 hen Paramount Studios adapted Alice In Wonderland, they put in virtually every one of their reigning star names. The big names of the day, Gary Cooper and Cary Grant as the White Knight and the Mock Turtle respectively provided much of the box office appeal.
Cary Grant's Mock Turtle costume covers every  square inch of him but we're assured he was actually in there!
WC Fields most definitely steals the show as the cynical 'Humpty Dumpty,' closely rivaled by Gary Cooper's White Knight. There are a whole host of other stars on view, although, sadly, the passage of time has made their names less remembered.
The film takes "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass" and welds them together very nicely with  Charlotte Henry appearing as perhaps the definitive 'Alice'. Production values are high and it comes close to capturing the off-center whimsy of Lewis Carroll, with costumes and makeup very much in the style of Tenniel's drawings. Despite being made over sixty years ago, the film holds up very well indeed, and it's become THE cult Alice adaptation.
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The special effects, which comprise of only two types - mechanical effects such as people suspended on wires, or rear-screen projections and similar optical effects - prove more than adequate and you really don't notice that there aren't any flash bang wallop computer graphics. They do the job without detracting from the storyline. Modern film-makers take note!
The scene showing Charlotte Henry gliding just above the staircase and out of the door to follow the rabbit is absolutely magical and the 'underground' effects depict just the right overtones of gothic horror.
The making of this film is mentioned in "Dreamchild". Alice Hargreaves (the married name of Alice Liddell) is touring America when she's told about the film  and she ponders, "But who is going to play me?"
Paramount's "Alice" isn't legally available on home video, but it's worth trying one of the auction websites for a secondhand copy. It's now on the TCM list of showables, so look out for it in your region.
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