ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1931) Ruth Gilbert, Ralph Hertz & Lillian Ardell | Family, Fantasy | B&W

Alice in Wonderland (1931) is an independently made black-and-white Pre-Code American film based on Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, directed by Bud Pollard, produced by Hugo Maienthau, and filmed at Metropolitan Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

SYNOPSIS
A young girl named Alice falls down a rabbit-hole and wanders into the strange world of Wonderland.

Young Alice (Ruth Gilbert) explores the Wonderland, after falling down a rabbit hole, which soon meeting upon the White Rabbit. Alice explores Wonderland, while orchestra from the 30s plays. The music stops as the girl goes into the Duchess’s House. The Duchess fights with the Cook. The Duchess greets Alice inside, and welcomes her. Alice watches a baby with the Duchess, until it turns into a pig. Alice asks the Duchess things that are none of her business. Alice screams in horror, as the Duchess tries to chop her head off. When she leaves, she meets a Cheshire Cat, who leaves his grin, behind instead. Alice meets a Mad Hatter (Leslie King) and a March Hare at a tea party, they ask her “Why is a raven like a writing desk”, she misunderstands to answer, and leaves the tea party. Alice meets the Caterpillar, which is annoyed, and the Mock Turtle. Alice meets the Queen of Hearts, Alice finds out, that the Mad Hatter fainted. She cries sadly. The Queen of Hearts tries to chop that head, nearly. The camera zooms in on Alice, and loses her head, Alice wakes up and goes inside for tea.

CAST & CREW
Ruth Gilbert as Alice
Leslie T. King as Mad Hatter
Ralph Hertz as White Rabbit
Vie Quinn as Queen of Hearts
N.R. Cregan as King of Hearts
Pat Glasgow as Knave of Hearts
Mabel Wright as Duchess
Lillian Ardell as Cook
Tom Corliss as Cheshire Cat
Meyer Beresen as March Hare
Raymond Schultz as Dormouse
Charles Silvern as Gryphan
Gus Alexander as Mock Turtle
Jimmy Rosen as Caterpillar

Directed by Bud Pollard
Written by John E. Goodson (adaptation), Ashley Ayer Miller (screenplay)
Based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Produced by Hugo Maienthau
Cinematography Charles Levine
Edited by Bud Pollard
Production company Metropolitan Studios
Distributed by Unique Foto Films
Release date September 30, 1931
Running time 58 minutes
Country United States
Language English

NOTES
This was the first sound version of the story, and therefore the first film in which Carroll's original dialogue was heard.[1][2] The film stars Ruth Gilbert as Alice and Leslie King as the Mad Hatter. The film opened at the Warner Theatre in New York City. The movie begins with a jazzy theme song written by Irving Berlin.

This low-budget film was made in 1931 at the Metropolitan Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The film's release came out one year before the centenary of the birth of Lewis Carroll, an event which was causing a wave of 'Alice' fever on both sides of the Atlantic.[1]

In the United States, a number of 'Alice in Wonderland' plays, films, songs and puppet shows in the early 1930s attempted to cash in on this Carroll and 'Alice' fever. For example, in the Betty Boop cartoon Betty in Blunderland Betty went to Wonderland, as did Eva Le Gallienne in a 1932 Broadway adaptation that combined Alice in Wonderland with Through the Looking Glass, and which was one of the hits of the year.

Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures was preparing a big-budget Alice in Wonderland which starred an unknown, Charlotte Henry, with an all-star cast that featured W.C. Fields, Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. In 1932, Alice Liddell, the inspiration for the 'Alice' of the original books, and by now an elderly lady, visited America to take part in these centenary celebrations. There was also an 'Alice in Wonderland' dance number in Puttin' on the Ritz (1930), with Joan Bennett as Alice, and which was originally shot in Technicolor. The song and music was that by Irving Berlin featured in the 1931 release. The dance number was also issued as a separate short.

The film opened at the prestigious Warner Theatre in New York City. However, the film was not financially successful and received little critical attention.

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