HAYLEY MILLS?

HAYLEY MILLS (1946-Present), born Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills in London, England

The Parent Trap (1961) was my first Hayley Mills film.  It aired on television in black and white and edited form to allow time for commercials.  I was fascinated by the idea that one person could play twins, what's more that both characters could be on screen at the same time. The film was both funny and charming.  I enjoyed talking about it the next day with my friends at elementary school.  It was much later that I learned of the film's use of split screen techniques and a body double.   Despite this knowledge, the magic that the film possessed did not diminish.  I found myself watching it again and again, each time finding something new and endearing, as I aged with the film.  It wasn't until I watched The Parent Trap on DVD that I saw those missing scenes that Disney and sponsors had found acceptable to delete.  I had no idea, for example, that Maggie McKendrick (played by Maureen O'Hara) sang to her daughter the song that played on her first date with Mitch, her girls' father.  This heartwarming film grew to be one of my favorite family films.  I went on to watch Hayley Mills in other films.  Listed here are some of my favorites.  I hope that you will find her as captivating as I have.
 

Haven't you seen The Parent Trap (1961)? This is a Disney film that I never get tired of seeing. Here Mills plays two parts, each half of a set of twins with a mission to get their parents, played by Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith, back together.


Watch this and then see these other four films.


Pollyanna (1960) This is an uplifting Disney film about the good example of one child making a difference to an entire town, simply by spreading good cheer.
The Chalk Garden (1964) Here Hayley Mills plays a troubled youth with Deborah Kerr, her governess, out to help her.
Summer Magic (1963) I like the locale, Maine in the summer. I like who's in it, Hayley Mills, Dorothy McGuire and Burl Ives. I like the story, family life on a shoestring. I like the music. "On the Front Porch" is a lovely song.
That Darn Cat (1965) This is a funny story about teenage Hayley Mills helping F.B.I. agent Dean Jones use her cat to find a kidnapped woman.


*Contributed by: "Elizabeth Van Cleve Randolph" Date: Fri, May 18 2001 / 08:22:11 PST

Academy Awards®
© A.M.P.A.S.®
1960 Honorary and Other Awards: For POLLYANNA, the most outstanding juvenile performance during 1960. Winner presented a Miniature Statuette.