Storybook International
Also known asStories and Fables
GenreFantasy
Based onThe book by Veronica Kruger
Written byBarry Levinson, Virginia Boston
Directed bySebastian Robinson
Peter Sasdy
Andrew Grieve
Narrated byClaire Nielson
Isla Blair
Virginia Boston
Theme music composerLarry Grossman
Opening theme"The Storyteller" by Larry Grossman and Barry Levinson
ComposerLarry Grossman
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes65
Production
ProducerBarry Levinson
EditorsViv Grant
Dave Camps
Running time26 minutes
Original release
NetworkITV
Release31 July 1981 (31 July 1981) 
24 September 1987 (24 September 1987)

Storybook International (also known as Stories and Fables) is a British children's television series, produced for ITV by Harlech Productions, a part of HTV and written by Barry Levinson and Virginia Boston.[1] The weekly, half-hour show was a collection of folk tales and fairy stories from all over the world, based on an anthology of stories for children published by Gollancz in 1981, edited by Veronica Kruger.[2]

Filmed in such locales as Russia, Ireland and Scandinavia, the series' live-action playlets were based on stories which originated in England, Czechoslovakia, France, Romania, Turkey, Wales, Israel, Norway, China, Africa, India and elsewhere. A few of the stories were campfire legends derived from the Native Americans of New England and the Maori of New Zealand.

Broadcasting

First broadcast in 1981,[3] it consisted of 65 episodes, aired as three separate seasons. Although its distribution was originally confined to Britain and Europe, Storybook International enjoyed extensive cable play in the USA, Scandinavia and the Middle East in subsequent decades. In 1984 they released Stories and Fables under Walt Disney Home Video. Fitfully released on VHS throughout the 1980s and 1990, the full series was finally made available on DVD in 2006.[4]

Theme song

The show famously began with an animated title sequence with a troubadour singing the theme song, The Storyteller, accompanied by a friendly anthropomorphic fox. The original version was sung in a traditional English folk style, but subsequent international versions had different versions of the song. Notably the USA's version replaced the line "In England, I am John" with "In America, I'm John".

episodes

References

  1. [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 135238632. Retrieved 7 May 2018 via www.worldcat.org.
  2. http://www.worldcat.org/title/storybook-international/oclc/221430942
  3. "Storybook International (TV Series 1981) - IMDb". IMDb.
  4. "Storybook International [TV Series] (1982) - | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
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