Las Maravillosas Aventuras de Pufnstuf

I'm always amazed at the following certain films I thought of as totally obscure actually have.

This is one of the funniest films I've ever seen. Admittedly the humor is of its time and really stoned out, but it works straight too, the best of both worlds.

I would also like to point out the great songs and musical score by Charles Fox.

One of the songs, "If I Could," sung by Jack Wild, is really touching and poignant, and Mama Cass's "Different" is a great 60s up-tune with a timeless message.

Charles Fox had scored another great trip movie, BARBARELLA, about this time, and this score is like Barbarella meets Witchie-Poo.

The score, originally on Capitol Records, belongs on CD, and the film itself should have a deluxe release on DVD.

Pufnstuf is the story of the rivalry between an insecure witch and a lonely Dickensian teen pin up model over a talking flute in a land of goofy puppet people. If that sounds crazy it's because it kind of is.

Jimmy is an English transplant in America having difficulty adjusting. One day, after getting kicked out of band practice, his flute magically comes to life and promises to be his new best friend. They sing a song about it and, surprisingly, the song is pretty good. Jimmy then comes across an odd boat which he decides to jump into. Unfortunately, the boat is cursed or something and he is beset upon by a witch on a gigantic broom who wants the flute in order to impress her witch friends because she's kind of unpopular.

Jimmy escapes only to find himself on a magic island where all sorts of strange puppet things live in a world of brightly colored hand-drawn sets. This includes a silly looking dragon lizard character who also happens to be the mayor and sounds like Gomer Pyle. In fact, most of the puppet characters act like bland impressions of vaudeville comedians. Witchiepoo and Jimmy are the only two humans despite the fact that they are themselves modeled on famous fictional characters.

It turns into a literal popularity contest when the witches convention comes to town. Jimmy tries to rescue his friend using his usual strategy from the television series, dressing up in silly costumes and trying to trick witchiepoo, which seems to work less than half the time.

The goofy, children's show plot hides a fundamental message about friendship and the two human characters are misfits who really only want to be accepted. Jack Wilde is charming as Jimmy. He has an off-beat charm and seems disarmingly earnest but he's rarely given much to do.

The character of Witchiepoo, played by Billie Hayes, is such a lively and fully realized character that she stand apart from her surroundings. In a world that's bland and boring she parades around screeching and cackling. It's such a bravura performance from Hayes that she fills the screen with her presence. She combines a larger-than-life musical theater style character with expressive mime and slapstick. There's really no moment she's on screen she's not full of energy.

The counterpoint is the citizens of Living Island are silly animals with voices of old comedians doing terrible, corny jokes all day is so striking. You really feel her frustration being trapped in a land of dum dums without anybody to really connect with. In contrast, Jimmy is good-natured and has a positive attitude. He's willing to look past how boring the relentless cheerfulness of Pufnstuf and his neighbors are so he can enjoy himself in a world where everyone likes him. It's like there's a sort of sibling rivalry between the two as they fight over friends. Jimmy is sincere and easygoing while Witchiepoo is manipulative and bossy. Really Witchiepoo is trying to make friends but she feels different from other people and she rejects them before they can reject her. She does steal and hit people and call them names so that doesn't help either.

The sets are fantastic and give the film a distinct psychedelic tone. The songs are hummable and the score is surprisingly memorable. During the witch convention there are some really great visuals, costumes and bits of humor that show them really making the best of a lower budget.

It's amazing this was made within the same year as the show aired. I was never really familiar with the series before seeing this movie and was genuinely surprised by how good it was. You certainly don't need to have watched the show though and I'd recommend the movie first anyway.This movie is the show's victory lap and and captures the spirit of the show nicely.

Pufnstuf is what it is. I saw this in the cinema at age 4 and I have very fond, and vivid, memories of it. Seeing this as as adult allows one to catch the references that are way over the heads of the target audience - like the bit where Jimmy's grey witch wig is ripped off and Witch Hazel (Cass) sneers "I KNEW she had brown roots!". It is of course heavily influenced by the flower power culture of the time, and in some ways quite progressive. The track Different, for example sends a clear message to the young viewers about being yourself, not running with the pack, and cherishing what is is about yourself that is different. This could be an anthem to the gay community, it should be, great track.

Martha Raye, Cass Elliot and Billie Hayes are all great as witches, and the Living Island cast give it their all in the confines of their character suits (includes Billy Barty, Felix Silla and other famous names). There is a LOT of over acting in this film - there's really nothing subtle, and when little Jack Wild has to emote his concern for the kidnapped residents of Living Island it's really little more than yelling. This is drama and comedy spread on with a trowel. While I think of it - I never could stand the flute though.

I love the soundtrack, especially the above mentioned Different but also Zap The World, Pufnstuf and even Jack Wild's touching If I Could. What's more, it IS now out on CD from the tasteful people at El Records in London. See here for more: www.cherryred.co.uk/el/artists/pufnstuf.htm

Recently, during the 29th Annual Saturn Awards, presented by Cinescape Magazine, television legends Sid and Marty Krofft were presented with the Living Legend Award, for outstanding career achievement. It's not hard to imagine why. Where Walt Disney had Mickey Mouse as his flagship character, where DIC's Jean Chalopin and Andy Heyward had Inspector Gadget as theirs, so too the Kroffts had beloved H.R. Pufnstuf.

Is it any wonder, then, that long before it became fashionable to make major motion pictures from hit TV series, the Kroffts were light years ahead of their time when they turned their flagship property, H.R. Pufnstuf, into a movie, entitling it simply Pufnstuf. And more, this is the only time we discover the backstory that is briefly described in the regular series' opening sequence. H.R. Pufnstuf ran for only 17 episodes on NBC Saturday mornings, yet Universal Pictures saw enormous potential in Puf, Jimmy, Freddie the Flute, and (naturally!) Witchiepoo to put them on the big screen.

For some weird reason, Pufnstuf the movie is presented largely from Witchiepoo's perspective. Indeed, she it is who opens and closes the film, kicking things off by appearing before us while the screen remains in darkness. She describes all that we're about to witness as a tale of goody-two-shoes "and what they did to poor, sweet, adorable me," according to her. No wonder Billie Hayes remains deeply touched when she recalls how many children flocked as much to her as Witchiepoo as they did to Pufnstuf himself.

I don't have much to say regarding the plot of the film; what I can tell you is, just see this film for yourselves. Bringing Mama Cass Elliott, Martha Raye and the Krofft world together in the same movie was a feat unheard of, even for its time --- 1970. Then again, Krofft was always somehow psychedelic. It still is today. Rock on, Pufnstuf! Rock on, Witchiepoo!

Sid and Marty Krofft's brand of children's programming has some affinity with Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka of the same era: weird, near-psychedelic fantasy with darker undertones. This is no "Barney the Dinosaur." I loved the Kroffts when I was little, and my three-year-old twin daughters are already hooked on "H.R. Pufnstuf." The movie is like an extended episode of the TV program, and will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the show. A highlight is "Mama" Cass Elliot's song at the Witches' Convention, which is both very well performed and a memorable tune.

One warning: The voices for Pufnstuf and Freddy the Flute are different from those used in the TV show. Why didn't the producers hire the same people since they were obviously trying to keep everything else the same?

Finally, a note on the case against McDonald's. It was McDonald's who ripped off the Kroffts, not the other way around. The Kroffts sued McD's for copyright infringement and won. See Sid & Marty Krofft Television v. McDonald's Corp., 562 F. 2d 1157: it was ruled that McDonald's had "captured the 'total concept and feel' of the Pufnstuf show." Reps from McD's advertising agency "actually visited the Kroffts' headquarters in Los Angeles to discuss the engineering and design work necessary to produce the McDonaldland commercials" -- then refused to pay the Kroffts a dime while shamelessly infringing their copyrights.