A Touch of Magic
Encyclopedia
A Touch of Magic is a musical sponsored film
.
The film begins with a designer at the drawing board, daydreaming about a 1920s couple who travel to the Middle Ages
; the Man saves the Woman from a wizard ("an evil charmer") and a dragon, only to abruptly discover that they are all performing for an audience in the 1960s. The film then features the couple courting in General Motors
' latest cars. Now married, the Man and Woman next appear in an early 1960s style home of the future
with a magical kitchen; they host a housewarming party attended by invisible guests. We last see the couple dancing dreamily on a cloud.
The film, which is now in the public domain, was directed by
Victor D. Solow and produced by MPO Productions. Joseph Moncure March
and Edward Eliscu
wrote the script and lyrics; Sol Kaplan
, the score. It starred dancers Tad Tadlock (whose real name was Thelma Tadlock) and James Mitchell
.
This is one in a series of Populuxe films and events sponsored by General Motors
. The series began with the General Motors Futurerama
exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair, which displayed a vision of the future involving urban sprawl
and multi-lane limited access freeways. GM's later Motorama
exhibits continued this theme into the 1960s. A Touch of Magic was the film for the 1961 Motorama.
Sponsored film
Sponsored film, or ephemeral film, as defined by film archivist Rick Prelinger, is film made by a particular sponsor for a specific purpose other than as a work of art: the films were designed to serve a specific pragmatic purpose for a limited time...
.
The film begins with a designer at the drawing board, daydreaming about a 1920s couple who travel to the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
; the Man saves the Woman from a wizard ("an evil charmer") and a dragon, only to abruptly discover that they are all performing for an audience in the 1960s. The film then features the couple courting in General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
' latest cars. Now married, the Man and Woman next appear in an early 1960s style home of the future
Home of the future
The home of the future, similar to the office of the future, is a concept that has been popular to explore since the early 20th century, or perhaps earlier...
with a magical kitchen; they host a housewarming party attended by invisible guests. We last see the couple dancing dreamily on a cloud.
The film, which is now in the public domain, was directed by
Victor D. Solow and produced by MPO Productions. Joseph Moncure March
Joseph Moncure March
Joseph Moncure March was an American poet and essayist, best known for his long narrative poems The Wild Party and The Set-Up.- Life :...
and Edward Eliscu
Edward Eliscu
Edward Eliscu was a lyricist, playwright, producer and actor. He attended the City College of New York where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree. He then began acting in Broadway plays...
wrote the script and lyrics; Sol Kaplan
Sol Kaplan
Sol Kaplan was a prolific film and television music composer.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kaplan worked as a successful concert pianist, including performing at Carnegie Hall in 1941. That same year, Kaplan composed his first film score. He went on to write music for dozens of films...
, the score. It starred dancers Tad Tadlock (whose real name was Thelma Tadlock) and James Mitchell
James Mitchell (actor)
James Mitchell was an American actor and dancer. Although he is best known to television audiences as Palmer Cortlandt on the soap opera All My Children , theatre and dance historians remember him as one of Agnes de Mille's leading dancers...
.
This is one in a series of Populuxe films and events sponsored by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. The series began with the General Motors Futurerama
Futurama (New York World's Fair)
Futurama was an exhibit/ride at the 1939 New York World's Fair designed by Norman Bel Geddes that tried to show the world 20 years into the future . Sponsored by the General Motors Corporation, the installation was characterised by its automated highways and vast suburbs...
exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair, which displayed a vision of the future involving urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
and multi-lane limited access freeways. GM's later Motorama
Motorama
The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
exhibits continued this theme into the 1960s. A Touch of Magic was the film for the 1961 Motorama.
Selected quotes
- Man - "This dream house you and I will share/Was planned for us by Frigidaire"
- Man and Woman - "AladdinAladdinAladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
's lamp has had its day/This modern magic is here to stay"
- Man and Woman - "A touch of magic every day/Is the charm that goes the long long way,/It keeps our spirits young and gay/And the magic is constantly new/In a world full of magic with..."
See also
- MotoramaMotoramaThe General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
- General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
- Sponsored filmSponsored filmSponsored film, or ephemeral film, as defined by film archivist Rick Prelinger, is film made by a particular sponsor for a specific purpose other than as a work of art: the films were designed to serve a specific pragmatic purpose for a limited time...
- Design for DreamingDesign for DreamingDesign for Dreaming is a musical sponsored film about a woman who dreams about a masked man taking her to the 1956 General Motors Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Frigidaire's "Kitchen of the Future." The entirety of the dialogue is sung, though the actors...
, another GM film in the same series. - AdvertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
- Rick PrelingerRick PrelingerRick Prelinger is an archivist, writer and filmmaker, and founder of the Prelinger Archives, a collection of 60,000 advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films acquired by the Library of Congress in 2002 after 20 years' operation.Rick has partnered with the Internet Archive to make...