From what I've seen on the net, this show not only gave rise to several toys and merchandise, it was popular enough for them to do a live show at the Hollywood Bowl. That would seen to indicate it must have been a popular show, so it seems strange it was cancelled after just 17 episodes, does anybody know why that happened?
I was just curious.
I think it only became popular in latter years, hence the countless reruns. It was a big part of my childhood and probably the best the best kid's show that's ever been on esp compared to the *beep* on nowadays
shareIt was because the Krofft's were losing more money than they were gaining, so, the show was cancelled.
share
That was how Saturday Morning shows worked, at the time. They produced a certain number of episodes and just kept replaying them. Take another famous series from those years, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You, for example, which had a grand total of 25 episodes, 17 produced for the first season, 8 the next. H. R. Pufnstuf ran three years with those 17 episodes. Scooby-Doo ran for three years with those 25. Then, the series got a revamp and produced 25 new episodes for the next two seasons, before going back to the original 25 for the next two.
I think because they ran out of LSD.
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
hahaha true . . . Although I'm 19 I used to watch HR Pufnstuf before bed when I was younger. My mom grew up watching them and introduced me to the series. When your young you just think ohh funnnn HR Pufnstuf neato! . . . looking back I know realize it was one big acid trip.
My favorite part will always be the theme song . . .
I don't think it was really that popular. Although I never cared much for the show, I used to play a game similar to tag with the neighborhood kids. Whoever was 'it' was Witchiepoo and had to cackle like she did when they were chasing you. When it was on TV, it usually ran on Saturday mornings right before "American Bandstand" or "The Children's Film Festival" came on. In addition to HR Pufnstuf, I remember a really lame show called "The Bugaloos". As a kid, when the Bugaloos or HR Pufnstuf came on, you knew that your Saturday morning cartoons were over and it was time to go outside and play. How times have changed!
shareI had remembered it as being on of the first shows on that day. I remember getting up really early to see them. Of course, each part of the country had their own time for airing it.
shareWhen I was a kid, I think most of the Krofft shows were only on for a year; Lidsville, The Bugaloos, H.R. Pufnstuff. From what I heard on TV, they even tried an Amusement park based on the Krofft shows. Somewhere down south, like Disney World, but it went out of business.
shareAt that time, most of those saturday morning kids shows were only in production for a year or two. If you compare the production values on Pufnstuf, they are much higher than any of the other live action shows. It must have been expensive to produce.
shareThe way I heard it the show was popular but NBC didn't want to shell out the money for a second season and told Sid and Marty Kroft they would have to foot the bill themselves.
They didn't, so NBC ran a repeats of the first season episodes to create a second season without having to pay for it!
Didn't PUFNSTUF run on Sunday mornings in reruns for on network for one last season? That's usually where the networks would "dump" the least popular kid's show for a second season after the original run, not popular enough to stay on Saturday mornings but probably still needed to air to make some money off of it. Or maybe it was syndicated after the network run, I think it was in addition to a Sunday season. I think it was a fairly popular kids show; I know my family watched it and we even went to the movie.
shareYes. H.R. Pufnstuf did rerun on Sunday mornings from September 1972 through September 1973.
But that last increment of reruns defected to ABC from NBC where it was originally shown. (NBC had no Sunday morning kids' show lineup; they mostly handed that time over to their affiliates and then aired Meet the Press around 12:30 P.M. Eastern. Only CBS and ABC had kids' shows on Sunday mornings at that time.)
Jack Wild was turning eighteen when the show ended, he was starting to show his true age. He was tired of the show, wanted to move on which he did in the movie Melody.
Without Jack Wild in the role of Jimmy, producers thought it was best to cancel and bring on Lidville with Butch Patrick.
And look how well Jack's career worked out.
Normal Is A Myth.
Jack Wild was only 18 when did this HR PufNstuf...then they did a movie of the same name Pufnstuf....he was doing OK and High with young teens in 1969 to 1970...No One knows once future...Jack Wild did not know he would be drug user..he was not then..he was not allow
....Jack auditioned as The Artful Dodger for several subsequent stage productions of Oliver!, he was always turned down because he was too short.[5] However, he was chosen to portray the Artful Dodger for the 1968 movie version. He received critical acclaim and several nominations:
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer
BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer
H.R. Pufnstuf. Wild starred in this American family television series that launched in 1969, and he was paid $1,000,000 to play "Jimmy", a boy washed up on "Living Island"
Pufnstuf (film) 1970 it was a hit...made at least 25 million. Jack Wild was paid more than $3,000,000.
The most prominent of these was "H.R. Pufnstuf & The Brady Kids Live at the Hollywood Bowl", which was performed and recorded in 1973...This had the highest rating...Jack Wild made appearance he was 20....
The Network CBS had cancel the show because Jack Wild was showing his age, he was 18 not twelve..he was playing a twelve year old.....Second time he played a twelve old was Melody.
Jack Wild was only 18 when did this HR PufNstuf...then they did a movie of the same name Pufnstuf....he was doing OK and High with young teens in 1969 to 1970...No One knows once future...Jack Wild did not know he would be drug user..he was not then..he was not allow
....Jack auditioned as The Artful Dodger for several subsequent stage productions of Oliver!, he was always turned down because he was too short. However, he was chosen to portray the Artful Dodger for the 1968 movie version. He received critical acclaim and several nominations:
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer
BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer
H.R. Pufnstuf. Wild starred in this American family television series that launched in 1969, and he was paid $1,000,000 to play "Jimmy", a boy washed up on "Living Island"
Pufnstuf (film) 1970 it was a hit...made at least 25 million. Jack Wild was paid more than $3,000,000.
The most prominent of these was "H.R. Pufnstuf & The Brady Kids Live at the Hollywood Bowl", which was performed and recorded in 1973...This had the highest rating...Jack Wild made appearance he was 20....
The Network CBS had cancel the show because Jack Wild was showing his age, he was 18 not twelve..he was playing a twelve year old.....Second time he played a twelve old was Melody.
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) Jack Wild's biggest problem he was 5ft 8 Inches some state he was 5ft 5 inches but stuck playing twelve to fifteen old all of his life......he did drugs, smoked himself to death....during this time period he did not do a lot....he was happy to be rich.
I was smoking since I was twelve. The people around me - the agents, personal and business managers - could hardly say, "You can't have a drink." I was employing them, after all. By the time I was nineteen I thought I was God. stated by Jack Wild.
Arthur Wild (September 8-1951– September 20, 2000)- he was the older brother of Jack Wild...he had the same problems stuck playing teens...early twenties....both were fashion gossip magazines...posters....for teen girls.
OP - they made a movie instead of 2nd season and it flopped lol
You Suck...now deal with it.
Krofft just made 17 episodes of their shows, H.R, Bugaloos, Lidsville and then just reran them. H.R. Pufnstuf was filmed, the others were videotaped. Sigmund And The Seamonsters did have a short second season of 8 new taped episodes.
shareOP - they made a movie instead of 2nd season and it flopped lol