It seemed like a sure thing…Will Ferrell and dinosaurs, what better way could you bring Krofft productions to the 21st century? Whatever happend, it didn’t work and some momentum was lost. That leaves the question of how to get the next Krofft movie on the big screen. H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund the Sea Monster were already in the pipe prior to Land of the Lost, so let’s explore them.

With the recent release of “Where the Wild Things Are”, Spike Jonze illustrated both what to do, and what not to do when mixing low-tech costumes and high-tech effect. The character of H.R. Pufnstuf can learn a lot from Wild Things. Sid and Marty are still costume masters, so expect them to up the anti. They can also learn from the story, as Marty said “Don’t mess with what worked“. Removing the 70s camp, and inserting some 21st century realism without loosing the childhood innocense will make Pufnstuf a wonderful film. A cameo from Billie Hayes is also a must.

Sigmund on the other hand could be tricky. Where Pufnstuf takes place in the magical “Living Island”, the Sigmund story takes place in the ‘real world’. The entire premise is camp. The story and costumes would require an update. Does Sigmund still talk? Does the story take on a Waterhorse style? It would be amazing to see the story of Johnny and his pal Sigmund come to the big screen (music and all), but I just can’t imagine how it would work. Maybe Pufnstuf would pave the way.

One of the problems I see is that Sid and Marty aren’t doing enough self promotion. They are not following the advice of Walt Disney that Sid quotes often, “keep your name above the title”. It wasn’t “Sid & Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost”, it was “Will Ferrell in Land of the Lost”. Yes, they are releasing more and more of their shows online (Hulu, iTunes, etc), but not promoting it well. They partnered with the already dieing MySpace, which has done nothing for their online presence except associate them with trashy chicks and dudes hoping to hook up (I’m not saying everyone on MySpace is that way, but it is the overwhelming majority).

Sid and Marty, get your name back “above the title”.

With the impending release of Land of the Lost, and future projects such as Sigmund and the Seamonsters, this tribute should go a long way in bringing them back into the pop culture consciousness.

Friend of KROFFT.NET, author Ted Nichelson, had this report from the event:

I went to the taping of the TV Land Awards on Sunday evening at Universal Studios. They had a huge, spectacular musical production number dedicated to Krofft shows, so you won’t want to miss it. It was like a Broadway revue and ran about 8 minutes. They touched on everything just about, and had many Krofft characters in full costume – including HR Pufnstuff and Sigmund. Others were Kilng and Klang, Lidsville hats, Hoo Doo, and Billie Hayes reprised her role as Witchiepoo. They had some Bugaloos flying around. Cyndi Lauper sang “ElectroWoman and DynaGirl” while Clint Black sang “Land of the Lost.” Sid and Marty came up afterwards and accepted the Pop Culture award. It was truly amazing to see in person.

I really regret my decision not to go, but I couldn’t justify the expense. After seeing the broadcast on Sunday, I’m very envious of those who attended. The production number was very Krofft, and I’m sure there were thousands of viewers who said, “Hey, I remember that show!” every time a new song was sung. Now, when do they get their Emmy tribute?

The costumes were wonderful; each reproduced to the original puppets of the 70s. Cindy Lauper and Clint Black seemed to fit in, but Barry Williams (as much as I like him) didn’t fit in well. Also, where was Billie Hayes? The actress that portrayed Witchiepoo did a wonderful job, but Billie should have been involved in some fashion. She was part of the Krofft’s early success and, I assume, available to participate.

Photos provided by Ted Nichelson

In all, I thought the show was great and hope that it is only a precursor to the coming wave of respect to be show to these great legends. Also, thank you Sid and Marty for recognizing us fans who’ve stuck by you all these years, and helped to keep your creations alive.

Welcome to the World of Sid and Marty Krofft!

Over at MovieWeb there are some exclusive video interviews with Sid & Marty Krofft, actors Danny McBride and Jorma Taccone as well as the director Brad Silberling. In the interview, the Krofft brothers discuss LOTL merchandising and plans for Sigmund and Pufnstuf movies.

Over at ComingSoon they have a desciption of the teaser shown at the Land of the Lost Panel.

White on black text reads:
10 thousand pounds
Over 20 feet tall
Driven by hunger
Never before witnessed by man
The scene cuts to a dinosaur walking through a prehistoric jungle. In the foreground, Will Ferrell looks directly into the camera with his back to the creature.
“He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” says Ferrell, “I’m just trying not to move.”
The theme comes up and it cuts to the “Land of the Lost, 2009″ text.

At MTV’s MovieBlog Sid and Marty discuss the future H.R. Pufnstuf movie.

“Our next one is Pufnstuf,” explained Sid (79 years young), referring to their beloved children’s show about a mayor with an oversized head and oft-suspected predilection towards marijuana. “And then after that, ‘Sigmund & the Sea Monster.’ They’re all in the works.” “Look. They’re gonna happen when they happen,” chimed in his brother Marty, 71. “With ‘Land of the Lost’ and the way this thing turned out, you just have a gut feeling.”

Let’s end with a very lengthy article at The LA Times. In the article, Sid and Marty clear up a “mistake” in their bio.

For example, take the celebrated Krofft family history: Sid and Marty are supposedly fifth-generation puppeteers, dating to the opening of the Krofft Theater in the early 1700s in Athens. It is a truly amazing tale and cited in almost every article every written about them, and it’s the first line of their bio. It is also not true. It was cooked up by a New York publicist in the 1940s. The brothers have carried it with them ever since, until Sid suddenly decided to clear his conscience in an interview for this story. “It became a trap,” Sid explained, shaking his head. “I was telling Marty the other day how bad it is that some of his children even have heard it and believe it.”

They cite the famous quote from Walt Disney, ‘The one thing to remember is, don’t ever sell anything you create and always put your name above the title, whatever you do. They’ll fight you off from doing it, but stick to it.’ That being said, “Sid and Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost” premiers on 17 July 2009. Yes!

The movie will preserve some of the campy aesthetic–the Sleestaks look much as they did 30 years ago–but little Holly has been replaced by a Cambridge-educated linguist in tight denim shorts. Ferrell is now a disgraced scientist instead of a park ranger, and the PG-13 rating means there’ll be one or two curse words.

Sid and Marty are getting a $1 million producer’s fee and 4% of the movie’s profits. Marty says someone’s already interested in making feature versions of Pufnstuf and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. If he had listened to Sid, he says, they would have sold the rights to their shows long ago. Now he estimates those rights are worth $25 million. Among the people who offered to buy them out was pop singer Michael Jackson.

“Thank God that didn’t happen,” says Marty. “The minute you cash the check, then what? That’ll kill you in a month.”

In the article, there are very excited quotes from, of course, Sid who seems to be really enjoying his creations coming to life again. Believe it or not, this article renews my hopes in the new movie. This will “stretch their legacy to a new generation”. Anything that can achieve that purpose, I will support. Comments?

Also check out Forbe’s In Pictures: The Krofft’s Greatest Hits.

LOS ANGELES, December 7, 2000 — E! Entertainment Television will premiere “H.R. Pufnstuf and the Strange World of Sid and Marty Krofft: The E! True Hollywood Story” on Sunday, December 24 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. This one-hour installment reveals the behind-the-scenes drama on many of the Kroffts’ television shows of the 1970s and 80s and examines the often strained personal and professional relationship of brothers Sid and Marty Krofft. Interviews include the Krofft brothers, actors Billy Barty, Rip Taylor, Jack Wild and Billie Hayes.


The Krofft Brothers, best known for their children’s television program “H.R. Pufnstuf,” began collaborating in 1960 with a nude puppet show, “Les Poupee des Paris,” performing it in their own small Los Angeles theatre and later at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. In 1969 the Krofft brothers created and produced their first television program, “H.R. Pufnstuf,” a psychedelic and fantastical children’s show that found a cult following with an acid-dropping counter-culture. The program proved to be popular with viewers, but nonetheless put them a million dollars in the red. They followed up “H. R. Pufnstuf” with “The Bugaloos,” “Lidsville,” “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters,” “Land of the Lost,” “Far Out Space Nuts,” and other popular Saturday morning kids’ programming as well “The Donny and Marie Variety Show,” “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters” and “D.C. Follies.”


In addition to television, the Kroffts ventured unsuccessfully into the theme-park market with the opening of the Atlanta-based “The World of Sid and Marty Krofft.” After the amusement park debacle, the Kroffts put their full efforts into a slew of prime-time variety shows, but with mixed success. By the mid 1980s, viewers had tired of the variety show format and Sid and Marty expanded into different projects that included a return to television puppetry.


Quotes from the program:


Marty Krofft on the death of his father and its influence – “My father left us a note that said, ‘Dear boys, I had a good life. I love you all, but I’ve left you no money, and by doing this I’m doing you a favor. It’ll give you guys a chance to be self-made men.’”


Marty Krofft on H.R. Pufnstuf – “Little did I know that when I sold NBC Pufnstuf, that I’d lose a million dollars.”


Lennie Weinrib, actor/writer, on the title of the series – “We thought of ‘Puff the Magic Dragon,’ the song sung by Peter, Paul & Mary. And then we thought Puff and his different stuff. And H.R. was supposed to be Royal Highness turned around.”


Marty Krofft, when NBC ordered the first episodes of the series – “I sent my assistant to the bookstore to buy a book on how to produce a television series, because I didn’t know how to do it.”


Sid Krofft, on the money spent for the large-scaled production show – “I would not accept anyone to cut my ideas. I wanted everything.”


Hal Erickson, television historian, on the cult following – “You’d see a crazy witch. You’d see talking trees. You’d see talking mushrooms. And this just drove the people who were drugged out crazy!”


Lennie Weinrib on the drug connection – “I think fans gave it a kind of mysterious code-like meaning, like ‘Ah, was Pufnstuf puffing stuff? Like grass?’ Was it psychedelic? Was it drug oriented? Not to us, it wasn’t.”


Marty Krofft, on the failed attempt to create a successful fantasy theme park – “The park was the eighth wonder of the world. But we were in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people.”


The award-winning “E! True Hollywood Story” is a series of one- and two-hour docu-dramas chronicling the lives of some of entertainment’s most celebrated people, places and events. Utilizing E!’s unparalleled access to the entertainment industry, the program provides a true insider’s view of Hollywood, putting the star-making machine under a microscope with each new installment. “The E! True Hollywood Story” began life as a series of specials with the March 30,1996 premiere of “Dark Obsession: The Stalking and Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer” and quickly established itself as the network’s most successful programming franchise. It currently airs seven nights a week at 9:00 PM ET/PT.