Madeline is a children's book series written by
Ludwig BemelmansLudwig Bemelmans was a German-American author, an internationally known gourmet and also a writer and illustrator of children's books. He is most famous today for the series of Madeline books.-Life:...
, an American author of Belgian,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
n and
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
origins. The first book in the series,
Madeline, was published in 1939. It proved to be a success, and Bemelmans wrote many sequels to the original during the 1940s and 1950s. The series continues to this day, written by Bemelmans' grandson John Bemelmans-Marciano. The books were later adapted into a television series and a feature film. The adaptations are famous for having the closing line, first uttered by actress
Ethel BarrymoreEthel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the famous Barrymore family.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
in a play: "That's all there is, there isn't any more."
Madeline on the silver screen
The earliest appearance of Madeline in the cinema was in the 1952 animated short
Madeline, produced by
United Productions of AmericaUnited Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio of the 1940s through present day, beginning with industrial films and World War II training films. In the late 1940s, UPA produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures, most notably the Mr. Magoo series. In...
(UPA) and directed by Bobe Cannon. The film was nominated for the 1952
Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons)The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
, but lost to
Tom and JerryTom and Jerry is a series of animated theatrical shorts created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that centered on a never-ending rivalry between a housecat and a mouse whose chases and battles often involved comic violence...
's 7th and final award winning cartoon
Johann MouseJohann Mouse is the 75th one reel animated Tom and Jerry short, created in 1953 directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby with music by Scott Bradley and Jakob Gimpel and narration by Hans Conried...
.
In 1959, William L. Snyder's Rembrandt Films produced animated adaptations of
Madeline's Rescue,
Madeline and the Bad Hat and
Madeline and the Gypsies for the educational film market. The latter two were featured, along with other similar adaptations of children's books, in Snyder and
Gene DeitchEugene Merril "Gene" Deitch is an American Academy-Award winning illustrator, animator and film director. He has been based in Prague, capital of Czechoslovakia and the present-day Czech Republic, since 1959....
's 1966 theatrical feature
Alice of Wonderland in ParisAlice of Wonderland in Paris is a 1966 U.S. animated film directed by Gene Deitch and produced by William L. Snyder.-Plot:Young Alice, having become a celebrity for her adventures in Wonderland, is in her bedroom dreaming about visiting Paris. A talking mouse named Francois rides a bicycle into...
.
A live-action feature adaptation of
MadelineMadeline is a live-action adaptation of the book series by Ludwig Bemelmans, starring Hatty Jones as the title character, Frances McDormand as Miss Clavel and Nigel Hawthorne as Lord Cucuface aka Lord Covington. The film encompasses the plots of four Madeline books.- Plot summary :Madeline attends...
, produced in France by Jaffilms but shot in English, was released in 1998 by Tri-Star Pictures. It starred
Hatty JonesHatty Jones is a former British-born child actress whose sole credit was playing the role of the title character in the 1998 movie Madeline.- Brief biography :...
as the title character, Frances MacDormand as Miss Clavel and a supporting cast with British actor
Ben DanielsBen Daniels is a British actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , he has taken on roles in numerous productions...
&
Nigel HawthorneSir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:Hawthorne was born in Coventry, England, the son of Agnes...
. Its script encompassed the plots of four of the books. Original music for the film was provided by
Michel LegrandMichel Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist of French and Armenian descent....
and has
Carly SimonCarlene Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work.She is the former wife of another...
singing the theme song "In Two Straight Lines". It was directed by Daisy Mayer.
Madeline on TV
In 1989,
DiC EntertainmentDIC Entertainment was an international American film and television production company which was founded in 1971 as DIC Audiovisuel by Jean Chalopin in Luxembourg, as a subsidiary of Radio-Television Luxembourg...
in co-operation with Cinar, adapted the first Madeline book into an animated television special for
HBOHBO is a premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner, offers two 24/7 pay television services to over 38 million U.S...
. The show's teleplay was written by
Judy RothmanJudy Rothman Rofé is an American screenwriter and lyricist specializing in comedy and literary adaptations for children. She won the 2002 Emmy for Best Animated Program for Madeline , for which she was writer, lyricist, story editor and supervising producer on over 70 episodes...
, who would serve as writer, lyricist and story editor for all subsequent Madeline animated projects. The special was narrated by
Christopher PlummerChristopher Plummer, CC is a Canadian theater, film and television actor. In a career that spans over five decades and includes substantial roles in film, television, and theater, Plummer is perhaps best known for the role of Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music...
, and featured original music and songs by
Joe RaposoJoseph Guilherme Raposo Jr., OIH was a Portuguese-American composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series Sesame Street, for which he wrote the theme song, as well as classic songs such as "Bein' Green" and...
(who died four months before the special aired), with lyrics by
Judy RothmanJudy Rothman Rofé is an American screenwriter and lyricist specializing in comedy and literary adaptations for children. She won the 2002 Emmy for Best Animated Program for Madeline , for which she was writer, lyricist, story editor and supervising producer on over 70 episodes...
. The special was nominated for an Emmy Award for
Best Animated Program (One Hour or Less)The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
.
In 1991,
CinarÇınar is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey. And also the name of downtown of Denizli city of Denizli Province of Turkey....
, again in collaboration with DiC Entertainment, produced animated adaptations of the other five Madeline books for
ABC FamilyABC Family is an American cable television network currently owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a division of The Walt Disney Company. ABC Family offers contemporary and inclusive programming, including series, movies, events, and enhanced ABC encore presentations...
, with Christopher Plummer returning as narrator. Each special featured new songs, with lyrics by Judy Rothman and music by Canadian composer Jeffrey Zahn, who replaced the late Joe Raposo. In addition, "I'm Madeline," Madeline's theme song from the original special, was reprised in the new specials.
In 1993, DiC began producing a
Madeline cartoon series, which aired on ABC Family. 20 episodes were produced for the series (Season 1). Christopher Plummer again reprised his role as narrator, and "I'm Madeline" was used as the series' theme song. Until recently the show aired on The Disney Channel and
Toon DisneyToon Disney is a defunct 24-hour American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company that aired mostly children's animated television series. A spin-off of Disney Channel, Toon Disney showed children's cartoons 24 hours a day ; its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network...
in the U.S., and is still repeated daily on Disney networks and affiliates worldwide.
In 1995, additional 13 episodes were produced for
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
, under the title
The New Adventures of Madeline. The new episodes featured a new theme song: "Hats Off to Madeline".
In 2001, another new batch of 28 episodes was produced for The Disney Channel. The theme song was once again changed, this time to "Oh, Madeline!" (although overseas airings of the episodes still had "Hats Off to Madeline" as the opening theme instead). In addition, Christopher Gaze succeeded Christopher Plummer as narrator of the series. The show won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program.
The New Adventures of Madeline was shown on
KOLKOL may refer to:*Key opinion leader*Kingdom of Loathing - a browser-based multiplayer online role-playing game*Kings of Leon*Knights of Labor*Knight Online*Kids' AOL...
's Secret Slumber Party between Fall 2006 and 2007.
DiC also produced two animated telefilms.
Madeline: Lost in ParisMadeline: Lost in Paris is an animated Madeline television film, produced by DiC Entertainment and released on direct-to-video on 3 August 1999...
(1999) featured Madeline being drawn into a scam by her supposed "Uncle" Horst, and finding out the true meaning to the word "family." The second cartoon feature,
Madeline: My Fair Madeline (2002), puts our beloved heroine in a London finishing school as punishment for the trouble she caused, while trying to stop two thieves from robbing the Louvre. When she finds out that the thieves are in London, Madeline does everything she can to stop them from stealing the Crown Jewels.
Characters
- Madeline: The smallest one, and the leader of the girls. She is the most outgoing and appears to be the only redhead.
- Aggie: Madeline's best friend in the movie who is always with Madeline and wants to do the same things she does.
- Chloe, Nicole, Danielle, Yvette, Nona, Anne, Janine, Monique, Lulu, Sylvie, and Ellie: Madeline's best friends on the television series. (Note: Ellie was known as Simone on the 1995 ABC episode Madeline and the Science Project.)
- Marie: Small and clever, always trying to look out for Madeline.
- Vicki: Bossy and snobby, who is horrible to Madeline, but they become friends in the end.
- Regine: Has a voice in the 12 girls (besides Madeline) and always asks Miss Clavel questions.
- Camille: Has a good sense of smell, and is one of the quietest.
- Isabelle: Is a bit sassy at times, but still very friendly.
- Daphine: Lovely and intelligent, always being looked after by the girls.
- Anne: Can be loud at times, and is very enthusiastic.
- Amy: A know-it-all, but defends the girls when defense is needed.
- Dominique: Smart, pretty, and graceful, Dominique always has a smile on her face.
- Kate: Is very close to Miss Clavel.
- Jeanine: Is a worry-wart, but very good friends with everyone, especially Dominique and Anne.
- Ellie/Simone (For name clarification, see note above): The tallest one, rather bossy (being the tallest), but very friendly.
- Miss Clavel: The teacher. Always trying to keep Madeline out of trouble, and she is a nun.
- Pepito: The Spanish ambassador's son. Lives next door to the girls; used to be extremely naughty, but Madeline redeemed him. As such, he was called "the Bad Hat" by the girls, and afterward, they have crushes on him.
- Lord Cucuface (known in the movie as Lord Covington): Chairman of the school's board of trustees, had a change of heart after receiving one of Genevieve's puppies.
- Genevieve: The girls' dog
The dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
. Extremely intelligent, possessing various skills such as juggling, arithmetic, etc. Was a stray until she saved Madeline from drowning; she also had puppies.
- Sugar Dimples: A character from the television series and a reference to Shirley Temple
Shirley Jane Temple , known for most of her adult life by her married name, Shirley Temple Black, is an actress, singer, and tap dancer, who is best known for being an American child actress of the 1930s...
. Sugar is a Hollywood screen actress, who originally had a spoiled and unkind personality, which reflected her lack of friends. With a lesson from Madeline in kindness, she eventually became a close friend of the girls.
Soundtracks and audiobooks
Madeline audiobooks have been appearing since the early 70s in the form of vinyl records. The record typically consists of a mixture of stories and songs.
The first soundtrack for the TV series was
Madeline's Favorite Songs, released in 1995. It contains 16 tracks of music composed by
Joe RaposoJoseph Guilherme Raposo Jr., OIH was a Portuguese-American composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series Sesame Street, for which he wrote the theme song, as well as classic songs such as "Bein' Green" and...
or Jeff Zahn with lyrics by
Judy RothmanJudy Rothman Rofé is an American screenwriter and lyricist specializing in comedy and literary adaptations for children. She won the 2002 Emmy for Best Animated Program for Madeline , for which she was writer, lyricist, story editor and supervising producer on over 70 episodes...
from the DIC and Cinar specials. The second soundtrack,
Hats off to Madeline, was released in 1996. It contained 17 tracks of music from the 1993 and 1995 episodes of the show. In 2002, the latest Madeline soundtrack to date,
Sing-A-Long With Madeline, was released, featuring 27 tracks of music from the 2001 episodes.
Computer CD-ROMs
Madeline CD-ROMs started appearing in the early 90s, in time with the TV show. The CDs were compatible with both
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
and Apple Macintosh based PCs. They were published by
Creative WondersCreative Wonders was an educational software corporation from 1994 to 1999. It created computer games based on children's characters like Madeline, Sesame Street, Arthur, The Baby-sitters Club and Schoolhouse Rock!.-History of the company:...
.
Toys
Madeline toys were initially produced by Eden Toys LLC. After the acquisition of Eden by Learning Curve, Learning Curve now produces Madeline toys. Most popular during the 90's was a Madeline ragdoll, with a signature half-smile and scar from the appendectomy that corresponds with the story from the book.
Trivia
- It is revealed in the book Madeline In America that Madeline's surname is Fogg. This is the first time that Madeline's family name is revealed; according to John Bemelmans-Marciano, her surname was probably made up for the sake of the rhyme.
- Miss Clavel (aka Sister Clavel), the nun who takes care of the twelve children, seems to be less nervous in the movie than in the TV series, as she was more confident in driving a car in the movie, adding to the fact that the role played by Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand is an American film, stage, and television actress, well known for her role as Marge Gunderson in Fargo, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1996.-Early life:...
was also a bit of a car buff.
- The person who was responsible for keeping the boarding school from being sold in the movie was said to be the 'Uzbekistani ambassador'. However, since the whole story took place in the Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
years, UzbekistanUzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan , is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union...
was still a part of the Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, and there wasn't such an ambassador yet until the union broke up in 1991.
- There was an episode in which Madeline, Pepito and her friends encountered a skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul-smelling odor. General appearance ranges from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
while visiting Lord Covington's perfume factory. However, skunks inhabit the Americas from CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to central South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
.
- A frequent misconception in the series, especially among those new to the book (or the cartoon) is that the girls were in an orphanage. Contrary to popular belief, Madeline is not an orphan as evidenced by her father's gifts when she is in the hospital getting her appendix removed. The girls are in a boarding school, not an orphanage. As well, Yvette once received long black gloves from a relative in Ohio, and she and her aunt went shopping for Cliché designer wear. The film, however, portrays Madeline as an orphan, but her residence is still a boarding school.
External links