SHIRLEY TEMPLE'S STORYBOOK: THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (TV)
Summary
One in this children's anthology series of musical fairy tales hosted and narrated by, and occasionally featuring, Shirley Temple. In this program, Temple introduces the tale of Sleeping Beauty, first published by Charles Perrault in 1697. The story begins as a childless queen sadly asks after her gardener's new son, and then is surprised by a visit from the Black Fairy, who offers to grant her dearest wish. Sometime later, the queen gives birth to a girl, and her cousin Grimgerda arrives with a guest list for the christening, urging her to include several important kings whose sons could one day marry the princess. She tells her to disinvite the Black Fairy, however, as she is "stingy" and unappealing, though the queen is uncertain. At the christening, Kings Perriscale, Thorabore and Gall arrives with presents, and three fairies gift the princess with beauty, riches and grace. However, the Black Fairy then arrives, offended at being scorned, and declares that the princess will suffer the consequences of their selfishness. She states that she will fall into a death-like sleep before she is fully grown after pricking her finger on a spindle, awakened only when a "true prince" comes.
The king quickly bans all spinning wheels from the kingdom, ignoring the peasant women's objections, and the princess grows into a lovely young woman, unaware of the curse. She frets about the arrival of Prince Perriscale, though Aidan, the gardener's son and her lifelong friend, feels that he is unworthy of her, and the vain suitor proves to be more interested in her own portrait than in her musical talents. Prince Thorabore visits as well and the princess is upset when he "gifts" her with a bird he has killed, and Aidan attempts to comfort her, frustrated that they are both trapped in their positions in life. At a dance, Prince Gall flirts heavily with her, though she is distracted when the Black Fairy appears and plays strange music. The king declares that she must marry soon, secretly wanting her to escape the curse, and gives her until morning to choose one of the three princes. Aidan asks her to run away with him, but she points out that she is royalty and he a servant, and he sadly leaves, unwilling to witness her wedding to someone else. Lured into a tower, the princess is fascinated to see the Black Fairy spinning at a wheel, as she has never seen such a thing, and when she asks to try, she pricks her finger and falls into a sleep which spreads over the entire castle, affecting everyone within. A thorny forest grows around the castle as the years pass, and the sleeping royals occasionally dream, with the king imagining a scene in which the common people scold him for banning spinning wheels and not telling the princess about the curse, pointing out that she would have had avoided them had she known. The queen dreams that she resembles the Black Fairy and is locked out of her daughter's wedding as a result, and the princess dreams that she has become a gardener's daughter and Aidan a prince, ashamed to realize that he wishes to be with her anyway and that she should have done the same in life.
A hundred years pass, and the suitors' descendants attempt to fight their way into the castle and break the spell, though Perriscale and Thorabore ignore the Black Fairy's warnings that they need a magical sword to do so. Gall steals the sword without paying, but Aidan's great-great-grandson takes her words to heart when he arrives. As he struggles through the forest he spots the princes, asleep from the curse as well, and recovers the sword from Gall, surprised when it turns into a pair of pruning shears. He makes it through the thorns and realizes that he has been transformed into a prince, and when he enters the castle and kisses the sleeping princess, the spell is broken and everyone awakens as though no time has passed. The princess remembers her dream and declares her intentions to marry Aidan, and though the king objects to her marrying a servant, the queen gives them her blessing and everyone sits down to a much-overdue breakfast. The Black Fairy appears in their midst and the queen invites her to the wedding, having learned from her mistake, and she accepts, striking Grimgerda dumb when she objects. The Black Fairy notes that she gave them all "the gift of sleep" and that they have all clearly learned from their dreams, adding that Aidan's "noble heart" makes him as worthy as a prince. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: June 8, 1958 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:53:14
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:19306
- GENRE: Children's programs
- SUBJECT HEADING: Children's progams; Fairy tales
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1958-1961
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Alvin Cooperman … Producer
- Norman Lessing … Associate Producer
- Shelley Hull … Associate Producer
- Mitchell Leisen … Director
- Margaret Fitts … Writer
- Leigh Harline … Music by
- Morris Stoloff … Conductor
- Shirley Temple … Host
- Judith Evelyn … Cast, Black Fairy
- Alexander Scourby … Cast, King
- Nancy Marchand … Cast, Queen
- Olive Deering … Cast, Grimgerda
- Anne Helm … Cast, The Sleeping Beauty
- Vernon Gray … Cast, Aidan
- Pernell Roberts … Cast, Thorabore
- Phillip Pine … Cast, Gall
- Robert Quarry … Cast, Perriscale