Pufnstuf (film)

Pufnstuf

Original Theatrical Poster
Directed by Hollingsworth Morse
Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft
Si Rose
Malcolm Alper
Written by John Fenton Murray
Starring Jack Wild
Billie Hayes
Martha Raye
'Mama' Cass Elliot
Billy Barty
Voices
Walker Edmiston
Joan Gerber
Al Melvin
Don Messick
Music by Charles Fox
Cinematography Kenneth Peach
Edited by David Rawlins
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • May 1970 (1970-05) (U.S.)
  • September 16, 1971 (1971-09-16) (Australia)
Running time
 98 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Pufnstuf (sometimes referred to as Pufnstuf Zaps the World) is a 1970 feature film based on the television series H.R. Pufnstuf.

Plot

Jimmy (Jack Wild) gets kicked out of the school band for tripping and breaking a drum kit. He then ventures on a journey with his newly magical talking flute Freddy. Orchestrated by Witchiepoo, (Billie Hayes), he ends up on an evil boat which takes him to Living Island, an island where everything is alive. Once there, he befriends many of the island's inhabitants led by Mayor H.R. Pufnstuf (voiced by Al Melvin), but the evil Witchiepoo is determined to steal Freddy the Flute away from him in order to impress the visiting Witches' Council and the Boss Witch (Martha Raye) enough to win the Witch of the Year Award.

Cast

Voice cast

Puppeteers

Production

Hot on the heels of the H.R. Pufnstuf television series, this film was rushed into production for theatrical distribution, with filming beginning in January 1970.[2] The movie was financed by Universal Pictures and Kellogg's Cereal,[2] the latter of which was a sponsor of the television show.

Sid Krofft cast his next door neighbor, singer Cass Elliot, as Witchiepoo's frenemy and bitter rival Witch Hazel.[3] According to actress Joy Campbell McKenzie, Cass Elliot was "very distant. Not rude or arrogant but she just didn't mingle, which most people were surprised about."[4]

Martha Raye was cast as Boss Witch. The cast and crew expected Raye to behave like a diva, but she instead befriended everyone behind the scenes, even inviting them to dinner.[4] Raye's involvement in Pufnstuf led to her being cast as Benita Bizarre in the Kroffts' upcoming television show The Bugaloos.

Album

A soundtrack album was released on LP, cassette and 8-track in 1970 (Capitol/EMI Records SW-542), featuring the songs and the score by Charles Fox. A bootleg version of the LP was re-released on CD in 2006 by "El Records" (El Records, ACMEM65CD). While the pressing is from a legitimate European company, the source tape is an unauthorized bootleg -noticeable for several loops added to various tracks.

Track listing

  1. "If I Could" - Jack Wild
  2. "Fire in the Castle"
  3. "Living Island" - Jack Wild/Cast
  4. "Witchiepoo's Lament"
  5. "Angel Raid"
  6. "A Friend In You" - Jack Wild
  7. "How Lucky I Am"
  8. "Pufnstuf" - Jack Wild/Cast
  9. "Charge"
  10. "Different" - Mama Cass Elliot
  11. "Zap The World" - Jack Wild, Billie Hayes, Martha Raye
  12. "Leaving Living Island"
  13. "Rescue Racer To The Rescue"
  14. "Finale:a) If I Could / b) Living Island" - Jack Wild

DVD release

Pufnstuf was released to DVD on May 19, 2009. It includes the original trailer of the film, and it is presented in its original widescreen presentation. The film is also available in Digital media format at iTunes Store.

Footnotes and references

  1. ↑ Barnes, Mike (2010-09-28). "Hollywood puppeteer Van Snowden dies". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  2. 1 2 Passing Show, The Bridgeport Post, January 22, 1970 p. 21
  3. ↑ Sid Krofft Interview on YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
  4. 1 2 The Joy Campbell McKenzie Interview at Living Island.

See also

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