Swiss Family Robinson (1958)

Looking for adventure in the Far East, a Swiss professor (Walter Pidgeon) relocates his wife (Laraine Day) and three children (Dennis Hopper, Patty Duke, Dennis Kohler) to Ceylon. But before they reach their destination, the ship they're on is destroyed by a massive storm. Miraculously, they are able to reach an uninhabited island where do their best to survive until (and if) they are rescued. Based on the classic 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss and directed by William A. Graham (CHANGE OF HABIT). There have been many filmed versions of the Wyss novel for movies and television, the most famous being the 1960 Walt Disney adaptation. This is a condensed version of the Wyss novel shot for TV in B&W and on a soundstage island rather than on location. This limits the potential visual splendor of the story. The transfer I saw was a kinescope (in decent shape) of the original 1958 airing which looks to have been done live. Far from the definitive version of the Wyss novel, nonetheless it's a interesting curio with satisfactory performances which affords us an opportunity to see Dennis Hopper and Patty Duke early in their careers.