You’ve probably seen the 1952 Technicolor dream that is Hans Christian Andersen. Or maybe you just remember that one song about the inchworm. Either way, there is a weird, persistent gap between what people think this movie is and what actually happened on that set. For starters, the Hans Christian Andersen film cast wasn't just a group of actors playing a biography. It was a high-stakes gamble by Samuel Goldwyn that nearly fell apart multiple times before the first frame was ever shot.
Honestly, if you go into this movie looking for a history lesson on the real Danish author, you’re going to be frustrated. The film literally opens with a title card admitting it’s a "fairy tale about the great spinner of fairy tales." It’s basically a $4 million hallucination—which was a massive budget back then—and the people who brought it to life are a mix of Hollywood legends and European ballet stars who didn't always get along.
The Man at the Center: Danny Kaye as Hans
Danny Kaye was the only person Samuel Goldwyn wanted for this. Period. By 1952, Kaye was the "Golden Boy." He was known for fast-talking, tongue-twisting musical numbers, but this role was different. He had to be soft. He had to be the "Pied Piper" of Odense.
Kaye plays Hans not as a tortured writer, but as a simple cobbler who can’t stop telling stories to children. It’s a charming performance, but behind the scenes? Not so much. Rumors from the set, later mentioned by co-star Farley Granger, suggest Kaye was kind of a nightmare to work with during this production. He apparently hated his costumes—complaining that Granger got the "beautiful clothes" while he had to wear rags. He was also allegedly "petulant" with the leading lady because of her limited English.
It’s a strange irony. The man playing the most beloved storyteller in the world was, at the time, struggling with the pressure of being the studio's biggest investment.
The Supporting Players: More Than Just Background
While Kaye was the sun the movie orbited around, the rest of the Hans Christian Andersen film cast provided the actual conflict. You’ve got the romantic triangle that basically takes over the second half of the movie.
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- Zizi Jeanmaire (Doro): A French ballet icon. This was her first film. She wasn't an "actress" in the traditional Hollywood sense, which drove the perfectionist Kaye crazy. But watch her dance. She brings a literal world-class athleticism to the "Little Mermaid" ballet sequence that few could match.
- Farley Granger (Niels): Most people know him from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope or Strangers on a Train. Here, he plays the "villain," though he's really just a temperamental husband and director. Granger actually hated being in this movie. He felt his talent was wasted, and honestly? He’s sort of right. He’s there to look handsome and be mean, which isn't exactly a stretch for a guy of his caliber.
- Joseph Walsh (Peter): The young apprentice. Every "magical" lead needs a grounded sidekick, and Walsh plays the straight man to Kaye’s whimsical Hans. He’s the one who tries to keep the business running while Hans is busy singing to caterpillars.
The Bit Players You Missed
Look closely and you’ll see John Qualen as the Burgomaster. If he looks familiar, it’s because he was in everything—from The Grapes of Wrath to Casablanca. He was a staple of John Ford’s "stock company" of actors.
Then there’s the kids. The children in the film weren't just random extras; some went on to have real careers. Lee Aaker, who played the little boy, eventually became the star of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Even Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu from It’s a Wonderful Life) shows up as a match girl.
Why the Danish Were Furious
Here’s a fun fact: the Danish government almost filed a formal protest against the film. They were offended that a Jewish-American comedian (Kaye) was playing their national hero in a story that was 100% made up. They thought it made Andersen look like a "simpleton."
Eventually, the tension cooled. Kaye actually visited Denmark later and was eventually knighted by Queen Margrethe II in 1983. It took thirty years, but they finally forgave him for the historical inaccuracies.
The Real Stars: Frank Loesser and the Music
You can't talk about the cast without the "voice" of the film. Frank Loesser wrote the songs, and they are the reason the movie survived. "The Ugly Duckling," "Wonderful Copenhagen," and "Thumbelina" (which got an Oscar nod) are ingrained in pop culture.
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The "Inchworm" song is a masterclass in songwriting. It pits the cold logic of arithmetic (two and two are four) against the simple beauty of a flower. That’s the whole movie in a nutshell. It’s a battle between the "real" world and the world of imagination.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Plot
People remember this as a kids' movie. It’s not. Or at least, the second half isn't.
The movie takes a hard turn into a weirdly mature "obsessive love" plot. Hans falls for Doro, the ballerina. He thinks she's being abused by Niels (Granger). In reality, Doro and Niels have a complex, passionate, and sometimes physically volatile relationship that Hans—a total romantic neophyte—just doesn't understand.
The scene where Hans sees them fighting and thinks he needs to "save" her is actually kind of heartbreaking because he’s so wrong. He writes "The Little Mermaid" as a love letter to her, but she stays with her husband. Hans ends up alone, returning to his village. It's a surprisingly bittersweet ending for a 1950s musical.
A Legacy of "Fairy Tale" Biography
Today, we call this "prestige IP." Back then, it was just a "Goldwyn Picture." The film was one of the top ten highest-grossing movies of 1952, pulling in about $6 million in rentals. It proved that audiences didn't care about "facts" as long as the Technicolor was bright and the songs were catchy.
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If you’re looking to revisit it, keep these things in mind:
- Check the Ballet: The "Little Mermaid" sequence is 17 minutes long. In 1952, that was a huge risk. Most audiences today find it "drags," but it was intended to be the film's artistic peak.
- Ignore the History: The real Hans Christian Andersen was a tall, awkward, deeply insecure man who never really fit in. Danny Kaye’s version is much more "Hollywood charming."
- Watch the Background: The sets were designed by Antoni Clavé, a famous Catalan painter. The movie looks like a storybook for a reason.
Practical Next Steps for Fans
If you want to see the Hans Christian Andersen film cast in their other, arguably better roles, here is where to start:
- Watch Danny Kaye in The Court Jester. It’s widely considered his masterpiece and shows off his physical comedy much better than the Hans film.
- Check out Farley Granger in Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train to see him actually get to act.
- Look up the soundtrack by Frank Loesser. If you have kids (or just a soul), "The Ugly Duckling" is still one of the best "misfit" anthems ever written.
The film remains a weird artifact of a time when Hollywood could spend millions on a "biopic" that wasn't a biopic at all. It’s a movie about the feeling of a story, rather than the man who wrote it.
The production of Hans Christian Andersen remains a landmark in musical history precisely because of its commitment to fantasy over reality. By casting a comedy giant like Danny Kaye against world-class ballet dancers like Zizi Jeanmaire, Samuel Goldwyn created a stylistic hybrid that shouldn't have worked, yet somehow became a classic. Whether you view it as a charming tribute or a historical travesty, the film’s influence on how we adapt "literary legends" into pop culture icons is undeniable. Re-watching it now, especially with an eye on the friction between the lead actors, reveals a much more complex project than the "children's movie" label suggests.