Long Ago and Far Away (TV Series)
Encyclopedia
Long Ago and Far Away is a TV series
that aired on PBS
Television from 1989 to 1993. It was created by WGBH
, a public television broadcast service located in Boston
, Massachusetts
. WGBH is a member of PBS, which allowed for this TV series to be viewed on various other PBS stations.
Each episode began with host James Earl Jones
sitting in a chair in a room with a table, lamp and window. The walls were blue with white dots in order to make it appear as if these living room items were sitting out in space.
James Earl Jones talks during the short opening section, then acts as narrator for the balance of an episode. This series, aimed at children aged six to nine years old, presents stories based on traditional fairy tales. A number of presentation methods were used to tell these stories, with stop motion animation
, live-action or cel animation being used depending on the episode.
Long Ago and Far Away also featured a number of guest narrators including: Tammy Grimes
(narrated "The Happy Circus"), Kim Loughran (narrated "Bill and Bunny"), David Suchet
(narrated "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship"), and Mia Farrow
(narrated "Beauty and the Beast" and "Pegasus").
In the episode "Emperor's New Clothes", Regis Philbin
provided the voice of the Emperor.
02. As Long As He Can Count the Cows
03. Beauty and the Beast
04. Bill and Bunny
05. Bill the Minder
06. The Boy in the Oak Tree
07. Circus Dreams
08. The Emperor's New Clothes
09. The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
10. Frog and Toad are Friends and Frog and Toad Together
11. The Happy Circus
12. Hungarian Folk Tales
13. Jazztime Tale
14. The Man Who Planted Trees
15. Merlin and the Dragons
16. More Hungarian Folktales
17. The Nightingale
18. Noah's Ark
19. Oh, Mr. Toad!
20. Pegasus
21. The Pied Piper of Hamelin
22. Rarg
23. The Reluctant Dragon
24. The Silver Cornet
25. The Sleeping Princess
26. Svatohor
27. The Talking Parcel
28. Uncle Elephant
29. The Wind in the Willows
30. Where The Wild Things Are
31. Bunny Cakes
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that aired on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Television from 1989 to 1993. It was created by WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
, a public television broadcast service located in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. WGBH is a member of PBS, which allowed for this TV series to be viewed on various other PBS stations.
Each episode began with host James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
sitting in a chair in a room with a table, lamp and window. The walls were blue with white dots in order to make it appear as if these living room items were sitting out in space.
James Earl Jones talks during the short opening section, then acts as narrator for the balance of an episode. This series, aimed at children aged six to nine years old, presents stories based on traditional fairy tales. A number of presentation methods were used to tell these stories, with stop motion animation
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
, live-action or cel animation being used depending on the episode.
Long Ago and Far Away also featured a number of guest narrators including: Tammy Grimes
Tammy Grimes
-Early life:Grimes was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the daughter of Eola Willard , a naturalist and spiritualist, and Nicholas Luther Grimes, an innkeeper, country-club manager, and farmer. She attended high school at the then-all girls school, Beaver Country Day School, in Chestnut Hill,...
(narrated "The Happy Circus"), Kim Loughran (narrated "Bill and Bunny"), David Suchet
David Suchet
David Suchet, CBE, is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognised for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British TV mini-drama The Way We Live Now, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza, and a 1991 British Academy...
(narrated "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship"), and Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
(narrated "Beauty and the Beast" and "Pegasus").
In the episode "Emperor's New Clothes", Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
provided the voice of the Emperor.
Awards
- National Education AssociationNational Education AssociationThe National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
Award, Advancement of Learning through Broadcasting - Action for Children's Television, Achievement in Children's Television Award
- National Catholic Association of Broadcasters and Communicators, Gabriel Award, Best National Children's Program
- International Film and Television Festival of New York, Gold Medal
- Connoisseur Magazine, Connie Award, Best National Children's Series
- International Reading Association, Broadcast Media Award
Episodes
01. Abel's Island02. As Long As He Can Count the Cows
03. Beauty and the Beast
04. Bill and Bunny
05. Bill the Minder
06. The Boy in the Oak Tree
07. Circus Dreams
08. The Emperor's New Clothes
09. The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
The Flying Ship or The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship is a Russian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book and Arthur Ransome in Old Peter's Russian Tales....
10. Frog and Toad are Friends and Frog and Toad Together
11. The Happy Circus
12. Hungarian Folk Tales
Hungarian Folktales (TV series)
Hungarian Folktales is a Hungarian animated series. Each episode is based on a Hungarian folk tale. The creators paid special attention to using Hungarian folk motives in the episodes.-External links:* *...
13. Jazztime Tale
14. The Man Who Planted Trees
The Man Who Planted Trees (film)
The Man Who Planted Trees is a 1987 Canadian short animated film directed by Frédéric Back. It is based on the story of the same name by Jean Giono...
15. Merlin and the Dragons
Merlin and the Dragons
Merlin and the Dragons is a 1991 animated film narrated and voiced by Kevin Kline. Originally broadcast as a feature of the pbs program "Long Ago and Far Away , it was published by WB in 1991. It is a retelling of the Arthurian legend.-Plot summary:...
16. More Hungarian Folktales
17. The Nightingale
18. Noah's Ark
19. Oh, Mr. Toad!
20. Pegasus
21. The Pied Piper of Hamelin
22. Rarg
23. The Reluctant Dragon
24. The Silver Cornet
25. The Sleeping Princess
26. Svatohor
27. The Talking Parcel
The Talking Parcel
The Talking Parcel is a 1974 book by Gerald Durrell in which children are transported to the fantasy land of Mythologia to save it from cockatrice...
28. Uncle Elephant
29. The Wind in the Willows
30. Where The Wild Things Are
31. Bunny Cakes
Funding
- The Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are a group of charitable foundations established by American industrialist Arthur Vining Davis, onetime Alcoa president and Florida land developer.-History:...
- General Cinema
- The George Gund FoundationThe George Gund FoundationThe George Gund Foundation was established in 1952 and provides grants in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, the environment and the arts...
- Little ProfessorLittle ProfessorThe Little Professor is a backwards calculator designed for children ages 5 to 9. Instead of providing the answer to a mathematical expression entered by the user, it generates unsolved expressions and prompts the user for the answer.-Usage:...
Book Company - The National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the HumanitiesThe National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
- The Neiman MarcusNeiman MarcusNeiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
Group - PBS member stations