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Sleeping Beauty (Faerie Tale Theatre episode)
Encyclopedia
Sleeping Beauty is the 5th episode of the television anthology Faerie Tale Theatre
. The story is adapted from the classic fairytale of Sleeping Beauty
by Charles Perrault
and Brothers Grimm
and stars Bernadette Peters
as the title character.
) who is busy chopping wood meets a prince (Ron Rifkin
) and his squire (Christopher Reeve
) who are passing through the forest. The pair stop for a drink and a story, and the woodsman enthusiastically starts on the tale of the enchanted castle that is in view of where they are sitting.
The woodsman tells the story of King Boris (Rene Auberjonois
) and Queen Natasha (Sally Kellerman
), monarchs of the castle,who had a daughter and invited all the fairies in the kingdom to her christening. The parents unfortunately forgot to invite Henbane (Beverly D'Angelo
), a wicked fairy who decided to crash the christening anyway and vindictively put a curse on the princess that she will die when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel
. The last good fairy (Carol Kane
) to give a gift to the princess counters the curse with a spell of her own, saying that a prince's kiss will save the princess, but Henbane declares that she will prevent any prince from getting anywhere close to the princess.
Years pass and the princess grows up (Bernadette Peters
). Her father has banned all spinning wheels in the kingdom, but is desperate to marry his daughter off quickly and send her to another kingdom where she will be safe. He invites King Murray (Richard Libertini
) and his son (Christopher Reeve
) to the castle, but when the princess sees the cowardly prince she is to marry, she runs through the castle looking for a hiding place. She eventually finds a secluded room, in which an old woman is spinning a spinning wheel
. Amazed by this machine she'd never seen, the princess tries to spin the wheel but pricks her finger and collapses into an eternal sleep.
King Boris and Queen Natasha are sad that the curse came to pass, but take hope in that the good fairy's counter spell will rescue their daughter. The good fairy decides to put everyone in the whole kingdom to sleep as well so that the princess will not outlive everyone that she loves, allowing them to wait in peace for a prince to come. Henbane counters this by casting a thick bramble around the castle and turning herself into a dragon to defeat any prince that tries to enter the castle.
Back in the forest, upon the completion of the woodsman's story the squire declares that he will save the princess. The woodsman tells him that only a prince can rescue the princess, to which the "prince" reveals that he's actually the squire, and the "squire" is actually the prince. The (real) prince then proceeds to tell his own story about why they switched places.
In the princes' story, he reveals that he'd been having dreams about a beautiful and kind princess who has been waiting for him. He set out to travel the world with his squire in search of this princess, and one of the kingdoms he went to belonged to a Queen Farrah (Sally Kellerman
) and her daughter, Princess Debbie (Bernadette Peters). The prince attempted to get to know this princess, but she eventually turned out to be a selfish gold-digger. After leaving that kingdom, the prince decided to switch places with the squire so he would be in a better position to ascertain the honesty of princesses.
His story finished, the prince then borrows the woodsman's axe and sets out to the enchanted castle, where he encounters the fierce brambles and the bloodthirsty dragon guarding the way to the Sleeping Beauty.
" convention by initially introducing Ron Rifkin
as the handsome prince and Christopher Reeve
as the "not so handsome" squire, though it is later revealed that the prince and squire had exchanged places.
Additionally, leads Bernadette Peters
and Christopher Reeve
each performed double roles as alternate versions of the classic prince and princess. Bernadette Peters
played a selfish princess who attempted to charm the handsome prince, and Christopher Reeve
a cowardly prince who was supposed to marry Sleeping Beauty. This episode featured Bernadette Peters
(an accomplished Broadway and film actress and singer) singing the song "I'm Nobody's Baby."
Faerie Tale Theatre
Faerie Tale Theatre is a live-action children's television anthology series retelling popular fairy tales. Shelley Duvall serves as narrator, host and executive producer of the program, and occasionally stars in episodes...
. The story is adapted from the classic fairytale of Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
by Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
and Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
and stars Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
as the title character.
Plot
A woodsman (George DzundzaGeorge Dzundza
George Dzundza is an American television and film actor.-Personal life:Dzundza was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian father and Polish mother who were forced into factory labour by the Nazis. He spent the first few years of his life in displaced persons camps with his parents and one...
) who is busy chopping wood meets a prince (Ron Rifkin
Ron Rifkin
Ron Rifkin is an American actor. He is best-known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama Alias and as Saul Holden on the American family drama Brothers & Sisters.-Personal life:...
) and his squire (Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
) who are passing through the forest. The pair stop for a drink and a story, and the woodsman enthusiastically starts on the tale of the enchanted castle that is in view of where they are sitting.
The woodsman tells the story of King Boris (Rene Auberjonois
Rene Auberjonois
René Murat Auberjonois is an American actor, known for portraying Father Mulcahy in the movie version of M*A*S*H and for creating a number of characters in long-running television series, including Clayton Endicott III on Benson , Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chef Louis in The Little...
) and Queen Natasha (Sally Kellerman
Sally Kellerman
Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
), monarchs of the castle,who had a daughter and invited all the fairies in the kingdom to her christening. The parents unfortunately forgot to invite Henbane (Beverly D'Angelo
Beverly D'Angelo
Beverly Heather D'Angelo is an American actress and singer.-Early life:D'Angelo was born in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Priscilla , a violinist, and Gene D'Angelo, a bass player and television station manager. She is of part Italian ancestry...
), a wicked fairy who decided to crash the christening anyway and vindictively put a curse on the princess that she will die when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Spinning wheels appeared in Asia, probably in the 11th century, and very gradually replaced hand spinning with spindle and distaff...
. The last good fairy (Carol Kane
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
) to give a gift to the princess counters the curse with a spell of her own, saying that a prince's kiss will save the princess, but Henbane declares that she will prevent any prince from getting anywhere close to the princess.
Years pass and the princess grows up (Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
). Her father has banned all spinning wheels in the kingdom, but is desperate to marry his daughter off quickly and send her to another kingdom where she will be safe. He invites King Murray (Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles and his ability to speak in numerous accents....
) and his son (Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
) to the castle, but when the princess sees the cowardly prince she is to marry, she runs through the castle looking for a hiding place. She eventually finds a secluded room, in which an old woman is spinning a spinning wheel
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Spinning wheels appeared in Asia, probably in the 11th century, and very gradually replaced hand spinning with spindle and distaff...
. Amazed by this machine she'd never seen, the princess tries to spin the wheel but pricks her finger and collapses into an eternal sleep.
King Boris and Queen Natasha are sad that the curse came to pass, but take hope in that the good fairy's counter spell will rescue their daughter. The good fairy decides to put everyone in the whole kingdom to sleep as well so that the princess will not outlive everyone that she loves, allowing them to wait in peace for a prince to come. Henbane counters this by casting a thick bramble around the castle and turning herself into a dragon to defeat any prince that tries to enter the castle.
Back in the forest, upon the completion of the woodsman's story the squire declares that he will save the princess. The woodsman tells him that only a prince can rescue the princess, to which the "prince" reveals that he's actually the squire, and the "squire" is actually the prince. The (real) prince then proceeds to tell his own story about why they switched places.
In the princes' story, he reveals that he'd been having dreams about a beautiful and kind princess who has been waiting for him. He set out to travel the world with his squire in search of this princess, and one of the kingdoms he went to belonged to a Queen Farrah (Sally Kellerman
Sally Kellerman
Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
) and her daughter, Princess Debbie (Bernadette Peters). The prince attempted to get to know this princess, but she eventually turned out to be a selfish gold-digger. After leaving that kingdom, the prince decided to switch places with the squire so he would be in a better position to ascertain the honesty of princesses.
His story finished, the prince then borrows the woodsman's axe and sets out to the enchanted castle, where he encounters the fierce brambles and the bloodthirsty dragon guarding the way to the Sleeping Beauty.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Beverly D'Angelo Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo is an American actress and singer.-Early life:D'Angelo was born in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Priscilla , a violinist, and Gene D'Angelo, a bass player and television station manager. She is of part Italian ancestry... |
Henbane |
| Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings... |
Sleeping Beauty Sleeping Beauty Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince... /The Selfish Princess (Princess Debbie) |
| Christopher Reeve Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist... |
The Handsome Prince/The Cowardly Prince |
| Ron Rifkin Ron Rifkin Ron Rifkin is an American actor. He is best-known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama Alias and as Saul Holden on the American family drama Brothers & Sisters.-Personal life:... |
Squire Tuck |
| George Dzundza George Dzundza George Dzundza is an American television and film actor.-Personal life:Dzundza was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian father and Polish mother who were forced into factory labour by the Nazis. He spent the first few years of his life in displaced persons camps with his parents and one... |
Woodsman |
| Rene Auberjonois Rene Auberjonois René Murat Auberjonois is an American actor, known for portraying Father Mulcahy in the movie version of M*A*S*H and for creating a number of characters in long-running television series, including Clayton Endicott III on Benson , Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Chef Louis in The Little... |
King Boris |
| Richard Libertini Richard Libertini Richard Libertini is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles and his ability to speak in numerous accents.... |
King Murray |
| Sally Kellerman Sally Kellerman Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:... |
Queen Natasha/Queen Farrah |
| Carol Kane Carol Kane Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work... |
The Good Fairy (Cookie) |
| Gene Varrone | Green Fairy |
| Lynn Tufeld | Orange Fairy |
| Maysie Hoy | Red Fairy |
| Lynne Scott | Purple Fairy |
| Carol Smith | Yellow Fairy |
Production
The writing of this episode deliberately played up on the "prince charmingPrince Charming
Prince Charming is a stock character who appears in a number of fairy tales. He is the prince who comes to rescue of the damsel in distress, and stereotypically, must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell...
" convention by initially introducing Ron Rifkin
Ron Rifkin
Ron Rifkin is an American actor. He is best-known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama Alias and as Saul Holden on the American family drama Brothers & Sisters.-Personal life:...
as the handsome prince and Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
as the "not so handsome" squire, though it is later revealed that the prince and squire had exchanged places.
Additionally, leads Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
and Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
each performed double roles as alternate versions of the classic prince and princess. Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
played a selfish princess who attempted to charm the handsome prince, and Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
a cowardly prince who was supposed to marry Sleeping Beauty. This episode featured Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
(an accomplished Broadway and film actress and singer) singing the song "I'm Nobody's Baby."