Once Upon a Mattress (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Kathleen Marshall

Writers (WGA):

Marshall Barer (musical) and
Dean Fuller (musical) ...

Release Date:

18 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

In this hilarious tweaking of the fairy tale, "The Princess and the Pea", Queen Aggravain has ruled that none may marry until her son...

Plot Keywords:

Princess | Queen | Prince | King | Dancing

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Carol Burnett	...	Queen Aggravain
Brittany Gray	...	Ensemble
Tracey Ullman	...	Princess Winnifred
Denis O'Hare	...	Prince Dauntless
Zooey Deschanel	...	Lady Larken
Matthew Morrison	...	Sir Harry
Michael Boatman	...	The Jester
Tom Smothers	...	King Sextimus
Edward Hibbert	...	The Wizard
Michelle Harrison	...	Princess #12
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Becker	...	Knight
Linda Bernath	...	Dancer
Dave Cote	...	Court Small
Omar Forrest	...	Dancer
Ryan Gifford	...	Dancer
G. Michael Gray	...	Lookout
Peter Huck	...	Knight
Mike Jackson	...	Dancing Knight
Karla Jang	...	Dancing lady
Dani Jazzar	...	Variety Dancer
Andrea Ramolo	...	Dancing Lady
Craig Ramsay	...	Knight 1
Martin Samuel	...	Knight
Ayanna Sealey	...	Dancing Lady
Tara Wilson	...	Dancing Lady
Shailene Woodley	...	Molly

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG | USA:TV-PG

Company:

ABC Video

Trivia:

Carol Burnett, who plays Queen Agravain in this version, played Princess Winifred in the original Off-Broadway production in 1959, which later moved to Broadway, and then to TV as Once Upon a Mattress (1964) (TV). Burnett recreated the role in Once Upon a Mattress (1972) (TV).

Quotes:

Princess Winnifred: I certainly like almost both your parents, Dauntless!

Movie Connections:

Remake of Once Upon a Mattress (1972) (TV)

Soundtrack:

In A Little While

Disney: Hands off, please!

Mattress is a great show... for those 16 or older. Like most Warner "Looney Tunes" it was never intended for children! Now, if you take that very premise, and try to make it palatable for the Christain set between our 2 mountain ranges, you kill the very premise for the show in the first place! The original plot revolves around, and is propelled by a pre-marital pregnancy, an Oedipal relationship, a woman-chasing father, and typical court intrigue. These are now, essentially all gone and with them went the engine that drives the show. That said, the actors here were all fine, and generally well cast (although I'd have gone with Marcel Marceau or the brilliant Bill Irwin for the King, even though Tommy Smothers was still great) and all the leads made the very wise choice of going with their own strengths as opposed to trying to out do the originals. Tracey Ullman was great as her own Winnifred, and Burnett created her own Queen, knowing that, like her own Winnifred of 1959, Jane White's original Queen is absolutely not copyable! The "dated" musical sound of the original was marvelously updated for today. All of which underscored the terrible rewriting of the book, and the stodgy direction accompanying it. Why take 5 minutes of droopy dialog to establish what "Opening For A Princess" did musically in 2? Where did that useless dungeon scene come from? "The Queen Has Ordered Quiet" and "Very Soft Shoes"" would have fit much better in the same amount of time. "Mattress" is a fully loaded freight train racing down a steep mountain grade, barely staying on the tracks, whistle and bells going all the way. Anything less (like the recent Broadway revival too) just falls flat. I wish they'd either re-release the 1964 B&W version, or someone please do a shot-by-shot remake, as it was written! No, Hollywood, you don't know better than the original Broadway writers and, no Disney, you don't know real comedy. You know "cute, innocent and humorous," but that's a long way from comedy! Please stop remaking Broadway musical comedies. Let someone else do it, please!