Pollyanna

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**Pollyanna**
Author	Eleanor H. Porter
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	children's novel
Publisher	?
Released	1913
Media Type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN	NA

Pollyanna is a 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that has become a classic of children's literature. A series of Pollyanna sequels (Glad Books) were later published by Elizabeth Borton.

Pollyanna tells the story of a young girl named Pollyanna Whittier who is adopted by her very wealthy Aunt Polly after her father's death. Upon Pollyanna's arrival, the dispirited town in which her aunt lives becomes miraculously pleasant and healthy due to the gladness the child has brought.

Through the success of the book, the term "pollyanna" entered the language to describe someone who is cheerfully optimistic. It then became by extension (and contrary to the spirit of the book) a somewhat derogatory term for a naïve person who always expects people to act decently, despite strong evidence to the contrary. The real theme of Pollyanna is that she kept the spirit of forgiveness towards all and could find gladness for whatever was given her.

"Pollyanna" was also a Parker Brothers board game based on the same book, character, and "glad" theme. The game was made and sold from 1915 to 1967 under various versions including "Pollyanna - The Glad Game", "Pollyanna - The Great Home Game", "Pollyanna - Dixie", and "Pollyanna". The board game was later licensed by Milton Bradley but has been discontinued for many years. Collectors and Pollyanna players can still find the board game available on eBay or antique toy shops.

Pollyanna was a best selling novel, and is still available in reprint editions. The novel popularized the Glad Game, and Pollyanna was known as the Glad Girl. It has been reported that there is a collection of fan mail sent to Eleanor Hodgman Porter, the author, about Pollyanna. At this time, the location of the fan letters is unknown. In addition to the letters, there were also reports of Glad Clubs, which appear to have been popular for awhile, however, it is questionable if they were more than a publicity gimmick. The Glad Clubs are interesting because they were a means to propagate the use of the Glad Game as a method for coping with loss, disappointment and distress.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
2 Cast list of the 1960 film
3 References in popular culture
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Pollyanna has been filmed several times. Most notably, there was a 1920 silent movie starring Mary Pickford, and a Walt Disney film released in 1960 starring English actress Hayley Mills in the title role. The 1960 film was shot at the McDonald Mansion (aka Mableton Mansion) on McDonald Avenue in what was then the small town of Santa Rosa, California.

There have also been several TV adaptations of the novel. The most recent, originally broadcast in 2003 on ITV, starred Georgina Terry as Pollyanna and Amanda Burton as Aunt Polly. Nippon Animation of Japan released Ai Shoujo Pollyanna Monogatari (The Story of Pollyanna, Girl of Love), a 51-episode anime TV series that made up the 1986 installment of the studio's World Masterpiece Theater. There was also a modernized version with an African-American cast entitled Polly, which later had a sequel (Polly: Coming Home)

It must be noted however, that the 1960 film has a very bittersweet ending in which Pollyanna is paralyzed, and suddenly isn't as glad as she once was, despite assurances that she will be taken to a doctor to help her walk again. While bedridden, Pollyanna is visited by scores of people whom she has touched with her innocence and sunny disposition, tempering the sadness of Pollyanna's injury.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast list of the 1960 film

Jane Wyman and Hayley Mills starred in the 1960 film Pollyanna.

Hayley Mills as Pollyanna
Jane Wyman as Aunt Polly
Richard Egan as Dr. Edmond Chilton
Karl Malden as Reverend Paul Ford
Nancy Olson as Nancy Furman
Adolphe Menjou as Mr Pendergast
Donald Crisp as Mayor Karl Warren
Agnes Moorehead as Mrs Snow
Kevin Corcoran as Jimmy Bean
James Drury as George Dodds
Reta Shaw as Tillie Lagerlof
Leora Dana as Mrs Paul Ford
Anne Seymour as Mrs Amelia Tarbell
Edward Platt as Ben Tarbell
Mary Grace Canfield as Angelica
Jenny Egan as Mildred Snow
Gage Clarke as Mr Murg
Ian Wolfe as Mr Neely
Nolan Leary as Mr Thomas
Edgar Dearing as Mr Gorman

[edit] References in popular culture

Pollyanna principle
Polyanna is the sophomore album by the band Northstar.
Paul Reubens, in the DVD commentery for Pee Wee's Big Adventure, stated that he originally intended Big Adventure to be a retelling of the Disney movie with his Pee Wee Herman character in the Hayley Mills role.
"Pollyanna" is also the upbeat title theme to the Mother video game.
Pollyanna appears alongside Alice Liddell, as well as Dorothy Gale, Wendy Darling and Susan Pevensie, as a 2005 and 2006-based college student in the comic The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles, where she has decided to take up regular jogging. She is also currently unlucky regarding gaining employment.
In Sex and the City, Carrie refers to Charlotte as a "Park Avenue Pollyanna".
In the second issue of the first volume of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Pollyanna appears as a character who has been "mishandled" by the Invisable Man. In spite of this, she still determines to remain upbeat.
In the recent commercial advertising campaign for the Texas Instruments DLP link title televisions, the "It's the mirrors" scene is used. In fact, the line has been officially adopted as the tag line for the advertising campaign.