Alice in Wonderland (TV)

Alice returns from Wonderland only to discover she's on the wrong side of her living room mirror at the beginning of the second half of Irwin Allen's 1985 production, with teleplay by Paul Zindel and songs by Steve Allen (the three-hour film was broken into two parts for video, the first title being Alice in Wonderland). Before you can say "curiouser and curiouser" the jabberwocky is after her. It chases Alice back to a strange land where life appears to be one giant game of chess with pieces portrayed by the likes of Carol Channing and Harvey Korman. The 7-year-old longs to be home, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying some song and dance with Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme), watching a bout between the lion (Ernest Borgnine) and the unicorn (Beau Bridges), or being rescued by the White Knight (Lloyd Bridges). Despite the oddly low-tech visual effects from Star Wars's John Dykstra--the jabberwocky is so clearly a guy in a dragon suit--this thrillingly kitschy movie ably entertains. Where else will you see Merv Griffin as a train conductor, Sally Struthers and Donna Mills catfighting with Vegas-worthy flower headdresses, and Jonathan Winters as a crabby Humpty Dumpty before the fall? Adults who fondly remember the '70s and '80s and children 4 and older should enjoy this version of the fabled tale. - Kimberly Heinrichs