Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme

Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (also known as Shelley Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme or Shelley Duvall's Rock in Rhymeland) is a 1990 American musical television film that aired on the Disney Channel. The film stars Shelley Duvall as Little Bo Peep and Dan Gilroy as Gordon Goose, the son of Mother Goose, along with a supporting cast of actors and musicians portraying a wide range of characters, mostly of Mother Goose nursery rhyme fame.

Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
Promotional poster
Genre	Adventure Family Fantasy Musical Mystery
Written by	Mark Curtiss
Story by	Linda Engelsiepen Harry Hinkle
Directed by	Jeff Stein
Starring	Shelley Duvall Jean Stapleton Dan Gilroy Cyndi Lauper Debbie Harry Bobby Brown Little Richard Woody Harrelson Paul Simon Art Garfunkel Garry Shandling Teri Garr
Music by	Van Dyke Parks
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Thomas A. Bliss
Cinematography	Tony Mitchell
Editor	Christopher Willoughby
Running time	96 minutes
Original release
Network	The Disney Channel Hi-Tops Video Lyrick Studios
Release	May 19, 1990 (1990-05-19)

The film won its production company, Think Entertainment, a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award for Patricia Field.

Plot

The film follows Gordon Goose, the son of Mother Goose. He is unhappy that he must live in Rhymeland, as he does not fit in with its denizens "Rhymies" and views them as too weird and strange for his liking. On his way to work in the family's store, Gordon comes across Little Bo Peep, who informs him that Mother Goose has gone missing along with Bo Peep's sheep. The two go on a journey to find hints as to her location, in the process discovering that several other Rhymies have also gone missing. Ultimately they discover that Mother Goose was abducted by Michael, a child from the real world who plucked her out of his nursery rhyme book. They convince Michael to return them to Rhymeland, as her absence has caused all of the rhymes to disappear.

Once back in Rhymeland, Mother Goose reveals that not only is Gordon a Rhymie, that he is actually the first Rhymie. She kept this a secret from both Gordon and others, as the rhyme was not very good. Gordon asks Bo Peep if she wants help looking for her sheep. The two set out arm in arm, with Gordon now joyfully taking part in Rhymeland's antics.

Cast of characters

The film features an all-star cast including:

• Harry Anderson as Peter Piper
• Brian Bonsall as Michael
• Elayne Boosler as Old Mother Hubbard
• Bobby Brown as Three Blind Mice
• Shelley Duvall as Little Bo Peep
• Art Garfunkel as Georgie Porgie
• Teri Garr as Jill (of Jack and Jill)
• Dan Gilroy as Gordon Goose
• Woody Harrelson as Lou the Lamb (of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
• Debbie Harry as The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
• Cyndi Lauper as Mary (of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
• David Leisure as The Newscaster/The Game Show Host
• Little Richard as Old King Cole
• Los Trios (Stephen Kearney & Neill Gladwin) as The Crooked Man & His Dog/Happy 1 & 2
• Howie Mandel as Humpty Dumpty
• Cheech Marin as The Carnival Barker
• Van Dyke Parks as The Minister of Merriment
• Katey Sagal as Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
• John Santucci as All the King's Men (of Humpty Dumpty)
• Garry Shandling as Jack (of Jack and Jill)
• Paul Simon as Simple Simon
• Jean Stapleton as Mother Goose
• Stray Cats (Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, & Slim Jim Phantom) as Georgie Porgie's House Band
• Ben Vereen as Itsy Bitsy Spider
• ZZ Top (Billy Gibbons, Joe Hill, & Frank Beard) as Three Men in a Tub
• Pia Zadora as Little Miss Muffet

Special guest appearances

• Vance Colvig Jr.
• Paul Daniels
• The Del Rubio Triplets
• Warren DeMartini, Dweezil Zappa, Randy Jackson & Stephen Bray as The Metal Band, "The Dank"^[1]
• Jennifer Evans
• Seymour Heller

Production

The script for Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme was written by Mark Curtiss and Rod Ash, based on a story by Hilary Hinkle and Linda Engelsiepen. Jeff Stein was brought on to direct and Shelley Duvall, who also produced, was named as portraying Little Bo-Peep.^[2] Filming took place over 21 days at a warehouse repurposed for filming. The movie had a budget of $2.5 million and starred Jean Stapleton, Dan Gilry, and several musical bands and artists.^[3][4] Of the film, Duvall stated that she wanted it to appeal to both adults and children, and that she did not want to condescend to younger viewers.^[5]

The film marked the first time that Duvall and her co-star Dan Gilroy met; the two would later go on to marry.^[6]

Release

Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme premiered on the Disney Channel on May 19, 1990,^[7] followed by a release on VHS later that same year.^[3]

Reception

Critical reception upon its release was favorable.^[8] Lee Winfrey of the Knight-Ridder Tribune News praised the film as a "cheerful, colorful television show" and cited Little Richard's musical number as their favorite part.^[7] It also received praise from Nanciann Cherry of The Blade, who compared it to a music video and stated that it was "all done with a good spirit and deft touch."^[9] Martin F. Kohn of the Detroit Free Press was more critical, noting that the film had high spots and the plot was "serviceable, if not extraordinary" while also stating that young viewers may not appreciate all of the show's jokes.^[10]

Ron Weiskind of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette commented upon Mother Goose Rock n Rhyme's humor, questioning who was the target audience, as it could bore younger viewers and that some of the humor and allusions were targeted more for adults.^[11]

Awards

• Peabody Award (1990, winner - Think Entertainment)^[12]
• Emmy Award for Outstanding Costume Design For A Variety Or Music Program (1990, won - Patricia Field)^[13][14]