Masquerade; 12

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This record is featured in “National Educational Television.”
Series
Masquerade
Episode Number
12
Producing Organization
Educational Broadcasting Corporation. NET Division
Contributing Organization
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-516-5717m04w18
NOLA Code
MASQ
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Description
Episode Description
Despite the popular platitude, Masquerade proves that fiction is stranger than truth, as it tries to solve three mysteries of nature: why is the spider bald; how did the elephant get its trunk; and why is the sea salty? According to Masquerade researchers, spiders originally had beautiful head of hair. Their present state of baldness is blamed on the deceitful practices of a handsome but vain spider named Anansi (played by Arnold) who lived with his wife (Barbara) in Africa. Thus the web spins: One day, just as Anansis wife is accusing her conceited husband of having no feelings for anyone else, she learns that her Uncle Bimbo has died. Its an ill-timed coincidence, for the spider feels compelled to show a lot more grief than can reasonably be expected, considering he never met Uncle Bimbo. Being so grief-stricken, Anansi refuses to eat, but soon tries to down a pot of baked beans on the sly. Just then his wife barges into the kitchen, and he hides the beans under his hat, scorching away his beautiful hair (and that of all spiders to follow). The incident nearly makes his wife a black widow but thats a different tale. The next subject is elephant trunks, and here the key ingredient is the innocence of a childs curiosity. As told by Bill Hinnant, this Rudyard Kipling tale concerns a delightful young elephant (Monica) who has an obsession for finding out what crocodiles eat for dinner. Not realizing that they often eat delightful young elephants, our heroine sets out to learn the answer to her question firsthand, despite warnings and spankings from a snake (Phil) and a Kolobird (Barbara). Soon the elephant child meets a crocodile, who catches her by the nose and tries to pull her into the water, stretching her nose into a long trunk. Its a narrow escape for the elephant, but as it turns out, long trunks become the fashion rage of the jungle. The story of how the sea became salty a more weighty subject than the previous two centers around a wealthy man, his selfish wife, his good-hearted, poverty ridden brother, and the brothers frail and sickly canary. In a nutshell, the man and wife (Phil and Hattie) turn away their cold and starving brother (Bill), who then encounters an old man in the street (Arnold). The old man gives Bill a wheat cake, and when Bill feeds the cake to his frozen canary, Luciano, the old man is so touched that he tells him a valuable secret. Take this other cake, he says, and trade it with the Green Fairy (Barbara) for her magic mixing bowl. The Green Fairy, a pastry fanatic, grudgingly gives up the bowl, which grants any wish and keeps on granting it until the owner says Dexelheimer. Eventually, Bills brother and sister-in-law steal the bowl, and while escaping in a boat ask the bowl for some salt for a chicken leg not knowing theyre supposed to say Dexelheimer. Its as simple as that. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Series Description
In NETs children series Masquerade a trash-can cover is anything the players or the audience want it to be, for the purpose of this 13 episode weekly show is to bring the arts of story-telling and improvisation to children, with minimum staging and maximum imagination. The show, aimed primarily at youngsters eight to fourteen years old, was conceived by Lee Polk, NETs director of childrens programming. Each week well have 30 minutes of fantasy in which the art of the story-teller unfolds before the childrens eyes, he says. Well be using folklore from all around the world. Masquerade has a regular company of about 10 players, using five of them for each show. Masquerade is a production of NET Division, Educational Broadcasting Corporation. Conceived and produced by Lee Polk. Written and realized by Rhoda Levine. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Broadcast Date
1971-12-21
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Children’s
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:30:43.142
Credits
Actor: Soboloff, Arnold
Actor: Bruns, Phil
Actor: Winston, Hattie
Actor: Moran, Monica
Actor: Hinnant, Bill
Actor: Dana, Barbara
Associate Producer: Schein, Fran
Director: Horan, Don
Producer: Polk, Lee
Producing Organization: Educational Broadcasting Corporation. NET Division
Production Assistant: Gimpel, Lynn
Writer: Kipling, Rudyard, 1865-1936
Writer: Levine, Rhoda
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-e88c112d61c (Filename)
Format: 2 inch videotape
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Citations
Chicago: “Masquerade; 12,” 1971-12-21, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed June 26, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-516-5717m04w18.
MLA: “Masquerade; 12.” 1971-12-21. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. June 26, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-516-5717m04w18>.
APA: Masquerade; 12. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-516-5717m04w18