Faerie Tale Theatre

[BEAR]

Those Faerie Tale Theatre shows were pretty fun because it was neat to see favorite stars play some of those characters. Kind of reminds me of the old live action Alice in Wonderland that had just about everyone in it from John Stamos to Carol Channing to Sammy Davis Jr. The Faerie Tale Theatre used to creep me out a little though. Sometimes the creepiest part was Shelley Duvall, herself. Something about her just made me so uncomfortable.

 

[The Count]

Rully Bry? That's the first time I think I've heard that. And yes, I simply loved that live version of Alice in Wonderland. Probably the best and most complete/accurate version I've ever seen.
Have a few questions on some of the background characters in that TV movie though, not sure if you'd be able to help.

Good night, creatures of the night... Enjoy the new sigline and avatar.

 

[BEAR]

Rully Bry? That's the first time I think I've heard that. And yes, I simply loved that live version of Alice in Wonderland. Probably the best and most complete/accurate version I've ever seen.
Have a few questions on some of the background characters in that TV movie though, not sure if you'd be able to help.

Good night, creatures of the night... Enjoy the new sigline and avatar.

Ed, did you ever see the more recent all-star television production of Alice in Wonderland? It was from the last 10 years for sure. It starred Martin Short as the Mad Hatter, Whoopi Goldberg as The Cheshire Cat, Christopher Lloyd as the White Knight, Gene Wilder as The Mock Turtle, Robbie Coltrane & George Wendt as the Tweedles, Natasha Richarson as the Queen of Hearts, Ben Kingsley as Major Caterpillar, Peter Ustinov as The Walrus, and Pete Postethlwaite as The Carpenter. It was pretty good. A little different but great!

Yeah, Shelley Duvall was just weird in those Faerie Tale Theater things. It's awkward watching her.

 

[The Count]

Yes... Because of the hype machine and my love of Alice In Wonderland as one of my #1 all-time stories I did watch that version in 1999. That was when I was taking either my British Literature or American Literature courses in my undergrad college years. Christopher Lloyd as the White Knight was the only good portrayal from that version in my opinion. It just wasn't that good to me, a lot of stuff didn't mesh well and the performances didn't jive for me. But the version with Natalie Gregory, Sammy Davis Jr., a young Scoot Baio, Telly Savallas, Ann Jillian, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar, Imagene Coca, and Ringo Starr very well hidden in the prosthetics as the Mockturtle will be the golden mark for me when it comes to this wonderous tale.

Of course, the Disney version is a good interpretation/adaptation, though the one mentioned above is the best/most complete or accurate I've ever seen. And if I'm giving props to Disney for Alice, I also have to give them props for making me fall in love with the story of The Little Mermaid after my initial reluctance.

Before I forget... On the subject of Fairie Tale Theater... Only saw the Tall Tales and Legends series, didn't get to catch many of the FTT episodes. Thumbelina is the only one I remember, and don't ask me who the actors were cause I don't rully know. But after FTT faded from the channel's schedule, they sort of revived it with another series called Storybook Cinema. These were beautifully produced versions of the classic fairy tales. I remember the one about the Frog Prince with this puppetlike actor and Little Red Riding Hood with Isabella Rosselini as the title character.
Anybody else remember Storybook Cinema?

 

[CensoredAlso]

After that, she produced and starred in a Disney Channel movie titled Mother Goose Rock & Rhyme with a host of celebrities portraying famous nursery rhyme characters in a land where everything was disappearing after Mother Goose's kidnapping.
The cast included Cyndi Lauper as Mary and Woody Harrelson as her Little Lamb (the prosthetics hiding his face are comparable to Ringo Starr when he portrayed the Mockturtle in a live TV telemovie of Alice in Wonderland, you'd almost not know who was playing the role), Ben Vereen as Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pia Zadora as Little Miss Muffet, Howie Mandel as Humpty Dumpty, Little Richard as Old King Cole, Cheech Marin as the carnival barker where Hey Diddle Diddle was taking place, and Paul Simon as Simple Simon (identified by the big white peace symbol on his black T-shirt) among others.
Hope this helps, have a good day you guys.

Just wanted to mention that someone uploaded Mother Goose Rock and Rhyme a little while ago. I'd highly recommend, it's such a unique and hilarious story. Shelley's very good in it, as is Little Richard (so cool! Lol). I probably liked Gordon best (Mother Goose's grown up son, fed up with living in Rhyme Land lol). Looking back now, I can't believe how...um...adult the humor is at times, lol.

I used to have it on tape years ago. It reminds me of the great days of the Disney channel.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=naIGGZf1TdY&mode=related&search=

 

[Winslow Leach]

Thanks. And while we're on the subject, who was Shelley Duvall anyway? She just seems to be this random woman who popped up in the 80's and did a few offbeat kids shows. Does she have a website?

Shelley Duvall is a very accomplished actress, who is probably best known for her work with director Robert Altman. She had leading roles in Altman's Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Thieves Like Us (1974), Nashville (1975), Buffalo Bill & the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976), Three Women (1977) and Popeye (1980). As has already been stated, she appeared in Annie Hall (1977) and The Shining (1980). She can also be seen in Time Bandits (1981), Tim Burton's short film Frankenweenie (1984), and Roxanne (1987), opposite Steve Martin. She hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live during the show's second season in 1977.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Hey Count, have you ever seen the 1933 live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland? It's a somewhat obscure film today, and has never been released on video or DVD. But some PBS stations occasionally air it.

It was an all-star Paramount production, and pretty much used every actor available on the Paramount lot. It stars Charlotte Henry as Alice. Henry is probably best remembered as Bo-Peep in Laurel & Hardy's Babes In Toyland, a.k.a. March of the Wooden Soldiers. But check out the supporting cast!

W.C. Fields - Humpty Dumpty
Cary Grant - The Mock Turtle
Gary Cooper - The White Knight
Edward Everett Horton - The Mad Hatter
Edna May Oliver - The Red Queen
Charlie Ruggles - The March Hare
May Robson - The Queen of Hearts
Sterling Holloway - The Frog
Jack Oakie - Tweedledum
Roscoe Karns - Tweedledee

 

[The Count]

Nope... The one I fondly remember is the one already stated.

Natalie Gregory as Alice.
Steve Lawrence and Edie Gourmet as Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Karl Malden as the Walrus and Louis Nye as the Carpenter.
Carol Channing as the White Queen.
John Stamos as Hatta.
Scott Baio as Pat the Pig.
Arte Johnson as the Dormouse, Roddy McDowell as the March Hare, and Red Buttons as the Mad Hatter.
Sid Caesar as the Griffin and Ringo Starr as the Mockturtle.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Is this show available anywhere?