Juggler Of Our Lady

Gene Deitch and Al Kouzel put R.O. Blechman’s adaptation of The Juggler of Our Lady on the big screen in 1958.

The opening animation has two knights fighting each other with swords. They chop each other’s swords down to nothing. Suddenly, maces pop into their hands and they start using those until interrupted by the little juggler and the title of the cartoon.



I suppose the little characters might have been easier to see on the Cinemascope screen.

Motion Picture Daily reported on December 6, 1957 that the film would be pre-released for the Christmas holidays in 170 “key” cities by 20th Century Fox. It was formally released in April 1958 just before Deitch was unceremoniously shown the door at Terrytoons.

CBS may not have been crazy about Deitch in some quarters, but the company seems to have liked this film. It was not only reissued in March 1963, the company worked out a deal with Carousel Films in 1961 to distribute it in the non-theatrical, 16-mm market (schools, government agencies, libraries, etc.) for $50 a rental.