I remember, many moons ago, seeing a televised version of "Once Upon a Mattress," the comedy musical based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Princess and the Pea. It starred Carol Burnett (she was in the original 1959 Broadway show) and Ken Berry, if my memory serves. When Winnifred (Burnett) arrives at the castle to meet the prince, she gets in by swimming across the moat and appears before the royals dripping wet. When the incredulous queen meets her, all she can bring herself to say is, "You swam the moat?"
So, here is a section of les douves (the moat) at the Château de Villandry. I think that castle moats were largely decorative in the late renaissance and after, but defensive moats were still being constructed around forts and other military installations as late as the eighteenth century.
I searched in the last couple of years and found that tape of Once Upon A Mattress, thinking I would love it. I was disappointed, finding it very dated. (Or maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood.) This moat is charming. All it needs is a waterfall.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Once Upon A Mattress, though I've heard of it, of course. This made me chuckle :)
ReplyDeleteI saw Once Upon a Mattress with SJP on Broadway a long time ago. It was silly fun. Mitchell- the moat could use a swan along with the waterfall.
ReplyDeleteI thought most moats were mere trenches sometimes with nasty plants.
ReplyDeleteMy High School Musical one year was Once Upon a Mattress and I got to be the Costume Mistress. It was hilarious with fantastic one-liners - which I cannot remember one right at the moment; except for your reminder about "swimming the moat"! Did you know that x-pres T. suggested we put poisonous snakes and alligators in the river to discourage the immigrants from entering the U.S. but, thankfully, that idea was rejected. This moat looks rather narrow and very difficult to climb out of...! Fancy grillwork on the bridge!
ReplyDeletemitch, I remembering laughing a lot when I saw it in the 70s. I was a teenager, after all. I wonder what I'd think of it today. And there is a waterfall (or two) in that moat at Villandry.
ReplyDeletejudy, I saw that much of it, if not all, is available on YouTube.
evelyn, I was surprised to read that she starred in a revival of that show!
michael, I think nasty plants are required.
mary, they didn't discourage him from settling in Florida...
I don't think he swims or exercises except to get in and out of the golf carts! Alligators or snakes in the bay wouldn't affect him.
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