What Do Shirley Temple and Shelley Duvall Have in Common?

Most people are familiar with Shirley Temple and Shelley Duvall, but few are aware of their passion for fairy tales and how they used their fame and success to create new adaptations of classic stories and share them with the world. Both were successful actresses who had prolific careers during their lifetimes. After they became established in Hollywood, each of these women produced, hosted, and occasionally starred in a self-titled anthology series covering well-known and obscure fairy tale stories with celebrity guest stars from different decades. Though their fairy tale adaptations are not as well-known as Disney's, they played a key role in contributing original live-action fairy tale media to the public that generally stayed close to the source material, aside from a few creative liberties.

Shirley Temple's Storybook premiered in 1958 when television was still a fairly new medium. Shirley Temple's talents were mostly used by Hollywood directors and producers when she was a child, so she had more creative freedom to take her years of filmmaking experience in any direction she wanted as an adult. Having had her taste of fame and opulence, the young starlet did not stray from the self-indulgence of producing her own series. The opening of each episode shows a glittering wall of jewels, followed by an introduction from the beloved hostess herself in a long, glamorous gown. The show had 29 episodes, though only a little over half of them are still available to watch today. Shirley Temple's Storybook is an appropriate title as the stories range all across the board from fairy tales to classic novels to Native American legends. Shirley took the spotlight in some of the stories and brought out her inner princess in the first live-action interpretations of "The Princess and the Goblin" and "The Little Mermaid."

Almost twenty-five years later, Shelley Duvall followed in Shirley Temple's footsteps with Faerie Tale Theatre in 1982. This series was more streamlined than Shirley Temple's Storybook, focusing exclusively on fairy tales as the title suggests. The show featured some big celebrity guests such as Robin Williams, Vincent Price, Carrie Fisher, and Shelley Duvall herself, who starred as Rapunzel and the miller's daughter in "Rumpelstiltskin." While there was some overlap with Shirley Temple's Storybook, including "Beauty and the Beast," "Rapunzel," "The Little Mermaid," and "Rip Van Winkle," Faerie Tale Theatre also brought many lesser-known stories into the public eye, including "The Princess Who Never Smiled" and "The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear." Like Shirley Temple, Shelley Duvall personally introduced each story and loved to dress up, though her outfits were more costumey than Hollywood glam. Although some of the stories, such as "The Three Little Pigs" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," were embellished to fill the hour-long runtime, they were always fun and entertaining.

I'm not a fan of competition, but if I had to pit these two series against each other, I would give the prize to Shelley Duvall every time. Faerie Tale Theatre not only has a more specific focus compared to Shirley Temple's Storybook, but Shelley Duvall also did a better job of keeping the stories interesting throughout their lengthy runtimes. Shirley Temple's Storybook often took a long time before any interesting would happen. Shirley Temple would come back every few minutes to introduce Act 2 or 3 of each story when hardly anything had happened in Act 1. Faerie Tale Theatre, on the other hand, used creative embellishments to keep its shorter source material more interesting, such as adding a female pig to "The Three Little Pigs" or casting Bernadette Peters as "Sleeping Beauty" to show off some of her powerhouse singing. The one thing I will give Shirley Temple's Storybook credit for is its detailed and elaborate costumes from various cultures and periods. I particularly liked the dresses she wore as Princess Irene for "The Princess and the Goblin," and Ozma in "Legends of Oz."

Both Shirley Temple's Storybook and Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre are treasured examples of live-action fairy tale adaptations that have captivated audiences with their unique interpretations and star-studded casts. While both series have their strengths and weaknesses, Faerie Tale Theatre stands out for its focused approach to fairy tales and ability to keep stories engaging throughout their hour-long runtimes. With its blend of classic and lesser-known tales, Faerie Tale Theatre is a must-watch for fans of fairy tales and nostalgia. Shirley Temple's Storybook, on the other hand, is worth exploring for its elaborate costumes and historical significance as a pioneering effort in television storytelling. Both series are a testament to the enduring power of fairy tales to enchant and inspire audiences of all ages.