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"Pinocchio," a new, live-action musical based on the beloved children's classic, will be colorcast on WGAL-TV Channel 6 tonight at 7:30 p.m. on "Hall of Fame" (preempting "The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.) The spectacular production stars Burl Ives as the 19th Century woodcarver Gepetto and Peter Noone (leader of Herman's Hermits) in the title role. Anita Gillette appears as the Blue Fairy. A star of Broadway, the movies, television, and records, the big, burley, 270-pound Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was born in Hount City, Jasper, Co., Ill., descendant of a British Isles family that had come to this country in the 17th century. CREDITS Ives' Broadway credits range from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" to "Joshua Beane and God." He was also Big Daddy in the movies' "Cat" and won an Oscar for "The Big Country." Famous for recording "The Blue Tail Fly," his folk records and albums are numerous. Peter Noone (Pinocchio), who recently turned 21, was only 16 when in his native Manchester, England, he was the leader of his own rock 'n' roll group which later became Herman's Hermits. Among the group's most popular hits are "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," "I'm Henry VIII I Am," and "A Kind of Hush." He made his acting debut in 1966 in ABC-TV's "The Canterville Ghost" and has lately been active in MGM movies - "Where The Boys Meet The Girls" and "Hold On (There's No Place Like Space)." THE BLUE FAIRY Anita Gillette, who will play the role of the Blue Fairy, is now starring on Broadway in "Noel Coward's Sweet Potato." She was also seen last season in Woody Allen's comedy "Don't Drink the Water." Her first big success was in the 1961 musical "Carnival." The "Pinocchio" production features eight new songs and a ballet sequence about the land of the |
 "Runaways" which was choreographed by Michael Bennett. Ernest Kinoy's TV adaptation follows closely Carlo Collodi's book which tells of the adventures of Gepetto's wooden life - the adopted "son" who tries very hard to be a real little boy. Named Pinocchio, he is befriended by the Blue Fairy, who warns him that if he tells lies his nose will grow and grow. BAD COMPANY Naively, Pinocchio falls into the evil company of a pair of rascals - The Cat and The Fox. And before his adventures are over, he and Gepetto are swallowed by a large whale. Mort Marshall appears as The Cat; Jack Fletcher is The Fox. Other supporting cast members are Ned Wertimer as the Farmer Whale, Pierre Epstein as the Weasel, and Charlotte Rae as Rosa Whale. The "Pinocchio" special has been selected for educational merit by the "Teacher's Guide to Television." |