MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE:
STORYBOOK PLAYHOUSE 2: PACKAGE 24 {THE TALKING
PARCEL; THE HAT}
Summary
Prepared for The Museum of Television & Radio screening series "Storybook Playhouse," this compilation of stories features works based on the writings of Gerald Durrell and Tomi Ungerer. In the animated tale of "The Talking Parcel," a little girl, Penelope, discovers a talking parcel on the seashore. Inside she discovers a parrot, named Parrot, who comes from Mythologia, a land ruled by H. H. Junketbury, a wizard who was captured by fire-breathing beasts called Cockatrices. Parrot enlists Penelope to help him save the wizard, and they journey on a flying train, called Hortense, to Mythologia where Penelope sees a dragon, unicorns, and many other unique creatures. As Penelope and Parrot begin their quest to save the wizard, they meet Ethelred the Toad, who is a spy for the Cockatrices. Fortunately for them, he is not a very loyal spy and decides to help Penelope and Parrot instead. Ethelred shows them a safe way in to talk to the Wizard, who tells them that weasel bites are fatal to Cockatrices. However, weasels are the most cowardly animals in Mythologia. The wizard also tells them of a plant that will make the weasels brave, so the threesome journey to Werewolf Island to find the unique plant. On their adventure they meet a friendly sea serpent and a wicked werewolf. After collecting samples of the plant, the threesome visit the weasels, who after much persuasion finally agree to eat the rare plant. Parrot then leads the creatures of Mythologia in battle against the Cockatrices. In the animated tale of "The Hat," a wealthy man's magical hat is blown off his head by the wind. It lands on the head of a poor army veteran with one leg. The hat obeys the orders of its new owner, who uses the hat to perform various good deeds for which he is handsomely rewarded. One day he stops a runaway horse and saves a duchess from disaster. The two fall in love and get married. No longer needed by the now-wealthy veteran, the hat once again flies away to bring good fortune to the next needy person.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 0:48:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:34178
- GENRE: Animation; Children's
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children's programs
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "The Talking Parcel":
- Brian Cosgrove … Producer, Director
- Mark Hall … Producer
- Keith Scoble … Animation
- Graham Garside … Animation
- Jean Flynn … Animation
- Neil Ross … Animation
- Ed Shirt … Animation
- Ruth Morgan … Animation
- George Jackson … Animation
- Mario Cavalli … Animation
- Mike Roberts … Animation
- Roy Evans … Animation
- Graham Kennedy … Animation
- Alec Roth … Animation
- Gerald Durrell … Writer, From the book by
- Rosemary Anne Sisson … Adapted by
- David Rohl … Music by
- Stuart J. Wolstenholme … Music by
- Lisa Norris … Cast, Penelope, Voice
- Freddie Jones … Cast, Parrot, Voice
- Mollie Sugden … Cast, Hortense, Voice
- Roy Kinnear … Cast, Ethelred, Voice
- Edward Kelsey … Cast, H.H. Junketbury, Voice
- Windsor Davies … Cast, the Chief Cockatrice, Voice
- Michael Hordern … Cast, Oswald, Voice
- Peter Woodthorpe … Cast, the Werewolf, Voice
- Harvey Ashby … Cast, Duke Wensleydale, Voice
- Raymond Mason … Voice
- Daphne Oxenford … Voice
- For "The Hat":
- Morton Schindel … Producer
- Gene Deitch … Director, Adapted by, Design by
- Olga Siskova … Animation
- Vera Kudrnova … Animation
- Libuse Ciharova … Animation
- Trena Tandova … Animation
- Vera Michlova … Animation
- Tomi Ungerer … Writer, From the book written and illustrated by
- Taroslav Celba … Music by