Faerie Tale Theatre (Season 2)

The second season of this marvelous series features a great set of actors doing their best to subvert the fairy tale genre with sharp dialogue and clever asides while remaining a perfectly respectable kids’ show:

Rapunzel stars Shelley Duvall in the lead role, with Jeff Bridges abiding as the Prince…. and the brilliant Gena Rowlands as the Witch. Roddy McDowall narrates this wacky, comic version!

The Nightingale stars… wait for it… Mick Jagger as the Emperor (oh yes!) Barbara Hershey as the Maid, Bud “Harold and Maude” Cort as the Music Master, Mako as the Gardener, Keye Luke as the Imperial Doctor, Edward James “Adama” Olmos as the Prime Minister, Anjelica Huston as Primrose, and Jerry Hall as Pansy. Not to be missed!

Sleeping Beauty stars Bernadette Peters, though it’s Christopher Reeve as Prince Charming that really steals show (that guy was GOOD.) You also get Beverly D’Angelo as Henbane the Wicked Fairy, the great Carol Kane as the Good Fairy, George Dzundza as the Woodsman, Sally Kellerman as Queen Natasha, René “Benson” Auberjonois as King Boris, Ron Rifkin the Squire, and Richard Libertini as King Murray. Can you go wrong?

Not to be outdone, Jack and the Beanstalk gives us Dennis Christopher as Jack, Elliott Gould as the Giant, Jean “Edith” Stapleton as the Giantess, the amazing Katherine Helmond as Jack’s Mother, and Mark Blankfield as the Strange Little Man. Clearly inspired Twin Peaks!

Little Red Riding Hood is great with Mary Steenburgen as Mary (Little Red Riding Hood), Malcolm “Extra Violence” McDowell as Reginald Von Lupin (the Wolf), Frances Bay as Granny, John Vernon as Mary’s Father, Diane Ladd as Mary’s Mother, and Darrell Larson as Chris.

And finally, Hansel and Gretel gives us then-teen-hearthrob Ricky Schroder as Hansel, Bridgette Andersen as Gretel, the great Joan Collins as the Witch and Stepmother, and Paul Dooley as Hansel and Gretel’s Father- you don’t want to miss this one.