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Kroffts yearn for (another) Pufnstuf movie

H.R. Pufnstuf? Who's ya friend when things get tough?

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TV nostalgia fans may interested to learn that the legendary Sid and Marty Krofft are planning more feature film versions of their 1970s TV properties, HR Pufnstuf, Sigmund and the Sea Monster and Lidsville.

Having already had Land of the Lost turned into a feature with Will Ferrell, this time they say they are more cautious about a studio putting their spin on a classic. Lidsville is even in development with DreamWorks. What no mention of The Bugaloos?

The Kroffts got their TV break when they designed the costumes for The Banana Splits, but it was Pufnstuf where they really made their mark on their own show. Later they also worked on Donnie and Marie.

Pufnstuf actually had a feature in its heydey, with the wonderful cast including Jack Wild, Billie Hayes as the inimitable Witchypoo and guest appearances by Mama Cass and Martha Raye. Classic stuff.

In an interview with The A.V. Club the two men talk about their successes.

Here are some excerpts:

SK: (Pufnstuf) was our first show. Actually, you know, we never did a pilot. We did this fabulous book, a huge book with all the characters, and we told the stories to the executives in their offices, and then we threw the book down. And that was how we sold our shows. And they waited for us every year, to see what the hell we were going to come up with next. It was wild. Just one show after another. And, geez, when I look at the list, I didn’t realise myself, but we did something close to 50 shows and specials for television. It’s amazing.

Marty, what was the creation of Pufnstuf like for you?

MK: Well, what I did was, I took this thing from a puppet act to a business. Okay? That was my initial contribution. Pufnstuf came out of the World’s Fair in Texas from the year before, in 1968, and we did a pavillion for the Coca-Cola company, who had done business with us where they sponsored our shows at Six Flags. So we did their pavilion, and that’s where Pufnstuf was born. So when we did The Banana Splits for Hanna-Barbera, NBC and Kellogg’s would come by our place and see the progress. So the head of programming said, “Why don’t you do your own show?” So we used Pufnstuf the character, and then we gathered all the troops to do our first series. I think I sent my sister out to get a book about how to produce a series, because we didn’t know how to do it at the time. So we were learning on the job. So Pufnstuf was really the beginning of our television career, other than that we’d done some guest-star appearances with the puppet on Dean Martin’s show and several others prior to that.

You’ve said many times that, despite people’s suspicions and concerns, you were not on drugs when you created these shows. But were you at least conscious that people might think you were?

SK: Well, we were always accused of that. But hey, three presidents said that they smoked pot. It was the ’70s. It was a psychedelic period.

MK: The bottom line, basically, is that we weren’t on drugs. If we were on drugs like they say we were, we definitely would be dead today. Okay? Maybe all of the college kids, they might’ve been on drugs while they were watching it.

19 Responses

  1. @Jack,Pete & Marco
    There is an Albury councillor pictured in todays Border Mail that I think would be perfect- absolutely no make-up required!
    @Andy
    Check the photo…does that answer your question?

  3. Apaprt from it being a travesty if this was “remade”…..

    If you’re going to bring back the Banana Splits, you’ve already got a ready made Bongo with Billie Piper. Just look at the picture at img6.imageshack.us/img6/3072/billebananasplit.jpg

  5. Great to see the best remembered. Is there any creative team today who can compare with these guys? Or with Disney and Tex Avery? Will future decades re-discover ‘Lost’ and ‘Buffy’ in the same way, perhaps.

  6. Marco
    Jack Wild died on 1 March 2006, aged 53, after a long battle with oral cancer, which he believed was caused by his alcoholism and smoking

    I remember him from Oliver and a movie he also did with Mark Lester called Melody with a Bee Gees soundtrack that I wish would come out on dvd or blu-ray

  7. Witchypoo used to scare the crap out of me as a child – they were the best Saturday mornings when Pufnstuf was on.

    I believe the guy who played Jimmy died some years back.

    I love Gaga but they’d save costs hiring her to play Witchypoo – no nose prop required! Reckon it’s Gaga’s best feature.

  8. Yeah, they really stiffed up The land of the Lost. A great adventure for kids in the 70s, I never saw the movie, but it looked like it had no essence of the original’s charm.

  15. I happened to catch HR Pufnstuff on DVD recently and I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it, it’s hilarious. Even though not many episodes were made I can see why it has a following. Was this ever shown on Australian television and on what channel as I don’t remember it growing up in the 80’s.

  16. I’ll just stick with the original series/movie thanks. These guys were a huge part of my childhood with shows like this Land of the Lost and Sigmund but I’m not interested in current versions when there are the classic 70’s shows to watch over and over.

    Interesting though that people thought they were on drugs,I can see why though with a show like Pufnstuf:)

  17. “Later they worked on Donnie and Marie…” LOL!!!
    You mean they did their facelifts or what?? 🙂 🙂 🙂

    I can’t begin to imagine what a C21st HR Pufnstuff would look like … In 3D!!!
    Oh my god … someone get me a sedative …. with special appearances from the Bugaloos and the Banana Splits!! …. maybe Bill and Ben – The Flower Pot Men could bring their “Little Weed” along too!

    All I care about is who will play Witchiepoo!!!

    Oh, sorry, you have me in hysterics now!!!!

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