MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE: STORYBOOK PLAYHOUSE 2: PACKAGE 14 {THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES; ABEL'S ISLAND}
Summary
Prepared for The Museum of Television & Radio screening series "Storybook Playhouse," this compilation of stories features works based upon the writings of Hans Christian Andersen and William Steig. In "The Emperor's New Clothes" from "Faerie Tale Theatre" hosted by Shelley Duvall, two con men, Morty and Bo, wander into the province of a fashion-conscious emperor. They pretend to be great tailors and convince the monarch to hire them to make a new wardrobe for him. Bo and Morty claim that those who are unintelligent or unfit for office are unable to see the fabric that they weave. As the con men pretend to weave the fabric, the Emperor and his sycophantic courtiers, afraid of being perceived as incompetent, pretend to see it. One day, the Emperor parades through town in his "new clothes." All of the townspeople act as though they can see the clothes except for one little boy who is not afraid to speak the truth. In the animated tale of "Abel's Island" from "Long Ago and Far Away" hosted by James Earl Jones, a high society mouse, Abel, finds himself stranded on a deserted island after being blown across a river by the wind during a storm. Longing for his wife, Amanda, he makes several unsuccessful attempts to get back home and finds himself spending months alone. During his solitude, Abel engages in a continual battle with a dangerous owl, learns to make clay statues, survives a tough winter, and is befriended for a short while by a frog who accidentally finds himself on the island. Finally, in the summer, Abel discovers that the river has become shallow enough for him to make his way to the other side. On his journey home, he begins to become anxious about returning to his wife and civilization.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 1:17:16
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:33996
- GENRE: Animation; Children's
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children's programs
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "The Emperor's New Clothes":
- Shelley Duvall … Executive Producer, Host
- Bridget Terry … Producer
- Fredric S. Fuchs … Producer
- Sandra Pearson … Associate Producer
- Peter Medak … Director
- Mark Curtiss … Writer
- Rod Ash … Writer
- Stephen Barber … Composer
- Timothy Dalton … Narrator
- Dick Shawn … Cast, the Emperor
- Art Carney … Cast, Morty
- Alan Arkin … Cast, Bo
- Georgia Brown … Cast, the Barmaid
- Taylor Negron … Cast, the Soldier
- Barrie Ingham … Cast
- Clive Revill … Cast
- For "Abel's Island":
- William C. Brennan … Executive Producer, For "Long Ago and Far Away"
- Giuliana Nicodemi … Executive Producer
- Michael Sporn … Producer, Director, Writer, Animation
- Sandy Cohen … Producer, For "Long Ago and Far Away"
- Frank Capria … Associate Producer, For "Long Ago and Far Away"
- Thomas Friedman … Writer, For "Long Ago and Far Away"
- Maxine Fisher … Writer, Screenplay by
- William Steig … Writer, Based on the book by
- Tom Phillips … Theme Music by
- Arthur Custer … Music by
- John R. Dilworth … Animation
- Tissa David … Animation
- Lisa Crafts … Animation
- Doug Compton … Animation
- Steven Dovas … Animation
- James Earl Jones … Host
- Tim Curry … Cast, Abel, Voice
- Lionel Jeffries … Voice
- Heidi Stallings … Voice