Whitney Houston’s 1997 ‘Cinderella’ Added 3 Songs To The Rogers & Hammerstein Classic
Rogers and Hammersteinās Cinderella first appeared on CBS in 1957, starring Julie Andrews. And in 1997, it found a new life with Disney for the TV movie produced by Whitney Houston and starring Brandy Norwood as Cinderella. While it features the songs from the original musical, a few more were added to really work with the strengths of the cast.Ā

Bernadette Petersā Stepmother needed her own song
When it came to casting the evil Stepmother, one of the executive producers Debra Chase Martin said it was the hardest role to cast. But once they chose Bernadette Peters, it just clicked, especially in the final outcome of the film. But in the original production, the Stepmother doesnāt have a solo.
āWhen we ended up having Bernadette come on as the stepmother, we realized pretty quickly that weād have to find her a song,ā writer Robert Freedman told Shondaland in 2017. He said that they were given some free reign of Rodgers and Hammersteinās repertoire as long as it wasnāt well-known already.Ā
Neil Meron, another executive producer, said that they landed on āFalling in Love With Love,ā written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for The Boys From Syracuse. The lyrics fit in so well during the scene where the Stepmother is trying to discourage her daughters from romanticizing marriage.Ā
āIf you sing that one right itās basically a warning to young girls, the stepdaughters, not to fall in love with the idea of love, but to be practical and marry for money instead,ā Freedman said. It took some convincing, but the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization allowed it.Ā
āThe Sweetest Soundsā was a great new introduction for Cinderella and The Prince
Another song, one of the most romantic in the movie, is also an add-on. āThe Sweetest Soundsā is the duet at the very beginning of the musical, when Brandyās Cinderella makes her appearance in the outdoor market.Ā
Itās light, airy, and very dreamlike, which goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics and the scene. Sheās dreaming of a love somewhere far away that will sort of save her from her current life. The Prince (Paolo Montalban) is doing the exact same thing, dressed as a commoner and dreamily walking through the same market. The song comes from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical called No Strings.Ā
āWe thought it would be a great intro song for Cinderella and The Prince; every musical needs the key āI Wantā song,ā Meron said.Ā
Whitney Houstonās final showstopper is from a different movie
The final song in the movie, āThereās Music in You,ā was originally in the 1953 film Main Street to Broadway, which featured a rare acting appearance by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.Ā
Director Robert Iscove talked about the first time they showed the song to Houston, and how he was bold enough to go straight in for a hug.Ā
āI went up and gave her a hug. I donāt know why I was so ballsy in that moment,ā he joked. āShe looked at me and said, āWell, I guess we are going to be working together.āā
When it came down to the song, she didnāt give them a hint as to what she thought as she listened. But it fit perfectly and she liked it.Ā
āWe were all terrified that she was going to hate it. but she was quite taken with it actually,ā the director said. āI think thatās probably what motivated me to go give her a hug. It was just the relief of her actually liking the song.ā
The writers changed some lyrics and enhanced some dance numbers to accommodate the cast
In addition to adding songs, lyrics were changed in a couple of others to better fit in with the actors. For example, Freedman shared that in āThe Stepsisterās Lament,ā there are lines about Cinderella being pale and having a āneck white as a swanās.ā That obviously doesnāt work with Brandy in the role, so they changed it.Ā
āI never told anybody. I never got permission from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization,ā he said. āWeāre talking maybe three to four words at the most, but it was my secret.ā
Also, in the song āIn My Own Little Corner,ā Cinderella sang about imagining herself as a āyoung Norwegian princess.ā In the 1997 film, Norwoodās Cinderella sings about being an Egyptian princess.
The Jason Alexander number, āThe Prince Is Giving A Ball,ā was also enhanced to be the big dance number it came to be. Alexanderās Lionel needed a flashier scene than what the original had.
Overall, all of these little changes here and there made 1997ās Cinderella just as iconic as it is today.Ā