''Wombling Free'' is a 1977 British

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

of the children's television series ''

The Wombles ''The Wombles'' are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recyc ...

''. Directed by

Lionel Jeffries Lionel Charles Jeffries (10 June 1926 – 19 February 2010) was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and received a Golden Globe Award nomination during his acting career. Early life Jeffries was born in ...

, it stars

David Tomlinson David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson (7 May 1917 – 24 June 2000) was an English stage, film, and television actor and comedian. Having been described as both a leading man and a character actor, he is primarily remembered for his roles as authorit ...

Frances de la Tour Frances J. de Lautour (born 30 July 1944), better known as Frances de la Tour, is an English actress. She is known for her role as Miss Ruth Jones in the television sitcom '' Rising Damp'' from 1974 until 1978. She is a Tony Award winner and th ...

, and

Bonnie Langford Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series ''Just William''. In the 1980s, she played c ...

Plot

Based on the BBC children's series, this film charts the adventures of the Wombles, a colony of small litter-picking creatures who live in Wimbledon Common in 1970s London. Great Uncle Bulgaria Womble recounts the story of how Wombles have always been cleaning up after humans from the very beginning with Adam and Eve, and how Wombles continue to clean up after humans for generations up to the present day all around the world, including the United States, Russia, and India. Only seen by those who believe in them, their work goes largely unnoticed until a young girl, Kim, spots them and their worthwhile purpose. As she invites them to her birthday party, her father is forced to believe as he comes face to face with Orinoco, Tobermory and the others. A public meeting is set to prove to the local population that the Wombles do exist and should be aided in their anti-rubbish campaign. But on the day in question, a storm breaks out over the Common. At the end, Kim, Wombles and all the children help in cleaning up Wimbledon Common.

Cast

Humans

as Roland Frogmorton *

as Julia Frogmorton, Roland's wife *

as Felicity 'Kim' Frogmorton, Julia & Roland's daughter *

Bernard Spear Bernard Spear (11 September 1919 – 9 May 2003) was an English actor. Early life Spear was born on 11 September 1919 in Croydon, Surrey, to a Polish-Jewish father and a Russian-Jewish mother. He was educated at Central Federation School in ...

as Arnold Takahashi *

Yasuko Nagazumi is a Japanese producer and manager responsible for print advertising campaigns on behalf of clients such as Armani, Donna Karan, Guess?, Pirelli and ''Vogue'' magazine, working with photographers such as Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, Helmut Ne ...

as Doris Takahashi *

John Junkin John Francis Junkin (29 January 1930 – 7 March 2006) was an English actor and scriptwriter who had a long career in radio, television and film, specialising in comedy. Early life Born in Ealing, Middlesex, the son of a policeman, he and hi ...

as County Surveyor *

Reg Lye Reginald Thomas Lye (14 October 1912 – 23 March 1988), was an Australian actor who worked extensively in Australia and England. He was one of the busiest Australian actors of the 1950s, appearing in the majority of locally shot features at th ...

as Assistant Surveyor

Wombles

The Womble characters were portrayed by diminutive actors Kenny Baker as Bungo the drummer, Eileen Baker as Tobermory the keyboardist, Sadie Corre as Madame Cholet the saxophonist,

Tony Friel Tony Friel (born in Birkenhead, Wirral, Cheshire, 4 May 1958)Albert Wilkinson as Tomsk the bassist, and Marcus Powell as Orinoco the lead singer. Womble voices were provided by

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...

Janet Brown Janet McLuckie Brown (14 December 192327 May 2011) was a Scottish actress, comedian and impressionist who gained considerable fame in the 1970s and 1980s for her impersonations of Margaret Thatcher. Brown was the wife of Peter Butterworth, who ...

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

, John Graham and

Soundtrack

An accompanying soundtrack was released by CBS featuring a selection of Mike Batt's score cues plus new recordings and remixes of previous Womble songs as featured in the film. No items from this album have ever appeared on any Wombles compilation, but in 2011 the soundtrack was released on CD by the Dramatico label. # "The Wombling Song (Film Version)" # "The Creation Of The World (Main Title)" # "Edinburgh Rock" # "Introduction From Minuetto Allegretto" # "Introduction To The Womble Burrow" # "Wombling White Tie & Tails (Film Version)" # "Under The Hills And Not Far Away" # "Madame Cholet" # "Mr. Roland Frogmorton's Music" # "Miss Felicity Kim Frogmorton's Music" # "Frogmorton's Theme" # "The March Of The Machines" # " Exercise Is Good For You (Film Version)" # "The Underground Garden" # "Count Down And Lift-Off" # "Womble Of The Universe" # "The Queen"

Production

''Wombling Free'' was part of a slate of films made in the late 70s by the Rank Organisation, who re-entered the filmmaking arena.

Locations

Most exterior shots were filmed in Black Park in Wexham and Gerrards Cross,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

Reception

Philip French Philip Neville French OBE (28 August 1933 – 27 October 2015) was an English film critic and radio producer. French began his career in journalism in the late 1950s, before eventually becoming a BBC Radio producer, and later a film crit ...

, film critic for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'', called the film "abysmal".

References

External links

*
''Wombling Free''
at Letterbox DVD {{The Wombles 1977 films 1970s musical fantasy films British musical fantasy films British children's fantasy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Animated films based on children's books Films directed by Lionel Jeffries The Wombles 1970s children's fantasy films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films