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WonderWorks
''WonderWorks'' is an anthology series which ran from 1984 to 1992. Produced by the Public Broadcasting Service, the Walt Disney Company purchased the home video rights to the series in 1987 and was responsible for making the series available to the public on VHS and later DVD in addition to airing some of the programs on the Disney Channel. The series consisted of short, made-for-television films out of acclaimed children's books. They included adaptations of ''Anne of Green Gables'', '' Bridge to Terabithia'', ''All Summer in a Day'', '' Jacob Have I Loved'', ''The Box of Delights'', ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series, '' Miracle at Moreaux'', ''The Hoboken Chicken Emergency'' (starring Peter Billingsley), ''Odile & Yvette at the Edge of the World'' (scored by Blake Leyh), '' How to Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!'' (by Stephen Manes), ''Gryphon'' (produced by Manuel Arce and Carl Haber, starring Amanda Plummer), ''A Little Princess'', ''A Girl of the Limberlost'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frog (film)
''Frog'' is a 1987 American television film, made-for-television fantasy film, fantasy-comedy film produced for the PBS series ''WonderWorks'', starring Scott Grimes, Shelley Duvall, and Elliott Gould. The central character Arlo Anderson (played by Scott Grimes) is an unpopular youth who is obsessed with his collection of lizards and amphibians. Despite his room already being covered in terrariums & tanks, Arlo cannot pass up the purchase of a large frog seen at a local pet shop. The large frog, the pet shop's recent acquisition from Italy, is named Gus and he fascinates Arlo. Arlo slipped Gus into his pocket, as he was on the way to a date at the local movie theatre. The date went smoothly until Gus escaped Arlo's pocket and began hopping around onto various girls at the theatre, scaring many & causing a near-panic. Later, after getting Gus home, Arlo is shocked to hear the frog speak to him. Gus explains that he was an Italian prince who was cursed into a frog hundreds of years ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Billingsley
Peter Billingsley (born April 16, 1971), also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor and filmmaker. His acting roles include Ralphie Parker in the 1983 movie ''A Christmas Story'' and its 2022 sequel '' A Christmas Story Christmas'', Jack Simmons in ''The Dirt Bike Kid'', Billy in ''Death Valley'', and Messy Marvin in a series of commercials for Hershey's Syrup in the 1980s. While an infant, he began acting in television commercials. Early life Peter was born in New York City. His father, Alwin Michaelsen, is a financial consultant, and his mother, Gail, was once Alwin's secretary. She is the niece of Stork Club owner Sherman Billingsley, and the cousin of Glenn Billingsley who was married to actress Barbara Billingsley. All five of the children in the family had acting careers when they were young. The older Billingsleys, Dina and Win, had the briefest acting careers working mostly in commercials, with minor guest spots on television ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bridge To Terabithia (1985 Film)
''Bridge to Terabithia'' is a 1985 Canadian-American television film, made-for-television fantasy film, fantasy drama (film and television), drama film produced for the PBS series ''WonderWorks'', starring Annette O'Toole, Julian Coutts, and Julie Beaulieu. It was shot in Edmonton, Alberta. It is based on the 1977 children's novel Bridge to Terabithia (novel), of the same name by Katherine Paterson. The story was inspired by the death of Lisa Hill, the best friend of Katherine Paterson's son David L. Paterson, David, who was struck and killed by lightning when she was eight years old. In a 2007 interview, David, who later co-wrote the Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film), 2007 film version, referred to this version as being "like the crazy cousin in a mental hospital that nobody talks about" and goes on to say that "no one on our side was either involved with it or happy with the final product." [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Of Green Gables (1985 Film)
''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1985 Canadian made-for-television drama film based on the 1908 novel of the same name by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and is the first in a series of four films. The film stars Megan Follows in the title role of Anne Shirley and was produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It was released theatrically in Iran, Israel, Europe, and Japan. The film aired on CBC Television as a two-part mini-series on December 1 and December 2, 1985. Both parts of the film were among the highest-rated programs of any genre ever to air on a Canadian television network. On February 17, 1986, the film aired on PBS in the US on the series '' WonderWorks''. The film achieved high ratings in the United Kingdom when it aired on New Year’s Day 1987. 13-year-old orphan Anne Shirley is living in servitude with the cruel Hammond family in Nova Scotia. After Mr. Hammond dies, she is sent back to the orphanage and la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Canterville Ghost (1985 Film)
''The Canterville Ghost'' is a 1985 American made-for-television fantasy-comedy film. This is one of many treatments based on Oscar Wilde's 1887 short story, "The Canterville Ghost". Plot The ghost of Sir Simon Canterville has been roaming his castle for centuries. After demonstrating cowardice in life, he must find a brave descendant to obtain rest. Cast * Richard Kiley as Sir Simon De Canterville * Jenny Beck as Virginia Otis * Shelley Fabares as Lucy * Barry Van Dyke as John Otis * Mary Wickes as Mrs. Umney * Christian Jacobs as Rob * Brian Green as Willie * Don Knight as Mr. Smythe See also * List of ghost films Ghost movies and shows can fall into a wide range of genres, including romance, comedy, horror, juvenile interest, and drama. Depictions of ghosts are as diverse as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Beetlejuice, Hamlet's father, Jacob Marley, Freddy Kru ... References External links * * * 1985 television films 1985 films 1980s comedy horror films 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Waltz Through The Hills
''A Waltz Through The Hills'' is a 1988 Australian-American made-for-television adventure drama film based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Glaskin. It is the story of two orphaned children who run away from their home in the Western Australia outback to go to Perth so they can sail to England to live with their grandparents. It was produced for the PBS series ''WonderWorks'' in the United States Plot In Wyanilling, Western Australia in 1954, 11-year-old Andy Dean and his 5-year-old sister, Sammy, live at a hotel run by Burt and Molly Thompson. The children are good friends with Tom, the caretaker at the hotel. One day word comes that their mother, who had gone to hospital for an operation, has died, leaving Andy and Sammy orphans. Molly Thompson wants to adopt them, but her husband does not. Andy overhears a conversation in which he learns if he and Sammy are sent to an orphanage, they'll be split up. Andy decides they should run away to Perth and take a ship to their gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweet 15
''Sweet 15'' is a 1990 American made-for-television family drama film directed by Victoria Hochberg and starring Karla Montana, Panchito Gómez, Jerry Stiller, and Tony Plana. The plot concerns a fourteen-year-old girl whose dreams of having a perfect quinceanera are suddenly halted when she realizes that her family is residing in the United States illegally. At the same time, she is smitten by Ramon, a cousin of her friend, and wants him to dance with her at her party. A WonderWorks film, it is commonly shown in Spanish classes all over the country to teach about Hispanic culture. Plot Marta de la Cruz is the daughter of two hardworking Mexican immigrants. She and her two siblings were born in the United States and are living in Los Angeles. They are a working-class family, and their hardworking father, Samuel, is the operations manager of a steel mill that makes chain link fences, where he uses the fake name "Arturo Montoya". He has been working hard for much of his life, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Manes
Stephen Manes (born January 8, 1949) is the author of the 2011 nonfiction book ''Where Snowflakes Dance and Swear: Inside the Land of Ballet.'' Its subject, the workings of a ballet company, marked a significant departure for an author best known for his journalism on technology and his books for children. Manes wrote the "Digital Tools" column that appeared in every issue of '' Forbes'' from August 1998 until February 2007, when he announced a six-month "break" after his review of Windows Vista. He did not return. From April 1995 to December 2008, he also wrote the "Full Disclosure" column anchoring the back page of '' PC World.'' Manes was also co-host and co-executive editor of the public television series '' PC World's Digital Duo'', a program he helped create. Manes was previously the Personal Computers columnist for the Science Times section of '' The New York Times'' and a regular columnist for ''InformationWeek.'' He wrote about technology since 1982 as a columnist and c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
How To Be A Perfect Person In Just Three Days
''How to Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days'' is a 1984 American television family comedy film directed by Joan Micklin Silver and written by Bruce Harmon, based on the 1982 children's book ''Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!'' by Stephen Manes. It stars Wallace Shawn, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Hermione Gingold, and is about a twelve-year-old boy named Milo, a hopeless klutz who happens upon a mysterious advertisement in the paper for becoming a perfect person. A three-day course devised by a peculiar man, Dr. Silverfish, Milo enrolls and manages to complete the strange tasks. Only after completing the course does Milo realize perfection is not all it's cracked up to be. The film first aired on PBS on October 4, 1984, as part of the series ''WonderWorks'', and was regularly shown on The Disney Channel in the mid-1980s. Cast * Wallace Shawn as Professor Silverfish * Ilan Mitchell-Smith as Milo Crimpley * Hermione Gingold as Miss Sandwich * Sarah Boyd as Jenny Hilla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miracle At Moreaux
''Miracle at Moreaux'' is a 1985 Canadian made-for-television drama film based on the novel ''Twenty and Ten'' by Claire Huchet Bishop. The film stars Loretta Swit as the main character of Sister Gabrielle, and was co-written and directed by Paul Shapiro. Set in France, the movie was filmed in Quebec and first aired 2 December 1985 on PBS as part of the series ''WonderWorks''. It has been noted for its portrayal of a Jewish children during World War II. Plot In December 1943, three Jewish children in France are fleeing the Nazis toward a contact who will guide them into neutral Spain. A friend who has been guiding them tries to steal food for them from a Catholic convent/boarding school. However, his raid proves untimely, as Nazi officers arrive to tell the convent that roads in the area are being closed off to prevent possible escapes across the nearby border. Having been spotted, the man tries to run but is killed by the Germans. Seeing this, the youngest child runs toward the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacob Have I Loved
''Jacob Have I Loved'' is a coming of age novel for teenagers and young adults by Katherine Paterson. It was published by Crowell in 1980 and it won the annual Newbery Medal the following year. The title alludes to the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau in the Bible, and comes from (quoting ). The novel follows the story of the Bradshaws, a family who depends on the father, Truitt Bradshaw, and his crabbing/fishing business on his boat, the ''Portia Sue''. Truitt's two daughters, Sara Louise and Caroline, are twins, and Caroline has always been the favorite. She is prettier and more talented, and receives more attention not only from their parents but also from others in the community. The book traces Louise's attempts to free herself from Caroline's shadow, even as she grows into adulthood. Setting This story takes place during the early 1940s on the small, fictional island of Rass in the Chesapeake Bay. Plot summary Imaginative, emotionally sensitive, and hard working, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
All Summer In A Day
"All Summer in a Day" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in the March 1954 issue of ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction''. Plot synopsis The story is about a class of students on Venus, which, in this story, is a world of constant rainstorms, where the Sun is only visible for one hour every seven years. One of the children, Margot, moved to Venus from Earth five years earlier, and she is the only one who remembers sunshine, since the sun shines regularly on Earth. When the teacher asks them to write a poem about the sun, hers is: : "I think the sun is a flower, : That blooms for just one hour". She describes the Sun as "penny", or "like fire in the stove". The other children, being too young ever to have seen it themselves, do not believe her. Led by a boy named William, they bully and antagonize her, and just before the sun comes out, William rallies the other children, and they lock her in a closet down a tunnel. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |