Thinking about the "Long Ago and Far Away" series led me to recall another fun series we watched - "Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre". I feel like we taped these, thus watched them over and over - but from what station? It had to have been PBS. We really didn't have much more.
One of the stories, I don't remember what it was called, I'm nearly positive had Steve Guttenburg. And part of the story had to do with him getting a burlap sack that he would say "Wikity wack! Into my sack!" and thus could catch things for whatever was forced to get into the sack. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
I know we coached Eric at one time to use the phrase to get rid of "monsters" in his room. We didn't have that happen very often. But I remember a little Eric saying the magic words in the dark, at my prompting. I don't remember if it worked or not.
Anyone know the story? What is it?
2 comments:
(said in a Napoleon Dynamite voice)
I just did some extensive internet research and this is what I found:
First I searched “Wickety whack! Into my sack!" and found this lovely site: http://www.ferrum.edu/applit/bibs/tales/SoldierJack.htm
I don’t fully understand the whole site or it’s “purpose” but, I found a synopsis that was similar to what you explained but, seems much “darker” but VERY interesting. So could the show in question have been called “Soldier Jack”?
“Stephenson, R. Rex. "Soldier Jack." Story Theatre script published in Jack Tales Too! Stories from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Salt Lake City, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2004. After becoming famous for his bravery in war (acted out briefly but dramatically by a group of actors), Jack gets only two loaves of bread from the King of Virginia for his twenty years of service. But he shares it with old beggars who gives him a magic vial that enables him to identify Death and a magic sack. Jack defeats three devils in a card game in a haunted house, catching them in the sack and earning the deed to the house. He catches Death in the sack, saying "Whickety-Whack. Into My Sack," thus saving the King's young daughter from death after three doctors fail to help her. Well over one hundred years later, an aged woman, formerly the princess, makes Jack realize that he's the one who stopped Death and they are far too old to go on living, so he releases Death from the sack. This version is based on a manuscript from the James Taylor Adams Collection of folklore collected in Southwestern VA. This script also includes "Jack's Mother's Second Marriage," "Foolish Jack," and "Jack and the Mean Old Man."
(becky’s voice)
It sounds like a prime way to get rid of bedtime monsters. We haven’t had any of those yet, but when we do, we’ll be sure to get a magic sack and start to chant – Whickety-Whack. Into My Sack!”
(back to Napoleon’s voice)
I then searched “Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre” and found it has it’s very own Wikipedia site. Problem is, it doesn’t have Soldier Jack listed as one of the episodes.
Thank you Becky. That all sounds very familiar - I can't believe I don't remember more for something that we watched many times. Maybe the Faerie Tales were toned down. I too did a search and there is a Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales series - maybe Soldier Jack falls into that category.
You are so funny - ND voice and your own voice. We LOVE ND - we find him to be a very wise character - and you as well.
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