Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends

[Flick James]

This was on Showtime in the mid to late 80's. It was Shelley Duvall's follow up to her successful Fairytale Theatre. I always liked Tall Tales & Legends. The show was innocent, but also kind of quirky. I never saw all the episodes, but I distinctly remember the ones about John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, Ponce De Leon, and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It's been so long since I've seen any of them, I wonder how well they would hold up to viewing now?

Anybody else remember this show, or perhaps have seen any of them more recently?

[HappyGilmore]

I haven't seen it recently, but I kinda remember this being rerun on Disney Channel back in the early '90s. Wasnt Martin Short in the Appleseed one?

[BoyScoutKevin]

I haven't seen it recently, but I kinda remember this being rerun on Disney Channel back in the early '90s. Wasnt Martin Short in the Appleseed one?

Yes, he played the title character in the "Johnny Appleseed' episode. And then he served as narrator in her next TV series "Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories."

Though, it is her first series "Faerie Tale Theatre," I remember best, though, I don't ever remember watching it on TV. I had cable TV at that time, but it was basic cable, and the show was on Showtime, I believe, which was a premium cable channel.

That was a show the Disney Channel let get away. I believe Shelley Duvall originally took the concept of the show to the executives at the Disney Channel, but for whatever reason they turned her down. She then took the show to Showtime who picked up the show and ran it for six seasons to 1987.

I can remember that it was one of the few shows on TV that was liked by the critics as well as the audience. Maybe because she got a number of people to appear who normally did not do TV. For example, Mick Jagger appeared as the Emperor in the episode entitled "The Nightingale."

[Flick James]

Yeah, it's pretty clear from all of her shows that Shelley Duvall was somebody who probably knew everybody in show business, was well-liked, and got those stars to do something like that which they wouldn't ordinarily do.