The catalog of North Carolina publishers McFarland and Company is a veritable goldmine of works on often neglected corners of history and popular culture.Despite their no-frills design and the sometimes variablequality of the writing therein, the characteristic thoroughness, ambitionand enthusiasm of McFarland's publications typically makes them worth theirunderstandably (for a small publisher printing small editions of highlyspecialized texts) steep prices. Hal Erickson's Sid and Marty Krofft: ACritical Study of Saturday Morning Children's Television, 1969-1993 is noexception.While Erickson's subtitle rather oversteps the actual contentof the book--it is strictly limited to "Saturday Morning Children'sTelevison" Krofft style, and a truly "critical study" of theKrofft oeuvre wouldn't skip so gingerly over the relationship of "H.R.Pufnstuf" to Vietnam-era drug culture, or ignore entirely, say, thepeculiar sexual politics of "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters"(Sigmund being seduced by his brother in drag?A camp genie shacking upwith a runaway sea monster and a half-naked "nephew," bothunderage?) or the Kroffts' general subversion of the mythic Americannuclear family (aunts, babysitters, robots, even, but where are theparents?Marshall disappeared after a season of "Land of theLost," Big Daddy and Sweet Mama were just plain abusive)--it isnonetheless an invaluable source of information and insight for any Krofftfan. David Martindale's Pufnstuff and Other Stuff: The Weird and WonderfulWorld of Sid and Marty Krofft (q.v.) may be less pretentious (Ericksonhasn't quite mastered the academic pop culture studies style he attempts tomimic, and is prone to annoying Britishisms), and, certainly,better-illustrated (apparently, McFarland either couldn't or wouldn't printeven a single llustration in its offering), but Erickson's book more thancomplements it in its attention to the details, contexts, and significanceof the Wonderful World of Sid and Marty Krofft.An extra star for effort...Click Here to see more reviews about: Sid and Marty Krofft: A Critical Study of Saturday Morning Childrens Television, 19691993 (Paperback)
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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'stelevision, 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.
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