Formative Performances: Mary Martin in “Peter Pan”

This performance is technically from a television special, not a film, but I don’t care – my blog, my rules, and this performance is far too important to overlook.

The filmed production of Peter Pan was vital to my upbringing. I watched it all the time. It was my most-watched movie that wasn’t The Wizard of Oz or Disney or Muppet-related. It was my first exposure to a Broadway musical aside from the South Pacific original cast recording that my parents played for me (a cast that also starred Mary Martin). The TV special isn’t that well-done, with cheesy sets and costumes and choreography so uninspired that you can’t believe it’s the same guy who did West Side Story, but it’s notable for having the gayest Captain Hook ever and for Mary Martin as the boy who wouldn’t grow up.

This is a woman in her forties playing the child who always wanted to be a little boy and have fun, and she’s completely believable and engaging. I was bowled over in shock when my dad told me that this was a woman playing Peter Pan. Of course this is completely obvious within the first two seconds of watching her, but I was four when I first saw this performance, and my disbelief was completely suspended.

I’m an adult now, but even today, Mary Martin has the power to make me believe in fairies.