MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE: STORYBOOK PLAYHOUSE 2: PACKAGE 11 {HOW THE LEOPARD GOT HIS SPOTS; ARNOLD OF THE DUCKS; THE CAT IN THE HAT; THE SNOWY DAY}
Summary
Prepared for The Museum of Television & Radio screening series "Storybook Playhouse," this compilation of stories features works based upon the writings of Rudyard Kipling, Mordicai Gerstein, Dr. Seuss, and Ezra Jack Keats. In Rudyard Kipling tale about adaptation, "How the Leopard Got His Spots," a yellowish colored leopard and a yellowish colored Ethiopian hunt for animals on the high veld in South Africa. They find their sport easy since they blend in well with the high veld's background of yellowish sand. One day the other animals of the high veld including the zebra and the giraffe, who were solid in color, but did not blend in with the yellowish sand, decide to move into the forest away from their predators. After living there for a while, the zebra grows stripes from the shadows created by the trees and the giraffe grows blotches from the shadows created by the leaves. Meanwhile, the hungry leopard and the Ethiopian, who are unable to find food, seek the advice of the wisest animal in South Africa. They learn that it is time for them to change and go to a different spot. Not completely understanding what this means, the leopard and the Ethiopian wander until they reach the forest where they smell and hear zebras and giraffes, but cannot see them. That night they capture a giraffe and a zebra, but find that their victims have no visible form. They decide to wait until dawn and see what their prisoners really look like. At dawn they discover the changes in the zebra and the giraffe that enable them to blend into the forest so well that they cannot be detected. The Ethiopian decides that if he and the leopard are going to survive in the forest, they are going to have to make some changes themselves. In the tale of "Arnold of the Ducks" from "CBS Storybreak," hosted by Bob Keeshan, a little boy, Arnold, is carried out of his baby pool by a pelican who mistakes him for a tuna fish. When the pelican realizes his mistake, he drops Arnold into a forest and flies away. Arnold finds himself in the middle of a family of ducks. The mother duck, Leda, feels sorry for the boy and decides to raise Arnold as one of her own. Arnold lives with the ducks for three years and thinks of himself as a duck. He even learns to fly with the help of his duckling brothers who attach feathers to Arnold's body. One day while flying about, Arnold gets tangled in a kite and falls nearby his house where his family's dog finds him and brings him home. His parents do not understand why he is covered with feathers and quacking like a duck. Slowly Arnold learns how to be a boy and goes to school. Meanwhile, on the edge of the forest where Leda lives, a shopping mall is being built and bulldozers are preparing to clear the land. When Arnold finds out what is happening, he becomes worried about Leda and his duck brothers. While in the school yard, Arnold sees his four brothers, who are fully grown, flying out of the forest, but cannot see Leda anywhere. Arnold learns learns from his duck brothers that Leda is waiting in her nest for four new eggs to hatch. Realizing what will happen to Leda if the bulldozers reach her before he does, Arnold flies into the forest to save her. "Arnold of the Ducks" is closed-captioned. In the musical tale of "The Cat in the Hat," two children are left alone at home by their mother on a rainy day. The boy and girl are all set to have a boring day when a cat in a hat shows up at their door. Against the wishes of the children's goldfish, Karlos K. Krinklebein, who acts as the children's guardian, the cat and his two strange friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2, help the children to have an entertaining day as they wreak havoc throughout the house. The peculiar cat enlists the children to help him search for his family gradunza in a unique fashion, sings Krinklebein a tranquilizing lullabye, teaches the youngsters and the goldfish to say "cat in a hat" in various languages, and even cleans up the house before the children's mother comes home. Songs include: "Nuthin', Nuthin'," "Calculatus Eliminatus," "I'm a Punk," and "A Cat in a Hat." In the tale of "The Snowy Day," a boy named Peter awakens to discover that snow had fallen during the night. Peter goes outside and makes footprints and tracks in the snow, uses a stick to bang snow down off of a tree, makes a snowman and angels, pretends to be a mountain climber, and takes a snowball home with him to save for another day.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 1:15:47
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:33674
- GENRE: Children's; Animation; Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Children's programs; Animation; Adaptation; Camouflage (Biology); Protective coloration (Biology); Ducks
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "How The Leopard Got His Spots":
- Mark Sottnick … Executive Producer, Producer
- Beth Polish … Associate Producer
- Tim Raglin … Director
- Rudyard Kipling … Based on story by
- Joseph Shabalala … Composer, Music (Misc. Credits), Music Arranger
- Ladysmith Black Mambazo … Music Group
- Lori Lohstoeter … Paintings by
- Danny Glover … Narrator
- For "Arnold of the Ducks":
- Paul Bogrow … Executive Producer
- Buzz Potamkin … Supervising Producer
- Steve Lumley … Producer
- Gordon Kent … Associate Producer
- Mordicai Gerstein … Based on the book by
- Mark Evanier … Writer
- Bruce Rowland … Composer, Conductor
- Bob Baxter … Animation
- Sue Beak … Animation
- Murray Debus … Animation
- Dick Dunn … Animation
- Don Ezard … Animation
- Gerry Grabner … Animation
- Lianne Hughes … Animation
- Dwayne Labbe … Animation
- Sarah Lawson … Animation
- Ken Keys … Animation
- Helen McAdam … Animation
- Henry Neville … Animation
- Kevin Peaty … Animation
- Vivian Ray … Animation
- John Rice … Animation
- Stephen Taylor … Animation
- Milan Zahorsky … Animation
- Darek Polkowski … Animation
- Rick Tinschert … Animation
- Peter Eastment … Animation
- Karen Barboutis … Animation
- Rodney Brunsdon … Animation
- Paul Maron … Animation
- Don Mackinnon … Animation
- George Hemzal … Animation
- Chris Minos … Animation
- Bruce Pedersen … Animation
- Di Rudder … Animation
- Jim Wylie … Animation
- Keeshan, Bob (See also: Keeshan, Robert) … Host
- Mason Adams … Narrator
- Sean Griffen … Cast, Howie, Voice
- Dave Madden … Cast, Harry, the Ranger, and the Bull Driver #2, Voice
- Anna Mathias … Cast, Sally, the Mailman, and the Teacher, Voice
- Jeremy Schoenberg … Cast, Arnold, and the Male Student, Voice
- Frank Welker … Cast, Arnold (baby), the Pelican, Waldo, Ducklings 1-4, Leda, the Forman, Baby Ducklings, and Bull Driver 1 & 3da, Voice
- For "The Cat in the Hat":
- De Patie, David H. … Executive Producer
- Friz Freleng … Executive Producer
- Chuck Jones … Producer, Storyboard by
- Geisel, Ted (See also: Dr. Seuss) … Producer, Writer, Teleplay by, Composer, Song lyrics by
- Hawley Pratt … Director
- Maurice Noble … Production Design
- Dean Elliott … Music by
- Eric Rogers … Conductor
- Hal Ambro … Animation
- Warren Batchelder … Animation
- Manny Gould … Animation
- George Nicholas … Animation
- Phil Roman … Animation
- Robert Taylor … Animation
- Don Williams … Animation
- Allan Sherman … Cast, the Cat in the Hat, Voice
- Dawes Butler … Cast¥ , Voice
- Tony Frazier … Cast, Voice
- Pamela Ferdin … Cast, Voice
- Gloria Camacho … Cast, Voice
- Thurl Ravenscroft … Cast, Voice
- Lewis Morford … Cast, Voice
- For "The Snowy Day":
- Morton Schindel … Producer
- Mal Wittman … Producer, Director, Animation
- Ezra Jack Keats … Writer
- Barry Galbraith … Composer, Musician, Guitarist
- Jane Harvey … Narrator