Jack and the Beanstalk (1952): watch the full film free, legally

A bedtime story becomes a skyward dream

Jack and the Beanstalk is a 1952 American fantasy comedy starring Abbott and Costello. Its screenplay retells the “Jack and the Beanstalk” fairy tale as comedy, with Buddy Baer, Dorothy Ford and Barbara Brown among the featured performers. The film moves between a contemporary babysitting assignment and Jack Strong’s dream of a fairy-tale kingdom.

Mr. Dinkle and Jack Strong are sent by an employment agency to babysit Donald, an obnoxious boy. They attempt to read him “Jack and the Beanstalk,” but Jack stumbles over the longer words, so Donald takes over the reading. Jack falls asleep and imagines himself as the young Jack in the tale.

In that dream, a giant in a castle in the sky has taken the kingdom’s food and crown jewels. Princess Eloise is required to marry a prince from a neighboring kingdom whom she has never met. Jack’s mother sends him to sell Henry, the family’s beloved cow and last possession, to butcher Mr. Dinklepuss. On the road, Jack encounters the prince, who is disguised as a troubadour before the giant kidnaps him. Dinklepuss gives Jack five magic beans for Henry, and Jack later discovers that the giant has also taken the princess and the cow.

Beans, a beanstalk and a giant’s castle

Jack’s angry mother tells him to plant the beans. A huge beanstalk grows overnight, giving him a route to the castle above. Jack sets out to rescue the captives, recover Nellie, a hen previously stolen from his family, and retrieve what the giant has taken. Dinklepuss accompanies him. At the top, the pair are captured and imprisoned with the prince and princess.

The princess has fallen in love with the troubadour, then learns he is the prince to whom she was promised. The giant lets Jack and Dinklepuss out of the dungeon to work around the castle. Jack puts gunpowder in chicken feed, with explosive consequences for the giant’s omelette. They gain the help of Polly, the giant’s housekeeper, and escape over the castle wall with the royal prisoners, Nellie and some stolen gems. The giant follows as the group makes for the beanstalk.

Bud Abbott plays Mr. Dinkle and Mr. Dinklepuss, while Lou Costello plays Jack and Jack Strong. Dorothy Ford appears as a receptionist and Polly, Buddy Baer as Police Sergeant Riley and the giant, Shaye Cogan as Eloise Larkin and Princess Eloise, and David Stollery as Donald Larkin. James Alexander plays Arthur and Prince Arthur. Barbara Brown is Mrs. Strong, William Farnum is the King, and Arthur Shields plays Patrick the Harp. Mel Blanc provides the voices of woodland animals in the giant’s land.

An independent color production

Lou Costello conceived the project to appeal to children and to answer a common criticism that he and Abbott had repeatedly used stale comedy routines. The pair researched the fairy tale and found at least five versions in circulation, giving them more story possibilities. The tale had previously reached the screen as a feature film only once, in a 1917 silent film.

When Universal-International would not finance color photography, Abbott and Costello made the film through Costello’s Exclusive Productions. Their contract allowed one independent film each year. Warner Bros. distributed the picture without financing it or providing production services. Filming ran from July 9 to August 2, 1951, at Hal Roach Studios, using sets from Joan of Arc, released in 1948.

The opening and closing material uses sepia tone, while the main portion was filmed in Eastmancolor and presented in SuperCinecolor. Abbott and Costello removed more than 26 minutes before release, representing $50,000 in production, partly because some scenes returned to old lines and gags. Lester Lee and Bob Russell wrote five songs, including “Darlene,” “I Fear Nothing” and “Dreamer’s Cloth.” Decca Records released a soundtrack album of songs and dialogue on June 9, 1952. RKO Radio Pictures acquired the film in the late 1950s and rereleased it in 1960.

Film details from the Wikipedia article “Jack and the Beanstalk (1952 film)”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.