The BEST episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre
Every episode of Faerie Tale Theatre ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre!
Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre brings to life twenty-six of the most magical fairy tales of all time. Directed by such masters of cinema as Tim Burton and Francis Ford Coppola, and star-powered by Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Mick Jagger, James Earl Jones, Howie Mandel, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon and more, this collection is an unparalleled treasury of best-loved tales of enchantment, adventure and wonder.
#1 - Rip Van Winkle
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/23/1987
Rip Van Winkle is off in the Catskill mountains one day when he finds a gathering of ghosts. After drinking wine and socializing all day, he falls fast asleep. When he awakes, he discovers it is 20 years later! An interesting version of the Washington Irving Tale.
#2 - Hansel And Gretel
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/5/1983
A mean and selfish stepmother convinces her husband that if they are to keep from starving he must abandon his children in the woods. Lost and Hungry the children come across a wonderful gingerbread cottage covered with candy and icing. Unknown to them the house is owned by an evil witch who uses it to trap boys and girls lost in the wood. She captures the children with the intent on baking them up in her oven-- but Gretal decides to try some home cooking herself!
#3 - The Boy Who Left Home To Find Out About The Shivers
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/17/1984
Overcoming fear is a problem for most people, but there once was a boy whose problem was his complete lack of fear! Peter MacNicol stars as that boy in this amusing production narrated by Vincent Price. The king played by Christopher Lee promises the boy treasure and a beautiful princess if he can defeat an evil sorcerer who has haunted the kings castle. The boy meets an ominous mute hunchback, a headless man and ghosts galore and finally the sorcerer himself (in a duel to the death fight). Yet, he still has no fear, until the surprise conclusion.
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#4 - Aladdin And His Wonderful Lamp
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/14/1986
Sometimes getting everything you wish isn't everything you wished for. It certainly isn't in the fantastic tale of Aladdin where he is left in a cave to die with nothing but an oil lamp! But Lo and behold rubbing it produces a fantastic Blue Genie, who will grant him every wish-- even the wish to marry the princess! but the evil Moroccan Magician attempts to get in the way by stealing the lamp! an absolutely stunning version From Tim Burton.
#5 - Little Red Riding Hood
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/10/1983
Mary Steenburgen encounters a surprise on the trip to grandmas -- he has big eyes - big ears and a set of sparkling Razor sharp teeth. He has decided to take an extra liking to "Miss Hood" as he accompanies her on her trip through the forest. He hasn't counted on the cunning and ever-sweet Granny nor has he thought about what danger he might be in from Miss hoods admirer -- all in all the vain wolf learns that humans are just as cunning.
#6 - Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/16/1984
In her effort to be "fairest in the land," a jealous and evil queen attempts to be rid of her beautiful stepdaughter, Snow White, who takes refuge in the forest cottage of the seven dwarfs. The queen, disguised by magic as an old peddler woman, tempts Snow White with a poisoned apple, which puts her into an enchanted sleep until the spell can be broken by love's first kiss.
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#7 - Beauty And The Beast
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/13/1984
""Love can make a man become a beast and love can also make an ugly man beautiful."" This is the moving message Susan Sarandon and Klaus Kinski deliver in their memorable performances of Beauty and the Beast. Beast takes Beauty into a mysterious world of misty gardens and candlelit chambers, in this world the shy unselfish beauty comes to know the grotesque beast. The suspense builds as Beauty discovers that ugliness can mask great goodness, and that promises should always be kept ... no matter what the cost.
#8 - The Snow Queen
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/11/1985
Gerda and Kay have been best friends forever. When a goblin, who controls the problems in the universe eyes them, he showers a sinister snow over Kay, forces him to see the worst in everyone he loves. Kay and Gerda get in an argument over whether the Snow Queen exists and after Kay slips from a rooftop, he meets her and she takes him to her palace to save him from the goblin's spell. In an endless search for Kay, Gerda encounters talking trees, a thief and the Lady of Summer(the Snow Queen's sister). Soon, Gerda is under the spell of the Lady of Summer and realizes she must save Kay. In the end, they learn a valuable lesson in friendship.
#9 - The Little Mermaid
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/6/1987
Pam Dawber makes a deal with a sea witch after rescuing a human from drowning -- she wants to become human. The witch agrees to give her legs, but the prince must fall in love with her or she is doomed to be sea foam forever on the sea. The Witch also takes away her voice and warns her that every step she takes will feel like she is walking on knives. Even with all odds against her, the little mermaid follows her heart, no matter where it may lead!
#10 - Rumpelstiltskin
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/16/1982
Boasting about one's daughter is one thing, telling the king she can spin straw into gold is quite another- especially when the penalty for failure is death! What will the millers daughter do? Call on the assistance of a strange little man who in exchange for spinning straw into gold -- wants her first born child! The only way to save herself from a terrible fate is to guess the little man's name.
#11 - The Nightingale
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/10/1983
Cathay, a kingdom with harmony and peace. A simple kitchen maid, whose mother is very sick, learns of magical faeries and a root that can cure even the worst disease. She also comes across a beautiful bird, the nightingale, that she soon falls in love with its song. The emperor, is unpleased to learn that his great and vast palace does not completly please the poets, rather a simple bird, the nightingale, does. His royal court gets the bird, with the help of the kitchen maid, and the emperor is very pleased. After a while, an artificial bird is given to the emperor as a gift. He banishes the other the nightingale. But when the artificial bird breaks, he suddenly becomes deathly ill. It's up to the nightingale to save him, but will she after he banished her? Mick Jagger portrays the emperor very well, Barbara Hershey is superb as the kitchen maid, and Edward James Olomos is great as the prime minister. The Nightingale has a great message and great fun!
#12 - Sleeping Beauty
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/7/1983
Christopher Reeves and Bernadette Peters star in this charming adaption of the classic story, an evil witch puts a curse on a beautiful princess which entails that by her 16th birthday she will stick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!!, the curse is somewhat lifted by a good fairy so that instead of death it is sleep. When the evil curse comes true the good fairy puts a spell on the castle to place everyone asleep until the princess is wakened by loves first kiss.
#13 - Rapunzel
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/5/1983
From High atop a tower, a beautiful young woman lets down her hair - and lets in love. Thats the time-honored story of Rapunzel. Shelly Duvall, producer of the entire Faerie Tale Theatre series of which Rapunzel is a part , stars as the maiden.Jeff Bridges is the prince who climbs to Rapunzel's balcony via her long , long hair.And Gena Rowlands is the lovely, but wicked witch who tries to keep them apart.
#14 - The Three Little Pigs
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/12/1985
If you work hard you can overcome the most formidable obstacles. Thats the morale of this most popular of fairy tales. Billy Crystal and Valerie Perrine are in trouble when they come up against Big Bad Wolf Jeff Goldblum. Billys older brothers just miss ending up on the wolfs plate by the hair of their chin-ee chin chins when he blows there houses of straw and sticks away. Billy the more practical pig, takes his time and constructs his house out of sturdy brick. when the cigar-chomping wolf arrives- he huffs and puffs but can't blow Billy's house down.
#15 - Jack And The Beanstalk
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/8/1983
Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum... Remember the shivers you felt from the giants cry when you were a child? Now in this delightful production of Jack and the Beanstalk, a marvelous script and magical special effects recreate the adventure. Dennis Christopher is the idealistic hero who trades a cow for magic beans, then climbs the resulting beanstalk and stumbles onto an incredible adventure. A large part of that adventure is an encounter with Jean Stapleton and Elliot Gould, a giant husband and wife time that make this one of the most memorable episodes.
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#16 - Pinocchio
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/14/1984
James Coburn, Carl Reiner, Paul Reubens and Lainie Kazan star in this amazing version of the Carlo Collodi's classic tale. A magical blue fairy brings a marionette named Pinocchio to life in order to grant a woodcutter's wish. Now Pinocchio must prove himself kind and loving in order to become a real, live boy. But, if he is bad, which sometimes he is, his nose will grow and only until he realizes his mistake will it shrink back to a valid size. This is one of the best Faerie Tale Theatre episodes, and one of the best versions of this classic Faerie Tale!
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#17 - The Tale Of The Frog Prince
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/11/1982
Robin Williams and Terri Garr star in this wonderful adaption of the frog prince. Angered by the lack of an invitation to the christening, the prince's godmother goes into a rage and transforms the baby into a frog. A few years later the beautiful and vain princess loses her magic ball down the well,the frog takes pity on her and gets it out in exchange for a night in the castle, he will eat with her and sleep with her.she tries to blow him off but the king (Rene` Auberjournois) finds out and forces her to let the frog stay.after a brilliant battle with a scorpion the princess kisses him and "POOF," he turns back into a prince.
#18 - Goldilocks And The Three Bears
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/9/1984
It's probably the most famous story of trespassing in fiction. In this version, its unquestionably the most entertaining. Tatum O'Neal stars as the mischievous but lovable heroine in this story of a child who invades the lives of 3 bears. The amusing threesome is headed by Alex Karras. Carole king and John Lithgow and Hoyt Axton are included in the talented supporting cast.
#19 - The Princess And The Pea
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/16/1984
Prince Richard is looking for something to complete his life. The royal fool(jester). Helps him decide that he needs a wife, with a demanding mother and a dumbfounded father, that's all he needs in his life, until Alicia comes along. She is kind and gentle, and persists that she's a princess. Richard has had it with the demands of his mother and hates all of the princess presented to him, so he decides to marry Alicia. The mother however, is not so sure Alicia, so she puts her to a test to see if she is a real princess which has hilarious consequences! Liza Minelli is classically funny as Alicia. "The Princess and the Pea" is great family fun!
#20 - Thumbelina
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/11/1984
Carrie Fisher and William Katt are Thumb-Sized Lovers...Video magic transforms Carrie Fisher into the diminutive heroine of Thumbelina, a girl so tiny she slept in a matchbox, so kind even field mice loved her, so beautiful she married a Prince. Raised by a kindhearted charwoman, Thumbelina is kidnapped and almost forced to marry first a Toad, then a crotchety Mole, played by Burgess Meredith. She manages, however, to escape to a beautiful garden kingdom where she meets a handsome equally tiny Prince, William Katt. This tale teaches us that everyone, no matter how unique, can find someone to love. Featuring production design based on the work of 19th century illustrator George Cruikshank. Thumbelina is a marvelous fantasy that will enchant big and small alike.
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#21 - The Pied Piper Of Hamelin
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/5/1985
Eric Idle plays a wandering piper who is hired by a selfish mayor to rid his town of rats. The piper is good to his word and leads the rats to a watery grave.However when he asks for payment the mayor reneges, thus causing the piper tp play his pipe for an alternate result -- this time leading all the children out of Hamelin never to be seen again.
#22 - Grimm Party
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/17/1985
Although not an actual Faerie Tale, this was very fun. It was a party with all the actors and actresses that made a contribution of their talents to lovely Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. They talk about their experiences as some of the most beloved Faerie Tale characters. Jean Stapleton also talks about how she was in more episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre more than anybody else besides Shelley Duvall herself. Stapleton appeared as the fairy godmother in Cinderella and the Giant's Wife in Jack and the Beanstalk. Unfortunately, this exclusive party was never released on video, but only time can tell...
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#23 - Cinderella
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/14/1985
Cinderella is once again helped to the ball by her fairy godmother (this time played by the hilarious Jean Stapleton) as the story of Cinderella unfolds and how she loses her glass slipper-- this one has an amusing twist at the end -- that shows even fairy godmothers are vindictive.
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#24 - Puss In Boots
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/9/1985
The amusing story about a millers son who inherits a cat-- not just any cat -- a cat who insists on wearing people's clothing. But all the money is not wasted -- Puss has a plan to get his master (Ben Vereen) married to the lovely Princess Lovinia-- the only thing standing in the way is the evil ogre. Puss proves that cats are clever in this funny adaption of the Perrault story!
#25 - The Emperor's New Clothes
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/5/1985
Theres a sucker born every minute -- and 2 con men (Art Carney and Alan Arkin) find as they ride into a seaside town that it is run by the most vain King alive. The 2 set up a scheme to rob the king of his jewels and Robes! -- as they come peddling a magical cloth that any person who is truly stupid cannot see! A humorous comedy with a great moral for the entire family.
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