FIFTY years ago Bedknobs and Broomsticks took us to a fantasy world at the bottom of the beautiful briny sea.
The Disney classic, released in 1971, used a brilliant mixture of animation and live action to tell the tale of three children, evacuated from London to Dorset to live with a witch.
8
The trio then embark on a journey to find a missing spell, using a magic bed as their transport.
So what happened to the cast? We reveal all.
Angela Lansbury – Eglantine Price
8
Irish-British star Angela died in October just before her 97th birthday.
The screen legend – who stars as the magical Miss Price – was awarded a lifetime achievement gong at last year’s Tony Awards.
Her final role was a cameo appearance in Rian Johnson’s star-studded whodunnit Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Angela was already a screen legend when she climbed on her broomstick to play friendly witch Eglantine, having starred in Hollywood classics such as Gaslight, National Velvet and Death on the Nile.
In a career spanning 70 years, she enjoyed incredible success on both stage and screen, picking up five Tony Awards and an honorary Oscar and, in 2014, a Damehood.
She was also a TV legend, having starred in Murder She Wrote from 1984 to 1996.
Husband David Shaw – with whom she shared three children – died in 2003 after 54 years of marriage.
David Tomlinson – Professor Emelius Browne
8
David Tomlinson was already the star of smash hit Mary Poppins and The Love Bug when he took on the role of the bowler-hatted wizard in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
His final acting appearance was in the Peter Sellers comedy The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu in 1980.
He retired from acting aged 63 to spend more time with his family.
The dad-of-four died in 2000, at the age of 83, following a sudden stroke and was posthumously named as a Disney Legend in 2002.
Cindy O’Callaghan – Carrie Rawlins
Cindy was a a teenager when she landed the role of Carrie, and she went on to appear in numerous TV shows including Boon, Casualty and Triangle.
She also starred in EastEnders – as Natalie Evans’ alcoholic mum.
In 2001, she trained as a child psychologist, leaving her acting days behind her.
In a recent interview on The One Show she recalled filming Bedknobs and Broomsticks, saying: “No matter how young we were, I don’t remember any of us being naughty.
“It was a very professional engagement and Angela really set the tone – I think we upped our game because of her. She was very much an inspiration for me.”
Roy Snart – Paul Rawlins
8
Roy played the youngest of the Rawlins children when he was around five years old.
It was the only film he made and he turned his back on acting, going on to become a businessman.
He has been heading up First Choice Software, an IT company, for over 20 years.
Ian Weighill – Charlie Rawlins
8
8
Ian landed the role of the oldest Rawlins child, Charlie, after auditioning on front of Disney talent scouts.
After the film’s release he decided against pursuing a film career and stepped out of the limelight altogether.
He is believed to be a train driver for South West Trains.
Bruce Forsyth – Swinburne
8
Brucie was already a household name for gameshows including The Generation Game when he joined the cast.
His small but memorable part saw him playing the spivvy sidekick of mysterious crook Bookman, played by Sam Jaffe – who died in 1984.
Bruce went on to front many primetime entertainment shows including Play Your Cards Right and The Price Is Right.
From 2004 to his retirement in 2013 he hosted Strictly Come Dancing alongside Tess Daly. He died in 2017, aged 89.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’
fbq(‘init’, ‘752905198150451’);
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
