The Parent Trap
Encyclopedia
The Parent Trap is a 1961 Walt Disney film. It stars Hayley Mills
, Maureen O'Hara
and Brian Keith
in a story about teenage twins and their divorced parents. The screenplay by the film's director David Swift
was based upon the book Lottie and Lisa
(Das Doppelte Lottchen) by Erich Kästner
. Kastner derived his version from a Deanna Durbin
film Three Smart Girls. The Parent Trap was nominated for two Academy Awards, was broadcast on television, saw three television sequels, was remade in 1998
with Lindsay Lohan
, and has been released to VHS and DVD. The original film was Mills' second of six films for Disney.
) meet at summer camp, unaware that they are sisters. Their identical appearance initially creates rivalry, and they continually pull pranks on one another. Eventually, their mischief ruins the camp dance. As punishment, they must live together in an isolated cabin for the remaining summer. After both admit they come from broken homes, they soon realize they are twin sisters and that their parents, Mitch and Maggie (Brian Keith
and Maureen O'Hara
), divorced shortly after their birth, with each parent having custody of one of them. The twins, each eager to meet the parent they never knew, switch places. While Susan is in Boston masquerading as Sharon, Sharon goes to California pretending to be Susan.
Sharon telephones Susan in Boston with news that their father is planning to marry a gold-digger, and their mother needs to be rushed to California to prevent the union. In Boston, Susan tells her mother the truth about the switched identities and the two fly there.
With all four in California, the twins set about (with mild approval from their mother) sabotaging their father's marriage plans. Mitch's money-hungry, and much-younger, fiance, Vicki Robinson (Joanna Barnes
), receives rude, mischievous treatment from the girls and some veiled cattiness from Maggie. One evening, the girls recreate their parents' first date at an Italian restaurant with a gypsy violinist. The former spouses are gradually drawn together, though they quickly begin bickering over minor things and Vicki.
To delay Maggie's return to Boston with Sharon, the twins dress and talk alike so their parents are unable to tell them apart. They will reveal who is who only after everyone goes on the annual family camping trip. Mitch and Maggie reluctantly agree, but when Vicki objects to the plan, Maggie tricks her into taking her place. The girls effect the coup de grace
: Vicki spends her time swatting mosquitoes and being awakened in terror by two bear cubs licking the honey the twins put on her feet. Exasperated, Vicki angrily slaps one of the girls, and Mitch ends the relationship. Mitch and Maggie rekindle their love, and the two remarry in the final scene with the twins in the wedding party.
The film was shot mostly at various locales in California
. The summer camp scenes were filmed at Cedar Lake Camp, in the San Bernardino Mountains
near the city of Big Bear Lake
in Southern California
. The Monterey scenes were filmed in various California locations, including millionaire Stuyvesant Fish
's 5200 acres (21 km²) ranch in Carmel
, Monterey's Pebble Beach golf course. The scenes at the Monterey house were shot at studio's Golden Oak Ranch in Placerita Canyon, where Mitch's ranch was built. It was the design of this set that proved the most popular, and to this day the Walt Disney Archives receives requests for plans of the home's interior design. Of course, there never was such a house; the set was simply various rooms built on a sound stage. Camp Inch was based on a real girls' camp called Camp Crestridge for Girls at the Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center near Asheville, North Carolina
.
", includes "For Now, For Always
", and "Let's Get Together
". "Let's Get Together" (sung by Annette Funicello) is heard playing from a record player at the summer camp; the tune is reprised by the twins when they restage their parents' first date. The title song was performed by Tommy Sands
and Annette Funicello
, who were both on the studio lot shooting Babes in Toyland
at the time.
: one for Sound by Robert O. Cook
, and the other for Film Editing by Philip W. Anderson
.
(1986), The Parent Trap III
(1989), and The Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon
(1989). In 1963, the ABC
television sitcom The Patty Duke Show
debuted using similar filming techniques in a series about teenage cousins (played by Patty Duke
) with identical twin appearances but with completely different personalities. The original film was remade in 1998
starring Lindsay Lohan
.
In 1965, a similar Tamil film called Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum
starring Kutty Padmini
released, which was later remade into Telugu as Letha Manasulu and in Hindi as Do Kaliyaan
starring Neetu Singh
in the double role.
Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
, Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara is an Irish film actress and singer. The famously red-headed O'Hara has been noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne...
and Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
in a story about teenage twins and their divorced parents. The screenplay by the film's director David Swift
David Swift (director)
David Swift was an American film actor, writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1967 film, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and the Disney films Parent Trap franchise.-Biography:...
was based upon the book Lottie and Lisa
Lottie and Lisa
Lisa and Lottie is a 1949 novel by Erich Kästner, which originally started out during WWII as an aborted movie scenario, about twin girls separated at birth who meet at summer camp. It has been adapted into film many times .-Plot summary:Two nine-year-old girls—rude Lisa Palfy Lisa and...
(Das Doppelte Lottchen) by Erich Kästner
Erich Kästner
Emil Erich Kästner was a German author, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known for his humorous, socially astute poetry and children's literature.-Dresden 1899–1919:...
. Kastner derived his version from a Deanna Durbin
Deanna Durbin
Deanna Durbin is a Canadian-born, Southern California-raised retired singer and actress, who appeared in a number of musical films in the 1930s and 1940s singing standards as well as operatic arias....
film Three Smart Girls. The Parent Trap was nominated for two Academy Awards, was broadcast on television, saw three television sequels, was remade in 1998
The Parent Trap (1998 film)
The Parent Trap is a remake of the 1961 family film of the same name. It was directed and co-written by Nancy Meyers, and produced and co-written by Charles Shyer. It stars Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as a couple who divorce soon after marrying, and Lindsay Lohan in a dual role as their...
with Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
, and has been released to VHS and DVD. The original film was Mills' second of six films for Disney.
Plot
Identical twins Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick (Hayley MillsHayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
) meet at summer camp, unaware that they are sisters. Their identical appearance initially creates rivalry, and they continually pull pranks on one another. Eventually, their mischief ruins the camp dance. As punishment, they must live together in an isolated cabin for the remaining summer. After both admit they come from broken homes, they soon realize they are twin sisters and that their parents, Mitch and Maggie (Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
and Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara is an Irish film actress and singer. The famously red-headed O'Hara has been noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne...
), divorced shortly after their birth, with each parent having custody of one of them. The twins, each eager to meet the parent they never knew, switch places. While Susan is in Boston masquerading as Sharon, Sharon goes to California pretending to be Susan.
Sharon telephones Susan in Boston with news that their father is planning to marry a gold-digger, and their mother needs to be rushed to California to prevent the union. In Boston, Susan tells her mother the truth about the switched identities and the two fly there.
With all four in California, the twins set about (with mild approval from their mother) sabotaging their father's marriage plans. Mitch's money-hungry, and much-younger, fiance, Vicki Robinson (Joanna Barnes
Joanna Barnes
Joanna Barnes is an American actress and writer.Barnes was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but moved to Los Angeles, California soon after finishing her education, and took up a contract with Columbia Pictures...
), receives rude, mischievous treatment from the girls and some veiled cattiness from Maggie. One evening, the girls recreate their parents' first date at an Italian restaurant with a gypsy violinist. The former spouses are gradually drawn together, though they quickly begin bickering over minor things and Vicki.
To delay Maggie's return to Boston with Sharon, the twins dress and talk alike so their parents are unable to tell them apart. They will reveal who is who only after everyone goes on the annual family camping trip. Mitch and Maggie reluctantly agree, but when Vicki objects to the plan, Maggie tricks her into taking her place. The girls effect the coup de grace
Coup de grâce
The expression coup de grâce means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer...
: Vicki spends her time swatting mosquitoes and being awakened in terror by two bear cubs licking the honey the twins put on her feet. Exasperated, Vicki angrily slaps one of the girls, and Mitch ends the relationship. Mitch and Maggie rekindle their love, and the two remarry in the final scene with the twins in the wedding party.
Cast
- Hayley MillsHayley MillsHayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
as Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick - Brian KeithBrian KeithBrian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
as Mitch Evers - Maureen O'HaraMaureen O'HaraMaureen O'Hara is an Irish film actress and singer. The famously red-headed O'Hara has been noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne...
as Margaret "Maggie" McKendrick - Joanna BarnesJoanna BarnesJoanna Barnes is an American actress and writer.Barnes was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but moved to Los Angeles, California soon after finishing her education, and took up a contract with Columbia Pictures...
as Vicky Robinson - Susan Henning as Susan/Sharon double
Production notes
The screenplay originally called for only a few trick photography shots of Hayley Mills in scenes with herself; the bulk of the film was to be shot using a body double. When Walt Disney saw how seamless the processed shots were, he ordered the script reconfigured to include more of the special effect. Disney also wanted Mills to appear on camera as much as possible, knowing that she was having growth spurts during filming.The film was shot mostly at various locales in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The summer camp scenes were filmed at Cedar Lake Camp, in the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
near the city of Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake, California
Big Bear Lake is a city in San Bernardino County, California along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, located northeast of the city of San Bernardino. The population was 5,019 at the 2010 census, down from 5,438 at the 2000 census...
in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The Monterey scenes were filmed in various California locations, including millionaire Stuyvesant Fish
Stuyvesant Fish
Stuyvesant Fish was president of the Illinois Central Railroad.Fish was born in New York City, the son of Hamilton Fish and his wife Julia Ursin Niemcewicz, née Kean. A graduate of Columbia College, he was later an executive of the Illinois Central Railroad, and as its president from 1887 to 1906...
's 5200 acres (21 km²) ranch in Carmel
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
, Monterey's Pebble Beach golf course. The scenes at the Monterey house were shot at studio's Golden Oak Ranch in Placerita Canyon, where Mitch's ranch was built. It was the design of this set that proved the most popular, and to this day the Walt Disney Archives receives requests for plans of the home's interior design. Of course, there never was such a house; the set was simply various rooms built on a sound stage. Camp Inch was based on a real girls' camp called Camp Crestridge for Girls at the Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center near Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
.
Musical numbers
Richard and Robert Sherman provided the songs, which, besides the title song "The Parent TrapThe Parent Trap (song)
"The Parent Trap" was the title song from the 1961 Disney film, The Parent Trap. It was sung by teen idols, Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands and it was written by the songwriting brother team of Robert and Richard Sherman....
", includes "For Now, For Always
For Now, For Always
"For Now, For Always" was a sentimental ballad from the 1961 Disney film, The Parent Trap. It was sung by Maureen O'Hara, and was written by the songwriting brother team of the Robert and Richard Sherman....
", and "Let's Get Together
Let's Get Together (Hayley Mills song)
"Let's Get Together" was a popular song written by the songwriting team of brothers Robert and Richard Sherman for the 1961 Disney film, The Parent Trap. It was sung in the film by teen actress Hayley Mills as a duet with herself. This is because she played twin sisters, which was a technical feat...
". "Let's Get Together" (sung by Annette Funicello) is heard playing from a record player at the summer camp; the tune is reprised by the twins when they restage their parents' first date. The title song was performed by Tommy Sands
Tommy Sands
Tommy Adrian Sands is an American pop music singer and actor.-Early life:Born into a musical family in Chicago, Illinois, Sands' father was a pianist and his mother a big-band singer. While still young, he moved with his family to Shreveport, Louisiana...
and Annette Funicello
Annette Funicello
Annette Joanne Funicello is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films.-Early life and early stardom:...
, who were both on the studio lot shooting Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland (1961 film)
Babes in Toyland is a 1961 Christmas musical film in Technicolor, directed by Jack Donohue, produced by Walt Disney, and distributed to theatres by Buena Vista Distribution. It stars Ray Bolger as Barnaby, Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary, Tommy Sands as Tom Piper, and Ed Wynn as the Toymaker.The...
at the time.
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for two Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
: one for Sound by Robert O. Cook
Robert O. Cook
Robert O. Cook was an American sound engineer. He was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Sound Recording. He worked on nearly 100 films between 1946 and 1977.-Selected filmography:...
, and the other for Film Editing by Philip W. Anderson
Philip W. Anderson (editor)
Philip W. Anderson is an American film editor with more than fifty film credits commencing with the 1939 films, Marine Circus and Dark Magic. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for three films: Giant , Sayonara Philip W. Anderson is an American film editor with more than...
.
Subsequent developments
The film was theatrically rereleased in 1968. The Disney Studios produced three television sequels The Parent Trap IIThe Parent Trap II
The Parent Trap II is a 1986 television film. It is a continuation to the Walt Disney Pictures 1961 film, The Parent Trap. It aired on July 26, 1986 on The Disney Channel as a part of the channel's "Sunday Night Movie". Hayley Mills is the only actor who returned from the original film...
(1986), The Parent Trap III
The Parent Trap III
The Parent Trap III is a 1989 television movie. It is the second sequel to the 1961 film The Parent Trap. It was released by The Wonderful World of Disney in 1989...
(1989), and The Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon
The Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon
The Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon is the fourth made-for-TV sequel of The Parent Trap. It aired November 19, 1989, Hayley Mills reprises her role as Susan Wyatt and Sharon Grand. Also returning from The Parent Trap III is Barry Bostwick and the Creel triplets: Joy, Leanna, and Monica...
(1989). In 1963, the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television sitcom The Patty Duke Show
The Patty Duke Show
The Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke...
debuted using similar filming techniques in a series about teenage cousins (played by Patty Duke
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
) with identical twin appearances but with completely different personalities. The original film was remade in 1998
The Parent Trap (1998 film)
The Parent Trap is a remake of the 1961 family film of the same name. It was directed and co-written by Nancy Meyers, and produced and co-written by Charles Shyer. It stars Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as a couple who divorce soon after marrying, and Lindsay Lohan in a dual role as their...
starring Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
.
In 1965, a similar Tamil film called Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum
Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum
Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum is a 1965 Tamil film directed by the duo Krishnan-Panju, starring Jaishankar, Jamuna and Kutty Padmini. A Hollywood adaptation of The Parent Trap , the film tells a story of twin girls bringing together their separated parents. The film, produced by AVM Productions and...
starring Kutty Padmini
Kutty Padmini
Kutty Padmini is a South Indian movie actress who predominantly works in Kollywood. She was a child star in her debut movie Ambala Anjulam . She has also acted in Telugu and Malayalam movies.-Personal life and background:...
released, which was later remade into Telugu as Letha Manasulu and in Hindi as Do Kaliyaan
Do Kaliyaan
Do Kaliyan is 1968 film directed by R. Krishnan and S. Panju. It stars Mala Sinha, Biswajeet, Mehmood and Neetu Singh.-Cast:* Mala Sinha as Kiran* Biswajeet as Shekhar * Mehmood as Mahesh* Om Prakash as Kiran's Father...
starring Neetu Singh
Neetu Singh
Neetu Singh is an Indian Bollywood actress. She worked as a child actor under the name Baby Sonia. She played Roopa in the 1966 movie Dus Lakh and a dual role in the film Do Kaliyaan. Her other notable films were Waris and Pavitra Paapi.-Career:Neetu Singh made her debut as an actress in 1972 with...
in the double role.