The Ugly Duckling

Year Published: 1952

Country of Origin: United States

Description: 16mm Film - The Ugly Duckling - USA 1952 Directed by: Warren P. Everote Written by: Grace Storm, based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen Cinematography by: Lynwood Chase The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen It was so beautiful out on the country, it was summer- the wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and down among the green meadows the hay was stacked. There the stork minced about on his red legs, clacking away in Egyptian, which was the language his mother had taught him. Round about the field and meadow lands rose vast forests, in which deep lakes lay hidden. Yes, it was indeed lovely out there in the country. In the midst of the sunshine there stood an old manor house that had a deep moat around it. From the walls of the manor right down to the water's edge great burdock leaves grew, and there were some so tall that little children could stand upright beneath the biggest of them. In this wilderness of leaves, which was as dense as the forests itself, a duck sat on her nest, hatching her ducklings. She was becoming somewhat weary, because sitting is such a dull business and scarcely anyone came to see her. The other ducks would much rather swim in the moat than waddle out and squat under the burdock leaf to gossip with her. But at last the eggshells began to crack, one after another. 'Peep, peep!' said the little things, as they came to life and poked out their heads. 'Quack, quack!' said the duck, and quick as quick can be they all waddled out to have a look at the green world under the leaves. Their mother let them look as much as they pleased, because green is good for the eyes. 'How wide the world is,' said all the young ducks, for they certainly had much more room now than they had when they were in their eggshells. 'Do you think this is the whole world?' their mother asked. 'Why it extends on and on, clear across to the other side of the garden and right on into the parson's field, though that is further than I have ever been. I do hope you are all hatched,' she said as she got up. 'No, not quite all. The biggest egg still lies here. How much longer is this going to take? I am really rather tired of it all,' she said, but she settled back on her nest. 'Well, how goes it?' asked an old duck who came to pay her a call. 'It takes a long time with that one egg,' said the duck on the nest. 'It won't crack, but look at the others. They are the cutest little ducklings I've ever seen. They look exactly like their father, the wretch! He hasn't come to see me at all.' 'Let's have a look at the egg that won't crack,' the old duck said. 'It's a turkey egg, and you can take my word for it. I was fooled like that once myself. What trouble and care I had with those turkey children, for I may as well tell you, they are afraid of the water. I simply could not get them into it. I quacked and snapped at them, but it wasn't a bit of use. Let me see the egg. Certainly, it's a turkey egg. Let it lie, and go teach your other children to swim.' 'Oh, I'll sit a little longer. I've been at it so long already that I may as well sit here half the summer.' 'Suit yourself,' said the old duck, and away she waddled. At last the big egg did crack. 'Peep,' said the young one, and out he tumbled, but he was so big and ugly. The duck took a look at him. 'That's a frightfully big duckling,' she said. 'He doesn't look the least like the others. Can he really be a turkey baby? Well, well! I'll soon find out. Into the water he shall go, even if I have to shove him in myself.' Next day the weather was perfectly splendid, and the sun shone down on all the green burdock leaves. The mother duck led her whole family down to the moat. Splash! she took to the water. 'Quack, quack,' said she, and one duckling after another plunged in. The water went over their heads, but they came up in a flash, and floated to perfection. Their legs worked automatically, and they were all there in the water. Even the big, ugly gray one was swimming along. 'Why, that's no turkey,' she said. 'See how nicely he uses his legs, and how straight he holds himself. He's my very own son after all, and quite good-looking if you look at him properly. Quack, quack come with me. I'll lead you out into the world and introduce you to the duck yard. But keep close to me so that you won't get stepped on, and watch out for the cat!' Thus they sallied into the duck yard, where all was in an uproar because two families were fighting over the head of an eel. But the cat got it, after all. "You see, that's the way of the world." The mother duck licked her bill because she wanted the eel's head for herself. "Stir your legs. Bustle about, and mind that you bend your necks to that old duck over there. She's the noblest of us all, and has Spanish blood in her. That's why she's so fat. See that red rag around her leg? That's a wonderful thing, and the highest distinction a duck can get...

Transcription

[Music] [Music] [Applause] yes i left the office a little early today and stopped at the pet shop and brought the kids a present it must be a little happy [Music] all right well you know that reminds me of a story a story about the ugly dumplings would you like to hear it all right then i'll tell you the story if you promise to wash up for dinner right after i'm done okay mommy we promise this is how the story goes once upon a time on a farm not far from here there was a mother duck sitting on a net full of eggs or turkey gobbler came along to say hello and had a little talk with mama black and for no reason at all mama just chased him away he didn't know that mama duck was very very worried the rigid old lady goosey stopped by later to doctor for a little bit mama just was very short with old lady goose and didn't have a kind word mama jack was certainly worried and you know why well one of the eggs was so much bigger than the rest and all of them were hatching just as they were supposed to just like little duck eggs always do all except one the big one the one that worried mama duck was worried or not mama duck climbed back on the net and she sat and she and she sat for more and one day i obtained the biggest brightest ugliest little duckling that ever won much bigger than all the other ducklings and much much uglier well you can imagine that mama jeff was very very worried do you think she did she decided to test them by taking more of twenty she knew that if the big white every duckling couldn't swim she wasn't a dumpling at all so she stands for the prime which is nearby the little necklace jumped right into the water that was a big white ugly one the little one did instead of a big quite ugly something and he slammed beautifully well as you can see mama jump was very very proud as she watched all the moves updates played everything was all right the big white ugly duckling was much too big and bright and ugly for the other dumplings and they swam away and left him all alone he had no friends to play with his husband had friends to play with but the big white ugly duckling had no friends at all while all the others played together in their five times he was alone so he got out to find some friends for himself and he thought he found something they looked at him and he looked at them and it even climb out to where he was but they had no time for a big white ugly dumpling they were nearly small and they had to dry south of the window so they met them all alone and really playing with them and went all by themselves well the ugly duckling was very discouraged and very lonely and he decided to go out on land and hunt for friends maybe on land he'd find some friends he walked through the field of flowers hurrying to find friends hurrying to put an end to his loneliness up in the back there were some very dignified ears and the ugly duckling asked them to play with these but they were too dignified they were too big to bother with a little white ugly dumpling oh that was wrong with the ugly ducklings first much much too big for the small bathrooms and then much much too small for the big business idea [Music] days and days and even weeks went by and the weather got colder and cooler and the ugly duckling got bigger and bigger and earlier and uglier until finally the ugly duckling was as big as the geek but twice as alchemy sincerely had found new friends no afraid to warm up hard in the cold woods no then one day while he was walking through the cold woods with his head hanging down lonely he fell right smack in a hole and it gets stuck there unable to move nearby at the edge of the woods a little bit friendly he often used to walk through the woods and one day as he was out walking he saw the ugly duckling in the hole and decided to take him home so the ugly duckling felt strong friendly hands lifting and carrying through the wood and take him into the house [Music] his friendly farmer put him down in front of the stove and smiled at how happy that ugly deathly was so the ugly duckling was very happy it seemed as though he had never had any friends and it seemed as though he had never been warmed it was wonderful to have friends and to be warned well the farmers can't show their ugly dumplings and he said hey you that's my place there on some of the stove just get away from there i don't want anybody to take my place [Music] so the other jumping aside and moved away and over on the other side of the room the farmer's hand started talking as soon as the every duckling came inside i have enough trouble around here with that cat without having you with your big left feet and your ugly white face to follow me too i try to keep this place neat and clean and i don't think i run this place you know and you wouldn't fit in well primate was more than an ugly decorated band so he left the house and set off once again in the cold woods all alone without any friends he wanted to look for until one day he came to a grammy a place where carnegie started nobody was there no friends but no enemies either and he decided that principalization for at least there was plenty of food in the groundwater so while the winter winds howled outside and the snow blew furiously the ugly duckweed gradually grew finally winter ended and time came and by this time the ugly duckling was a beautiful full-grown swan and he was very lonely he still thought he was just an ugly company with no hope of finding friends but it was strange and he thought he would have just one more try before living up his search for friends well that always happened went on back to the pond because he felt more at home there as he looked around all he saw were his old enemies the heat he knew they would laugh at him because he was so ugly but on the other side of the pond he saw some strange birds that he had never seen before never in all his life had he seen birds so beautiful and so gracious although he wished that he would like him that he could be beautiful and graceful too [Music] he realized he was just like a beautiful bird he had just seen he was not an ugly dumpling at all but a beautiful swan and he would never be ashamed or afraid anymore so you see children no one should ever be ashamed or worried about the way he looks because everyone is doing going his own way and when he realized this the ugly dumpling stayed in time with his new farm friend and lived happily ever after [Music] you

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Record added: 2026-06-12 21:02:52