Category: Media

Fantastic Mr. Fox: A Play

Sections: Information | Covers

Information

  • Adapted by Sally Reid
  • Published by:
    • Puffin, UK.

Covers

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: A Play

Sections: Information | Description | Covers | French Covers

Information

  • Adapted by Richard R. George
  • Published by:
    • Viking Press, 1983, USA.
    • Puffin, UK.

Description

Roald Dahl fans will rejoice at the opportunity to bring their favorite books and characters to life. Five of Dahl’s hugely popular, beloved books have been adapted into winning plays for children. With useful tips on staging, props, and costumes, these plays can be produced with a minimum amount of resources and experience. Teachers, parents, and children everywhere will recognize Quentin Blake’s appealing classic cover art and will find these easy-to-perform plays to be a great source of entertainment!

Covers

French Covers – Charlie et la chocolaterie

The BFG

Sections: Information | Description | Covers | French Covers

Information

  • Adapted by David Wood
  • Published by:
    • Samuel French, USA.
    • Puffin, UK.

Description

Roald Dahl fans will rejoice at the opportunity to bring their favorite books and characters to life. Five of Dahl’s hugely popular, beloved books have been adapted into winning plays for children. With useful tips on staging, props, and costumes, these plays can be produced with a minimum amount of resources and experience. Teachers, parents, and children everywhere will recognize Quentin Blake’s appealing classic cover art and will find these easy-to-perform plays to be a great source of entertainment!

Covers

French Covers – Le Bon Gros Géant

Tales of the Unexpected

Sections: Information | Description | Reviews | Opening Titles & Closing Credits | Fun Stuff | Articles | DVD Covers | Soundtrack Album Covers

Information

  • British Television Program produced from 1979-84
  • What Dahl Did: hosted program during first two seasons and provided his short stories for adaptation
  • Please note: While there are 112 episodes of this program, Dahl was only involved with 33 of them as a writer or host. Only those episodes are detailed on this site.
  • All Program Information

Description

A British anthology series featuring tales of horror, mystery and suspense. Most episodes featured a twist ending, and many of them were based on short stories by well-known writer Roald Dahl, who also served as the show’s host during its first two seasons.

Dahl’s First Introduction:

Dahl’s introductory words to “Man From the South”, which was the first episode:

“I ought to warn you, if you haven’t read any of my stories, that you may be a little disturbed by some of the things that happen in them. When I’m writing a short story, I’m haunted by the thought that I’ve got to hold the reader’s attention for literally every second, otherwise I’m dead. The one you’re going to see now is the first of a series based on stories that have taken me thirty-five years to write. I find them difficult to do well, so I work slowly. About two a year. This one was filmed in its real setting: Jamaica. I hope you like it.”

Reviews

  • “Fingering” by Richard Ingrams from the April 7, 1979 issue of The Spectator (UK) (read online)

Opening Titles and Closing Credits

Fun Stuff

Articles

DVD Covers

Soundtrack Album Covers

Note: This album consists of many selections from composter Ron Grainer’s work, but the only track from Tales of the Unexpected is the theme!

Grainer notes: “The theme for the series is a cheekily innocent counterpoint to Roald’s wicked sense of humour.”

Terry Fisk, a blogger and Grainer aficionado, emailed me and mentioned that other Grainer fans have been trying for years to get a full Tales soundtrack released. He also mentioned an intriguing bit of trivia:

Earlier this year an unconfirmed research tipoff said that Ron Grainer wrote a musical with Ned Sherrin and Caryl Brahms based on the “Kiss Kiss” book around 1965 but eventually abandoned it and recycled the melodies for other projects like “Comes The Time” their 1966 Eurovision song entry sung by Kenneth McKeller.

‘Way Out

Sections: Information | Description | Fun Stuff

Information

Description

A new drama in the macabre genre was broadcast each week. The program was hosted by Roald Dahl.

Fun Stuff

Related Books

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Sections: Information | Description | Video Covers | DVD Covers

Information

  • CBS (Later NBC) Television Program produced from 1955–1962
  • What Dahl Did: contributed several stories and teleplays for the show
  • All Program Information
    • General Details
    • Awards
    • Episode 106 (Season 3, No. 28): “Lamb to the Slaughter”
    • Episode 113 (Season 3, No. 35): “Dip in the Pool”
    • Episode 118 (Season 4, No. 1): “Poison”
    • Episode 168 (Season 5, No. 15): “Man From the South”
    • Episode 192 (Season 6, No. 1): “Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat”
    • Episode 210 (Season 6, No. 19): “The Landlady”

Description

This series was hosted by noted filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and welcomed viewers to stories of terror, horror, suspense and twisted endings. The stories would often appear to end with evil triumphant – in strict violation of the television code of ethics. This situation was always resolved following the last commercial, when Hitchcock would return to explain what silly mistake or chance occurrence had finally done the villain in. When the show was expanded to an hour in the fall of 1962, the title was changed to The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

Several of Roald Dahl’s stories were adapted for this program, many directed by Hitchcock himself. “Lamb to the Slaughter” is undoubtedly the most famous and well-remembered.

Video Covers

DVD Covers

Esio Trot

Sections: Information | Trailers | Description | Reviews | DVD Covers

Information

Trailers

Description

Mr Hoppy, played by Dustin Hoffman, is a retired bachelor, who harbours a secret passion for his neighbour, the lovely Mrs Silver, Dame Judi Dench. Unfortunately she lavishes all her affection on another… Alfie, her pet tortoise. Mr Hoppy yearns to talk to Mrs Silver, but tongue-tied and shy, his attempts always end in disaster. Mrs Silver’s greatest wish is for her tortoise Alfie to grow a little bigger. All seems lost for Mr Hoppy until he has the brightest, most devious of ideas. Will Mr Hoppy’s wildly ingenious plot win the love of his lady?

Reviews

DVD Covers

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Sections: Information | Trailers | Description | Fun Stuff | Posters | DVD Covers | Blu-ray Covers | Soundtrack Album Covers

Information

Trailers

Description

George Clooney and Meryl Streep lend their voices to this hilarious and heartwarming animated adventure from visionary director Wes Anderson. Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) live a happy home life with their eccentric son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and visiting nephew Kristopherson. That is until Mr. Fox slips into his sneaky, old ways and plots the greatest chicken heist the animal world has ever seen. Based on the beloved, best-selling book by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Fantastic Mr. Fox is family fun at its finest.

Reviews

Fun Stuff

Merchandise

Movie Tie-In Materials:

Posters

DVD Covers

Blu-ray Covers

Soundtrack Album Covers

Three Little Pigs

Sections: Information | Description

Information

Description

Presenting some of the most beloved characters in children’s literature, Roald Dahl’s book of poems, Revolting Rhymes, offers a non traditional outcome. Instead of the classical too-sweet endings, this set of poems brings to life the all-time favorites with a much more modern perspective. In this short, Mexican young filmmaker Enrique Vargas Celis with a group of highschool talented artists, chose to present ‘Three Little Pigs’, with the traditional ‘I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in’ but based on the delightful poem and conception of Roald Dahl. The apparent heroine who comes to rescue the youngest pig is Little Red Riding Hood, who will end up with a wolf’s fur coat and a lovely pigskin purse.