Produced by her own company, Think Entertainment, Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme (1990) was one of Shelley Duvall’s brilliantly eccentric passion projects for television. Following her success with Faerie Tale Theatre, she took on the role of Little Bo Peep in this musical television film, sporting her signature avant-garde, storybook-style costuming—including a vibrant red wig and an oversized, striped bonnet.
It’s a colorful, star-studded fantasy-musical where she teams up with Dan Gilroy (as Gordon Goose) to find the missing Mother Goose (Jean Stapleton) and her lost sheep in Rhymeland. The film features a wild array of cameos from musicians and actors like Little Richard (Old King Cole), Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Woody Harrelson, Paul Simon, ZZ Top, Bobby Brown, and more.
Filming happened over about 21 days in a repurposed warehouse on a $2.5 million budget, with vibrant, whimsical sets designed by Allee Willis and costumes by Patricia Field (which won an Emmy).
Duvall and Gilroy met on this project and later became longtime partners. The movie has a cult following for its campy, trippy 1980s-90s charm, think a rock ‘n’ roll nursery rhyme world.
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