4/5 three all-time FTT classics--plus one dud
  by Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood)
Four more beloved episodes from Shelley Duvall's FAERIE TALE THEATRE series. Bundled together in this set are two of the classic early shows ("Sleeping Beauty" and "Goldilocks") but also one of the rare clunkers ("Rip Van Winkle").

SLEEPING BEAUTY:
The story recounts a childless king and queen (played by Sally Kellerman and Rene Auberjonois) who are finally blessed with a child after receiving some helpful advice from a fairy. At the child's christening, all the fairies are invited to bestow gifts upon the little princess. However, the wicked Henbane (Beverly d'Angelo) gets left off the list and gatecrashes the event, cursing the princess to a premature death from a spindle-prick. Kindly good fairy Cookie (Carol Kane) remedies the curse by changing a few details: the princess won't die, only sleep until woken by the kiss of a true Prince (Christopher Reeve). Bernadette Peters stars the title role.

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS:
Here are the adventures of a ringletted brat called Goldilocks (Tatum O'Neal) as she happens upon the 'deserted' house belonging to three bears. After helping herself to their porridge and breaking Cubby Bear's chair, she goes to sleep in his bed. When the bears return, she gets scared away...but not for long!...

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK:
Jack (Dennis Christopher) lives with his loving-but frazzled mother ("Soap"'s Katherine Helmond) in near poverty. The only thing left of value for them to sell is Jack's beloved cow Spot. Reluctantly, Jack sets off to market with the cow when he meets a strange old man who offers him 5 magic beans in exchange for the animal. When Jack returns home, his mother chides him for his foolishness and the beans are tossed outside...where they sprout into an enormous beanstalk that leads to a castle in the sky owned by an evil Giant (Elliott Gould). Jack's adventures have only just begun!

RIP VAN WINKLE:
Rip Van Winkle (Harry Dean Stanton) is a good man, he's just a too much of a dreamer is all. His wife Wilma (Talia Shire) has had just about enough of his loafing ways, the house is falling about their ears and there's no money. When Rip goes hunting in the forest, he happens upon a group of ghosts, who offer him some of their stange green drink. Sleepy and confused, Rip dozes away in the forest (for 20 years!). Once awake, Rip now finds himself in an entirely different world to the one he knew only yesterday. What has happened to Rip Van Winkle?