History Trivia / PeterPan1954

* NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals: Defied; the 2014 live broadcast is the first production to have a real dog as Nana.
* OldShame: NBC's 2014 adaptation seems to have become this for the network. Its ratings seemed drastically lower than those of their telecast of ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'' the previous year, and it also became a target for snark for the Internet community. Not even NBC could resist taking potshots at ''Peter Pan'' - ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' released [[http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/peter-pan-live/2832820 a parody]] a mere two nights after its premiere, which showed less mercy to the cast, production design, and choreography than the previous year's ''[=TSoM=]'' parody did for its subject. This reception prompted producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to call adapting ''Peter Pan'' "[[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/wiz-producers-how-oscars-turned-845893 a mistake]]", figuring they realized too late that it seemed too outdated and/or AdaptationOverdosed. In December 2015, after NBC's version of ''Theatre/TheWiz'' earned both higher ratings and more positive reviews than ''Peter Pan'', the network reran both ''The Wiz'' and ''The Sound of Music'' on two separate nights, but denied ''Peter Pan'' another airing. Chairman Bob Greenblatt admitted during his [[http://deadline.com/2016/01/hairspray-live-musical-nbc-1201682009/ announcement]] of a ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}'' telecast that maybe ''Peter Pan'' ran too long compared to its predecessor and successor, but added, "I don't mean that disparagingly".

** In most productions, [[spoiler: the actress who plays Wendy also plays her own daughter, Jane, when Peter returns years later. Mrs. Darling's actress also plays the grown-up Wendy in some productions.]]

* ActingForTwo: Mr. Darling and Captain Hook are played by the same actor, which, like Peter being played by a woman, is tradition. [[spoiler:Wendy also plays her own daughter, Jane, when Peter returns years later.]] The 2014 NBC adaption breaks tradition somewhat, as Mr. Darling and ''Smee'' were played by the same actor. This is most likely because Creator/ChristopherWalken was cast as Hook, and would seem too old to father 12-year old Wendy and her even younger brothers.

** A number of versions leave out "Oh My Mysterious Lady", a song originally tailored especially for Mary Martin's vocal range.

* {{Blooper}}: The 2014 Live show features a moment of Creator/ChristopherWalken ''clearly'' forgetting his lines on stage.

* OldShame: NBC's 2014 adaptation seems to have become this for the network. Its ratings seemed drastically lower than those of their telecast of ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'' the previous year, and it also became SnarkBait for the Internet community. Not even NBC could resist taking potshots at ''Peter Pan'' - ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' released [[http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/peter-pan-live/2832820 a parody]] a mere two nights after its premiere, which showed less mercy to the cast, production design, and choreography than the previous year's ''[=TSoM=]'' parody did for its subject. This reception prompted producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to call adapting ''Peter Pan'' "[[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/wiz-producers-how-oscars-turned-845893 a mistake]]", figuring they realized too late that it seemed too outdated and/or AdaptationOverdosed. In December 2015, after NBC's version of ''Theatre/TheWiz'' earned both higher ratings and more positive reviews than ''Peter Pan'', the network reran both ''The Wiz'' and ''The Sound of Music'' on two separate nights, but denied ''Peter Pan'' another airing. Chairman Bob Greenblatt admitted during his [[http://deadline.com/2016/01/hairspray-live-musical-nbc-1201682009/ announcement]] of a ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}'' telecast that maybe ''Peter Pan'' ran too long compared to its predecessor and successor, but added, “I don’t mean that disparagingly”.

* FranchiseKiller: On the other hand, the 2014 production may not have stopped the revived tradition of live NBC televised musicals cold, but it certainly put a dent in it, having been held to be poorly received by the time ''Hairspray Live!'' came along the following year and leading to the broadcast of ''Jesus Christ Superstar Live!'' being delayed before things were brought to a halt.

* IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine: Many of the cast members the 2014 production had just come off working together during the Broadway run of ''Newsies'', including several of those playing Lost Boys and Jake Lucas, who played John Darling.

* FollowTheLeader: The success of the 1950s televisings motivated the networks to air several other fantasy musicals. Among others, ''Film/{{Cinderella}}'' became the highest-rated TV program of its time, and ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' (which actually made its big-screen debut 16 years before ''Peter Pan'''s first airing) became a yearly tradition across the country.

* ActorAllusion: There are several references to ''Theatre/PeterAndTheStarcatcher'', a prequel story that starred Creator/ChristianBorle (Mr. Darling and Smee) as Black Stache, aka Captain Hook prior to losing his hand. Most notably, one of his most prominent tattoos as Smee is of Kevin Del Aguila, who played Smee alongside Borle, [[ItMakesSenseInContext dressed as a mermaid.]]