Once Upon a Time (Fabbri Publishing)
Fabbri's Once Upon a Time series was based on the popular Story Teller series. It also had a slogan which was "The world of Traditional Fairy Tales & Fables." Like its predecessor, it was a collection of storybooks that came with cassette tapes. Story Teller regulars like Carole Boyd and Nigel Lambert lent their vocal talents to this collection. Actor John Shrapnel introduced each one and told one of the stories himself.
The intro of each cassette always started with this:
"Long Ago and Far Away in Enchanted Lands across the seas lived Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, Good Fairies and Wicked Witches, Ferocious Giants and Gentle Dwarfs. Their Adventures and Stories have been told for Hundreds of Years. Open the pages and listen to the words and you too can join the magical world of Once Upon a Time."
The main title theme was "Christmas Box" by Paddy Kingsland
Issues
Each issue of Once Upon a Time was devoted to one story only with mostly Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. The canary yellow cassettes came without a small plastic protective case but a total of five large red plastic cases were given away free with Issues 1, 12, 24, 36 and 48. Each were made to hold twelve of every issue and cassette. Some also came with a giant poster showing 24 Issues as a checklist to those who were collecting each one. 60 issues were produced:
| Issue | Story | Narrator | Original Author of the Story | Synopsis | Music Used for the Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Cass Allen | The Brothers Grimm | Can the seven dwarfs save the beautiful Snow White from her evil stepmother? | When Darkness Falls (Richard Harvey) Ghouls and Ghosts (Richard Harvey) |
| 2 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Nigel Pegram | Joseph Jacobs | A boy named Jack has many adventures at the top of a beanstalk. | Down in the Mouth (Paddy Kingsland) Big Bad Giant (Paddy Kingsland) Permonitions (Richard Harvey) Blind Panic (Richard Harvey) |
| 3 | The Wizard of Oz | Carole Boyd | L. Frank Baum | Dorothy's adventures along the yellow brick road. | Homecoming (a) (Paddy Kingsland) The Water Garden (Richard Harvey) The Enchanted Wood (a) (Paddy Kingsland) The Eternal Loser (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 4 | Thumbelina | Denise Bryer | Hans Christian Andersen | Will poor Thumbelina ever get the husband she wants after so many bad suitors? | Lullaby (Tony Kinsey) Night Predator (Tony Kinsey) A Winter's Story (Tony Kinsey) Water Meadows (Tony Kinsey) Evergreen (Tony Kinsey) |
| 5 | Puss in Boots | Nigel Lambert | Charles Perrault | How a clever cat made his master's fortune. | The Haunted Castle (Paddy Kingsland) The Plot Thickens (Dick Walter) |
| 6 | The Lion's Glasses | David Tate | Charles Vildrac | Find out why all the animals in the jungle are searching for a pair of glasses. | A Hippo Called Hubert (Joe Griffiths) |
| 7 | The Snow Queen | Carole Boyd | Hans Christian Andersen | Gerda's quest to find her lost friend Kay. | Winter's Flight (Richard Harvey) Dreams in Slow Motion (Richard Harvey) |
| 8 | Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves | Steven Pacey | Antoine Galland | By chance, Ali Baba discovers an amazing secret, but the notorious forty thieves are determined to keep their secret safe. | |
| 9 | The Emperor's New Clothes | David Tate | Hans Christian Andersen | How two swindlers made an emperor and all his courtiers look very foolish. | Happy Hippo (Harold Smart) Crown Ceremonial (Richard Harvey) |
| 10 | Little Red Riding Hood | Cass Allen | The Brothers Grimm | A girl visiting her sick grandmother who soon becomes the target of a greedy, wicked wolf. | Without a Care (Paddy Kingsland) The Cunning Wolf (Paddy Kingsland) The Beast Within (Paddy Kingsland) Games Played in the Dark (Richard Harvey) |
| 11 | Old Sultan | Nigel Lambert | The Brothers Grimm | The story of a kind and gentle sheepdog. | The Cultured Cakewalk (Dick Walter) Dark Doings (Simon Benson) |
| 12 | Gulliver in Lilliput | Tim Bentinck | Jonathan Swift | Gulliver's adventures in Lilliput. | |
| 13 | The Sleeping Beauty | Anna Bentinck | Charles Perrault | A princess is put under a spell to sleep for a hundred years. Can the spell be broken? | The Spider and the Fly (Richard Harvey) Real and Unreal (Richard Harvey) A Backward Glance (Richard Harvey) In Times Gone By (Richard Harvey) |
| 14 | The Goose with the Golden Eggs | Gay Soper | Giambattista Basile | The two sisters Grace and Hope had the good fortune to possess a goose which laid a golden egg every day; but their greedy neighbors Envy and her niece Green With Envy also want this wealth... | Country Pictures (Dick Walter) Good Day (a) (Dick Walter) A Jolly Jaunt (a) (Dick Walter) Footsteps (a) (Dick Walter) Out of Step (Dick Walter) Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin (Fiachra Trench) |
| 15 | The Most Incredible Thing | Nigel Lambert | Hans Christian Andersen | How a clever young inventor's clock helped him win the hand of a princess of Slavonia. | Toyland (Paddy Kingsland) The Plot Thickens (Dick Walter) |
| 16 | The Wolf and the Seven Kids | Carole Boyd | The Brothers Grimm | How a mother goat outwitted a wicked wolf and saved her little kids. | Animal Capers (Tony Kinsey) On the Sly (Dick Walter) Witches' Brew (Tony Kinsey) Heartstrings (Dick Walter) |
| 17 | The Little Matchgirl | Lindsay Duncan | Hans Christian Andersen | How a poor lonely little girl tried to cope with the harsh world on Christmas Eve. | Baroque Pastorale (Robert Cornford) Nature's Realm (Robert Cornford) Wonderland (Richard Harvey) Distant Hills (Richard Harvey) |
| 18 | The Three Bears | Cass Allen | Robert Southey | How Goldilocks' curiosity got the better of her. | Once Upon a Time (Tony Kinsey) Pippin (Tony Kinsey) Brahms' Lullaby (Brian Gulland/Richard Harvey) Lumbering Giant (Paddy Kingsland) Games Played in the Dark (Richard Harvey) |
| 19 | The Emperor's Nightingale | Dermot Crowley | Hans Christian Andersen | What happened when a real nightingale and a clockwork nightingale met at the court of an Emperor? | |
| 20 | Little Kim | Nigel Pegram | Helen Bannerman | The story of a young boy and four vain tigers that turned into a heap of melted butter. | The Perils of Pauline (Joe Griffiths) |
| 21 | The Enchanted Princess | Carole Boyd | Ludwig Bechstein | Two sons Henry and John both set out for the sake of their father Marcus to rescue a princess named Esmerelda from a wicked spell, but who will triumph? | Heritage (Robert Cornford) Run! (Richard Harvey) Robbers (Richard Harvey) Inward Eyes (Richard Harvey) Adrenalin (Richard Harvey) Dreams in Slow Motion (Richard Harvey) Phantasy (Richard Harvey) |
| 22 | The Selfish Giant | John Shrapnel | Oscar Wilde | How a selfish giant suddenly became generous and made the lives of many children very happy. | |
| 23 | The Wild Swans | Cass Allen | Hans Christian Andersen | How a young princess Elise saved her brothers from a wicked spell. | Destiny (Richard Harvey) Secrets of the Past (Richard Harvey) Chronicles in Time (Richard Harvey) Dreams in Slow Motion (Richard Harvey) |
| 24 | Johnny-Cake | Nigel Lambert | Joseph Jacobs | How a cake thought he was the fastest in the world in getting away from people and animals, but not fast at thinking. | Peacherine Rag (Jonathan C. Sharkey) St. Louis Rag (Jonathan C. Sharkey) |
| 25 | The Brave Tin Soldier | Mick Ford | Hans Christian Andersen | The sad story of a one-legged tin soldier who falls in love with a beautiful ballerina. | |
| 26 | Cinderella | Anna Bentinck | Charles Perrault | How a beautiful girl goes to the ball and discovers the prince of her dreams. | Dreamland (a) (Paddy Kingsland) Grey Morning (Richard Harvey) Dreaming (Dick Walter) Dreams in Slow Motion (Richard Harvey) Dreamland Waltz (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 27 | Great Grandmother's Nightshirt | Steven Pacey | Guido Gozzano | How a nightshirt becomes very useful to a boy named Patrick. | |
| 28 | The Twelve Dancing Princesses | Carole Boyd | The Brothers Grimm | A mystery is trying to be discovered of where the Princesses go every night and why their shoes are always wore through. | Pause for Thought (Dick Walter) |
| 29 | The Master Thief | Nigel Lambert | The Brothers Grimm | To prove his abilities as a master thief, a gentleman is set three difficult tasks. | The Highwayman (Richard Myhill) Heartstrings (Dick Walter) Is There Anybody There? (Richard Myhill) Lamplight Spies (Richard Myhill) |
| 30 | Aladdin | Jason Isaacs | Antoine Galland | A street urchin finds a lamp with incredible special powers. | Arabian Nights (Paddy Kingsland) Snake Charmer (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 31 | The Silver Shilling | David Tate | Hans Christian Andersen | What happens when a silver shilling goes on his travels in the big wide world? | Imperial Hotel (John Leach) Valse Sentimentale (John Leach) Victoriana (John Leach) Victorian Prelude (William Davies) Sinister Link (John Leach) Industrial Revolution (John Leach) |
| 32 | The Little Mermaid | Carole Boyd | Hans Christian Andersen | How a beautiful mermaid's love for a handsome prince makes her swap her fishtail for a pair of legs. | |
| 33 | The Goatherd and the King's Daughter | Nigel Lambert | Ludwig Bechstein | A picky king who dislikes commoners, makes a goatherd complete many tasks before he is allowed to marry his daughter. | |
| 34 | The Ugly Duckling | Denise Bryer | Hans Christian Andersen | A poor duckling is made fun of for his looks, but will he eventually become handsome? | Make Believe (Dick Walter) Pause for Thought (Dick Walter) The Cunning Wolf (Paddy Kingsland) Fond Memories (Richard Myhill) |
| 35 | Brer Rabbit and the Tar-Baby | Kerry Shale | Joel Chandler Harris | Brer Fox tries to outwit Brer Rabbit, but things don't work out quite the way he planned. | |
| 36 | The Happy Prince | Tim Bentinck | Oscar Wilde | What happens when the Happy Prince tries to help the poor people of his city? | |
| 37 | The Nutcracker | Cass Allen | E. T. A. Hoffmann | When Marie receives a very unusual Christmas present, many exciting things happen. | Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) March (Pyotr Ilyich) Waltz of the Flowers (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) Taking Chances (Richard Harvey) Coffee Arabian Dance (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) Dance of the Reed Flutes (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) |
| 38 | Hansel and Gretel | Carole Boyd | The Brothers Grimm | What happens when two children find a candy house in the woods? | Twilight (Dick Walter) The Enchanted Forest (Richard Myhill) Ghouls and Ghosts (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 39 | The Brave Little Tailor | Steven Pacey | The Brothers Grimm | When a tailor kills seven with one blow, he finds he is the talk of the kingdom. | |
| 40 | King Rough-Beard | Eve Karpf | The Brothers Grimm | A vain princess marries a beggar, but she soon finds out he's not quite as humble as she thinks. | On Mid-Summer's Day (Paddy Kingsland) On Mid-Summer's Night (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 41 | The Three Lucky Charms | Nigel Lambert | Guido Gozzano | A Father leaves each of his three sons a lucky charm, Simon inherits a table cloth that always has food and drink appear on it, John inherits a cloak that gives him invisibility and transportation and Peter inherits a purse that is never empty, but the greedy Princess Lorraine wants these items for herself. | |
| 42 | The Serpent Woman | Carole Boyd | Carlo Gozzi | When Princess Laila turns into a fire-breathing serpent, only a kiss can save her. | |
| 43 | The Flying Trunk | Steven Pacey | Hans Christian Andersen | A merchant's son is given a trunk that seems to have a mind of its own. | |
| 44 | The Town Musicians | Denise Bryer | The Brothers Grimm | When a donkey is no longer useful to his master, he heads for the city to become a musician. | |
| 45 | Tom Thumb | Nigel Pegram | The Brothers Grimm | The adventures of small boy who is only as big as the size of a thumb. | Finder's Creepers (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 46 | Rose White and Rose Red | Eva Haddon | The Brothers Grimm | How the kindness of two sisters is rewarded by a huge brown bear. | Night Predator (Tony Kinsey) The Beast Within (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 47 | The Prince and the Pauper | Jason Isaacs | Mark Twain | A prince called Edward and a pauper called Tom are so intrigued by each other's lifestyles that they decide to swap roles for a while. | |
| 48 | The Three Little Pigs | Gay Soper | Joseph Jacobs | When three little pigs each build a house in the forest, the big bad wolf pays them all a visit. | Mr Fixit (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 49 | The Twelve Brothers | Cass Allen | The Brothers Grimm | When twelve brothers are turned into ravens, only their sister can break the spell. | Grey Morning (Richard Harvey) |
| 50 | Dick Whittington | Mike Grady | Joseph Jacobs | Dick, a boy from a poor family, sets out for London to make his fortune, accompanied by his cat. | |
| 51 | Pinocchio | Steven Pacey | Carlo Collodi | When a wooden puppet comes to life, he embarks on a series of exciting adventures. | The Puppeteers (Paddy Kingsland) The Merry March (a) (Paddy Kingsland) Lumbering Giant (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 52 | Jorinda and Joringle | Anna Bentinck | The Brothers Grimm | When a wicked witch turns Jorinda into a nightingale, her sweetheart is determined to break the spell. | Mount Olympus (Paddy Kingsland) Dreamland Waltz (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 53 | Little Lord Fauntleroy | Kerry Shale | Frances Hodgson Burnett | A young boy named Cedric discovers that he is heir to a fortune, but this turns out to be the start of his problems. | |
| 54 | Iron Jack | Nigel Lambert | The Brothers Grimm | When a wild man of the forest is caught, the King keeps him in a special cage, but he doesn't stay there very long... | The Merry Hunters (Paddy Kingsland) |
| 55 | The Big-Nosed Dwarf | Liz Whitting | Wilhelm Hauff | A witch turns a little boy named Jacob into a big-nosed dwarf, but can the spell be broken? | |
| 56 | The Enchanted Horse | Jason Isaacs | Antoine Galland | An enchanted horse plays an important part in bringing a prince and princess together. | |
| 57 | The Elephant's Child | Carole Boyd | Rudyard Kipling | Rudyard Kipling's highly fantasized original tale from Just So Stories of how the elephant got his trunk. | |
| 58 | The Little Parsley Girl | Eva Haddon | The Brothers Grimm | When a witch locks a beautiful girl called "The Little Parsley Girl" up in a tower, a prince named Leopold comes to her rescue. | |
| 59 | Jack the Dullard | Nigel Lambert | Hans Christian Andersen | When an awkward young man sets off to woo a princess, the results are quite surprising. | |
| 60 | Heidi | Eve Karpf | Johanna Spyri | A young girl has amazing adventures in the Swiss mountains. |
External links
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 13, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.