Heidi (1968 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heidi |
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Promotional poster
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| Written by | Earl Hamner, Jr. (teleplay) |
| Directed by | Delbert Mann |
| Starring | Maximilian Schell Jean Simmons Michael Redgrave Jennifer Edwards Walter Slezak |
| Theme music composer | John Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Frederick H. Brogger James Franciscus Gyula Trebitsch |
| Cinematography | Klaus von Rautenfeld |
| Editor(s) | Walter Boos Donald J. Cohen |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Distributor | NBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | November 17, 1968 |
Heidi is a TV movie from 1968. It is based on the famous 1880 book Heidi by Johanna Spyri. The film first aired on November 17, 1968, on the NBC network.
The movie stars Jennifer Edwards as Heidi. Other main actors include Maximilian Schell, Jean Simmons, and Michael Redgrave. The music for the film was created by the well-known composer John Williams. The watch company Timex helped pay for the film.
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What is the Story of Heidi?
The 1968 Heidi film tells the story of a young girl named Heidi. She goes to live with her grandfather in the beautiful Swiss Alps. The movie changes some parts of the original book.
Heidi's Family in the Film
In the film, Heidi is the orphan of her grandfather's late daughter. This means her grandfather is her mother's father. Her aunt, Dete, is also the grandfather's daughter. This makes Dete Heidi's aunt.
The movie also says that Heidi is Herr Sesemann's niece. This is because his late brother married the grandfather's late daughter. So, Heidi becomes a cousin to Clara, Herr Sesemann's daughter. In the film, Clara is first shown as a spoiled child.
Fräulein Rottenmeier's Role
Jean Simmons plays Fräulein Rottenmeier. She is the governess for both Heidi and Clara. In the book, Rottenmeier is often strict and unfriendly. But in this movie, she is a very kind character. She acts almost like a second mother to Heidi. This change makes the film's story different from the book. It also leads to a new plot where Rottenmeier and Herr Sesemann fall in love. This does not happen in the original novel.
Grandfather's Music and Clara's Walking
The film adds a new storyline for Heidi's grandfather. In this version, he is a church organist. He had stopped playing the organ because of a sad family event. This event was his daughter's marriage to Sesemann's brother and her death. By the end of the film, he starts playing the organ again.
Another change is how Clara learns to walk. In the book, Clara's grandmother helps Heidi learn to read and pray. She also visits the girls. But this character is not in the film. In the book, Peter breaks Clara's wheelchair out of jealousy. This leads to Clara taking her first steps.
In the movie, Fräulein Rottenmeier and Herr Sesemann visit the girls. The grandfather leaves Clara alone on the mountain. He knows she can walk but is afraid to try. Clara tries to get out of her wheelchair and falls. She sees her father, Herr Sesemann, watching her. She then slowly walks towards him. The movie ends with a hint that Fräulein Rottenmeier and Herr Sesemann will be together.
The "Heidi Game" Incident
The first time Heidi was shown on TV was very famous for another reason. It happened during an American Football League game. The game was between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets.
NBC had to start the Heidi movie at 7:00 p.m. ET. But the football game was still going on. NBC decided to let the game finish before showing the movie. However, they could not tell their New York control center about this change. Many viewers were calling NBC to ask if Heidi would be shown or if the game would finish. So many calls came in that all 26 of NBC's phone lines stopped working.
Because of this, Heidi started exactly at 7:00 p.m. as planned. This cut off the football game for many viewers on the East Coast. Right after the game was cut, the Oakland Raiders scored two touchdowns in the last minute. They won the game 43-32 in a big upset. A large part of the country missed seeing this exciting ending. This event is still talked about in TV and sports history.
Where to Watch Heidi Now
Sometimes, the 1968 Heidi film is shown on Trinity Broadcasting Network's children's channel, Smile of a Child.
