Faerie Tale Theatre

Ellen Barkin is a forlorn princess yearning for laughs. Howard Hessman is her stern father (the king) who demands to be addressed as "your seriousness". Growing up without humor, the princess becomes more and more morose, finally locking herself in the royal bedchamber and refusing to leave. The king in desperation, decrees a royal laugh-off to make his daughter happy. Enter Howie Mandell as "Weinerhead Waldo" and his pet pig Boris. Together they show the princess what the funniest act in the kingdom really is.

Although not an actual Faerie Tale, this was very fun. It was a party with all the actors and actresses that made a contribution of their talents to lovely Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. They talk about their experiences as some of the most beloved Faerie Tale characters. Jean Stapleton also talks about how she was in more episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre more than anybody else besides Shelley Duvall herself. Stapleton appeared as the fairy godmother in Cinderella and the Giant's Wife in Jack and the Beanstalk. Unfortunately, this exclusive party was never released on video, but only time can tell...

The amusing story about a millers son who inherits a cat-- not just any cat -- a cat who insists on wearing people's clothing. But all the money is not wasted -- Puss has a plan to get his master (Ben Vereen) married to the lovely Princess Lovinia-- the only thing standing in the way is the evil ogre. Puss proves that cats are clever in this funny adaption of the Perrault story!

Eric Idle plays a wandering piper who is hired by a selfish mayor to rid his town of rats. The piper is good to his word and leads the rats to a watery grave.However when he asks for payment the mayor reneges, thus causing the piper tp play his pipe for an alternate result -- this time leading all the children out of Hamelin never to be seen again.

If you work hard you can overcome the most formidable obstacles. Thats the morale of this most popular of fairy tales. Billy Crystal and Valerie Perrine are in trouble when they come up against Big Bad Wolf Jeff Goldblum. Billys older brothers just miss ending up on the wolfs plate by the hair of their chin-ee chin chins when he blows there houses of straw and sticks away. Billy the more practical pig, takes his time and constructs his house out of sturdy brick. when the cigar-chomping wolf arrives- he huffs and puffs but can't blow Billy's house down.

Overcoming fear is a problem for most people, but there once was a boy whose problem was his complete lack of fear! Peter MacNicol stars as that boy in this amusing production narrated by Vincent Price. The king played by Christopher Lee promises the boy treasure and a beautiful princess if he can defeat an evil sorcerer who has haunted the kings castle. The boy meets an ominous mute hunchback, a headless man and ghosts galore and finally the sorcerer himself (in a duel to the death fight). Yet, he still has no fear, until the surprise conclusion.

In her effort to be "fairest in the land," a jealous and evil queen attempts to be rid of her beautiful stepdaughter, Snow White, who takes refuge in the forest cottage of the seven dwarfs. The queen, disguised by magic as an old peddler woman, tempts Snow White with a poisoned apple, which puts her into an enchanted sleep until the spell can be broken by love's first kiss.

James Coburn, Carl Reiner, Paul Reubens and Lainie Kazan star in this amazing version of the Carlo Collodi's classic tale. A magical blue fairy brings a marionette named Pinocchio to life in order to grant a woodcutter's wish. Now Pinocchio must prove himself kind and loving in order to become a real, live boy. But, if he is bad, which sometimes he is, his nose will grow and only until he realizes his mistake will it shrink back to a valid size. This is one of the best Faerie Tale Theatre episodes, and one of the best versions of this classic Faerie Tale!

It's probably the most famous story of trespassing in fiction. In this version, its unquestionably the most entertaining. Tatum O'Neal stars as the mischievous but lovable heroine in this story of a child who invades the lives of 3 bears. The amusing threesome is headed by Alex Karras. Carole king and John Lithgow and Hoyt Axton are included in the talented supporting cast.

A mean and selfish stepmother convinces her husband that if they are to keep from starving he must abandon his children in the woods. Lost and Hungry the children come across a wonderful gingerbread cottage covered with candy and icing. Unknown to them the house is owned by an evil witch who uses it to trap boys and girls lost in the wood. She captures the children with the intent on baking them up in her oven-- but Gretal decides to try some home cooking herself!

Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum... Remember the shivers you felt from the giants cry when you were a child? Now in this delightful production of Jack and the Beanstalk, a marvelous script and magical special effects recreate the adventure. Dennis Christopher is the idealistic hero who trades a cow for magic beans, then climbs the resulting beanstalk and stumbles onto an incredible adventure. A large part of that adventure is an encounter with Jean Stapleton and Elliot Gould, a giant husband and wife time that make this one of the most memorable episodes.

Cathay, a kingdom with harmony and peace. A simple kitchen maid, whose mother is very sick, learns of magical faeries and a root that can cure even the worst disease. She also comes across a beautiful bird, the nightingale, that she soon falls in love with its song. The emperor, is unpleased to learn that his great and vast palace does not completly please the poets, rather a simple bird, the nightingale, does. His royal court gets the bird, with the help of the kitchen maid, and the emperor is very pleased. After a while, an artificial bird is given to the emperor as a gift. He banishes the other the nightingale. But when the artificial bird breaks, he suddenly becomes deathly ill. It's up to the nightingale to save him, but will she after he banished her? Mick Jagger portrays the emperor very well, Barbara Hershey is superb as the kitchen maid, and Edward James Olomos is great as the prime minister. The Nightingale has a great message and great fun!

Boasting about one's daughter is one thing, Telling the king she can spin straw into gold is quite another- especially when the penalty for failure is death!What will the millers daughter do? call on the assistance of a strange little man who in exchange for spinning straw into gold -- wants her first born child! The only way to save herself from a terrible fate is to guess the little man's name.