A Few Charmings Articles From St. Petersburg Times

[Skywalker]

Disney was not amused by `Charmings' plan (Dec 25, 1987)


The Charmings, the brave little sitcom that ABC offers in sacrifice to A Different World each Thursday, has so far been kept on the schedule despite its dwarfish ratings.

But once upon a time, one of the giants of show-businessland posed a challenge to the series even before it made its debut.

The show's executive producers, Robert Sternin and Prudence Fraser, report that before the first episode aired in the middle of last season, they received a letter from Disney Studios saying, according to Sternin, ``We've seen your pilot, and there are these 4-million areas of copyright infringement we'd like to talk to you about.``

Well, not quite 4-million. And the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale is now in public domain. But the Disney folks had some concerns, Sternin and Fraser said, about a number of similarities in the look of their show to that of the Disney classic.

So there was a meeting of lawyers from the two kingdoms to make clear the differences between the animated and ABC versions. During the meetings, Sternin recalled, the Disney lawyers were surprised to hear The Charmings' attorneys refer to the series' female lead as ``Snow,`` the same way she's referred to on the hip sitcom.

`` `Snow?' gasped a shocked Disney attorney. ``You actually call her `Snow'?``

A Charmings lawyer acknowledged sheepishly, that, yes, they do call her that.

A Disney lawyer, Sternin recalled, was indignant: `` `Well, we've dealt with this character for 50 years, and we've always referred to her as `Miss White!'


http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/50174552.html?dids=50174552:50174552&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+25%2C+1987&author=MICHAEL+E.+HILL&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=7.D&desc=Disney+was+not+amused+by+%60Charmings%27+plan

[Skywalker]

NEW YORK - Ah, yes, wickedly funny these Charmings. Funnier than The Addams Family, Bewitched, The Munsters and Mr. Ed all rolled into one, but every bit as twisted, thank goodness, and a million miles away from Mr. Reality.

In a way, it's better that way.

Starting tonight at 8 p.m., locally on WTSP-Channel 10 and WWSB-Channel 40, ABC experiments with a newfangled version of an old-fashioned fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's called The Charmings and it's a hoot.

The story begins 1,000 years ago when Prince Eric Charming and his wife Snow White are put under a miscast spell by Snow's evil stepmother, a wicked witch by the name of Queen Lillian White.

They sleep and sleep and sleep (the sitcom skips past this part) until 1987 when it's time to wake up and catch up.

We meet them as they are hunting for their own castle in suburbia. A real estate agent shows them the digs and they strike a deal. Moving in with Eric and Snow are their two children, one of Snow's dwarfs, the wicked stepmother and a jive-talking mirror on the wall.

``Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?`` asks the wicked witch.

``Don't ask,`` replies the funky mirror who raps in rhyme.

All the Charmings have had a rough first day. The prince couldn't find work, the kids were ridiculed for lying about what they did last summer (slew a few dragons with Pop, of course) and Snow just doesn't fit in.

It is decided, with the help of their neighbors, to head to Neiman Marcus and buy a few goods.

The next morning, Snow is seen dancing in her Reeboks and pink jogging outfit to a Madonna tape, the dwarf's new duds make him look a lot like Don Johnson, and the prince has swapped his tights for a three-piece suit.

To be sure, there is reality in The Charmings, but there is also a refreshing blast of fantasy. Isn't that what television is all about?

Take us away from the world's troubles and blow those blues down the tubes. Give us a wicked witch. She is nasty, meaner than Joan Collins ever was, and give us a dwarf with a Miami Vice flair, or a prince of a guy in tights, and a princess who scolds her husband for not telling her about his date with Cinderella. Then there was that tramp Rapunzel - she'd let her hair down for any man.

The writing is tight and hilarious. The characters are carefully crafted and teaming with life. Judy Parfitt is wonderfully wicked as the witch, Caitlin O'Heaney is indeed the fairest of them all as Snow, and Christopher Rich is the smoothest prince there ever was. Even the kids are cool cats in their tights.

The Charmings have arrived from 1,000 years past and boy do they have some kind of future on ABC.


http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/49955043.html?dids=49955043:49955043&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+20%2C+1987&author=MARK+SCHWED&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=17.D&desc=%60The+Charmings%27+is+a+refreshing+change+Series%3A+TELEVISION

[Schmoopie]

I vaugely remember this show...

Andrea

[tv star collector]

I kind of liked it. I still have about three episodes on VHS. Did you know that
there were two different actresses who played Snow? The first was Caitlin
O'Heaney (formerly of Tales of the Gold Monkey). The second one was
Carol Huston (later of Matlock).

[littletydramon]

I never did get around to reading these articles. Thanks for sharing. :) Ah...too bad this show didnt get just one more season. :)

[JR1]

Caitlin better as Snow White (Carol was more "aggressive," which was not the Snow we know). I was 12 when the show first aired, and I enjoyed it (being a Snow White fan and all). Didn't stand a chance, though, when it moved to Thursday nights.

[littletydramon]

were there anymore articles out there about this series?