''Pufnstuf'' (also known as ''Pufnstuf Zaps the World'') is a 1970 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

musical film produced by Sid and Marty Krofft Enterprises and released by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. It is based on the children's television series ''

H.R. Pufnstuf ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the Hanna-Barbera program ''The Ba ...

,'' a show that features a cast of puppets on a "living island."

Plot

After Jimmy is wrongfully ejected from the school band for tripping, he ventures on a journey with his newly magical talking flute Freddy. Orchestrated by Witchiepoo, Jimmy takes an evil boat to Living Island, an island where everything is alive. He befriends the island's inhabitants, who are led by Mayor H.R. Pufnstuf, but the evil Witchiepoo is determined to steal Freddy the Flute from him in order to impress the visiting Witches' Council and the Boss Witch so that she may win the Witch of the Year Award. The witch steals the flute by disguising herself as a pretty dance instructor. Jimmy and his new friends recover the flute by having Gopher dig a tunnel to Witchiepoo's castle and faking a fire. Witchiepoo retaliates by bombing and destroying Pufnstuf's town. During the bombing, she is blown away by the west wind (portrayed as a cowboy head), which destroys her flying vehicle. Jimmy is sorry for having endangered the Living Island inhabitants and leaves with his flute without telling them in order to prevent further danger. Witchiepoo returns to Pufnstuf's town and shrinks all of the inhabitants before casting them into her castle dungeon as prisoners. When Jimmy learns what has happened to the townspeople, he is resolved to save them. Witchiepoo invites the Witches' Council for a convention and prepares Pufnstuf as the main meal. Jimmy disguises himself as a witch to enter with the other witches. Jimmy is exposed while trying to save Pufnstuf and is placed in the dungeon with the others. Gopher digs into the dungeon to save them all, except for Pufnstuf, who will soon be cooked. Once back at the town, they plan a rescue. A book tells them that the only thing that scares witches is a good fairy angel. They all dress as white good fairy angels, raid the castle, scare off the Witches' Council and save Pufnstuf. Witchiepoo is the only witch to discover that they had been faking, and she flies to try to catch the other witches to tell them to return. En route, her minion Orson sees the good guys at the town, and she orders him to use her doomsday bomb on them but also says to take the wheel. Orson accidentally drops the bomb inside the vehicle while taking the wheel, blowing the Vroom Broom apart and sending Witchiepoo and Orson plummeting to earth, lamenting yet another defeat. During a closing musical number, Pufnstuf says, "When good friends pull together, they can do anything."

Cast

Voice cast

Walker Edmiston Walker Edmiston (February 6, 1926 – February 15, 2007) was an American radio, television and voice actor. Early years Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Edmiston participated in local theater productions during his high school years. He later stu ...

- Dr. Blinky, Ludicrous Lion, Seymour Spider, Candle, Hippie Tree *

Joan Gerber Joan Gerber (July 29, 1935 – August 22, 2011) was an American voice actress who provided voices for a variety of cartoons. Her most challenging voice role was "all the children in a Japanese train wreck" for a ''Godzilla'' television episode ...

- Madame Willow, Miss Wristwatch, Freddy the Flute (some scenes) * Al Melvin - H.R. Pufnstuf, Heinrich Rat, Living Island Boat, Orville Pelican, Polka-Dotted Horse, Stupid Bat, West Wind * Don Messick - Freddy the Flute, Googy Gopher, Orson Vulture

Production

Following the success of the ''

'' television series, the film was rushed into production for theatrical distribution, with filming beginning in January 1970.Passing Show, The Bridgeport Post, January 22, 1970 p. 21 The film was financed by

and Kellogg's Cereal, also a sponsor of the television show. Sid Krofft cast his next-door neighbor, singer Cass Elliot, as Witchiepoo's

frenemy "Frenemy" (also spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend ...

and bitter rival Witch Hazel.. Retrieved January 16, 2009. According to actress Joy Campbell McKenzie, Elliot was "very distant. Not rude or arrogant but she just didn't mingle, which most people were surprised about."The Joy Campbell McKenzie Intervie

a

Living Island.

Martha Raye Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She was honored ...

was cast as Boss Witch. The cast and crew expected Raye to behave as a diva, but she instead befriended those behind the scenes, even inviting them to dinner. However, Wild referred to Raye as "a right old cow."Wild, Jack ''It's a Dodger's Life'' (2016) p. 139 Raye's involvement in ''Pufnstuf'' led to her role as Benita Bizarre in the Kroffts' television show ''

The Bugaloos ''The Bugaloos'' is an American children's television series, produced by brothers Sid and Marty Krofft, that aired on NBC on Saturday mornings from 1970 to 1972. Reruns of the show aired in daily syndication from 1978 to 1985 as part of the "Krof ...

''.

Album

A soundtrack album was released on LP,

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

and 8-track in 1970 (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

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

Track listing

# "If I Could" - Jack Wild # "Fire in the Castle" # "Living Island" - Jack Wild/Cast # "Witchiepoo's Lament" # "Angel Raid" # "A Friend In You" - Jack Wild # "How Lucky I Am" # "Pufnstuf" - Jack Wild/Cast # "Charge" # "Different" - Mama Cass Elliot # "Zap The World" -

Jack Wild Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at ...

Billie Hayes Billie Armstrong Brosch (August 5, 1924 – April 29, 2021), known professionally as Billie Hayes, was an American television, film, and stage actress, best known for her comic portrayals of Witchiepoo and Li'l Abner's Mammy Yokum. Early ye ...

# "Leaving Living Island" # "Rescue Racer To The Rescue" # "Finale:a) If I Could / b) Living Island" - Jack Wild *Note: The title song was covered by the Pickwick Children's Chorus on the album ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

and Other Children's Pop Hits''.

Home media

''Pufnstuf'' was released to DVD on May 19, 2009 by

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...

. It includes the original trailer of the film, and it is presented in its original widescreen presentation. It was later released to Blu-ray disc on September 21, 2021 by Code Red, also in widescreen and with the original trailer.Pufnstuf, Blu-ray.com, Retrieved January 19, 2022
/ref> The film is also available in digital media format.

Footnotes and references

External links

kiddiematinee.com: PUFNSTUF (1970, U.S.)
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pufnstuf (Film) 1970 films 1970s children's adventure films 1970s children's fantasy films American fantasy adventure films American children's adventure films American children's fantasy films Capitol Records soundtracks Films based on television series Puppet films Films scored by Charles Fox Films set in castles Sid and Marty Krofft Universal Pictures films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Hollingsworth Morse 1970s American films