Brian Keith, Cathleen Nesbitt, Charles Ruggles

The daughter of legendary British actor John Mills and novelist Mary Hayley Bell (as well as the sister of actress Juliet Mills), young Hayley Mills broke the surface of fame at the tender age of 12, ...( read more  read more... )starring opposite her father in the thriller Tiger Bay. That film, along with a Berlin Film Festival award, was enough to attract the attention of Walt Disney, who promptly signed her to a five-year contract and put her in the starring role of Pollyanna. After wringing hearts and nabbing a special Oscar, Mills segued into the comedy thing--for double the fun--in The Parent Trap, the 1961 farce in which she played twins, separated at birth, who scheme to reunite their biological parents (Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith, both surprisingly sexy for a Disney movie). On the brink of adolescence, Mills was a saucy role model for children of the Kennedy era: cute, endearing and, above all, wholesome despite her sneaky ways--everyone's meddlesome sister. Easily stepping into the Disney child-star gap as the original Mouseketeers were (literally) outgrowing their uniforms, Mills was the studio's live-action bread and butter for a brief moment in time, and The Parent Trap still remains her best vehicle, a classic now to adults who came of age during the early '60s. It also pioneered the processed split-screen technique, which while not seamless was revolutionary and exciting enough that, upon seeing the initial results, Uncle Walt asked the filmmakers to shoot more scenes in which Mills played opposite herself. --Mark Englehart

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68% liked it

158,339 ratings

DVD Release Date: May 7, 2002

Stats: 4,699 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,699)


  • September 25, 2009
    Hayley Mills was good. It?s a classic summer morning holiday film. Followed by an episode of the Monkies and then Why don?t you!
  • April 2, 2009
    This is my favorite non cartoon disney movie. It had it all comedy, suspense, romance it was great. Just sorry latter
  • January 2, 2008
    prefer the remake
  • December 2, 2007
    The original is always the best.
  • August 22, 2007
    fun movie!
  • October 27, 2009
    a whole lot better than the remake
  • October 17, 2009
    my sister made me watch it
  • September 19, 2009
    the classic Parent Trap!
  • August 14, 2009
    For some reason chicks LOVE this movie. I am not a chick.
  • August 14, 2009
    Is this the original? Is it better than Li-Lo's version? Hmmmm.

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  • Ursrut
    October 23, 2006
    common guys and gals this is really good movie!!!!!!!!!!!11

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The Parent Trap : Watch Free on TV


The Parent Trap Trivia


  • Which actress made her acting debut in the remake of the classic movie "The Parent Trap"?  Answer »
  • Maggie Wheeler, best known for her role as Janice on the tv series Friends, had a role in which Lindsay Lohan movie?  Answer »
  • what were lindsey lohan's twin characters names in the parent trap 1998?  Answer »
  • name the movie were lindsay lohan plays to twins that switch lives?  Answer »

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