1/2* goes to this dreadful version of "Cinderella."<br /><br />Julie Andrews must have been thinking about more in terms of her favorite things. This production is certainly not one of them.<br /><br />Ilka Chase plays the wicked stepmother with a kindness never seen. Actually, it should never be seen. What was Chase thinking of when she went before the cameras? Probably, when she was Bette Davis's compassionate sister-in-law in "Now, Voyager." A Yiddish bubbe could be meaner than her.<br /><br />Howard Lindsay, as the prince's father, appears annoyed with the whole situation and rightly so. Wife, Dorothy Stickney, plays his queen and I'm wondering what the casting people had in mind when they put these people in. Stickney, who lived to 101, had all those years to wonder how she ever got into such a miserable production.<br /><br />The prince is a charming bore. That best describes him. He is terribly stiff in his scenes. He says his lines as if he is reading them from a card.<br /><br />Kaye Ballard, as the wicked step sister has one thing going for her-the person who made her up for this. Man, is she ugly. That churlish giggle of hers is absolutely annoying.<br /><br />Somewhat of a bright-note is the singing and dancing which should have dominated the production.<br /><br />You can't root for Cinderella to win the prince since that is certainly no bargain for her.<br /><br />This version of Cinderella was kept in storage for years. Reviving it was a big mistake. A colossal bomb in every sense of the word.