Sid and Marty Krofft: A Critical Study of Saturday Morning Children's Television, 1969-1993

by Hal Erickson

H.R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost : For a generation of children growing up in the late sixties and early seventies, these were some of the most memorable shows on Saturday morning television. At a time when television cartoons had lost some of their luster, two puppeteers named Sid and Marty Krofft put together a series of shows that captivated children. Using colorful sets and mysterious lands full of characters that had boundless energy, the Kroffts created a new form of children's television, rooted in the medium's earliest shows but nevertheless original in its concept. This work first provides a history of the Kroffts' pretelevision career, then offers discussions of their 11 Saturday morning shows. Complete cast and credit information is enhanced by interviews with many of the actors and actresses, behind-the-scenes information, print reviews of the series, and plot listings of the individual episodes. The H.R. Pufnstuf feature film, the brothers' other television work, and their short-lived indoor theme park are also detailed.

Genres: Tv

303 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Mark Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all “a critical study.” Rather, a respectable episode guide with background information on each of the Krofts’ Saturday morning television shows. Pleasant.

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this five stars because of how well it accomplished its goal. It set out to provide a comprehensive study of Sid and Marty Krofts' productions, and it succeeded admirably. The author has everything from cast to puppet makers, director information and interviews with actors. The writing is enjoyable too - varyingly informative, snarky, and conversational.

My only caveat is that this book is probably best suited for, as the author says in the introduction, for those born between 1956 and 1971. For anyone before, these shows would have been for kids; for anyone after, it would be the old stuff. But since I fall in that sweet spot, it was great to learn all about the shows I grew up with.

In fact, along those lines, my interest waned toward the end of the book, which was entirely the fault of this reader, not the writer. What happened was I had outgrown the shows by the time of their later output, so I was reading about programs I had never seen. Nevertheless, the writing carried me along to the end of the book easily.

One thing to note - if you haven't seen these shows, you will get the sense that they are absolutely amazing from the author's description of them. He is, simply put, a huge fan. But even as a kid watching these, I remember them as being fun but cheesy. In the spirit of finding out for myself, I started watching "Land of the Lost" again, which confirmed it. The writing had some good points, but the effects are hilariously dated (I remember thinking, as a kid, didn't I just see those two dinosaurs fighting the exact same way last week?). But this enthusiasm that the author has for the shows is part of what makes the book so good.

One final. personal note - the book was written before Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost" movie came out. I would love to know what the author felt about that!

[travelmel]

I really need to buy and own this book. Travelmel was deeply affected by the Krofft brothers. My flute icon, if you didn't know, is from H.R. Puf-n-Stuff.