Faerie Tale Theatre
A live-action anthology retelling classic fairy tales with celebrity casts.
Faerie Tale Theatre (also known as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre) is an American live-action fairytale fantasy drama anthology television series created and presented by actress Shelley Duvall. It originally aired on Showtime from 1982 to 1987 and is notable for featuring numerous Hollywood actors and famous celebrities portraying costumed characters, as well as direction by well-known filmmakers. The series consists of 27 episodes, most of which retell classic fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, or Hans Christian Andersen.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Anthology
- Fairytale fantasy
- Adventure
- Drama
- Runtime
- 39–58 minutes
- Creator
- Shelley Duvall
- Executive producers
- Shelley Duvall for Gaylord Production Company, Lion's Gate Films and Platypus Productions; Fred Fuchs
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 6
- Network
- Showtime
Facts from the source article.
Series background
Shelley Duvall conceived the series, served as executive producer and host, and also starred in three episodes, narrated three, and voiced the animatronic nightingale in the episode of the same title. Each episode begins with Duvall introducing herself and giving a brief synopsis of the fairy tale to follow. The series followed a style similar to Shirley Temple's Storybook, which aired from 1958 to 1961, and was one of the first examples of original cable programming.
Production
Duvall conceived Faerie Tale Theatre while filming the 1980 film Popeye in Malta, after discussing The Frog Prince with co-star Robin Williams. Williams later starred in the pilot episode, written, narrated, and directed by Monty Python's Eric Idle. Episodes were produced by Fred Fuchs in association with Duvall, with screenplays by Rod Ash, Mark Curtiss, Maryedith Burrell, and Robert C. Jones. All episodes were produced and shot from 1982 to 1985, videotaped mostly at ABC Television Studios in Burbank, California, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Ivan Passer, Emile Ardolino, Tim Burton, and other Hollywood directors.
Home media
Faerie Tale Theatre was released on VHS, Betamax, CED, and Laserdisc in the 1980s through the mid-1990s by CBS/FOX Video, Playhouse Video, and Razzmatazz Entertainment/Cabin Fever Entertainment. In the UK, MGM-UA Home Video handled release; in Japan, Sanrio released all episodes individually on Video8. Starmaker II held rights from 2004 to 2006, releasing 26 episodes as individual DVDs, a double-sided 4-disc box set, and a 6-disc box set, all excluding the 'Greatest Moments' episode. A remastered 7-disc box set including the lost 'Greatest Moments' episode was released by Koch Vision in September 2008. In 2009, Koch Vision released six themed DVD compilations: Tales from the Brothers Grimm, Funny Tales, Tales from Hans Christian Andersen, Princess Tales, Magical Tales, and Bedtime Tales. Certain scenes were cut from DVD releases: in 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', Papa Bear and Mama Bear trying to fix Cubby Bear's chair and the Charades scene were shortened; in 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin', Julius Caesar Rat's monologue was cut; in 'Rumpelstiltskin', the Miller's daughter singing with the animals in the forest was cut (also cut from VHS).
Local and international broadcast
In the United States, the series originally aired on Showtime from 1982 to 1987 and re-aired on the Disney Channel from 1994 to 1996, as well as in syndication on PBS and BookTelevision. Internationally, it aired in Italy on Rai 1 as Nel regno delle fiabe, in Brazil on TV Cultura, in Hong Kong on ATV World, in Mexico on Canal 5, in India on DD National, in Malaysia on TV2, in Bulgaria on BNT 2, in the Philippines on ABC 5, in Bangladesh on Bangladesh Television, in Sri Lanka on Rupavahini, in Turkey on TRT 1, and in the United Kingdom on Channel 4.
More in American Children's Fantasy Television Series
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