Oompa Loompa Doompity Doo

Roald Dahl museum set to open

Friday, June 10, 2005 Posted: 8:29 AM EDT (1229 GMT)

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A museum dedicated to the life and writings of author Roald Dahl opens Saturday in the British village where he made his home.
The museum in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, houses drafts of some of his most famous works and a mock-up of the interior of the garden shed in which he created some of the best-loved characters in children's literature. Many of Dahl's works -- such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "James and the Giant Peach" -- have become classics. Dahl, who died in 1990, was also an accomplished writer of short stories for adults. Compilations such as "Kiss Kiss" and "Switch Bitch" were best sellers. Many of Dahl's books were turned into films and his "Tales of the Unexpected" television series -- with its distinctive theme tune and opening sequence -- became a viewing staple. The museum opens a month ahead of the release of the new movie of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp. Dahl who was born in Llandaff, Wales in 1916 to Norwegian parents, got his first break when Walt Disney took a liking to a story he had written about mythical creatures which RAF pilots thought had sabotaged their planes. The story, "Gremlin Lore," was turned into a picture book called "Walt Disney: The Gremlins (A Royal Air Force Story by Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl)."