Come one, come all. Come see the Prince.
See him wear the finest clothes. Behold his golden crown. Bask in the light of his rugged handsomeness. Observe that he never sweats. His teeth are like pearls; no cavities can touch them. When he speaks, even William Shatner can envy … the dramatic pauses … he gives.
Do you wish to be like the Prince? First you must know … what the Prince is like.
The Prince does not cheat–unless he finds it necessary.
The Prince does not lie–until he finds it necessary.
He fills the air with cigarette smoke. He stuffs himself with the greasiest chicken, and extra helpings of mashed potatoes, loaded with butter. Abundant salt on his carrots. Big pieces of creamy pie. And mmmm, tasty donuts. A meal fit for a Prince.
The Prince will sell you a magical flying cape which works–if you use your imagination.
He will adorn his head with the feathers of the rare, exquisite, one-of-a-kind Dodo bird.
He will not allow girls at his royal ball, for he has decreed that girls are not funny.
He is the role model we should aspire to be, is he not?
For he is the Prince, and the Prince is he.
Who, you may ask, is this Prince? What kingdom does he rule?
Ah, but the Prince has no name. He needs no name. He is simply … the Prince. His kingdom … is himself.
Who was worthy of playing the Prince? Let the credits decree the Prince was performed to princely perfection by none other than … Jesse Collins.
This was not the first time Collins had performed with Dudley. Along with Alex Galatis and Charlotte Moore, he had starred in the TV production of The Conserving Kingdom in October 1986.
Two years later he would star in Katts and Dog aka Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop, in which he played policeman Hank Katts, the human partner of a German shepherd police dog named Rudy. Collins also directed several episodes of the series, which lasted five years. In 1995, he re-entered the world of Dudley the Dragon, starring as the Prince in the final episodes of Season Three, “The Frog Princess” and “The Royal Crown.” As befitting a prince, he had a marvelous singing voice, perfect for the show’s musical interludes. Collins was hilarious in the role of an anti-role model. So, it was no surprise he returned the following season in “The Prince’s New Clothes” and then in Season Five in “The Royal Cup” and “Cinderella Ha-Ha,” both of which he directed.
Collins has appeared in numerous TV and stage productions, and has recently transitioned to web development with his own company, MOXY Webworks. Their demo reel is here.
Learn more about the man behind the Prince here.
Photo © Breakthrough Entertainment Inc.