Faerie Tale Theatre

Faerie Tale Theatre
The 6-DVD Starmaker II box set cover
Genre	Anthology Fairytale fantasy Adventure Drama
Created by	Shelley Duvall
Presented by	Shelley Duvall
Starring	see below
Country of origin	United States United Kingdom Australia Brazil Greece Japan
Original language(s)	English Portuguese Greek Japanese
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	27 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Shelley Duvall for Gaylord Production Company, Lions Gate Films and Platypus Productions Fred Fuchs
Running time	39–58 minutes
Production company(s)	Gaylord Production Company Lion's Gate Films Platypus Productions
Release
Original network	Showtime (United States) Disney Channel (United States) Rai 1 (Italy) TV Cultura (Brazil) Canal 5 (Mexico) DD National (India) ATV World (Hong Kong) TV2 (Malaysia) BNT 2 (Bulgaria) Bangladesh Television (Bangladesh)
Original release	September 11, 1982 (1982-09-11) – November 14, 1987 (1987-11-14)
Chronology
Followed by	Tall Tales & Legends Nightmare Classics Bedtime Stories
Related shows	Shirley Temple's Storybook Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Faerie Tale Theatre (also known as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre) is an American live-action fairytale fantasy drama anthology television series of 27 episodes, that originally aired on Showtime from September 11, 1982 until November 14, 1987. It is a retelling of 26 fairy tales, particularly those written by The Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault and Hans Christian Andersen, an additional episode is based on the poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin".

The 27th episode was a reunion episode of cast and crew titled "Grimm Party", in which in Fairytale style, celebrating the series they attended a gala in fancy dress.

The series follow a similar style to an earlier series narrated by Shirley Temple, titled Shirley Temple's Storybook, that ran from 1958 and 1961 and also featured numerous Hollywood stars in roles.

Series background

Actress Shelley Duvall who conceived the series, served as executive producer and host alongside associate producers Bridget Terry and Fred Fuchs, she also occasionally starred in episodes and was a featured narrator, as well as providing the voice of the animatronic Nightingale, in the episode of the same title.

Episodes were directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Ivan Passer, Emile Ardolino and Tim Burton, among others and featured numerous Hollywood performers in iconic roles.

The series was one of the first examples of original cable programming, alongside HBO's Fraggle Rock.

The series was followed by three other less successful shorter anthologies also produced by Duvall: Tall Tales & Legends (9 episodes), which follows the same format as Faerie Tale Theatre and focuses on classic American folk tales, Nightmare Classics (4 episodes produced of the intended 6), aimed at a young adult audience, and Bedtime Stories (12 episodes).

Duvall began conception of Faerie Tale Theatre while filming the live-action 1980 film Popeye in Malta. She reportedly asked her co-star, Robin Williams, his opinion on "The Frog Prince", a fairy tale she was reading during production. Williams thought it was funny and would later star in the namesake pilot episode of the series, written, narrated and directed by Monty Python's Eric Idle, who himself would appear in the future episode "The Pied Piper of Hamelin". Many of the episodes produced by Fred Fuchs in association with Duvall, were written by Rod Ash, Mark Curtiss, Maryedith Burrell and Robert C. Jones. All of the episodes were produced and shot from 1982 to 1985 and videotaped mostly at the ABC Television Studios in Hollywood, California.

Every episode opened with Duvall introducing herself and giving a brief synopsis of the fairy tale to follow. Each episode features live-action adaptations, with celebrities from the performance world in costume. Duvall features in three episodes playing various characters and narrates three others.

Episodes

Main article: List of Faerie Tale Theatre episodes

The following is the list episodes of the family television anthology Faerie Tale Theatre which ran from 1982 to 1987. Please note that the links go to the articles for the Faerie tales and not to any info about the productions themselves.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	2	September 11, 1982 (1982-09-11)	October 16, 1982 (1982-10-16)
	2	6	February 5, 1983 (1983-02-05)	December 5, 1983 (1983-12-05)
	3	7	January 9, 1984 (1984-01-09)	September 17, 1984 (1984-09-17)
	4	7	February 12, 1985 (1985-02-12)	October 5, 1985 (1985-10-05)
	5	2	July 14, 1986 (1986-07-14)	August 11, 1986 (1986-08-11)
	6	3	March 23, 1987 (1987-03-23)	November 14, 1987 (1987-11-14)

Season 1

#	Title	Original Airdate	Production code
1	"The Tale of the Frog Prince"	September 11, 1982 (1982-09-11)	101
A spoiled princess (Teri Garr) is forced to keep her promise to a talking frog who is an enchanted prince (Robin Williams) when he rescues her golden ball from the bottom of a well. Starring Robin Williams, Teri Garr, Rene Auberjonois, Michael Richards, and Candy Clark. Narrated, Written and Directed by Eric Idle.
2	"Rumpelstiltskin"	October 16, 1982 (1982-10-16)	102
A tiny man (Hervé Villechaize) lends a helping hand to a miller's daughter (Shelley Duvall) who is forced to answer for her father's tall tale that she can spin gold from straw. Starring Ned Beatty, Shelley Duvall, Paul Dooley, Bud Cort, and Hervé Villechaize.

Season 2

#	Title	Original Airdate	Production code
3	"Rapunzel"	February 5, 1983 (1983-02-05)	201
A beautiful and young girl named Rapunzel (Shelley Duvall) is taken from her mother and her father by an evil witch (Gena Rowlands) and brought up in an isolated tower that can only be accessed by climbing her unnaturally long hair. Starring Jeff Bridges, Shelley Duvall, and Gena Rowlands. Narrated by Roddy McDowall.
4	"The Nightingale"	May 10, 1983 (1983-05-10)	202
A Chinese Emperor (Mick Jagger) finds true friendship from a lowly kitchen maid (Barbara Hershey) and a plain little bird; both of whom are worth more than they appear. Starring Mick Jagger, Barbara Hershey, Bud Cort, Mako, Keye Luke, Edward James Olmos, and, in small roles, Anjelica Huston and Jerry Hall. Narrated by Shelley Duvall (who also performs the voice of the Nightingale).
5	"Sleeping Beauty"	July 7, 1983 (1983-07-07)	203
A handsome prince (Christopher Reeve) on the search for a princess (Bernadette Peters) bumps into a woodsman (George Dzundza) who tells him the story of the Sleeping Beauty, the fabled sleeping princess. Starring Bernadette Peters, Christopher Reeve, Beverly D'Angelo, Carol Kane, George Dzundza, Sally Kellerman, René Auberjonois, Ron Rifkin, and Richard Libertini. The adaption of this story had a bit of a Russian theme.
6	"Jack and the Beanstalk"	September 8, 1983 (1983-09-08)	204
A dreamer named Jack (Dennis Christopher) one day finds that his dreams have grown to enormous proportions. Starring Dennis Christopher, Elliott Gould as The Giant, Jean Stapleton as The Giant's Wife, Katherine Helmond, and Mark Blankfield.
7	"Little Red Riding Hood"	November 10, 1983 (1983-11-10)	205
An overprotected young lady (Mary Steenburgen) learns that there is merit to her parents' advice that she stick to the path and not talk to strangers. Starring Mary Steenburgen, Malcolm McDowell, John Vernon, Darrell Larson, Frances Bay, and Diane Ladd.
8	"Hansel and Gretel"	December 5, 1983 (1983-12-05)	206
A boy named Hansel (Ricky Schroder) and his sister named Gretel (Bridgette Andersen) who are left to fend for themselves in the woods and stumble upon a curious house made out of candy. Starring Ricky Schroder, Bridgette Andersen, Joan Collins, and Paul Dooley.

Season 3

#	Title	Original Airdate	Production code
9	"Goldilocks and the Three Bears"	January 9, 1984 (1984-01-09)	301
A precocious girl with a penchant for telling tall tales named Goldilocks (Tatum O'Neal) learns to tell the truth and to respect the privacy of others. Starring Tatum O'Neal, Hoyt Axton, John Lithgow, Carole King, Alex Karras, Brandis Kemp, and Donovan Scott.
10	"The Princess and the Pea"	April 16, 1984 (1984-04-16)	302
A bored prince (Tom Conti) decides that the best way to cheer himself up is to get married. As he goes through his mother's (Beatrice Straight) list of eligible princesses, an outspoken young girl who is a princess (Liza Minnelli) appears at the castle with raucous claims. Starring Liza Minnelli, Tom Conti, Beatrice Straight, Pat McCormick, Tim Kazurinsky, and Nancy Allen.
11	"Pinocchio"	May 14, 1984 (1984-05-14)	303
When lonely puppetmaker Gepetto (Carl Reiner) wishes with all his might that he can have a real son, the Blue Fairy (Lainie Kazan) decides to grant him and a wooden puppet named Pinocchio (Paul Reubens) the chance to make that wish come true. Starring Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens, James Coburn, Carl Reiner, Lainie Kazan, James Belushi, Michael Richards, and Vincent Schiavelli. Narrated by Don Novello.
12	"Thumbelina"	June 11, 1984 (1984-06-11)	304
A girl no bigger than a human thumb named Thumbelina (Carrie Fisher) embarks on a great adventure in the big wide world. Starring Carrie Fisher, William Katt, Burgess Meredith, and Conchata Ferrell. Narrated by David Hemmings.
13	"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"	July 16, 1984 (1984-07-16)	305
A beautiful and young princess named Snow White (Elizabeth McGovern) is forced to flee for her life when her only crime of simply being the fairest one in her kingdom arouses more than jealousy in the Evil Queen, her evil stepmother (Vanessa Redgrave). Starring Vincent Price, Vanessa Redgrave, Elizabeth McGovern, Tony Cox, and Rex Smith.
14	"Beauty and the Beast"	August 13, 1984 (1984-08-13)	306
The beautiful and the youngest daughter (Susan Sarandon) of a merchant sacrifices her freedom to save her father from the punishment of a cursed beast who is an enchanted prince (Klaus Kinski). Starring Susan Sarandon, Klaus Kinski, Stephen Elliott, and Anjelica Huston. Directed by Roger Vadim.
15	"The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers"	September 17, 1984 (1984-09-17)	307
A boy (Peter MacNicol) who doesn't know what fear is sets out into the world to try to understand what it means to be afraid. Starring Peter MacNicol, Dana Hill, Christopher Lee, Frank Zappa, and David Warner. Narrated by Vincent Price.

Season 4

#	Title	Original Airdate	Production code
16	"The Three Little Pigs"	February 12, 1985 (1985-02-12)	401
The mother (Doris Roberts) of three little pigs (Billy Crystal, Fred Willard, Stephen Furst) sends her sons out into the world to find their fortune in their own individual ways and The Big Bad Wolf (Jeff Goldblum)'s nagging wife sends him out to get dinner. Starring Billy Crystal, Jeff Goldblum, Valerie Perrine, Doris Roberts, Fred Willard, and Stephen Furst.
17	"The Snow Queen"	March 11, 1985 (1985-03-11)	402
A young girl named Gerda (Melissa Gilbert) begins a perilous journey to rescue her best friend (Lance Kerwin) after he is taken by the fabled Snow Queen (Lee Remick). Starring Melissa Gilbert, Lance Kerwin, Lee Remick, Lauren Hutton, and Linda Manz. Narrated by Shelley Duvall.
18	"The Pied Piper of Hamelin"	April 5, 1985 (1985-04-05)	403
Told entirely in the original poem, the Mayor, Town Council and town of Hamelin learns the heavy price of going back on their promise to the Pied Piper. Starring/narrated by Eric Idle and written/directed by Nicholas Meyer.
19	"Faerie Tale Theatre: Greatest Moments"	July 17, 1985 (1985-07-17)	404
Reunion episode, featuring cast/crew interviews, scripted skits and recaps.
20	"Cinderella"	August 14, 1985 (1985-08-14)	405
A beautiful and young girl named Cinderella (Jennifer Beals) recovering from the two deaths of her father and her mother finds herself reduced to a servant in her evil stepmother (Eve Arden) and her two evil stepsisters (Jane Alden and Edie McClurg), her new stepfamily's household, but is given the surprise of her life when her fairy godmother (Jean Stapleton) appears to lend a helping hand. Starring Jennifer Beals, Matthew Broderick, Jean Stapleton, Eve Arden, James Noble, Edie McClurg, and Jane Alden. Narrated by Joseph Maher.
21	"Puss in Boots"	September 9, 1985 (1985-09-09)	406
A young man (Gregory Hines) journeys from rags-to-riches thanks to his talented Puss in Boots (Ben Vereen). Starring Ben Vereen, Gregory Hines, Alfre Woodard, George Kirby, and Brock Peters. Narrated by Shelley Duvall.
22	"The Emperor's New Clothes"	October 5, 1985 (1985-10-05)	407
An Emperor (Dick Shawn) with peacock tendencies becomes the target for two conmen (Alan Arkin, Art Carney) who use his self-indulgence against him. Starring Dick Shawn, Alan Arkin, Art Carney, Clive Revill, Georgia Brown, and Barrie Ingham. Narrated by Timothy Dalton.

Season 5

#	Title	Original Airdate	Production code
23	"Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp"	July 14, 1986 (1986-07-14)	501
A common boy named Aladdin (Robert Carradine) has big dreams, which he finds coming true when he is approached by a Moroccan magician (Leonard Nimoy) who presents him an offer he can't refuse. Starring Robert Carradine, James Earl Jones, Leonard Nimoy, Valerie Bertinelli, Joseph Maher, Rae Allen, and Ray Sharkey. Directed by Tim Burton.
24	"The Princess Who Had Never Laughed"	August 11, 1986 (1986-08-11)	502
In a kingdom where all frivolity is banned, a princess (Ellen Barkin) who has grown up never knowing what laughter is decides that she will marry the first man who can make her laugh, but it takes a peasant's youngest son (Howie Mandel) and his pig to bring out both the laughter and the truth. Starring Ellen Barkin, Howie Mandel, Howard Hesseman, Sofia Coppola (credited as Domino Coppola), Michael Tucci, and Barrie Ingham. Narrated by William Daniels.

Season 6

#	Title	Original Airdate	Production code
25	"Rip Van Winkle"	March 23, 1987 (1987-03-23)	601
The story of a lazy man (Harry Dean Stanton) who sleeps for twenty years after wandering off in the mountains and playing ninepins with unusual men. Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Talia Shire, Roy Dotrice, Ed Begley, Jr., Christopher Penn, Tim Conway, and John P. Ryan. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
26	"The Little Mermaid"	April 6, 1987 (1987-04-06)	602
A young and beautiful mermaid (Pam Dawber) falls in love with a human being who is a human prince (Treat Williams) and sacrifices everything to be with him. Starring Pam Dawber, Treat Williams, Helen Mirren, Karen Black, Brian Dennehy, Laraine Newman, and Donna McKechnie.
27	"The Dancing Princesses"	November 14, 1987 (1987-11-14)	603
A widowed king (Roy Dotrice) who is overly protective of his six daughters discovers that their dancing shoes are mysteriously being worn out every night, and offers to let any prince who can solve the mystery choose any of the six princesses to have as his bride, but when the cleverness of the eldest daughter (Lesley Ann Warren) proves too much for the princes, it's up to a wandering soldier (Peter Weller) to discover the secret. Starring Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Weller, Roy Dotrice, Zelda Rubenstein, Ian Abercrombie, and Max Wright.

External links

• Faerie Tale Theatre at IMDB

Artwork

Many episodes feature backdrops and settings inspired by specific artists and children's book illustrators, including

Artist	Production
Maxfield Parrish	The Frog Prince
Norman Rockwell	Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Arthur Rackham	Hansel and Gretel
Edmund Dulac	The Nightingale
Aubrey Beardsley and Harry Clarke	The Princess and the Pea
Gustav Klimt	Rapunzel
N. C. Wyeth	Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Kay Nielsen	Sleeping Beauty
Brueghel and Dürer	The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Jennie Harbour	Little Red Riding Hood
George Cruikshank	Thumbelina
filmmakers, such as Jean Cocteau	Beauty and the Beast

Home media

Faerie Tale Theatre was released on VHS, Betamax, CED, and Laserdisc in the 1980s through mid 1990s, initially by CBS/FOX Video (which was also in Australia.), followed by Playhouse Video (an extended label under CBS/FOX), and later Razz Ma Tazz Entertainment/Cabin Fever Entertainment. While in the UK, it was released by MGM-UA Home Video.

Starmaker II held the rights to the series from 2004 to 2006, and at first released 26 episodes as individual DVDs. This was followed by a double-sided 4-disc box set and then a 6-disc box set, each version containing the same 26 episodes. The "Greatest Moments" episode was not included in this release.

After 2006, Koch Vision held the series' distribution rights, and in November 2006 licensed the rights worldwide (excluding DVDs in North America) to the British company 3DD Entertainment. A new remastered 7-disc box set, including the lost "Greatest Moments" episode, was released by Koch Vision on September 2, 2008. In 2009, Koch Vision released the episodes by theme on six DVD compilations: Tales from the Brothers Grimm ("Hansel and Gretel", "Rapunzel", "Rumpelstiltskin", and "Little Red Riding Hood"), Funny Tales ("The Tale of The Frog Prince", "Pinocchio", "The Three Little Pigs" and "The Princess Who Had Never Laughed"), Tales from Hans Christian Andersen ("The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Nightingale", "The Snow Queen" and "Thumbelina"), Princess Tales ("Cinderella", "The Little Mermaid", "The Dancing Princesses" and "The Princess and the Pea"), Magical Tales ("Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp", "Beauty and the Beast", "Puss in Boots" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs") and Bedtime Tales ("Jack and the Beanstalk", "Sleeping Beauty", "Rip Van Winkle" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears").

When released on DVD by Starmaker II and Koch Vision, the following scenes were cut from the series:

• "Goldilocks and the Three Bears": Papa Bear and Mama Bear trying to fix Cubby Bear's chair; the Charades scene is shortened.
• "The Pied Piper of Hamelin": Julius Caesar Rat's monologue.
• "Rumpelstiltskin": the Miller's daughter singing with the animals in the forest (this scene was also unavailable on the VHS releases)

Awards

Faerie Tale Theatre won a Peabody Award, a TCA Award, and a Golden CableACE Award. It later aired as edited re-runs on the Disney Channel as well as in syndication on various television stations, including PBS and BookTelevision.

International broadcast

• In the United States, The series was first shown on Showtime in 1982, and again It aired on Disney Channel between 1994 and 1996.
• In Italy, The series aired on Rai 1 every weekend in 1990, and again in 1991 and 1992 in the morning under the title "Nel regno delle fiable", meaning "In the Kingdom of Fairy Tales" in Italian.
• In Brazil, The series aired on TV Cultura.
• In Hong Kong, The series aired on ATV World every saturday.
• In Mexico, The series aired on Canal 5.
• In India, The series aired on DD National.
• In Malaysia, The series aired on TV2.
• In Bulgaria, The series aired on BNT 2.
• In the Philippines, The series aired on an unnamed Philippine network.
• In Bangladesh, the series aired on Bangladesh Television.
• In Sri Lanka, the series aired on Rupavahini.

See also

• Cannon Movie Tales
• Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
• Shirley Temple's Storybook
• Tall Tales & Legends
• Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
• The Fairytaler

External links

• Faerie Tale Theatre at IMDb
• Faerie Tale Theatre at epguides.com