Family Fun Saturday - Once Upon a Mattress

Disney, 2005
Starring Tracy Ullman, Carol Burnett, Zooey Deschanel, and Denis O'Hare
Directed by Kathleen Marshall
Music by Mary Rogers; Lyrics by Marshall Barer

From 1997 to 2005, ABC revived The Wonderful World of Disney anthology series. While it mainly showed miniseries and theatrical films, original TV musicals also popped up from time to time. This is the last of five musicals filmed just for the series, and the third adaptation of this show (all featuring Burnett) to turn up on television. Is this comic version of The Princess and the Pea worth swimming the moat for, or should it be cursed into silence? Let's go to the castle and find out...

The Story: Queen Aggrivain (Burnett) has created a rule that no one in the kingdom may marry until her son Dauntless the Drab (O'Hare) does. The problem is, Aggrivain has no desire to share her kingdom with anyone, let alone her son's bride. In an attempt to keep him under her thumb, she devises a series of impossible tests for every princess who tries to court him. None have been able to pass, and everyone is in despair. Sir Harry (Matthew Morrison) and Lady Larkin (Deschanel) are especially frustrated. It seems they had an...indiscretion...and Lady Larkin now has a little one on the way.

What he finds is Princess Winifred of the Swamplands (Ullman). Call her "Fred." She's brash, noisy, and could probably wrestle an alligator if she felt like it. She was so desperate to find the castle, she swam the moat to get there. Dauntless adores her the moment he sees her, to his mother's horror. The Queen devises a test involving 20 mattresses and a tiny pea to see if she's a true princess. The rest of the kingdom, however, just wants to love the way they choose and go about foiling the queen and bringing both sets of lovers together.

The Song and Dance: Ullman makes a great Winifred; she's having a blast as the definitely not "Shy" princess who proves that you don't have to be dainty to be royalty or worthy of a prince. Tom Smothers is a lot of fun as King Sextimas, who was cursed to be silent until "the mouse devours the hawk." He has a few great scenes of pantomime, especially his "Man to Man Talk" with O'Hare. Burnett brings the house down with her hilarious Queen Aggrivain, especially when she's plotting during the second half. I also like the side plot with Larkin and Harry; it gives this show a slightly risque edge that most fairy-tale adaptations of this type lack.

Favorite Number: Ullman's best moment is "Happily Ever After," where she vents her frustration that she doesn't have help from magical characters like most fairy tale princesses. Her introductory number with the chorus, "Shy," and the dance number "The Spanish Panic" are also a riot. The aforementioned "Man to Man Talk" is also funny. The Queen has a great moment towards the end with "Quiet."

Trivia: As I mentioned, this is the third go-around for this musical on television. Carol Burnett starred as Winifred in the two previous broadcasts in 1964 and 1972, as well as in the original Broadway cast in 1959.

What I Don't Like: I kind of wish more songs from the original Broadway show had made it in, including the cute-but-expendable "Very Soft Shoes." Also, while their side plot is interesting, Deschanal and especially Morrison are a tad on the stiff side as the ingenues with an unusual problem for a fairy tale musical.

The Big Finale: If you love Burnett, Ullman, or fairy tale spoofs, this is absolutely worth looking around for.

Home Media: While I believe the DVD is out of print, it's neither expensive nor that hard to find, and it's on Amazon Prime.

DVD
Amazon Prime