The film that reached theaters in December 1971 was substantially shorter than the version created during production. Bedknobs and Broomsticks originally ran approximately 141 minutes, but its engagement at Radio City Music Hall had to fit around the theater's elaborate live stage presentation. Disney removed roughly 23 minutes before the premiere, cutting three complete musical numbers—"A Step in the Right Direction," "With a Flair," and "Nobody's Problems"—while shortening "Eglantine," reducing Roddy McDowall's subplot to about a minute, and trimming nearly three minutes from the "Portobello Road" sequence. A 1979 reissue removed another twenty minutes, leaving portions of the film's narrative and musical structure badly fragmented. The damage was only partly repaired in the 1990s: Scott MacQueen and Disney's restoration team recovered most deleted footage, reconstructed missing sections of "Portobello Road" from work prints, and created a presentation of "A Step in the Right Direction" from still photographs because the original film material could not be found. Angela Lansbury and Roddy McDowall also re-recorded dialogue for the restoration, while Jeff Bennett supplied replacement ADR for David Tomlinson, whose health prevented him from participating.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
The 141-Minute Disney Fantasy Dismantled for Its Radio City Premiere
Bedknobs and Broomsticks / 1970s
The film that reached theaters in December 1971 was substantially shorter than the version created during production. Bedknobs and Broomsticks originally ran approximately 141 minutes, but its engagement at Radio City Music Hall had to fit around the theater's elaborate live stage presentation. Disney removed roughly 23 minutes before the premiere, cutting three complete musical numbers—"A Step in the Right Direction," "With a Flair," and "Nobody's Problems"—while shortening "Eglantine," reducing Roddy McDowall's subplot to about a minute, and trimming nearly three minutes from the "Portobello Road" sequence. A 1979 reissue removed another twenty minutes, leaving portions of the film's narrative and musical structure badly fragmented. The damage was only partly repaired in the 1990s: Scott MacQueen and Disney's restoration team recovered most deleted footage, reconstructed missing sections of "Portobello Road" from work prints, and created a presentation of "A Step in the Right Direction" from still photographs because the original film material could not be found. Angela Lansbury and Roddy McDowall also re-recorded dialogue for the restoration, while Jeff Bennett supplied replacement ADR for David Tomlinson, whose health prevented him from participating.
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