Tom Bancroft

Seeing Edward Everett Horton in an old movie the other day got me thinking about black and white cartoon shorts called "Fractured Fairy Tales" which were modern takes on classic fairy tales narrated by Horton with a very funny script.

They were broadcast in the 60's and I suppose that as they were in b/w we will probably never see them again.

On searching for info about the series, I find that they were a segment of the American TV series called 'Rocky & Bullwinkle' - however, I seem to remember that the UK version was just Horton's bit without any mention of Rocky and his pal.

Anyone else remember these cartoons. I mentioned it to a few people and received blank looks!!

"I want to be a sailor - sailing out to sea"

penfold

They might have been Black and White when broadcast here....but in the States....


Lots of them on Youtube....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

bhowells

Wasnt Fractured Fairy tales also a segment of the Mr Piper show, or am I thinking about another similar series of animated fairy tales. I know there was a segment featuring live animals, Ruby Rabbit.

Tom Bancroft

Brilliant response Penfold! Exactly the cartoons I was thinking of - never crossed my mind that they could be on YouTube (in fact I never cease to be amazed at what can be found there).

Fittingly, it was the Rapunzel episode that was uppermost in my mind.

Having seen them now in colour I am still pretty certain that I saw them in black and white originally (though I think we had a colour TV at the time!).

bhowells - your mention of Mr. Piper reminds me of the parrot puppet in the show and it's catch phrase "Piper, Piper - here's a riddle". So I saw this show and maybe this is where I saw Fractured Fairy Tales.

I googled Piper, Piper and found the following on the DoYouRemember.co.uk website:-

Mr Piper was a TV show hosted by a large Canadian opera singer chap, wearing Pied Piper style get up. He would sing and narrate stories that would be shown as cartoons, which you always went out the window at the back of the house to see. Then there was 'Down on Animal Farm' another narrated story, this time he would point down to a hole in the skirting board and there would be real little animals (mouse, hamster and a rat?).He also did magic tricks that he produced out of his big bag and there was the talking parrot too!

"I want to be a sailor - sailing out to sea"

bhowells

I agree with your comments about Youtube. Its better than an evening in front of the telly, last night I enjoyed an interview with Lucile Ball a clip from the Dick Van Dyke show and a slightly bizarre eigtieth birthday tribuute to actor Pernell Roberts.

Have you come across the imressionist Stevie Ricks, if you havent look him up you are in for a treat.