Tall Tales & Legends: The Complete Series – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 8, 2009, 15:46 GMT

Weaving American folk heroes into "larger than life? stories, Shelley Duvall\'s Tall Tales & Legends is the award-winning, live-action series that is perfect for the entire family to enjoy together. This ultimate collector\'s collection includes all nine, music-filled, star-studded episodes! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Ed Begley, Jr. stars as Ichabod Crane, the superstitious new schoolmaster who finds himself competing for the heart of Katrina (Beverly D\'Angelo) and comes ...more

She may look like she was born to play Olive Oyl, but actress Shelley Duvall also had some fame in the 80s producing kiddie fare.  She had just produced star studded versions of fairy tales and now turns her attentions to tall tales and legends.  This reissue packages the entire series at a much nicer price.  

In 1982, Shelley Duvall formed a production company, Platypus Productions, and began an hour long series for Showtime that recreated various fairytales.  She would ask many of her famous friends to star in the productions and the series would run till 1987.  In 1985 she produced this series based on American folktales, but it would only run for nine episodes and end in 1987. 

However, it would garner her an Emmy nomination.  The shows would also feature a gaggle of stars, but some of the tales feel stretched out.  I mean, how you can adapt the poem “Casey at the Bat” into an hour long format (the Disney version is probably the best and only runs as long as the poem and is part of Make Mine Music (1945).  You end up throwing all sorts of subplots into it and the stretching begins. 

What fans will appreciate is that if they couldn’t afford the first release of this set they can now pick it up much cheaper.  It originally came out in a nine disc set and retailed for $80 with the discs also released separately.  This time they’ve put the series on three discs and you can find it for under $20.  

Disc one:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Ed Begley, Jr. stars as Ichabod Crane, the superstitious new schoolmaster who finds himself competing for the heart of Katrina (Beverly D'Angelo) and comes face-to-face with Sleepy Hollow's most famous resident, the Headless Horseman.

Pecos Bill: Steve Guttenberg portrays Pecos Bill, the "King of the Cowboys," in this rootin' tootin' epic. When his rowdy behavior gets him run out of town, he heads for Mexico where he saves the state of Texas from drought. Also stars Rebecca De Mornay, comedian Martin Mull and Megan Mullally.

Casey at the Bat: Elliott Gould stars as Casey Frank, a down-on-his-luck baseball player who follows his dream to become the biggest star in the game. Carol Kane, Bob Uecker and Howard Cosell co-star in this spirited salute to both an American legend and "America's pastime."

Disc two:

Darlin' Clementine: Shelley Duvall beings this endearing tale to life portraying Clementine, a lonely woman who takes care of everyone around her and whose father learns a valuable lesson about taking advantage of those you love. Ed Asner, David Dukes and Michael Richards also star in this classic American folk tale.

Johnny Appleseed: Johnny Appleseed (Martin Short) travels across the land with a cooking pot on his head and his pockets filled with apple seeds and shows that there's nothing wrong with being an individual. This award-winning folk tale also stars Molly Ringwald and Rob Reiner.

Ponce de Lyon: The search for youth has never been so much fun as Ponce (Michael York) teams up with Lucy (Sally Kellerman), the Lady Pirate, in the ultimate adventure.
 
Disc 3:

John Henry: "On the night John Henry was born, lighting bolts shaped like nine-pound hammers filled the sky," and from that day on, John Henry (Danny Glover) was known as the extraordinary boy who became an extraordinary man.

Davy Crockett: The multi-talented Mac Davis brings the story of America's coonskin-capped pioneer to life. On the wild frontier, Davy Crockett earns a reputation for bravery and courage and proves that anything is possible.

Annie Oakley: Jamie Lee Curtis stars as the famous Annie Oakley "Little Miss Sure Shot" in this charming portrayal of the legendary markswoman. This enchanting tale also stars Brian Dennehy as Buffalo Bill Cody.

Tall Tales and Legends is presented in fullscreen.  There are no special features, sadly.  It would’ve been nice to hear Duvall’s thoughts on the series.  

This reissue offers the series at a more affordable price for those that didn’t bite the first time.  The show has some stars that shined in the 80s and it does offer some family entertainment.  Some of the episodes are better than others and adds too much extra business to stretch the tale to the prescribed length.  

Tall Tales & Legends: The Complete Series is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.