The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is an American musical film that became the first television film when it first aired on NBC on November 26, 1957. It preempted that evening's telecasts of The Nat King Cole Show and The Eddie Fisher Show. Based on the famous poem of the same name by Robert Browning and using the music of Edvard Grieg, arranged by Pete King with special lyrics by Hal Stanley and Irving Taylor, it stars Van Johnson, Claude Rains, Lori Nelson, Jim Backus and Kay Starr. It was directed by Broadway veteran Bretaigne Windust. Nearly all of the dialogue in The Pied Piper of Hamelin is spoken in rhyme, much of it directly lifted from Browning's poem.