Puffy Worldly Zappage

Howdy, reader. The topic of this post is Pufnstuf, the 1970 cinematic incarnation of Sid and Marty Krofft's H.R. Pufnstuf, the 1969 bizarrely endearearing television series. Being a fan of the show, I was desperate to spectate this film. However, It was unobtainable to me. However, one day, I was in a name-brand department store. In a display, the film was available for purchasing. After begging, I finally obtained the film. I even skipped out on hanging out with my aunt and uncle (whom I love) to view it. As a preteen, I loved it. Nowadays, imperfections aside, I'm still admiring of it.

The film survived on a microscopic $1 million budget. They recreated the show's settings on the Universal lot. David Rawlins' editing is outre. Kenneth Peach's cinematography is eclecticous. The songs by Charles Fox and Kenneth Peach are tuneful and varied (this applies to Fox's score, too). There is keenly designed/enacted Krofft puppetry. There's bueno props, Paul Godkin Choreography, styled hair overseen by Larry Germain, makeup by Bud Westmore/the crew and idiosyncratically crafted costuming by Vincent Dee.

The Witch extras (one of which being Billy Barty) are aces. Jan Davis is sottish as Witch Way. Joan Gerber should've vocalized Freddy Flute. I miss the Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi and Joyce Kilmer rhyming voices of The Evil Trees, too. Nonetheless, there's worthwhile voice-characterizations by Joan, Walker Edmiston, Allan Melvin and Don Messick. Some bonzer people were puppeteers. They endured the puppetry under scorching studio lights in Los Angeles. Sid actually participated and operated Freddy. Krofft vets Felix Silla and Van Snowden indulged in puppeteering. Billy Barty was Googie Gopher, a story-forwarding, film-introduced character, too. Johnny Silver from Guys and Dolls was a puppeteer. Sharon Baird, a multiskilled Mousketeer, puppeteered. Parvenu Joy Campbell McKenzie and doyen Angelo Rossitto had virtuous/villainous roles.

Roberto Gamonet, a canny South American gent, was our title-character. Physically, Roberto breathed life into Puf. Gamonet endured the cranium and thrived as the Living Island mayor. Jack Wild headlined the film admirably and had pizzazful cheerability. Wild was impassioned. The film's trio of foremost witches should've co-starred in Macbeth. A pre-Bugaloos Martha Raye and a film-debuting Cass Elliott were welcomed presences. Elliott had snide, turncoat huberisms as Witch Hazel. Maggie was enjoyably supercilious, tetchy and callous as Boss Witch. Raye and Cass qualified as humorful foils. Billie Hayes's Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo was uproariously iniquitous, unctuous and woeful. Hayes began and ended the film adroitly. Billie had enormous commitment to the role.

Through they could've alluded to Jimmy being able to go home in the denouement, Si Rose and John Fenton Murray penned a fruitful script. The story has faithfulness to the show and reinterprets it, too. There's droll dialogue and 4th-wall breaks. The show's ethnic stereotypes are downplayed. It's extravagantly zippy, diversionous, subversive and peculiar. It can be parlous. There's vivid characters. Its messages are tenable.

The film has errors and distracting usage of stock-footage. I would've cast Billie as the band teacher from the prologue, too. Hayes could've inhabited the rigidly frigid role. The Kroffts had comparable double-casting with Charles Nelson Reilly on Lidsville, too. Anyhow, Pufnstuf is more inventive that some modern-day family entertainment. Unlike similar films, the film succeeded at qualities. As a director, Hollingsworth Morse had timing and comprehended the material. Holly directed the movie with earnesty. When things get rough, this is a worthwhile film.