For the child in all of us, TCM presents a charming series of fairy tale-related stories filmed over three decades.

Hans Christian Andersen (1952) stars Danny Kaye in the title role as the famous Danish poet and story-teller. Producer Samuel Goldwyn's musical version of Andersen's life does not attempt realism but spins out its story in fanciful fairy-tale style, incorporating Frank Loesser songs and ballet performances with elements of such Andersen stories as The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and The Ugly Duckling. Farley Granger and Jeanmaire costar.

Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) has the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in a musical version of the English fairy tale. Costello's character has a dream in which he is the boy who climbs a beanstalk to foil the nefarious plans of a giant (Buddy Baer) who lives in a castle in the sky. Jean Yarbrough directed, and the songs are by Lester Lee and Bob Russell.

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), originally shown in the Cinerama process, was produced by special effects wizard George Pal, who directed the fairy-tale sequences. Laurence Harvey and Karlheinz Böhm play Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, respectively, the brothers who gained fame as the authors of such tales as "The Dancing Princess" and "The Cobbler and the Elves." Henry Levin directed the biographical sections of the film, and Mary Wills won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Color.

The Wacky World of Mother Goose (1967) is an animated feature based on the Charles Perrault's stories and nursery rhymes, with Mother Goose voiced by the redoubtable Margaret Rutherford. The plotline has Jack and Jill, Simple Simon, Humpty Dumpty, Georgie Porgie, and other citizens of the land of Old King Cole worried about the plans of the Crooked Man to rule the land while Mother Goose is off visiting her sister on the far side of the Moon. Jules Bass directed.

The Slipper and the Rose (1976) is a British musical film offering a revisionist version of the Cinderella story, with the characters given more complex motivations than is the norm with this fairy tale. Gemma Craven has the title role, with Richard Chamberlain as the Prince and a formidable supporting cast that includes Edith Evans, Kenneth More, Margaret Lockwood, Annette Crosbie and Michael Hordern. The Sherman Brothers, Richard and Robert, were Oscar-nominated for their score and the song, "The Slipper and the Rose Waltz." Bryan Forbes directed.

by Roger Fristoe