Look Back at the 1957 Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Look Back at the 1957 Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Photo Features Look Back at the 1957 Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Mar 31, 2020

The telecast, starring 22-year-old Julie Andrews, aired on CBS March 31, 1957.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella premiered on CBS March 31, 1957. Over 100 million television viewers joined in to see 22-year-old Julie Andrews star in the musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale.

In addition to Andrews in the titular role, the telecast starred Edie Adams as the Fairy Godmother, Jon Cypher as Prince Christopher, Howard Lindsay as the King, Dorothy Stickney as the Queen, Ilka Chase as the Stepmother, Kaye Ballard as Stepsister Portia, Alice Ghostley as Stepsister Joy, and David F. Perkins as the Court Tailor.

The musical received two subsequent TV adaptations: one in 1965, starring Lesley Ann Warren, and one in 1997 starring Brandy and Whitney Houston.

The 1957 Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

in <i>Cinderella</i> — TV Guide's cover of *Cinderella* Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization: A Concord Company

Julie Andrews in <i>Cinderella</i> — Julie Andrews in *Cinderella* Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization: A Concord Company

Jon Cypher and Julie Andrews in <i>Cinderella</i> — Jon Cypher and Julie Andrews in *Cinderella* Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization: A Concord Company

Julie Andrews, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Richard Rodgers in <i>Cinderella</i> — Julie Andrews, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Richard Rodgers in *Cinderella* Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization: A Concord Company

Julie Andrews and Richard Rodgers in <i>Cinderella</i> — Julie Andrews and Richard Rodgers in *Cinderella* Courtesy of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization: A Concord Company

The musical finally arrived on the Broadway stage in 2013 in a re-conceived production with a book by Douglas Carter Beane. The production starred Laura Osnes as Ella and Santino Fontana as Topher. The musical played 769 performances, earning nine Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical.