| “The Tale of Dirk's New Sword” | |||||||
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| Dragon's Lair episode | |||||||
 Title Card | |||||||
| Season Code: | 1 | ||||||
| Episode: | 11 | ||||||
| Original airdate | November 17, 1984 | ||||||
| Written by | Michael Charles Hill | ||||||
| Producers: | Joe Ruby & Ken Spears | ||||||
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The Tale of Dirk's New Sword is the eleventh episode of Dragon's Lair animated series. Originally aired on November 17, 1984, its story is credited to Michael Charles Hill.
Official Synopsis[]
Dirk and his friends meet Shortbeard, the sole defender of the town of Havenwood against the Trolls. The Trolls steal the town's enchanted timber which they build an invincible war machine and Dirk must help get it back.[1]
Story[]
The dwarf Shortbeard is running away from three Trolls who seek to steal his Havenwood staff and enslave him to build them a war machine. Though outnumbered and heavily overmatched, his Havenwood staff is able to repel an attack from a Troll's giant club. Dirk the Daring arrives and defeats all the Trolls but his sword is destroyed in the battle. Shortbeard informs Dirk that the knight's heroic reputation is known among all Havenwood dwellers (for feats accomplished in the episode "The Tournament of the Phantom Knight"), and introduces Dirk, Princess Daphne and Timothy to Graybeard who creats a new Havenwood sword for the knight.
Shortbeard accompanies the heroes to the Isle of Narg in order to rescue his fellow Havenwood dwellers and help Dirk fortify his new sword through magical lightning from one of Narg's mountain tops. He and Dirk are captured by Lord Narg and the Trolls, but they escape by jumping into the sea and survive thanks to the enchanted havenwood which Shortbeard carried with him. Afterwards, having reunited with Daphne and Timothy, the heroes sneak aboard a Troll ship in order to prevent Lord Narg's war machine from wreaking havoc across the kingdom of King Ethelred. Shortbeard is able to lead the liberated Havenwood Dwellers to help Dirk in defeating some of the Trolls. After Dirk destroys the war machine with his enchanted sword, Lord Narg retreats with his surviving Trolls, leaving his crown behind in defeat.
Cast[]
- Bob Sarlatte – Dirk the Daring
- Ellen Gerstell – Princess Daphne
- Fred Travalena – King Ethelred
- Michael Mish – Timothy
- Arthur Burghardt
- Peter Cullen – Bertram the Horse, Lord Narg
- Clive Revill – Storyteller
Additional voices[]
- Marilyn Schreffler
- Michael Sheehan
Trivia[]
- For the Storyteller's opening and closing narration, this episode receives a distinctly animated text, whereas many episodes recycle the opening and closing text from Tale of the Enchanted Gift.
- As with the Giddy Goons, many of the Trolls defeated by Dirk reappear throughout the episode, due to their sketches being reused.
- In the official episode description, Shortbeard's name is misspelled as “Shortbread.”[2]