MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE: STORYBOOK PLAYHOUSE 2: PACKAGE 22 {THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW; A STORY SHORT; WITCH-CAT}
Summary
Prepared for The Museum of Television & Radio screening series "Storybook Playhouse," this compilation of stories features works based on the writings of Washington Irving and Joan Carris. In "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" from "Storybook Classics," a school teacher, Ichabod Crane, arrives at Sleepy Hollow where he hears tales about the existence of a ghost called the headless horseman who wanders the hollow searching for his head that was shot off during a war. Ichabod also learns that, according to legend, the horseman is unable to cross the bridge near where he roams. Ichabod soon falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a wealthy man. With the town hero as his competitor for her hand, he decides to be ever present in the young lady's home so that his adversary cannot steal a moment alone with her. One night Ichabod goes to a party at his beloved's house and makes sure that he is the last to leave. On the way home through the dark night, Ichabod is chased by the headless horseman. He flees for his life hoping to get across the bridge before the evil spirit can reach him. In "A Story Short," a starving and wretched storyteller arrives in a new kingdom and, in order that he and a fellow beggar may get a free meal, tricks the palace cook into believing that he can make soup from a stone. When the cook realizes that he has been played for a fool, he has the storyteller brought before the king. The king proclaims that his punishment will be to live in the palace and tell a new story every night for one year, for which he will receive a gold piece each day; however, if he should ever fail to tell a story, he will be boiled in oil. All goes well until the last day of the year when the storyteller suddenly cannot think of a single story to tell. Then the beggar, who had eaten the stone soup with him, returns, skilled in the art of magic, and turns the storyteller into a flea after winning his possessions and wife in a dice game. Then the beggar visits the cruel-hearted cook and uses his powers to remove two of the cook's fingers and one of his ears. Finally, the beggar arrives at the castle where he entertains the royal family and makes the king's son disappear. As punishment the beggar is dumped into hot oil along with the flea-shaped storyteller. The hot oil does not bother the beggar, who uses his magic powers to restore everything to the way it was before he arrived. Back in his human form, the storyteller must think of a story or risk being boiled in oil. In the tale of "The Witch-Cat" from "CBS Storybreak" hosted by Bob Keeshan, a cat named Rosetta is sent to Earth from a mystical kingdom of cats in order to help a young girl named Gwendolyn (the first witch born in this century) realize that she is a witch and learn to use her powers. Rosetta succeeds in getting Gwen and her parents to take her in, but has difficulty winning over Dinky, the family dog. Dinky, who can talk to Rosetta, thinks that she has come to cause trouble and fears that Gwendolyn wonÕt love him anymore now that Rosetta is here. RosettaÕs attempts to convince Gwen that she possesses special powers fail miserably because Gwen always finds a way to explain the strange occurances that happen. By the time Gwen finally goes to the library to look up magic, RosettaÕs mother superior has taken her off the assignment. Gwen finds a picture of Rosetta with Cleopatra and reads about witch-cats and their role as companions for witches. She runs home, tests her powers by making the dinner dishes wash themselves, and uses her magical powers to return Rosetta to her side. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 1:13:11
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:34145
- GENRE: Children's; Animation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children's programs; Folk tales; Legends; Witches
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Storybook Classics: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow":
- Mark Sottnick … Executive Producer, Producer
- Doris Wilhousky … Associate Producer
- Van Nutt, Robert … Director, Animation, Paintings by, Adapted by
- Washington Irving … Writer, Adapted from a story by
- Tim Story … Composer, Music (Misc. Credits), Music Arranged by, Music Performed by
- Glenn Close … Narrator
- For "Jim Henson's The Storyteller: A Story Short":
- Jim Henson … Executive Producer
- Duncan Kenworthy … Producer
- Martin G. Baker … Associate Producer
- Charles Sturridge … Director
- Anthony Minghella … Writer, Screenplay by, From an early Celtic folk tale
- John Stephenson … Production Design, Creative Supervisor, For Jim Henson's Creature Shop
- Chris Carr … Production Design, Production Supervisor, For Jim Henson's Creature Shop
- Ron Mueck … Production Design, Special Creature Design by, For Jim Henson's Creature Shop
- Jane Gootnick … Production Design, Special Creature Design by, For Jim Henson's Creature Shop
- Roger Hall … Production Design
- Rachel Portman … Music by
- John Hurt … Cast, the Storyteller
- Bryan Pringle … Cast, the Cook
- John Kavanagh … Cast, the Beggar
- Brenda Blethyn … Cast, the Storyteller's Wife
- Richard Vernon … Cast, the King
- Sarah Crowden … Cast, the Queen
- Jackson Kyle … Cast, the Prince
- Arthur Hewlett … Cast, the Page
- Alistair Fullarton … Cast, the Hare
- Brian Henson … Cast, the Storyteller's Dog
- For "Witch-Cat":
- Paul Bogrow … Executive Producer
- Buzz Potamkin … Supervising Producer
- Steve Lumley … Producer
- Gordon Kent … Associate Producer
- Chris Cuddington … Direction (Misc.), Animation Director
- Helen McAdam … 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
- Bob Baxter … Animation
- Henry Neville … Animation
- Kevin Peaty … Animation
- Vivian Ray … Animation
- John Rice … Animation
- Stephen Taylor … Animation
- Milan Zahorsky … Animation
- Darek Polakowski … Animation
- Rick Tinschert … Animation
- Peter Eastment … Animation
- Jim Davis … Animation
- Karen Barboutis … Animation
- Rodney Brunsdon … Animation
- Paul Maron … Animation
- Don McKinnon … Animation
- Sue Beak … Animation
- George Hemzal … Animation
- Chris Minos … Animation
- Bruce Pedersen … Animation
- Di Rudder … Animation
- Jim Wylie … Animation
- Cliff Ruby … Writer, Teleplay by
- Elana Lesser … Writer, Teleplay by
- Joan Carris … Writer, Based on the book by
- Chris Neal … Music by, Conductor
- Keeshan, Bob (See also: Keeshan, Robert) … Host
- Betsy Chasse … Cast, Gwen, Voice
- Diana Davies … Cast, Mrs. Markham, Voice
- Joanie Gerber … Cast, Rosetta, Voice
- Patrick Gorman … Mr. Markham, Voice
- Christina Lange … Cast, Dee Dee, Voice
- Anna Maria Poon … Cast, Susanna, Voice
- Will Ryan … Cast, Dinki, Voice
- Marilyn Schreffler … Cast, Queen Mother, Voice
- Richard Shoff … Cast, Jason, Voice
- Claudette Wells … Cast, Julie, Voice