Jack and the Beanstalk

The Prince Street Players & CBS Television presented a series of musicals from 1965 through 1970. This particular production only aired twice. First in 1969, then again in 1971. Several CBS affiliates & local stations across the country aired reruns for the next couple of years. But, eventually that ended. Although The Prince Street Players presented nearly a dozen musicals for CBS Television, "Jack & The Beanstalk" still remains their most endearing & remembered broadcast. After years of research, I was finally able to find Jim Eiler, and was sent a copy of the original broadcast. Due to CBS recycling tapes, most of the original productions were eventually destroyed. The original Prince Street Player video archive consists of 2 or 3 original productions & a few clips of others. I find it a great loss to musical theatre & television & film industry in general, that shows such as these were never given any regard after their broadcasts. And that most have been lost forever. I'm just thankful that a few ceased the opportunity to save what they could.

I have vague recollections of seeing this special when it originally aired in 1965 (I was only 3 then). If I remember correctly, it was introduced by the Peanuts characters (Charlie Brown and Lucy also appear in a short bumper after the closing credits).

But please tell me if this is the version I'm thinking of:

What I distinctly remember is the Golden Goose's production number, "Oh, Them Golden Eggs;" one of the lines she sings is "I have golden feet" and as the chorus sings the refrain of the song the Goose is doing a "jazz square" and the camera then gives us a closeup of her "golden feet" (actually long, gold-sequined spats).

If this is indeed the version I'm thinking of, then: (1) The last time I saw this was around Thanksgiving 1971, when CBS aired it as a special that afternoon for the *very last* time (minus the Peanuts intro and outro), after which it faded into obscurity forever; and (2) I liked *this* version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" *much* better than that sorry, overblown Hanna-Barbera version with Gene Kelly from two years later.

So, CBS, is this version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" still in your vaults? I can only hope so (and also that the tape wasn't "wiped" after the final 1971 airing, as well as that the copyrights on this special were renewed), and that you might unearth it and put it on DVD (or if you don't want to yourselves, lease the rights out to Shout! Factory or another DVD label). It would sure bring back some nice, untapped childhood memories, and as I said before, this "Jack and the Beanstalk" was *much more* enjoyable. (Sad to say, Warner Home Video has already released that sorry Hanna-Barbera version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" on DVD as a "manufactured-on-demand" title - to be sure, I *won't* be wasting my money on that one.)

So *please,* CBS - say this version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" *isn't* "lost," and that hopefully you'll dig it out of your vaults for a DVD release! (Maybe you could also include the Peanuts opening and closing as extras on the disc?)