IMDb >
The Parent Trap (1961)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Parent Trap (1961) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 15 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
21 June 1961 (USA) moreTagline:
It's Strictly a Laugh Affair morePlot:
Hayley Mills plays twins who, unknown to their divorced parents, meet at a summer camp. Products of single parent households... more | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
Disney Casting New Sitcom Via the Internet(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 31 December 2003)
User Comments:
Sassy, warm and genuinely funny moreCast
(Complete credited cast)| Hayley Mills | ... | Sharon McKendrick / Susan Evers | |
| Maureen O'Hara | ... | Margaret 'Maggie' McKendrick | |
| Brian Keith | ... | Mitch Evers | |
| Charles Ruggles | ... | Charles McKendrick (as Charlie Ruggles) | |
| Una Merkel | ... | Verbena | |
| Leo G. Carroll | ... | Rev. Dr. Mosby | |
| Joanna Barnes | ... | Vicky Robinson | |
| Cathleen Nesbitt | ... | Louise McKendrick | |
| Ruth McDevitt | ... | Miss Inch | |
| Crahan Denton | ... | Hecky | |
| Linda Watkins | ... | Edna Robinson | |
| Nancy Kulp | ... | Miss Grunecker | |
| Frank De Vol | ... | Mr. Eaglewood |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
129 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Certification:
Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #19646) | USA:G (re-rating) (1992) | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | UK:UFun Stuff
Trivia:
The "isolation" cabin that Sharon and Susan stay in at camp is named "Serendipity". moreGoofs:
Continuity: The position of Susan's hand, between shots of her holding her guitar. moreQuotes:
Charles McKendrick: [Susan starts sniffing the coat he is wearing] My dear, what are you doing?Susan Evers: Making a memory.
Charles McKendrick: Making a memory?
Susan Evers: All my life, when I'm quite grown-up I will always remember my grandfather and how he smelled of
[smells his jacket again]
Susan Evers: tobacco and peppermint.
Charles McKendrick: Smelled of tobacco and peppermint.
[starts chuckling]
Charles McKendrick: Well, I'll tell you what. I take the peppermint for my indigestion and as for the tobacco
[looks around]
[...]
more
Soundtrack:
For Now, For Always moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Parent Trap (1961) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Parent Trap | The Lizzie McGuire Movie | It Takes Two | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Yours, Mine and Ours |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Family section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |












"Family" movies usually make me cringe. Saccharine plots, cloying kiddie actors, goopy dialogue...no, thank you! But "The Parent Trap" succeeds admirably as both children-friendly fare and reasonably witty, sophisticated comedy.
The high-class production values don't hurt, and neither does the superb cast, right down to the character roles. The ever-dependable Una Merkel is a gem as the smart-talking maid, having lost none of her streetwise timing since her brassy blonde days in the 1930's. Charlie Ruggles is extraordinarily lovable as the grandfather, and Cathleen Nesbitt plays wonderfully against type as the domineering grandmother. Leo G. Carroll once again benefits a film simply by his appearance, and even Nancy "Miss Hathaway" Kulp is on board as a butch camp counselor (quite a stretch).
Of course, at the heart of it all, is the bravura performance of Hayley Mills as twins Susan and Sharon. She's never revoltingly sweet--there's a winning streak of spice in her personality that separates her from all other child stars. Plus, her kicky pre-Beatles British accent and snub-nosed beauty lend her a more worldly air than her contemporaries.
The ravishing Maureen O'Hara, in one of her last major roles as the twins' mother, Maggie, begins the film as a nondescript cipher, but her glamorous metamorphosis in the latter half of the film shows just how funny and sexy she can be. Mitch, the twins' father, is played by the ruggedly handsome Brian Keith, who generates the right mixture of roughneck toughness and paternal warmth.
And the criminally-overlooked Joanna Barnes plays Vicki, the predatory golddigger looking to sink her claws into Mitch. Vicki's verbal duels with Maggie and the twins are surprisingly catty for a children's film, and delivered with perfect villainy.
The very 1961 flourishes are priceless: the hopelessly tone-deaf Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello "singing" the theme song; the "formal" dance, with the girls all decked out in crinolines and laces; Susan plastering her bungalow wall with pictures of her favorite pin up boys (Rick Nelson!); and, my personal favorites, Sharon and Susan showing each other their parents' photos: hyper-posed, glamorous Hollywood 8x10 glossies!
The plot actually plays like a highly sanitized Rock Hudson/Doris Day bedroom farce, except that Susan and Sharon direct the course of action. You know what the ending will be even before you watch the movie, but it doesn't really matter. This is a delicious bon-bon of a flick, as irresistible to adults as to their children.