Nickelodeon and Disney might come to mind when you think of great kids shows. After all, both networks have been producing programming for kids for decades.
Despite that fact, both companies have been under fire in recent years, particularly Nickelodeon, following the release of the Quiet on Set documentary.
Here is the perfect list if you want to expose your kids to some great shows that are not associated with either company.
Hanna-Barbera Classics (Various)
The Hanna-Barbera cartoons are classics that kids and adults of all ages can enjoy together. Many of them are geared toward children but include jokes to amuse adults.
Founded by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in the late 1950s, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced 249 cartoon series between the 1950s and 1980s. Many of those have since become beloved classics.
A personal favorite of mine is Scooby Doo, and many fans share my love for the crime-solving dog and his Mystery Inc.
Despite that fact, both companies have been under fire in recent years, particularly Nickelodeon, following the release of the Quiet on Set documentary.
Here is the perfect list if you want to expose your kids to some great shows that are not associated with either company.
Hanna-Barbera Classics (Various)
The Hanna-Barbera cartoons are classics that kids and adults of all ages can enjoy together. Many of them are geared toward children but include jokes to amuse adults.
Founded by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in the late 1950s, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced 249 cartoon series between the 1950s and 1980s. Many of those have since become beloved classics.
A personal favorite of mine is Scooby Doo, and many fans share my love for the crime-solving dog and his Mystery Inc.
- 5/22/2024
- by Jessica Kosinski
- TVfanatic
Marty Krofft, the savvy businessman who partnered with his older brother Sid to amass an entertainment empire fueled by such mind-blowing kids TV shows as The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost, died Saturday. He was 86.
Eight years younger than Sid, Marty Krofft died Saturday in Los Angeles of kidney failure, his family announced.
“There’s nobody better on this planet,” Sid said of his brother in a 2000 interview for the Archive of American Television website. “I get a dream, and Marty gets it done.”
The pair already were well-known theatrical puppeteers when they were recruited in 1968 to design the costumes for the live-action portion of NBC’s The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.
Their four furry animal characters (Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky), members of a rock band, were an instant hit on the Saturday morning show, which ran from Sept. 7, 1968, to Sept. 5, 1970 (and in...
Eight years younger than Sid, Marty Krofft died Saturday in Los Angeles of kidney failure, his family announced.
“There’s nobody better on this planet,” Sid said of his brother in a 2000 interview for the Archive of American Television website. “I get a dream, and Marty gets it done.”
The pair already were well-known theatrical puppeteers when they were recruited in 1968 to design the costumes for the live-action portion of NBC’s The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.
Their four furry animal characters (Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky), members of a rock band, were an instant hit on the Saturday morning show, which ran from Sept. 7, 1968, to Sept. 5, 1970 (and in...
- 11/26/2023
- by Andy Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marty Krofft, who with his brother Sid produced memorable kids shows “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Land of the Lost” — as well as the 2009 feature based on the latter — has died. He was 86.
Krofft died of kidney failure Saturday in Los Angeles, Calif., a family representative told Variety.
Often referred to as the King of Saturday Mornings, Krofft and his brother also produced a number of primetime variety shows, including “Donny and Marie” and “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters.”
Sid and Marty Krofft began their careers producing children’s television with “H.R. Pufnstuf,” a live-action program about a boy (played by British actor Jack Wild) in a fantastic land with a dragon for a friend and a witch — Witchiepoo, played by Billie Hayes — for an enemy; as conceptualized, the show followed the interactions between human actors; actors in colorful, oversized costumes; and life-size puppets with enormous heads.
The Kroffts were proudly...
Krofft died of kidney failure Saturday in Los Angeles, Calif., a family representative told Variety.
Often referred to as the King of Saturday Mornings, Krofft and his brother also produced a number of primetime variety shows, including “Donny and Marie” and “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters.”
Sid and Marty Krofft began their careers producing children’s television with “H.R. Pufnstuf,” a live-action program about a boy (played by British actor Jack Wild) in a fantastic land with a dragon for a friend and a witch — Witchiepoo, played by Billie Hayes — for an enemy; as conceptualized, the show followed the interactions between human actors; actors in colorful, oversized costumes; and life-size puppets with enormous heads.
The Kroffts were proudly...
- 11/26/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Billie Hayes, whose portrayal of the flamboyantly and comically wicked witch Witchiepoo on the 1969-70 Saturday morning live-action children’s classic H.R. Pufnstuf, died of natural causes April 29 at Cedar’s Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 96.
Her death was announced by her family.
A Broadway veteran by the time she reached national fame as the flute-stealing nemesis to a psychedelic dragon, Hayes had starred as Mammy Yokum in both the Broadway and film versions of the popular late-1950s musical Lil’ Abner. She’d made her Broadway debut in New Faces of 1956 along with an ensemble that included actress Maggie Smith.
Following a couple of guest appearances on episodic TV in 1967 – including a Mammy Yokum-type matriarch in the “Hillbilly Honeymoon” episode of The Monkees – Hayes endeared herself to a generation of glued-to-the-tube Saturday morning viewers in 1969 as the eccentrically costumed, ever-cackling and always bumbling Witchiepoo (full name: Wilhelmina W.
Her death was announced by her family.
A Broadway veteran by the time she reached national fame as the flute-stealing nemesis to a psychedelic dragon, Hayes had starred as Mammy Yokum in both the Broadway and film versions of the popular late-1950s musical Lil’ Abner. She’d made her Broadway debut in New Faces of 1956 along with an ensemble that included actress Maggie Smith.
Following a couple of guest appearances on episodic TV in 1967 – including a Mammy Yokum-type matriarch in the “Hillbilly Honeymoon” episode of The Monkees – Hayes endeared herself to a generation of glued-to-the-tube Saturday morning viewers in 1969 as the eccentrically costumed, ever-cackling and always bumbling Witchiepoo (full name: Wilhelmina W.
- 5/3/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmakers/authors discuss the movies they wish more people were familiar with.
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s (2012)
Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man (1976)
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)
Top Gun (1986)
Water Power (1977)
Taxi Driver (1976)
In Fabric (2018)
A Climax of Blue Power (1974)
Forced Entry (1975)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
Nashville Girl (1976)
Ms .45 (1981)
Act of Vengeance a.k.a. Rape Squad (1974)
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Design For Living (1933)
Trouble In Paradise (1932)
Melody (1971)
Oliver! (1968)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
That’ll Be The Day (1973)
Stardust (1974)
The Errand Boy (1961)
Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)
The Bellboy (1960)
Which Way To The Front? (1970)
Hardly Working (1980)
A Night In Casablanca (1946)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Duck Soup (1933)
Boeing Boeing (1965)
Confessions of a Young American Housewife (1974)
Cockfighter (1974)
The Second Civil War (1997)
I, A Woman (1965)
The Devil At Your Heels (1981)
The...
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s (2012)
Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man (1976)
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)
Top Gun (1986)
Water Power (1977)
Taxi Driver (1976)
In Fabric (2018)
A Climax of Blue Power (1974)
Forced Entry (1975)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
Nashville Girl (1976)
Ms .45 (1981)
Act of Vengeance a.k.a. Rape Squad (1974)
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Design For Living (1933)
Trouble In Paradise (1932)
Melody (1971)
Oliver! (1968)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
That’ll Be The Day (1973)
Stardust (1974)
The Errand Boy (1961)
Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)
The Bellboy (1960)
Which Way To The Front? (1970)
Hardly Working (1980)
A Night In Casablanca (1946)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Duck Soup (1933)
Boeing Boeing (1965)
Confessions of a Young American Housewife (1974)
Cockfighter (1974)
The Second Civil War (1997)
I, A Woman (1965)
The Devil At Your Heels (1981)
The...
- 3/3/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
“Legion” star Dan Stevens has joined the cast of Netflix feature “Eurovision,” alongside Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams and Pierce Brosnan. The British actor, who made his name in “Downton Abbey” and recently finished a three-year run on FX’s “X-Men” spin-off “Legion” from Noah Hawley, will play Alexander Lemtov, a Russian contestant taking part in the Eurovision song contest.
The comedy, which is co-written by Ferrell with Andrew Steele, reunites Ferrell and McAdams with “Wedding Crashers” director David Dobkin. It is produced by Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum and Chris Henchy through their Gary Sanchez Productions label. Adam McKay serves as executive producer.
Ferrell and McAdams play a pair of aspiring Icelandic musicians, Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, who are given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country at the annual Eurovision song contest – the world’s biggest song competition. Pierce Brosnan will play Ferrell’s father.
“Eurovision” is currently shooting in the U.
The comedy, which is co-written by Ferrell with Andrew Steele, reunites Ferrell and McAdams with “Wedding Crashers” director David Dobkin. It is produced by Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum and Chris Henchy through their Gary Sanchez Productions label. Adam McKay serves as executive producer.
Ferrell and McAdams play a pair of aspiring Icelandic musicians, Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, who are given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country at the annual Eurovision song contest – the world’s biggest song competition. Pierce Brosnan will play Ferrell’s father.
“Eurovision” is currently shooting in the U.
- 8/20/2019
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
“My favorite keyboard of all time will always be the Minimoog,” Rick Wakeman says in an extended version of a scene that will appear in Electronic Voyager, an upcoming doc on the life of legendary synth inventor Robert Moog. “I couldn’t live without one.”
In the film, Moog’s daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa, retraces the footstep of her father from his birthplace in Queens, New York, to his eventual home of Asheville, North Carolina. Along the way, she meets with various prominent musicians who have used Moog synths in their work,...
In the film, Moog’s daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa, retraces the footstep of her father from his birthplace in Queens, New York, to his eventual home of Asheville, North Carolina. Along the way, she meets with various prominent musicians who have used Moog synths in their work,...
- 5/9/2019
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
By Todd Garbarini
Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts theater will be presenting a 50th anniversary screening of Carol Reed’s Academy Award-winning 1968 film Oliver! The 153-minute film, which stars Ron Moody, the late-great Oliver Reed, a very young Mark Lester, and Shani Wallis, will be screened on Sunday, July 15, 2018 at 3:00 pm.
Please Note: At press time, actress Shani Wallis is scheduled to appear in person for a discussion about the film prior to the screening.
She will be on hand at 2:30 pm in the lobby selling posters for $50.00 and photos for $20.00, and will also autograph them. All proceeds will go to charity.
From the press release:
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: laemmle.com/ac.
Oliver! (1968)
50th Anniversary Screening
Sunday, July 15, at 3 Pm
Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Q&A with Actress Shani Wallis
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 50th anniversary screening...
Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts theater will be presenting a 50th anniversary screening of Carol Reed’s Academy Award-winning 1968 film Oliver! The 153-minute film, which stars Ron Moody, the late-great Oliver Reed, a very young Mark Lester, and Shani Wallis, will be screened on Sunday, July 15, 2018 at 3:00 pm.
Please Note: At press time, actress Shani Wallis is scheduled to appear in person for a discussion about the film prior to the screening.
She will be on hand at 2:30 pm in the lobby selling posters for $50.00 and photos for $20.00, and will also autograph them. All proceeds will go to charity.
From the press release:
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: laemmle.com/ac.
Oliver! (1968)
50th Anniversary Screening
Sunday, July 15, at 3 Pm
Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Q&A with Actress Shani Wallis
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 50th anniversary screening...
- 7/6/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Todd Garbarini
Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts theater will be presenting a 50th anniversary screening of Carol Reed’s Academy Award-winning 1968 film Oliver! The 153-minute film, which stars Ron Moody, the late-great Oliver Reed, a very young Mark Lester, and Shani Wallis, will be screened on Sunday, July 15, 2018 at 3:00 pm.
Please Note: At press time, actress Shani Wallis is scheduled to appear in person for a discussion about the film following the screening, as well as taking time to autograph memorabilia available for sale. The price is $50.00 to sign posters, which will go to charity.
From the press release:
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: laemmle.com/ac.
Oliver! (1968)
50th Anniversary Screening
Sunday, July 15, at 3 Pm
Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Q&A with Actress Shani Wallis
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 50th anniversary screening of the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 1968, Oliver!
Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts theater will be presenting a 50th anniversary screening of Carol Reed’s Academy Award-winning 1968 film Oliver! The 153-minute film, which stars Ron Moody, the late-great Oliver Reed, a very young Mark Lester, and Shani Wallis, will be screened on Sunday, July 15, 2018 at 3:00 pm.
Please Note: At press time, actress Shani Wallis is scheduled to appear in person for a discussion about the film following the screening, as well as taking time to autograph memorabilia available for sale. The price is $50.00 to sign posters, which will go to charity.
From the press release:
Part of our Anniversary Classics series. For details, visit: laemmle.com/ac.
Oliver! (1968)
50th Anniversary Screening
Sunday, July 15, at 3 Pm
Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Q&A with Actress Shani Wallis
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 50th anniversary screening of the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 1968, Oliver!
- 7/6/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Sid and Marty Krofft created memorable, magical Saturday morning live-action television shows including “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “Land of the Lost” and “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl,” but their success extends far beyond sea monsters, magic flutes and Vroom Brooms. They’ve entertained millions, employed thousands and inspired many of today’s content creators — they’re still in production today with “Mutt & Stuff,” which airs on Nickelodeon. Recently, a revival of “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters” appeared on Amazon. Now, the dynamic duo is being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
“It’s not easy to be in the business with your relatives,” says Marty Krofft. “But we’ve lasted longer than most marriages in the world.”
“You just make it work,” says Sid Krofft. “We’ve been together professionally for 60 years. We argue, but that’s just part of being Sid and Marty Krofft.
“It’s not easy to be in the business with your relatives,” says Marty Krofft. “But we’ve lasted longer than most marriages in the world.”
“You just make it work,” says Sid Krofft. “We’ve been together professionally for 60 years. We argue, but that’s just part of being Sid and Marty Krofft.
- 4/27/2018
- by Michael Maloney
- Variety Film + TV
“The Shape of Water” numbers three acting bids among its leading 13 Academy Awards nominations for lead Sally Hawkins and supporting players Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer. According to our exclusive Oscar odds none of them is predicted to win on March 4. Should that scenario play out, does that mean that their film won’t win Best Picture?
Not so fast.
While 53 of the 89 Best Picture champs to date include an Oscar-winning performance, 36 of them (40%) did not win any acting awards. And among those three dozen winners are four of the eight films — “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “Argo” (2012), “Birdman” (2015) and “Spotlight” (2016) — decided by preferential ballot under the newly expanded slate of Best Picture nominees.
Surprisingly, an even dozen of the Best Picture winners did not even reap any acting nominations. That is welcome news for “Arrival,” which does not number an acting bid among its eight nominations. However, four of those films...
Not so fast.
While 53 of the 89 Best Picture champs to date include an Oscar-winning performance, 36 of them (40%) did not win any acting awards. And among those three dozen winners are four of the eight films — “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “Argo” (2012), “Birdman” (2015) and “Spotlight” (2016) — decided by preferential ballot under the newly expanded slate of Best Picture nominees.
Surprisingly, an even dozen of the Best Picture winners did not even reap any acting nominations. That is welcome news for “Arrival,” which does not number an acting bid among its eight nominations. However, four of those films...
- 2/13/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
A forgotten oddity from the early 1970s is Jacques Demy’s English language mounting of The Pied Piper, a rather bleak but mostly unequivocal version of the famed Grimm Bros. fairy tale about a titular piper who infamously lured the children of Hamelin to their assumed deaths after being rebuffed by the townsfolk when he similarly rid the town of plague carrying rats.
Set in the 1300s of northern Germany, this UK production blends bits of Robert Browning’s famed poem of the legend into the film, but the end result is unusually straightforward and unfussy, considering Demy’s predilection for inventive, colorful musicals, such as the classic confections The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. The stunt casting of Donovan as the piper generates a certain amount of interest, although he’s whittled down to a supporting character amongst a cast of master character actors like Donald Pleasence, John Hurt, Peter Vaughan, and child star Jack Wild.
Notably, The Pied Piper is one of the few Demy films not to be built around a strong, beautiful female lead, which may also explain why there’s no center point in the film. Cathryn Harrison (daughter of Rex, who starred in Louis Malle’s Black Moon) and a gone-to-seed Diana Dors (though not featured as memorably as her swarthy turn in Skolimowski’s Deep End) are the tiny flecks of feminine representation. It was also not Demy’s first English language production, as he’d made a sequel to his New Wave entry Lola (1961) with 1969’s Los Angeles set Model Shop. So what compelled him to make this departure, which premiered in-between two of his most whimsical Catherine Deneuve titles (Donkey Skin; A Slightly Pregnant Man) is perhaps the film’s greatest mystery.
Cultural familiarity with the material tends to work against our expectations. At best, Donovan is a mere supporting accent, popping up to supply mellow, anachronistic music at odd moments before the dramatic catalyst involving his ability to conjure rats with music arrives. Prior to his demeaning, Demy’s focus is mostly on the omnipotent and aggressive power of the corrupting church (Peter Vaughan’s Bishop) and Donald Pleasence’s greedy town leader, whose son (a sniveling John Hurt) is more intent on starting wars and making counterfeit gold to pay his gullible minions than stopping the encroaching plague. Taking the brunt of their violence is the Jewish alchemist, Melius (Michael Hordern), who is wise enough to know the rats have something to do with the spread of the disease. Demy uses his tragic demise to juxtapose the piper’s designs on the children.
While Hurt and Pleasance are entertaining as a toxic father and son, Demy seems estranged from anyone resembling a protagonist. Donovan is instantly forgettable, and the H.R. Pufnstuf and Oliver! child star Jack Wild gets upstaged by a wild mop of hair and a pronounced limp (which explains why he isn’t entranced along with the other children), and the film plays as if Donovan’s role might have been edited down in post. The script was the debut of screenwriters Andrew Birkin (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, 2006) and Mark Peploe (The Passenger, 1975; The Last Emperor, 1987) who would both go on to write a number of offbeat auteur entries.
Disc Review:
Kino Lorber releases this obscurity as part of their Studio Classics label, presented in 1.66:1. Picture and sound quality are serviceable, however, the title would have greatly benefitted from a restoration. Dp Peter Suschitzky’s frames rightly capture the period, including some awesomely creepy frescoes housing Pleasence and son, but the color sometimes seems faded or stripped from some sequences. Kino doesn’t include any extra features.
Final Thoughts:
More of a curio piece for fans of Demy, The Pied Piper mostly seems a missed opportunity of the creepy legend.
Film Review: ★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
The post The Pied Piper | Blu-ray Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
Set in the 1300s of northern Germany, this UK production blends bits of Robert Browning’s famed poem of the legend into the film, but the end result is unusually straightforward and unfussy, considering Demy’s predilection for inventive, colorful musicals, such as the classic confections The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. The stunt casting of Donovan as the piper generates a certain amount of interest, although he’s whittled down to a supporting character amongst a cast of master character actors like Donald Pleasence, John Hurt, Peter Vaughan, and child star Jack Wild.
Notably, The Pied Piper is one of the few Demy films not to be built around a strong, beautiful female lead, which may also explain why there’s no center point in the film. Cathryn Harrison (daughter of Rex, who starred in Louis Malle’s Black Moon) and a gone-to-seed Diana Dors (though not featured as memorably as her swarthy turn in Skolimowski’s Deep End) are the tiny flecks of feminine representation. It was also not Demy’s first English language production, as he’d made a sequel to his New Wave entry Lola (1961) with 1969’s Los Angeles set Model Shop. So what compelled him to make this departure, which premiered in-between two of his most whimsical Catherine Deneuve titles (Donkey Skin; A Slightly Pregnant Man) is perhaps the film’s greatest mystery.
Cultural familiarity with the material tends to work against our expectations. At best, Donovan is a mere supporting accent, popping up to supply mellow, anachronistic music at odd moments before the dramatic catalyst involving his ability to conjure rats with music arrives. Prior to his demeaning, Demy’s focus is mostly on the omnipotent and aggressive power of the corrupting church (Peter Vaughan’s Bishop) and Donald Pleasence’s greedy town leader, whose son (a sniveling John Hurt) is more intent on starting wars and making counterfeit gold to pay his gullible minions than stopping the encroaching plague. Taking the brunt of their violence is the Jewish alchemist, Melius (Michael Hordern), who is wise enough to know the rats have something to do with the spread of the disease. Demy uses his tragic demise to juxtapose the piper’s designs on the children.
While Hurt and Pleasance are entertaining as a toxic father and son, Demy seems estranged from anyone resembling a protagonist. Donovan is instantly forgettable, and the H.R. Pufnstuf and Oliver! child star Jack Wild gets upstaged by a wild mop of hair and a pronounced limp (which explains why he isn’t entranced along with the other children), and the film plays as if Donovan’s role might have been edited down in post. The script was the debut of screenwriters Andrew Birkin (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, 2006) and Mark Peploe (The Passenger, 1975; The Last Emperor, 1987) who would both go on to write a number of offbeat auteur entries.
Disc Review:
Kino Lorber releases this obscurity as part of their Studio Classics label, presented in 1.66:1. Picture and sound quality are serviceable, however, the title would have greatly benefitted from a restoration. Dp Peter Suschitzky’s frames rightly capture the period, including some awesomely creepy frescoes housing Pleasence and son, but the color sometimes seems faded or stripped from some sequences. Kino doesn’t include any extra features.
Final Thoughts:
More of a curio piece for fans of Demy, The Pied Piper mostly seems a missed opportunity of the creepy legend.
Film Review: ★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
The post The Pied Piper | Blu-ray Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
- 5/3/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ron Moody in 'Oliver!' movie. Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' actor nominated for an Oscar dead at 91 (Note: This Ron Moody article is currently being revised.) Two well-regarded, nonagenarian British performers have died in the last few days: 93-year-old Christopher Lee (June 7, '15), best known for his many portrayals of Dracula and assorted movie villains and weirdos, from the title role in The Mummy to Dr. Catheter in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. 91-year-old Ron Moody (yesterday, June 11), among whose infrequent film appearances was the role of Fagin, the grotesque adult leader of a gang of boy petty thieves, in the 1968 Best Picture Academy Award-winning musical Oliver!, which also earned him a Best Actor nomination. Having been featured in nearly 200 movies and, most importantly, having had his mainstream appeal resurrected by way of the villainous Saruman in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies (and various associated merchandising,...
- 6/12/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Moody as Fagin with Mark Lester as Oliver Twist and Jack Wild as The Artful Dodger.
By Lee Pfeiffer
There is an old adage that says bad things happen in "threes". That seemed to be the case when it came to distinguished British actors in the past week. On the heels of news that both Richard Johnson and Sir Christopher Lee had passed away comes notice that Ron Moody has also died. He was 91 years old. Moody was undoubtedly the least famous of these three gentlemen but he was no less talented. He originated the role of Fagin in Lionel Bart's classic stage musical, "Oliver!", based on the Dickens classic "Oliver Twist". Moody won kudos for his role as the charismatic con man and head of a London gang that employed young boys as pickpockets. He was astonished when he was chosen to play the lead in the 1968 film version,...
By Lee Pfeiffer
There is an old adage that says bad things happen in "threes". That seemed to be the case when it came to distinguished British actors in the past week. On the heels of news that both Richard Johnson and Sir Christopher Lee had passed away comes notice that Ron Moody has also died. He was 91 years old. Moody was undoubtedly the least famous of these three gentlemen but he was no less talented. He originated the role of Fagin in Lionel Bart's classic stage musical, "Oliver!", based on the Dickens classic "Oliver Twist". Moody won kudos for his role as the charismatic con man and head of a London gang that employed young boys as pickpockets. He was astonished when he was chosen to play the lead in the 1968 film version,...
- 6/12/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Here’s another installment featuring Joe Dante’s reviews from his stint as a critic for Film Bulletin circa 1969-1974. Our thanks to Video Watchdog and Tim Lucas for his editorial embellishments!
Modest, lively juvenile fantasy‑with‑music from the TV series combines live actors and life‑sized puppet characters in broad slapstick. Ok for matinee and family trade. Rating: G.
Economically expanded from Sid and Marty Krofft’s Saturday morning NBC‑TV kiddie show, Pufnstuf is lively and flashy enough to hold the attention of the kids for whom it was designed, although the fantasy has a plastic aura which prevents it from attaining a much higher level than that of cardboard whimsy. A smart merchandising deal with TV sponsor Kellogg, a ready‑made audience, and its G‑rated comic nature will enable the Universal release to score in family situations and kiddie matinees, though it definitely requires a...
Modest, lively juvenile fantasy‑with‑music from the TV series combines live actors and life‑sized puppet characters in broad slapstick. Ok for matinee and family trade. Rating: G.
Economically expanded from Sid and Marty Krofft’s Saturday morning NBC‑TV kiddie show, Pufnstuf is lively and flashy enough to hold the attention of the kids for whom it was designed, although the fantasy has a plastic aura which prevents it from attaining a much higher level than that of cardboard whimsy. A smart merchandising deal with TV sponsor Kellogg, a ready‑made audience, and its G‑rated comic nature will enable the Universal release to score in family situations and kiddie matinees, though it definitely requires a...
- 5/13/2014
- by Joe Dante
- Trailers from Hell
By Lee Pfeiffer
The magnificent Oscar-winning best picture of the year for 1968, Oliver!, has been released as a Blu-ray special limited edition (3,000 units) by Twilight Time. This adaptation of the smash stage hit was a dream project for director Lewis Gilbert but, much to his dismay, the director's seat was given to Sir Carol Reed. How Gilbert's version of the film would have differed will never be known but suffice it to say, it's hard to imagine he could have improved on Reed's vision. There had been numerous previous screen versions of Dickens' classic novel Oliver Twist, with the most notable being David Lean's 1948 movie with a star-making turn by Alec Guinness as Fagin. The 1963 stage musical by Lionel Bart was a sensation and it stood to reason that the screen rights were quickly scooped up. The film went against the tide when considering other major musicals of the period.
The magnificent Oscar-winning best picture of the year for 1968, Oliver!, has been released as a Blu-ray special limited edition (3,000 units) by Twilight Time. This adaptation of the smash stage hit was a dream project for director Lewis Gilbert but, much to his dismay, the director's seat was given to Sir Carol Reed. How Gilbert's version of the film would have differed will never be known but suffice it to say, it's hard to imagine he could have improved on Reed's vision. There had been numerous previous screen versions of Dickens' classic novel Oliver Twist, with the most notable being David Lean's 1948 movie with a star-making turn by Alec Guinness as Fagin. The 1963 stage musical by Lionel Bart was a sensation and it stood to reason that the screen rights were quickly scooped up. The film went against the tide when considering other major musicals of the period.
- 11/26/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Network Distributing is pleased to announce the next batch of titles within “The British Film” range which will be available in the UK later this year. Each feature once again benefits from a new transfer, an instant play facility and will be presented in special slim-line space-saving packaging. Some of the highlights from October are a documentary about the body narrated by Vanessa Redgrave with music from Roger Waters, more gems from the vaults from Ealing Studios, classic horror, British musicals and a courtroom drama starring Richard Attenborough.
7 October
The Body £9.99
Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay narrate an intimate and innovative documentary from the seventies about the human body cut to music from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. Commentary by poet and playwright Adrian Mitchell.
The Final Programme £9.99
Cult director Robert Fuest’s dystopian sci-fi thriller. Robert Finch stars as Jerry Cornelius, a Nobel Prize winning physicist and playboy who...
7 October
The Body £9.99
Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay narrate an intimate and innovative documentary from the seventies about the human body cut to music from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. Commentary by poet and playwright Adrian Mitchell.
The Final Programme £9.99
Cult director Robert Fuest’s dystopian sci-fi thriller. Robert Finch stars as Jerry Cornelius, a Nobel Prize winning physicist and playboy who...
- 10/28/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Blu-ray Release Date: Nov. 12, 2013
Price: Blu-ray $Tba
Studio: Twilight Time
Mark Lester (l.) and Jack Wild consider themselves at home in Oliver!
Oliver!, the 1968 film screen adaptation of Lionel Bart’s smash-hit musical, is directed by the great British filmmaker Carol Reed (The Third Man).
The film tells the charming yet dark tale of a runaway orphan (Mark Lester in the title role) who travels to London to seek his fortune, only to become ensnared in a den of child-thieves run by the unforgettable Fagin (Ron Moody).
Featuring Oliver Reed (Tommy) as the brutal Bill Sikes, Shani Wallis as the endearing Nancy, and Jack Wild as the impudent Artful Dodger, Oliver! won six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture.
As supplier Twilight Time prints up only 3,000 copies of each title, be ready to pre-order your Blu-ray discs directly from distributor Screen Archives or TCM Shop (http://shop.tcm.
Price: Blu-ray $Tba
Studio: Twilight Time
Mark Lester (l.) and Jack Wild consider themselves at home in Oliver!
Oliver!, the 1968 film screen adaptation of Lionel Bart’s smash-hit musical, is directed by the great British filmmaker Carol Reed (The Third Man).
The film tells the charming yet dark tale of a runaway orphan (Mark Lester in the title role) who travels to London to seek his fortune, only to become ensnared in a den of child-thieves run by the unforgettable Fagin (Ron Moody).
Featuring Oliver Reed (Tommy) as the brutal Bill Sikes, Shani Wallis as the endearing Nancy, and Jack Wild as the impudent Artful Dodger, Oliver! won six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture.
As supplier Twilight Time prints up only 3,000 copies of each title, be ready to pre-order your Blu-ray discs directly from distributor Screen Archives or TCM Shop (http://shop.tcm.
- 9/18/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
With five Oscars on its plate, Carol Reed's musical version of Oliver Twist stars the huggable Mark Lester as the poor orphan who escapes the workhouse only to find himself amidst a gang of young city pickpockets led by sneaky scoundrel Fagin (marvellous Ron Moody). Memorable on every level, from the recreation of Victorian London and great performances (Jack Wild's Artful Dodger is just that and Oliver Reed makes the perfect bully as Bill Sikes) to the singalong numbers, including 'Food, Glorious Food', 'Consider Yourself' and, of course, 'You've Got to Pick a Pocket'. You want more?...
- 7/16/2013
- Sky Movies
Tom Hooper's film is a colossal effort – after 158 minutes, you really have experienced something. It's just not clear what
Like a diabolically potent combination of Lionel Bart and Leni Riefenstahl, the movie version of Les Misérables has arrived, based on the hit stage show adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel set among the deserving poor in 19th-century France, which climaxes with the anti-monarchist Paris uprising of 1832. Even as a non-believer in this kind of "sung-through" musical, I was battered into submission by this mesmeric and sometimes compelling film, featuring a performance of dignity and intelligence from Hugh Jackman, and an unexpectedly vulnerable singing turn from that great, big, grumpy old bear, Russell Crowe. With the final rousing chorus of "Do you hear the people sing?", the revolutionary-patriotic fervour is so bizarrely stirring, you'll feel like marching out of the cinema, wrapped in the tricolour, and travelling to Russia to...
Like a diabolically potent combination of Lionel Bart and Leni Riefenstahl, the movie version of Les Misérables has arrived, based on the hit stage show adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel set among the deserving poor in 19th-century France, which climaxes with the anti-monarchist Paris uprising of 1832. Even as a non-believer in this kind of "sung-through" musical, I was battered into submission by this mesmeric and sometimes compelling film, featuring a performance of dignity and intelligence from Hugh Jackman, and an unexpectedly vulnerable singing turn from that great, big, grumpy old bear, Russell Crowe. With the final rousing chorus of "Do you hear the people sing?", the revolutionary-patriotic fervour is so bizarrely stirring, you'll feel like marching out of the cinema, wrapped in the tricolour, and travelling to Russia to...
- 1/11/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
'Playing Fagin was one of the happiest times of my life. I loved the boys' mischievous minds – I wanted to make them laugh'
Mark Lester, actor (Oliver Twist)
The auditions had narrowed down to two other boys and me. We were put in a room in a London hotel and Carol Reed, the director, ordered the dismayed hotel barber to cut our hair badly to resemble a workhouse style. Then he just looked and looked at us, and we were sent home with this awful hair. When I heard I'd got the part, my reaction was that it was a chance to miss a lot of school. Actually, I spent most of the time in my dressing room reading Sherlock Holmes.
Ron Moody, who played Fagin, was very jolly and used to play cards with us boys between shoots. But we were all terrified of Oliver Reed. He was one...
Mark Lester, actor (Oliver Twist)
The auditions had narrowed down to two other boys and me. We were put in a room in a London hotel and Carol Reed, the director, ordered the dismayed hotel barber to cut our hair badly to resemble a workhouse style. Then he just looked and looked at us, and we were sent home with this awful hair. When I heard I'd got the part, my reaction was that it was a chance to miss a lot of school. Actually, I spent most of the time in my dressing room reading Sherlock Holmes.
Ron Moody, who played Fagin, was very jolly and used to play cards with us boys between shoots. But we were all terrified of Oliver Reed. He was one...
- 12/4/2012
- by Anna Tims
- The Guardian - Film News
My name is June Billham and I would like to introduce myself to you, I am the Theatrical Agent attached to the Barbara Speake Stage School.
Along with my partners we will be opening a part time school in January 2013 at the Trafalgar School in Twickenham.
The Barbara Speake Performing Arts Part Time School, is a sister company of the prestigious full time Barbara Speake Stage School, situated in West London.
The full time school was founded over 67 years ago by Lady Barbara Speake and partner June Collins, the Mother of singing megastar Phil. The full time school is an academic institution specialising in the Performing Arts, who have over the years gone on to produce both national and international stars such as: Phil Collins, Jack Wild, Brian Conley, Naomi Campbell, Kwami Kwei Armah and Aml Ameen to name but a few.
We have now decided that the time is...
Along with my partners we will be opening a part time school in January 2013 at the Trafalgar School in Twickenham.
The Barbara Speake Performing Arts Part Time School, is a sister company of the prestigious full time Barbara Speake Stage School, situated in West London.
The full time school was founded over 67 years ago by Lady Barbara Speake and partner June Collins, the Mother of singing megastar Phil. The full time school is an academic institution specialising in the Performing Arts, who have over the years gone on to produce both national and international stars such as: Phil Collins, Jack Wild, Brian Conley, Naomi Campbell, Kwami Kwei Armah and Aml Ameen to name but a few.
We have now decided that the time is...
- 12/3/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (ScreenTerrier)
- ScreenTerrier
Lidsville -Sid Krofft talked to me over the phone. That’s almost as wild and weird as the shows he created with his brother Marty that dominated the ’70s. Their live action Saturday morning series mixed puppets and people went perfect with the sugar rush from a fresh bowl of Count Chocula. This was like a weird childhood dream as I had so many questions that had puzzled me since childhood. Krofft was eager to give answers.
He was excited about Vivendi Entertainment’s recent release of H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series Collector’s Edition. There’s also a normal H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series. What’s the difference? A cool bobblehead of H.R. Pufnstuf. I’ve had little contact with the bobblehead since my two year-old has turned it into her new best friend. I told Sid Krofft how another generation has embraced the lizard hero of my youth.
He was excited about Vivendi Entertainment’s recent release of H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series Collector’s Edition. There’s also a normal H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series. What’s the difference? A cool bobblehead of H.R. Pufnstuf. I’ve had little contact with the bobblehead since my two year-old has turned it into her new best friend. I told Sid Krofft how another generation has embraced the lizard hero of my youth.
- 4/22/2011
- by UncaScroogeMcD
"Who's your friend when things get rough?" the theme song asks us. A 7-foot, green, dragon-man with red hair, a southern accent and a mayor's sash; that's who! For a generation of kids who grew up in the late sixties (Of which I'm one) H.R. Pufnstuf holds a special, nostalgic place. Today, guys in big, rubber costumes pretending to be benign monsters went out with Barney, but there was a time when kids weren't so jaded about such things.
Looking at it today, if you aren't familiar with 60s children's TV, you might be put off by the show's deliberately psychedelic appearance and ask "What the hell were they smoking when they made this?" That's actually a valid question, since H. R. Pufnstuf was the product of a period where certain shows were marketed toward both young children and also young adult stoners. Producers Sid and Marty Krofft churned out...
Looking at it today, if you aren't familiar with 60s children's TV, you might be put off by the show's deliberately psychedelic appearance and ask "What the hell were they smoking when they made this?" That's actually a valid question, since H. R. Pufnstuf was the product of a period where certain shows were marketed toward both young children and also young adult stoners. Producers Sid and Marty Krofft churned out...
- 4/10/2011
- by Rob Young
- JustPressPlay.net
Could you imagine winning an Oscar at age 6?! These kid stars may have been too small to reach the podium, but all were recognized by the Academy. Check it out!
Academy-Award Stars under 18Keisha Castle-Hughes
Keisha Castle-Hughes was 13 when she was nominated for Best Actress for her role in "Whale Rider" (2003). She is the youngest actress to receive a best-actress nomination.
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006). She was only 10 at the time.
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Atonement" (2008). She was 13.
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "The Sixth Sense" (1999). He was 11.
Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin was only 11 when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed movie, "The Piano" (1993).
Justin Henry
Justin Henry was...
Academy-Award Stars under 18Keisha Castle-Hughes
Keisha Castle-Hughes was 13 when she was nominated for Best Actress for her role in "Whale Rider" (2003). She is the youngest actress to receive a best-actress nomination.
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006). She was only 10 at the time.
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Atonement" (2008). She was 13.
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "The Sixth Sense" (1999). He was 11.
Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin was only 11 when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed movie, "The Piano" (1993).
Justin Henry
Justin Henry was...
- 2/26/2011
- Momlogic
When does a child actor stop being merely precocious and enter the pantheon of acting gods? You know the gods of which we speak; they look down from their mighty pedestals as we shower them with tributes year after year… The Oscar Nominees.
Well, in order to walk through that threshold into Hollywood’s elite circle, these young folks have to have chops, serious chops. Or be really, really cute. Either way, it takes sacrifice, hard work and possibly some crazy-ass stage parents.
In honor of this year’s youthful nominees Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”), and for your continued cinematified education, we present the youngest ever Academy Award nominees and winners from throughout the history of the awards.
Justin Henry, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)
Age: 8
Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Youngest Nominee)
A troubled family is at the center of 1979′s “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” where Henry...
Well, in order to walk through that threshold into Hollywood’s elite circle, these young folks have to have chops, serious chops. Or be really, really cute. Either way, it takes sacrifice, hard work and possibly some crazy-ass stage parents.
In honor of this year’s youthful nominees Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”), and for your continued cinematified education, we present the youngest ever Academy Award nominees and winners from throughout the history of the awards.
Justin Henry, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)
Age: 8
Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Youngest Nominee)
A troubled family is at the center of 1979′s “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” where Henry...
- 2/10/2011
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
Could you imagine winning an Oscar at age 6?! These kid stars may have been too small to reach the podium, but all were recognized by the Academy. Check it out!
Academy-Award Stars under 18Keisha Castle-Hughes
Keisha Castle-Hughes was 13 when she was nominated for Best Actress for her role in "Whale Rider" (2003). She is the youngest actress to receive a best-actress nomination.
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006). She was only 10 at the time.
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Atonement" (2008). She was 13.
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "The Sixth Sense" (1999). He was 11.
Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin was only 11 when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed movie, "The Piano" (1993).
Justin Henry
Justin Henry was...
Academy-Award Stars under 18Keisha Castle-Hughes
Keisha Castle-Hughes was 13 when she was nominated for Best Actress for her role in "Whale Rider" (2003). She is the youngest actress to receive a best-actress nomination.
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006). She was only 10 at the time.
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Atonement" (2008). She was 13.
Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "The Sixth Sense" (1999). He was 11.
Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin was only 11 when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed movie, "The Piano" (1993).
Justin Henry
Justin Henry was...
- 3/4/2010
- Momlogic
As far as Sid & Marty Krofft go, I consider myself more of a H.R. Pufnstuf kind of fella than Land Of The Lost guy. I don’t know if it’s the talking flute, my affinity for the Artful Dodger (Oliver Twist’s Jack Wild) or that I would rate Witchiepoo over the Wicked Witch of the West in a poll of my favorite sinister cinema sorceresses (so sorry, Maleficent). As far as Will Ferrell goes, he’s hit-and-miss with me. I love Elf and like Old School, but I’m not a fan of Talladaga Nights or those comedies he stars in that have titles that go on longer than Bill O’Reilly. And as for director Brad Silberling, well, Casper and Lemony Snicket were forgettable, but I was impressed and moved by his 2002 drama Moonlight Mile.
As a kid during the’80s, I would occasionally watch Land Of The Lost reruns,...
As a kid during the’80s, I would occasionally watch Land Of The Lost reruns,...
- 6/4/2009
- by no-reply@starlog.com (ALLAN DART)
- Starlog
Any kid who grew up in the 1970s likely remembers the psychedelic kids' shows H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. Well, if Sid and Marty Krofft have their way, the kids of today will become acquainted with their far-out characters as well.
Created by the Krofft brothers, H.R. Pufnstuf debuted on September 6, 1969. The brightly-colored series told the story of a young boy named Jimmy (Jack Wild) who owns a magic flute named Freddie. The boy is lured to Living Island by the evil Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes) who wants to steal the flute. Thankfully, the mayor of the island, H.R. Pufnstuf (voiced by show writer Lennie Weinrib), and his friends save Jimmy and manage to keep the boy from the evil witch's clutches. Though the series is well-remembered, it only ran for one season of 17 episodes.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters followed the escapades of a sweet young sea monster,...
Created by the Krofft brothers, H.R. Pufnstuf debuted on September 6, 1969. The brightly-colored series told the story of a young boy named Jimmy (Jack Wild) who owns a magic flute named Freddie. The boy is lured to Living Island by the evil Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes) who wants to steal the flute. Thankfully, the mayor of the island, H.R. Pufnstuf (voiced by show writer Lennie Weinrib), and his friends save Jimmy and manage to keep the boy from the evil witch's clutches. Though the series is well-remembered, it only ran for one season of 17 episodes.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters followed the escapades of a sweet young sea monster,...
- 6/27/2008
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Jack Wild, the former teen idol who earned an Oscar nomination for his role as the Artful Dodger in the movie musical Oliver!, died Wednesday after a long battle with mouth cancer; he was 53. Wild had initially been diagnosed with cancer in 2000, and was left unable to speak after undergoing chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy; he blamed his illness on years of heavy drinking and smoking, and was quoted as saying, "My lifestyle had made me a walking time bomb." Born in 1952 in northern England, Wild was discovered by a talent scout while playing soccer. He was cast in the London stage production of Oliver!, and his engaging, energetic portrait of the pickpocket the Artful Dodger, who sang one of the show's most famous songs, "Consider Yourself," won him acclaim as well as the role in the Oscar-winning 1968 film adaptation. His success in the film, which earned him Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, led to the lead role in the 1970 children's show H.R. Pufnstuf, one of the first television projects from producers Sid and Marty Krofft. The fantastical, sometimes surreal show, centering around a lost boy named Jimmy, his magic flute, and the helpful, six-foot dragon of the title, cemented Wild's status as a teen idol, and he also released three music albums while a TV star. By the mid-70s, however, Wild's fame had faded, and he worked only fitfully through the 80s and 90s as he struggled with alcoholism, though he did have a small role in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. His last film credit was for the 2005 film Moussaka & Chips, which featured his Oliver! co-star Ron Moody. Wild is survived by his wife, Claire Harding. --Prepared by IMDb staff...
- 3/2/2006
- WENN
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