The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957 film)

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is an American ninetyminute musical film in color, originally made as a television special and first shown by NBC on Tuesday, November 26, 1957, as one of their Thanksgiving Week offerings for that year. It preempted that evenings telecasts of The Nat King Cole Show and The Eddie Fisher Show.. Based on the famous poem of the same name by Robert Browning and using the music of Edvard Grieg arranged by Pete King with special lyrics by Hal Stanley and Irving Taylor, it starred Van Johnson, Claude Rains in his only singing and dancing role, Lori Nelson, Jim Backus, and Kay Starr. It was directed by Broadway veteran Bretaigne Windust. In a direct nod to Brownings poem, nearly all of the dialogue in The Pied Piper of Hamelin was written in rhyme, much of it directly lifted from the poem.

The Pied Piper Van Johnson is first spotted working magic in Hamelin by a disabled boy, Paul, and playing his signature tune In the Hall of the Mountain King. Paul tells his best friend, the schoolteacher Truson true son, also played by Johnson, but Truson is skeptical.The town of Hamelin has entered a competition in order to win a banner from the King. To this end, the Mayor Claude Rains exhorts the people to work incessantly, even the children, to the extent that they are denied school and play. Truson protests, but his protests go unheeded by the arrogant Mayor. As part of a competition between several villages, the Mayor and his cabinet plan to construct golden chimes to impress the Kings Emissary, who is due to pay a visit to Hamelin. But their efforts are temporarily halted when the town is invaded by rats, which have fled the neighboring city of Hamelout after the Weser River flooded and destroyed the town. ........

Source: Wikipedia