MGM's Into the Woods (1949)
I don't know who made this time-travel brilliance or I would credit their awesomeness (please citizens o' the internet, credit your artwork!) but I got it from the New York Theater website and found it highly amusing. What if Into the Woods had been made by MGM circa 40 years before Stephen Sondheim wrote it!
If you're having trouble reading it the credits go like so...
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Produced by Arthur Freed
Dances by Gene Kelly
Songs by Roger Edens
Screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green
Starring...
Bette Davis as The Witch
Danny Kaye as The Baker
Judy Garland as The Baker's Wife
Elizabeth Taylor as Cinderella
Gene Kelly as The Prince
Roddy McDowall as Jack
Margaret O'Brien as Little Red
Cesar Romero as The Wolf
Spring Byington as Jack's Mother
Jeanne Crain as Rapunzel
Frank Sinatra as The Other Prince
Rosalind Russell as Cinderella's Step-Mother
Anne Baxter and ______ (can't read it) as Cinderella's Step-Sisters
Marjorie Main as Granny
and
Katharine Hepburn as The Giant
I basically love it but some of these people can't sing. I mean think of Bette Davis's croaking horror movie voice doing "Last Midnight". Yikes.
I dont know why but I burst out laughing when I got to Spring Byington as Jack's Mother. Brilliance. Though I think we can all agree that it was nice to see Tracey Ullman again in the here and now.
Reader Comments (17)
Love it!
Looks like Ann Blyth as Lucinda.
Delightful!
You're a genius.
Ava Gardner as the Baker's Wife, please.
I think Optramark is correct: it's Ann Blyth as the step-sister. Nice! And she's one of the few who can sing.
@Tyler - Ooh, interesting choice! I think I'd prefer to see Judy Garland as Cinderella, and Gardner as the Baker's Wife.
THIS. Is BRILLIANT.
THIS. Is BRILLIANT.
Love the whole thing.
That is Ann Blyth but as much as I love Anne Baxter she couldn't sing it should be Ginny Simms or Kathryn Grayson.
Jeanne Crain was always dubbed so I'd say Deanna Durbin would make more sense as Rapunzel.
Betty Hutton and her oversized personality or Ann Miller would make an imposing giant.
For the witch how about the so called Iron Butterfly, Jeanette MacDonald? By the mid-forties she would have been the right age. a little operatic but at least she could really sing.
I would think Joan Crawford would make the perfect witch, singing be damned.
Please make this a regular feature! Cast current musicals for a movie adaptation with stars from Hollywood's golden age.
I love Spring's casting...but imagine Billie Burke?!
This is terrif!
I also second Joan Crawford as The Witch...it could have been her post-Oscar return to Metro on her Immaculate Broomstick! Hollywood Royalty Forever, L.B.!
This is amazing. However, a friend of mine recently mentioned his dream of a version where Judy Garland played the Witch and Liza Minelli played Rapunzel and I think the image of that version of "Stay With Me" trumps all. Can you imagine?!
Joan Crawford for the Witch!
I saw this poster on Facebook under the name Rob Hartmann back in 2014. I didn't realize it at the time, but he is the creator.