday afternoons during the summer from 1967, it became a regularly scheduled program in 1971 on the CBS Saturday morning lineup, running one hour with some films apparently edited down to fit the time slot. The program was hosted by 1950s television act Kukla, Fran and Ollie
, aka puppeteer Burr Tillstrom
and actress Fran Allison
.
Kukla, Fran and Ollie were dropped from the series in 1977 and the program was renamed CBS Saturday Film Festival. In 1978 CBS canceled the show in favor of the youth targeted magazine 30 Minutes
which was modeled after its adult sister show 60 Minutes
. CBS canceled 30 Minutes in 1982 and brought back the Saturday Film Festival which ran for two seasons until CBS cancelled it for good in 1984.
Perhaps the most famous "episode" of the series was the 1960 British film Hand in Hand
, the story of a deep friendship between two elementary school students, one a Roman Catholic boy and the other a Jewish girl.
In addition to many American
and British
films, the series also featured motion pictures from Russia
, France
, Bulgaria
, Japan
, Sweden
, Italy
, China
, Australia
, South Africa
, and Czechoslovakia
as well as several other countries.
Other films that aired during the series run include the Oscar-winning French film The Red Balloon
, Skinny and Fatty from Japan, and Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
from Great Britain.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
). Originally a sporadic series airing on Saturday mornings, Sunday afternoons, or weekday afternoons during the summer from 1967, it became a regularly scheduled program in 1971 on the CBS Saturday morning lineup, running one hour with some films apparently edited down to fit the time slot. The program was hosted by 1950s television act Kukla, Fran and Ollie
Kukla, Fran and Ollie
Kukla, Fran and Ollie is an early American television show using puppets, originally created for children but soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed...
, aka puppeteer Burr Tillstrom
Burr Tillstrom
Franklin Burr Tillstrom was a puppeteer and the creator of Kukla, Fran and Ollie....
and actress Fran Allison
Fran Allison
Fran Allison was an American television and radio comedian, personality and singer. She is best known for her starring role on the weekday NBC-TV puppet show Kukla, Fran and Ollie, which ran from 1947 to 1957, occasionally returning to the air until the mid 1980s...
.
Kukla, Fran and Ollie were dropped from the series in 1977 and the program was renamed CBS Saturday Film Festival. In 1978 CBS canceled the show in favor of the youth targeted magazine 30 Minutes
30 Minutes (CBS TV series)
30 Minutes was an American educational news magazine television series that aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982 following its Saturday Morning cartoon lineup. Patterned after 60 Minutes, its topics ranged from acne and rock bands to the Ku Klux Klan and juvenile defendants.-References:...
which was modeled after its adult sister show 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
. CBS canceled 30 Minutes in 1982 and brought back the Saturday Film Festival which ran for two seasons until CBS cancelled it for good in 1984.
Perhaps the most famous "episode" of the series was the 1960 British film Hand in Hand
Hand in Hand (film)
Hand in Hand is a 1960 British dramatic film about the friendship between two young children, one a Catholic boy about nine, the other a 7-year-old Jewish girl....
, the story of a deep friendship between two elementary school students, one a Roman Catholic boy and the other a Jewish girl.
In addition to many American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
films, the series also featured motion pictures from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
as well as several other countries.
Other films that aired during the series run include the Oscar-winning French film The Red Balloon
The Red Balloon
The Red Balloon is a 1956 fantasy short film directed by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse.The thirty-four minute short, which follows the adventures of a young boy who one day finds a sentient, mute, red balloon, was filmed in the Ménilmontant neighborhood of Paris, France.It won numerous awards,...
, Skinny and Fatty from Japan, and Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World is a 1973 British children's film starring Jim Dale, and directed by Joseph McGrath. A large supporting cast of British movie stalwarts includes Spike Milligan, Angela Douglas, Norman Rossington, Milo O'Shea, Dinsdale Landen and Victor Spinetti...
from Great Britain.