A 1957 made-for-television musical directed by Bretaigne Windust and
broadcast on NBC as a color spectacular. Van Johnson stars as the Pied
Piper (and his alter ego Truson), with Claude Rains as the Mayor of
Hamelin, plus Lori Nelson, Jim Backus, and Kay Starr. Adapted from the
Robert Browning poem, the story follows the piper who rids Hamelin of
its rats, then leads away the town's children when the mayor refuses to
pay. Aired once and then rerun for years, the film's copyright was never
renewed, making it one of the most widely circulated public domain
musicals and a staple of holiday broadcasts on local stations.
Musical · Fantasy · Comedy
