MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE: STORYBOOK PLAYHOUSE 2: PACKAGE 16 {PECOS BILL; PAUL BUNYAN; HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS}
Summary
Prepared for The Museum of Television & Radio screening series "Storybook Playhouse," this compilation of stories features works based upon American folktales and the writing of Thomas Rockwell. In the animated tall tale of "Pecos Bill" from "Storybook Classics," a two-month-old baby named Bill falls out the back of his parents' wagon on their way west and is taken in and raised by a coyote as her own. When Bill becomes an adult, he encounters a cowboy who questions his appearance and his claim that he is a coyote. Learning that he is human, Bill quickly decides to become a cowboy. With a rattlesnake as a rope and a wild cougar as his means of transportation, Bill takes charge of a group of cowboys, and according to the legend invents the cattle drive, captures a mustang, creates the first lariat, tames a wild steer, meets the girl of his dreams, and creates the Grand Canyon, the Salt Lake, and Death Valley while riding on the back of a twister. In the tall tale of "Paul Bunyan" from "Reading Rainbow" hosted by LeVar Burton, a strong boy, Paul Bunyan, saves an ox calf, whom he names Babe, from freezing to death in blue snow. Paul and Babe (who remains blue) each grow to enormous heights. Paul, Babe, and a crew of loggers clear the country for settlers. While leveling the Great Plains, Paul saves his workers from a strange looking group of bandits, builds an enormous flapjack machine, and creates the Grand Canyon. Other highlights of this "Reading Rainbow" program include: LeVar Burton explains the history of logging, the importance of conservation, and the definition of a tall tale; various children imagine what they would do if they were as tall as Paul Bunyon; LeVar Burton investigates the parts of a tree; a ranger team in Maine puts out a forest fire during a training exercise; Smokey the Bear makes an appearance; an animated short shows children at the library reading tall tales including "Paul Bunyan," "John Henry," and "Johnny Appleseed"; Le Var Burton demonstrates how to plant a seedling, suggests other folk tales to read, and looks at contests held by lumberjacks. In "How to Eat Fried Worms" from "CBS Storybreak" hosted by Bob Keeshan, a boy named Billy makes a bet that he can eat a worm a day for fifteen days in exchange for fifty dollars, which he intends to use to buy a dirt bike. At first Billy is hesitant about eating worms and has nightmares about them, but then finds that he can stomach them after all. Determined not to lose fifty dollars, the mean spirited boy who made the bet with Billy and the boy's close friend attempt to trick Billy out of ingesting his quota of worms, but Billy is too smart for their mischievous schemes.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 1:17:57
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:34035
- GENRE: Children's; Animation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Folklore; Folk literature - American; Legends; Western stories
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Pecos Bill":
- Mark Sottnick … Producer, Director
- Doris Wilhousky … Associate Producer
- Tim Raglin … Director, Drawings by, Art Direction
- Brian Gleeson … Writer
- Ry Cooder … Music (Misc. Credits), Music written and produced by, Music performed by
- Robin Williams … Narrator
- For "Paul Bunyan":
- Twila C. Liggett … Executive Producer
- Tony Buttino … Executive Producer
- Cecily Truett … Producer
- Larry Lancit … Producer, Director
- Lee Murphy … Director, Narration for "Paul Bunyan" Directed by
- Orly Berger … Associate Producer
- Jill Gluckson … Associate Producer
- Ronnie Krauss … Associate Producer
- Lydia Wilen … Writer
- Steven Kellogg … Retold and Illustrated by, "Paul Bunyan"
- Steve Horelick … Composer, Music (Misc. Credits), Music produced and directed by
- Janet Weir … Music (Misc. Credits), Music produced by, "Reading Rainbow" lyrics by
- Dennis Kleinman … Music (Misc. Credits), "Reading Rainbow" lyrics by
- Tina Fabrik … Performer, "Reading Rainbow" vocal by
- Artbear Pigmation … Animation, "Library"
- Buddy Ebsen … Narrator, "Paul Bunyan"
- For "How to Eat Fried Worms":
- Paul Bogrow … Executive Producer
- Buzz Potamkin … Supervising Producer
- Steve Lumley … Producer
- Gordon Kent … Associate Producer
- Chris Cuddington … Animation Director
- Thomas Rockwell … Based on the book by
- Michael Maurer … Writer, Teleplay by
- John Stuart … Composer, Conductor, Music Composed and Conducted by
- Keeshan, Bob (See also: Keeshan, Robert) … Host
- Bob Baxter … Animation
- Jim Davis … 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
- Sue Beak … Animation
- George Hemzal … Animation
- Chris Minos … Animation
- Bruce Pedersen … Animation
- Di Rudder … Animation
- Jim Wylie … Animation
- Linda Gary … Cast, the Mother, Voice
- Joanie Gerber … Cast, the Blond Girl, Voice
- Noah Hathaway … Cast, Joe, Voice
- Dennis Howard … Cast, the Father, Voice
- Keland Love … Cast, Tom, Voice
- Wayne Scherzer … Cast, Alan, Voice
- Stephen Winter … Cast, Billy, Voice
- Michael Bell … Voice