A Look Back

On June 11, 2016, a couple years before I began my second blog, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight featuring actors in movies and theatre in their long one-piece underwear, I posted the following in my first blog, Union Suit Fan. It was taken from a Saturday morning television show. I thought it worth repeating here....

Jack and the Beanstalk 

As reported in my previous posting, Ryan posed the question as to whether I had seen a televised theatre presentation of "Jack and the Beanstalk" wherein Jack, a poor boy, climbed the stalk and had adventures in his red Union Suit. You know the story which scholars date back (in some fashion) 5,000 years. Thanks to the emails sent to me by Shane, Gary, and others, I was able to identify this play presented by Fairie Tale Theatre in 1983. It was shown September 8, 1983, Season 2, Episode 4. It starred Elliott Gould as the boy-eating giant and his wife, Jean Stapleton. The boy, Jack, was played by Dennis Christopher. Jack did indeed climb the beanstalk in his long underwear having been awaken by its growth in to the sky. Following are photo clips of Jack and his adventure courtesy of Fairie Tale Theatre in 1983: 

The rustling noise of the magical vine wakes up Jack:

He peers out his attic bedroom window in the bright morning sunshine....

 

And decides he should find out just where this beanstalk goes and so begins climbing without getting dressed. 

Up Jack goes in his nightclothes, long red union suit underwear: 

He climbs seemingly forever:

Jack wearing only his Union Suit
wonders to where he has climbed.

A Fairy warns Jack about the Boy-Eating Giant.

Soon, Jack confronts the Giant's Wife who answers the front door of their cottage:

Unfazed and seeminly unaware he is in his underwear,
 Jack speaks to the Wife.

Jack Tells the Giant's Wife He is Hungry
and is Allowed to Enter

Once inside, Jack steals the Sleeping Giant's Gold:

Having barely escaped from the Giant and back home
arriving with the Giant's gold,
Jack, still in his Union Suit Underwear,
describes his adventures to Mother.

Jack is triumphant! He and his Mother are rich!


To enjoy this Fairie Tale with your kids copy and paste:

https://youtu.be/XyjKnWtLB_A?t=790