document_title: Mount St. Helens

question_text: when was the last time mount st helens erupted

text: Mount St. Helens

text: Geographic setting and description

text: General

text: Mount St. Helens is 34 miles (55 km) west of Mount Adams, in the western part of the Cascade Range. These "sister and brother" volcanic mountains are approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Mount Rainier, the highest of Cascade volcanoes. Mount Hood, the nearest major volcanic peak in Oregon, is 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Mount St. Helens.

text: Mount St. Helens is geologically young compared with the other major Cascade volcanoes. It formed only within the past 40,000 years, and the pre-1980 summit cone began rising about 2,200 years ago.[5] The volcano is considered the most active in the Cascades within the Holocene epoch (the last 10,000 or so years).[6]

text: Prior to the 1980 eruption, Mount St. Helens was the fifth-highest peak in Washington. It stood out prominently from surrounding hills because of the symmetry and extensive snow and ice cover of the pre-1980 summit cone, earning it the nickname "Fuji-san of America".[7] The peak rose more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above its base, where the lower flanks merge with adjacent ridges. The mountain is 6 miles (9.7 km) across at its base, which is at an elevation of 4,400 feet (1,300 m) on the northeastern side and 4,000 feet (1,200 m) elsewhere. At the pre-eruption tree line, the width of the cone was 4 miles (6.4 km).

text: Streams that originate on the volcano enter three main river systems: the Toutle River on the north and northwest, the Kalama River on the west, and the Lewis River on the south and east. The streams are fed by abundant rain and snow. The average annual rainfall is 140 inches (3,600 mm), and the snow pack on the mountain's upper slopes can reach 16 feet (4.9 m).[8] The Lewis River is impounded by three dams for hydroelectric power generation. The southern and eastern sides of the volcano drain into an upstream impoundment, the Swift Reservoir, which is directly south of the volcano's peak.

text: Although Mount St. Helens is in Skamania County, Washington, access routes to the mountain run through Cowlitz County to the west. State Route 504, locally known as the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, connects with Interstate 5 at Exit 49, 34 miles (55 km) to the west of the mountain. That north–south highway skirts the low-lying cities of Castle Rock, Longview and Kelso along the Cowlitz River, and passes through the Vancouver, Washington–Portland, Oregon metropolitan area less than 50 miles (80 km) to the southwest. The community nearest the volcano is Cougar, Washington, in the Lewis River valley 11 miles (18 km) south-southwest of the peak. Gifford Pinchot National Forest surrounds Mount St. Helens.

text: Crater Glacier and other new rock glaciers

text: During the winter of 1980–1981, a new glacier appeared. Now officially named Crater Glacier, it was formerly known as the Tulutson Glacier. Shadowed by the crater walls and fed by heavy snowfall and repeated snow avalanches, it grew rapidly (14 feet (4.3 m) per year in thickness). By 2004, it covered about 0.36 square miles (0.93 km2), and was divided by the dome into a western and eastern lobe. Typically, by late summer, the glacier looks dark from rockfall from the crater walls and ash from eruptions. As of 2006, the ice had an average thickness of 300 feet (100 m) and a maximum of 650 feet (200 m), nearly as deep as the much older and larger Carbon Glacier of Mount Rainier. The ice is all post–1980, making the glacier very young geologically. However, the volume of the new glacier is about the same as all the pre–1980 glaciers combined.[10][11][12][13][14]

text: With the recent volcanic activity starting in 2004, the glacier lobes were pushed aside and upward by the growth of new volcanic domes. The surface of the glacier, once mostly without crevasses, turned into a chaotic jumble of icefalls heavily criss-crossed with crevasses and seracs caused by movement of the crater floor.[15] The new domes have almost separated the Crater Glacier into an eastern and western lobe. Despite the volcanic activity, the termini of the glacier have still advanced, with a slight advance on the western lobe and a more considerable advance on the more shaded eastern lobe. Due to the advance, two lobes of the glacier joined together in late May 2008 and thus the glacier completely surrounds the lava domes.[15][16][17] In addition, since 2004, new glaciers have formed on the crater wall above Crater Glacier feeding rock and ice onto its surface below; there are two rock glaciers to the north of the eastern lobe of Crater Glacier.[18]

text: Geologic history

text: Ancestral stages of eruptive activity

text: The early eruptive stages of Mount St. Helens are known as the "Ape Canyon Stage" (around 40,000–35,000 years ago), the "Cougar Stage" (ca. 20,000–18,000 years ago), and the "Swift Creek Stage" (roughly 13,000–8,000 years ago).[19] The modern period, since about 2500 BCE, is called the "Spirit Lake Stage". Collectively, the pre–Spirit Lake stages are known as the "ancestral stages". The ancestral and modern stages differ primarily in the composition of the erupted lavas; ancestral lavas consisted of a characteristic mixture of dacite and andesite, while modern lava is very diverse (ranging from olivine basalt to andesite and dacite).[20]

text: St. Helens started its growth in the Pleistocene 37,600 years ago, during the Ape Canyon stage, with dacite and andesite eruptions of hot pumice and ash.[20] 36,000 years ago a large mudflow cascaded down the volcano;[20] mudflows were significant forces in all of St. Helens' eruptive cycles. The Ape Canyon eruptive period ended around 35,000 years ago and was followed by 17,000 years of relative quiet. Parts of this ancestral cone were fragmented and transported by glaciers 14,000 to 18,000 years ago during the last glacial period of the current ice age.[20]

text: The second eruptive period, the Cougar Stage, started 20,000 years ago and lasted for 2,000 years.[20] Pyroclastic flows of hot pumice and ash along with dome growth occurred during this period. Another 5,000 years of dormancy followed, only to be upset by the beginning of the Swift Creek eruptive period, typified by pyroclastic flows, dome growth and blanketing of the countryside with tephra. Swift Creek ended 8,000 years ago.

text: Smith Creek and Pine Creek eruptive periods

text: A dormancy of about 4,000 years was broken around 2500 BCE with the start of the Smith Creek eruptive period, when eruptions of large amounts of ash and yellowish-brown pumice covered thousands of square miles. An eruption in 1900 BCE was the largest known eruption from St. Helens during the Holocene epoch, judged by the volume of one of the tephra layers from that period. This eruptive period lasted until about 1600 BCE and left 18 inches (46 cm) deep deposits of material 50 miles (80 km) distant in what is now Mt. Rainier National Park. Trace deposits have been found as far northeast as Banff National Park in Alberta, and as far southeast as eastern Oregon.[21] All told there may have been up to 2.5 cubic miles (10 km3) of material ejected in this cycle.[21] Some 400 years of dormancy followed.

text: St. Helens came alive again around 1200 BCE — the Pine Creek eruptive period.[21] This lasted until about 800 BCE and was characterized by smaller-volume eruptions. Numerous dense, nearly red hot pyroclastic flows sped down St. Helens' flanks and came to rest in nearby valleys. A large mudflow partly filled 40 miles (64 km) of the Lewis River valley sometime between 1000 BCE and 500 BCE.

text: Castle Creek and Sugar Bowl eruptive periods

text: The next eruptive period, the Castle Creek period, began about 400 BCE, and is characterized by a change in composition of St. Helens' lava, with the addition of olivine and basalt.[22] The pre-1980 summit cone started to form during the Castle Creek period. Significant lava flows in addition to the previously much more common fragmented and pulverized lavas and rocks (tephra) distinguished this period. Large lava flows of andesite and basalt covered parts of the mountain, including one around the year 100 BCE that traveled all the way into the Lewis and Kalama river valleys.[22] Others, such as Cave Basalt (known for its system of lava tubes), flowed up to 9 miles (14 km) from their vents.[22] During the first century, mudflows moved 30 miles (50 km) down the Toutle and Kalama river valleys and may have reached the Columbia River. Another 400 years of dormancy ensued.

text: The Sugar Bowl eruptive period was short and markedly different from other periods in Mount St. Helens history. It produced the only unequivocal laterally directed blast known from Mount St. Helens before the 1980 eruptions.[23] During Sugar Bowl time, the volcano first erupted quietly to produce a dome, then erupted violently at least twice producing a small volume of tephra, directed-blast deposits, pyroclastic flows, and lahars.[23]

text: Kalama and Goat Rocks eruptive periods

text: Roughly 700 years of dormancy were broken in about 1480, when large amounts of pale gray dacite pumice and ash started to erupt, beginning the Kalama period. The eruption in 1480 was several times larger than the May 18, 1980, eruption.[23] In 1482, another large eruption rivaling the 1980 eruption in volume is known to have occurred.[23] Ash and pumice piled 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of the volcano to a thickness of 3 feet (0.9 m); 50 miles (80 km) away, the ash was 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Large pyroclastic flows and mudflows subsequently rushed down St. Helens' west flanks and into the Kalama River drainage system.

text: This 150-year period next saw the eruption of less silica-rich lava in the form of andesitic ash that formed at least eight alternating light- and dark-colored layers.[22] Blocky andesite lava then flowed from St. Helens' summit crater down the volcano's southeast flank.[22] Later, pyroclastic flows raced down over the andesite lava and into the Kalama River valley. It ended with the emplacement of a dacite dome several hundred feet (~200 m) high at the volcano's summit, which filled and overtopped an explosion crater already at the summit.[24] Large parts of the dome's sides broke away and mantled parts of the volcano's cone with talus. Lateral explosions excavated a notch in the southeast crater wall. St. Helens reached its greatest height and achieved its highly symmetrical form by the time the Kalama eruptive cycle ended, about 1647.[24] The volcano remained quiet for the next 150 years.

text: The 57-year eruptive period that started in 1800 was named after the Goat Rocks dome, and is the first time that both oral and written records exist.[24] Like the Kalama period, the Goat Rocks period started with an explosion of dacite tephra, followed by an andesite lava flow, and culminated with the emplacement of a dacite dome. The 1800 eruption probably rivalled the 1980 eruption in size, although it did not result in massive destruction of the cone. The ash drifted northeast over central and eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana. There were at least a dozen reported small eruptions of ash from 1831 to 1857, including a fairly large one in 1842. The vent was apparently at or near Goat Rocks on the northeast flank.[24] Goat Rocks dome was the site of the bulge in the 1980 eruption, and it was obliterated in the major eruption event on May 18, 1980 that destroyed the entire north face and top 1,300 feet (400 m) of the mountain.

text: Modern eruptive period

text: 1980 to 2001 activity

text: On March 20, 1980, Mount St. Helens experienced a magnitude 4.2 earthquake;[2] and, on March 27, steam venting started.[25] By the end of April, the north side of the mountain had started to bulge.[26] On May 18, a second earthquake, of magnitude 5.1, triggered a massive collapse of the north face of the mountain. It was the largest known debris avalanche in recorded history. The magma in St. Helens burst forth into a large-scale pyroclastic flow that flattened vegetation and buildings over 230 square miles (600 km2). More than 1.5 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide were released into the atmosphere.[27] On the Volcanic Explosivity Index scale, the eruption was rated a five, and categorized as a Plinian eruption.

text: The collapse of the northern flank of St. Helens mixed with ice, snow, and water to create lahars (volcanic mudflows). The lahars flowed many miles down the Toutle and Cowlitz Rivers, destroying bridges and lumber camps. A total of 3,900,000 cubic yards (3,000,000 m3) of material was transported 17 miles (27 km) south into the Columbia River by the mudflows.[28]

text: For more than nine hours, a vigorous plume of ash erupted, eventually reaching 12 to 16 miles (20 to 27 km) above sea level.[29] The plume moved eastward at an average speed of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h) with ash reaching Idaho by noon. Ashes from the eruption were found collecting on top of cars and roofs next morning, as far as the city of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada.

text: By about 5:30 p.m. on May 18, the vertical ash column declined in stature, and less severe outbursts continued through the night and for the next several days. The St. Helens May 18 eruption released 24 megatons of thermal energy;[3][30] it ejected more than 0.67 cubic miles (2.79 km3) of material.[3] The removal of the north side of the mountain reduced St. Helens' height by about 1,300 feet (400 m) and left a crater 1 mile (1.6 km) to 2 miles (3.2 km) wide and 0.5 miles (800 m) deep, with its north end open in a huge breach. The eruption killed 57 people, nearly 7,000 big game animals (deer, elk, and bear), and an estimated 12 million fish from a hatchery.[8] It destroyed or extensively damaged over 200 homes, 185 miles (298 km) of highway and 15 miles (24 km) of railways.[8]

text: Between 1980 and 1986, activity continued at Mount St. Helens, with a new lava dome forming in the crater. Numerous small explosions and dome-building eruptions occurred. From December 7, 1989, to January 6, 1990, and from November 5, 1990, to February 14, 1991, the mountain erupted with sometimes huge clouds of ash.[31]

text: 2004 to 2008 activity

text: Magma reached the surface of the volcano about October 11, 2004, resulting in the building of a new lava dome on the existing dome's south side. This new dome continued to grow throughout 2005 and into 2006. Several transient features were observed, such as a lava spine nicknamed the "whaleback," which comprised long shafts of solidified magma being extruded by the pressure of magma beneath. These features were fragile and broke down soon after they were formed. On July 2, 2005, the tip of the whaleback broke off, causing a rockfall that sent ash and dust several hundred meters into the air.[32]

text: Mount St. Helens showed significant activity on March 8, 2005, when a 36,000-foot (11,000 m) plume of steam and ash emerged—visible from Seattle.[33] This relatively minor eruption was a release of pressure consistent with ongoing dome building. The release was accompanied by a magnitude 2.5 earthquake.

text: Another feature to emerge from the dome was called the "fin" or "slab." Approximately half the size of a football field, the large, cooled volcanic rock was being forced upward as quickly as 6 ft (2 m) per day.[34][35] In mid-June 2006, the slab was crumbling in frequent rockfalls, although it was still being extruded. The height of the dome was 7,550 feet (2,300 m), still below the height reached in July 2005 when the whaleback collapsed.

text: On October 22, 2006, at 3:13 p.m. PST, a magnitude 3.5 earthquake broke loose Spine 7. The collapse and avalanche of the lava dome sent an ash plume 2,000 feet (600 m) over the western rim of the crater; the ash plume then rapidly dissipated.

text: On December 19, 2006, a large white plume of condensing steam was observed, leading some media people to assume there had been a small eruption. However, the Cascades Volcano Observatory of the USGS did not mention any significant ash plume.[36] The volcano was in continuous eruption from October 2004, but this eruption consisted in large part of a gradual extrusion of lava forming a dome in the crater.

text: On January 16, 2008, steam began seeping from a fracture on top of the lava dome. Associated seismic activity was the most noteworthy since 2004. Scientists suspended activities in the crater and the mountain flanks, but the risk of a major eruption was deemed low.[37] By the end of January, the eruption paused; no more lava was being extruded from the lava dome. On July 10, 2008, it was determined that the eruption had ended, after more than six months of no volcanic activity.[38]

text: Human history

text: Importance to Native Americans

text: American Indian lore contains numerous legends to explain the eruptions of Mount St. Helens and other Cascade volcanoes. The most famous of these is the Bridge of the Gods legend told by the Klickitat people. In their tale, the chief of all the gods and his two sons, Pahto (also called Klickitat) and Wy'east, traveled down the Columbia River from the Far North in search for a suitable area to settle.[39]

text: They came upon an area that is now called The Dalles and thought they had never seen a land so beautiful. The sons quarreled over the land, so to solve the dispute their father shot two arrows from his mighty bow — one to the north and the other to the south. Pahto followed the arrow to the north and settled there while Wy'east did the same for the arrow to the south. The chief of the gods then built the Bridge of the Gods, so his family could meet periodically.[39]

text: When the two sons of the chief of the gods fell in love with a beautiful maiden named Loowit, she could not choose between them. The two young chiefs fought over her, burying villages and forests in the process. The area was devastated and the earth shook so violently that the huge bridge fell into the river, creating the cascades of the Columbia River Gorge.[40]

text: For punishment, the chief of the gods struck down each of the lovers and transformed them into great mountains where they fell. Wy'east, with his head lifted in pride, became the volcano known today as Mount Hood. Pahto, with his head bent toward his fallen love, was turned into Mount Adams. The fair Loowit became Mount St. Helens, known to the Klickitats as Louwala-Clough, which means "smoking or fire mountain" in their language (the Sahaptin called the mountain Loowit).[41]

text: The mountain is also of sacred importance to the Cowlitz and Yakama tribes that also historically lived in the area. They find the area above its tree line to be of exceptional spiritual significance, and the mountain (which they call "Lawetlat'la", roughly translated as "the smoker") features prominently in their creation myth, and in some of their songs and rituals. In recognition of this cultural significance, over 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) of the mountain (roughly bounded by the Loowit Trail) have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[42]

text: Other area tribal names for the mountain include "nšh´ák´" ("water coming out") from the Upper Chehalis, and "aka akn" ("snow mountain"), a Kiksht term.[42]

text: Exploration by Europeans

text: Royal Navy Commander George Vancouver and the officers of HMS Discovery made the Europeans' first recorded sighting of Mount St. Helens on May 19, 1792, while surveying the northern Pacific Ocean coast. Vancouver named the mountain for British diplomat Alleyne Fitzherbert, 1st Baron St Helens on October 20, 1792,[41][43] as it came into view when the Discovery passed into the mouth of the Columbia River.

text: Years later, explorers, traders, and missionaries heard reports of an erupting volcano in the area. Geologists and historians determined much later that the eruption took place in 1800, marking the beginning of the 57-year-long Goat Rocks Eruptive Period (see geology section).[24] Alarmed by the "dry snow," the Nespelem tribe of northeastern Washington danced and prayed rather than collecting food and suffered during that winter from starvation.[24]

text: In late 1805 and early 1806, members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition spotted Mount St. Helens from the Columbia River but did not report either an ongoing eruption or recent evidence of one.[44] They did however report the presence of quicksand and clogged channel conditions at the mouth of the Sandy River near Portland, suggesting an eruption by Mount Hood sometime in the previous decades.

text: In 1829 Hall J. Kelley led a campaign to rename the Cascade Range as the President's Range and also to rename each major Cascade mountain after a former President of the United States. In his scheme Mount St. Helens was to be renamed Mount Washington.[45]

text: European settlement and use of the area

text: The first authenticated eyewitness report of a volcanic eruption was made in March 1835 by Meredith Gairdner, while working for the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Vancouver.[46] He sent an account to the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, which published his letter in January 1836. James Dwight Dana of Yale University, while sailing with the United States Exploring Expedition, saw the quiescent peak from off the mouth of the Columbia River in 1841. Another member of the expedition later described "cellular basaltic lavas" at the mountain's base.[47]

text: In late fall or early winter of 1842, nearby settlers and missionaries witnessed the so-called "Great Eruption". This small-volume outburst created large ash clouds, and mild explosions followed for 15 years.[48] The eruptions of this period were likely phreatic (steam explosions). Josiah Parrish in Champoeg, Oregon witnessed Mount St. Helens in eruption on November 22, 1842. Ash from this eruption may have reached The Dalles, Oregon, 48 miles (80 km) southeast of the volcano.[6]

text: In October 1843, future California governor Peter H. Burnett recounted a story of an aboriginal American man who badly burned his foot and leg in lava or hot ash while hunting for deer. The likely apocryphal story went that the injured man sought treatment at Fort Vancouver, but the contemporary fort commissary steward, Napoleon McGilvery, disclaimed knowledge of the incident.[49] British lieutenant Henry J. Warre sketched the eruption in 1845, and two years later Canadian painter Paul Kane created watercolors of the gently smoking mountain. Warre's work showed erupting material from a vent about a third of the way down from the summit on the mountain's west or northwest side (possibly at Goat Rocks), and one of Kane's field sketches shows smoke emanating from about the same location.[50]

text: On April 17, 1857, the Republican, a Steilacoom, Washington, newspaper, reported that "Mount St. Helens, or some other mount to the southward, is seen ... to be in a state of eruption".[51] The lack of a significant ash layer associated with this event indicates that it was a small eruption. This was the first reported volcanic activity since 1854.[51]

text: Before the 1980 eruption, Spirit Lake offered year-round recreational activities. In the summer there was boating, swimming, and camping, while in the winter there was skiing.

text: Human impact from the 1980 eruption

text: Fifty-seven people were killed during the eruption.[52] Had the eruption occurred one day later, when loggers would have been at work, rather than on a Sunday, the death toll would almost certainly have been much higher.[8]

text: 83-year-old Harry R. Truman, who had lived near the mountain for 54 years, became famous when he decided not to evacuate before the impending eruption, despite repeated pleas by local authorities. His body was never found after the eruption.

text: Another victim of the eruption was 30-year-old volcanologist David A. Johnston, who was stationed on the nearby Coldwater Ridge. Moments before his position was hit by the pyroclastic flow, Johnston radioed his famous last words: "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!"[53] Johnston's body was never found.

text: U.S. President Jimmy Carter surveyed the damage and said, "Someone said this area looked like a moonscape. But the moon looks more like a golf course compared to what's up there."[54] A film crew, led by Seattle filmmaker Otto Seiber, was dropped by helicopter on St. Helens on May 23 to document the destruction. Their compasses, however, spun in circles and they quickly became lost. A second eruption occurred on May 25, but the crew survived and was rescued two days later by National Guard helicopter pilots. Their film, The Eruption of Mount St. Helens, later became a popular documentary.

text: Protection and later history

text: In 1982, President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Congress established the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, a 110,000 acres (45,000 ha) area around the mountain and within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.[55]

text: Following the 1980 eruption, the area was left to gradually return to its natural state. In 1987, the U.S. Forest Service reopened the mountain to climbing. It remained open until 2004 when renewed activity caused the closure of the area around the mountain (see Geological history section above for more details).

text: Most notable was the closure of the Monitor Ridge trail, which previously let up to 100 permitted hikers per day climb to the summit. On July 21, 2006, the mountain was again opened to climbers.[56] In February 2010, a climber died after falling from the rim into the crater.[57]

text: The mountain is now circled by the Loowit Trail at elevations of 4000–4900 feet. The northern segment of the trail from the South Fork Toutle River on the west to Windy Pass on the east is a restricted zone where camping, biking, pets, fires, and off-trail excursions are all prohibited.[58][59]

text: Climbing and recreation

text: Mount St. Helens is a popular climbing destination for both beginning and experienced mountaineers. The peak is climbed year-round, although it is more often climbed from late spring through early fall. All routes include sections of steep, rugged terrain.[60] A permit system has been in place for climbers since 1987. A climbing permit is required year-round for anyone who will be above 4,800 feet (1,500 m) on the slopes of Mount St. Helens.[61]

text: The standard hiking/mountaineering route in the warmer months is the Monitor Ridge Route, which starts at the Climbers Bivouac. This is the most popular and crowded route to the summit in the summer and gains about 4,600 feet (1,400 m) in approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) to reach the crater rim.[62] Although strenuous, it is considered non-technical climb that involves some scrambling. Most climbers complete the round trip in 7 to 12 hours.[63]

text: The Worm Flows Route is considered the standard winter route on Mount St. Helens, as it is the most direct route to the summit. The route gains about 5,700 feet (1,700 m) in elevation over about 6 miles (9.7 km) from trailhead to summit but does not demand the technical climbing that some other Cascade peaks like Mount Rainier do. The "Worm Flows" part of the route name refers to the rocky lava flows that surround the route.[64] This route can be accessed via the Marble Mountain Sno-Park and the Swift Ski Trail.[65]


document_title: H.R. Pufnstuf

question_text: h r pufnstuf what does hr stand for

question_tokens: h r pufnstuf what does hr stand for

root

text: H.R. Pufnstuf

text: Origins[edit]

text: The H.R. Pufnstuf character was originally created for the HemisFair '68 world's fair in 1968, where the Kroffts produced a show called Kaleidoscope for the Coca-Cola pavilion. The character's name was Luther, and he became the symbol of the fair.[4]

tag: p

text: Plot[edit]

text: H.R. Pufnstuf introduced the Kroffts' most-used plot scenario: their fairy tale of good versus evil, as well as their second plot scenario: the stranger in a strange land.[1]

text: The show centered on a shipwrecked boy named Jimmy (played by teenage actor Jack Wild). He is 11 years old when he arrives on the island and turns 12 in the episode called "The Birthday Party". Jimmy and his friend, a talking flute named Freddy, take a ride on a mysterious boat, which promised adventures across the sea to the kooky Living Island, home of dancing talking trees and singing frogs.

text: The boat was actually owned and controlled by a wicked witch named Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (played by Billie Hayes) who rode on a broomstick-like vehicle called the Vroom Broom. She used the boat to lure Jimmy and Freddy to her castle on Living Island, where she was going to take Jimmy prisoner and steal Freddy for her own purposes.

text: The Mayor of Living Island was a friendly and helpful anthropomorphic dragon named H.R. Pufnstuf (voiced by the show's writer Lennie Weinrib, who also voices many of the other characters) who found out about her plot upon witnessing the action and was able to rescue Jimmy, with the help of Cling and Clang, when he leaped out of the enchanted boat with Freddy and swam ashore. Jimmy was taken in by H.R. Pufnstuf, who was able to protect him from Witchiepoo, as the cave where he lived was the only place her magic had no effect.

text: Apart from Jimmy and Witchiepoo, all of the characters on Living Island were realized via large cumbersome costumes or puppetry of either anthropomorphic animals or objects. Since everything on Living Island was alive (namely houses, castles, boats, clocks, candles, books, trees, mushrooms, etc.), virtually any part of the Living Island sets could become a character, usually voiced in a parody of a famous film star, such as Mae West, Edward G. Robinson or most notably John Wayne as "The West Wind". A frequent plot device involves Witchiepoo and her henchmen Orson Vulture, Seymour Spider, and Stupid Bat trying to steal Freddy only to be thwarted by Pufnstuf. Another concerns Jimmy and Freddy's efforts to return home from Living Island with the same lack of success.

text: Characters[edit]

text: Main characters[edit]

text:
Jimmy (portrayed by Jack Wild) – One of the main characters of the series. He is a young English boy who was lured to Living Island by an enchanted boat. Witchiepoo controlled the boat with the aim of stealing  Jimmy's magic talking flute named Freddy.
H.R. Pufnstuf (performed by Albert F. Bentley, voiced by Lennie Weinrib in a Southern accent) – The title character of the series. H.R. Pufnstuf is a friendly dragon who is the Mayor of Living Island.
Freddy the Flute (voiced by Joan Gerber) – Freddy is a magic talking flute that is owned by Jimmy. He is often targeted by Witchiepoo.
Cling and Clang (performed by Joy Campbell and Angelo Rossitto) – Cling and Clang are two short mute keystone cops with furry three-toed feet and bird-like faces who work for H.R. Pufnstuf as his Rescue Racer Crew. Cling wears red  and Clang wears green.
Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (portrayed by Billie Hayes) – The primary antagonist of the series. Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo is a wicked but inefficient witch who has been targeting Freddy the Flute to use him in her own agendas. She rides a large rocket-powered broom with a steering wheel called the Vroom Broom. She is mean to everyone around her, even her henchmen, whom she constantly whacks with her wand. Yet when faced with failure, she usually starts to pity herself, by asking "Why me?"
Orson Vulture (performed by Joy Campbell, voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A stuffy, somewhat inept vulture who is one of Witchiepoo's henchmen. As her favorite flunky, he multitasks as her sounding board, butler, and co-pilot on her Vroom Broom. Orson once made the mistake of asking what the W. in his boss' name stood for. The answer: WHACK!
Seymour Spider (performed by Angelo Rossitto, voiced by Walker Edmiston) – A dim-witted spider who is another of Witchiepoo's henchmen. As her second favorite flunky, he primarily serves her as an alternative sounding board and hairdresser.
Stupid Bat (performed by Sharon Baird, voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A bat who is the least favorite and least seen of Witchiepoo's henchmen. He mainly serves as her messenger. As his name implies, he is not very bright and his messages are usually delivered one second too late.
Skeleton Guards – Two skeletons who guard Witchiepoo's castle.

tag: ul

text: Other characters[edit]

text:
Dr. Blinky (performed by John Silver, voiced by Walker Edmiston impersonating Ed Wynn) – An owl who is Living Island's local physician and scientist. Dr. Blinky is also the head of H.R. Pufnstuf's "Anti-Smog, Pollution, and Witch Committee".
Judy the Frog (performed by Sharon Baird, voiced by Joan Gerber) – A singing, dancing frog who is one of H.R. Pufnstuf's friends and the resident entertainer. Judy is based on Judy Garland.
Pop Lolly (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A living lollipop who makes and sells candy.
Cheese Guards – Two guards that are living pieces of cheese who work for Pop Lolly. They would often help Pop Lolly fend off a group of Hippie Ants who want to have free candy.
Ludicrous Lion (performed by John Silver, voiced by Walker Edmiston impersonating W. C. Fields) – A lion who works as a pedlar and owns a horse-drawn wagon. He is quite cunning and not always so honest when it comes to money. Although slightly shady and greedy, he is officially one of the Good Guys where he would often help to thwart Witchiepoo's plots.
Polka-Dotted Horse (performed by Felix Silla, voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A good-natured horse who works for Ludicrous Lion.
Tick Tock (performed by Andy Ratoucheff, voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A mobile alarm clock that warns the good characters when Witchiepoo is coming and informs them of various other dangers.
Grandfather Clock (voiced by Walker Edmiston) – A mobile grandfather clock who is the husband of Grandmother Clock.
Grandmother Clock (voiced by Joan Gerber) – A mobile grandmother clock who is the wife of Grandfather Clock.
Miss Wristwatch (voiced by Joan Gerber impersonating Zsa Zsa Gabor) – A glamorous rich mobile human-sized wristwatch.
Hippie Ants - A group of ants that would try to have free candy from Pop Lolly.
The Boyds - A bunch of birds that serve as Living Island's residential band.
Lady Boyd (performed by Sharon Baird) – A blue bird who is the lead singer of The Boyds. She was often seen singing the end theme to this show.
Shirley Pufnstuf (performed by Sharon Baird, voiced by Joan Gerber impersonating a younger Shirley Temple) – A dragon who is H.R. Pufnstuf's sister and a famous actress.
Max Von Toadenoff the Great (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – Max Von Toadenoff is a monocled toad. He is a film director that directs movies. Max von Toadenoff the Great is based on Erich von Stroheim.
The Good Trees – Several walking, talking trees who always help out H.R. Pufnstuf and the good guys. In the film Pufnstuf, the song "Living Island" described them as the "Hippie Trees of Peace and Love". They consist of:
Hippie Tree – A tree with sunglasses and dreadlocks who often speaks in hippie slang.
Madame Willow (voiced by Joan Gerber) – Also known as the Dowager Tree, Madame Willow is an older, elitist female tree with a lorgnette.
Chief Redwood (voiced by Walker Edmiston) – Also known as the Indian Tree, Chief Redwood dons a feathered headdress and speaks in stereotypical Native American fashion.
There is an older, male tree who may or may not be the husband of Madame Willow.
There is another female tree whose lips are always in the shape of an "O".
There is a baby tree.
The Evil Trees – Three trees on Witchiepoo's side that speak in a Transylvanian accent.
Evil Tree #1 – (voiced by Lennie Weinrib impersonating Béla Lugosi)
Evil Tree #2 – A tree that speaks like Peter Lorre.
Evil Tree #3 – A tree that always speaks in rhyme.
The Mushrooms – A group of talking mushrooms on Witchiepoo's side that turn whoever touches them into mushrooms. The mushroom leader smokes a cigar and speaks like Jimmy Cagney.
The Crustaceans – They are shown in several episodes as well as the closing theme song, some crab-like characters who are never named or introduced. There is a family of them, much like the living clocks and the living trees. They almost never say anything, but one of them has a couple of brief lines in "The Almost Election of Witchiepoo."
Witchiepoo's Castle – A talking, living entity that is home to Witchiepoo and her minions. There is also a door inside the castle that is a separate living entity as well as living pillars.
Dr. Blinky's House – A broken down house, propped up with crutches with a bandage on one side and an ice pack atop its chimney. It suffers from explosive sneezing that it has no control over. This usually sends Pufnstuf and friends running for cover, although it has been occasionally used to thwart Witchiepoo's plans enough for her to tell the house to cover its door when it sneezes. It houses several other inanimate talking characters such as fireplace (who speaks like Edward G. Robinson), a test tube (voiced by Walker Edmiston) and a candle (voiced by Walker Edmiston). There is a talking human skull (who speaks like Boris Karloff) and a few talking books, one of which is named Charlie (voiced by Lennie Weinrib). Charlie's brother, an evil black book of spells, is kept on Witchiepoo's nightstand.
The Winds – The Winds of Living Island are often called upon by H.R. Pufnstuf to blow Witchiepoo out of the sky. They consist of the North Wind (voiced by Walker Edmiston), the South Wind (voiced by Joan Gerber), the East Wind (voiced by Walker Edmiston), and the West Wind (voiced by Lennie Weinrib impersonating John Wayne).

text: Production[edit]

text: After creating costumes for characters in the live-action portion of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Sid and Marty Krofft were asked to develop their own Saturday morning children's series for NBC. The plot was recycled from Kaleidoscope, a live puppet show the Kroffts had staged in the Coca-Cola pavilion of the HemisFair '68 world's fair in 1968, including several key characters from this show, such as Luther the dragon and a silly witch.[5] Other ideas were cultivated from Sid's life. As a child, he'd charged friends buttons, not pennies, to view puppet shows in his back yard;[6] buttons were standard currency on Living Island. Sid and Marty had toured with their puppets as the opening act for Judy Garland, and they based Judy the Frog on her.[7] Ludicrous Lion bears more than a passing resemblance to Irving, the eponymous lion in a pilot they had made in 1957 called Here's Irving.

text: Sid's friend, Lionel Bart, asked him to view a rough cut of the movie adaptation of Oliver. Sid took notice of young actor Jack Wild and immediately decided that was the kid he wanted to play the lead in his television series.[8] Only two actresses auditioned to play Witchiepoo. The first was then-unknown Penny Marshall,[8] but it was felt that she was not right for the part. Stage veteran Billie Hayes came in next, set into a maniacal cackle and hopped up on a desk.  She was given the part on the spot.[5]

text: For Marty Krofft, the production was a particular headache. Marty accepted guardianship of Jack Wild while the teenage boy was in the United States filming the show.[5] He later described bringing Wild into his home as a mistake.[5]

text: Like most children's television shows of the era, H.R. Pufnstuf contained a laugh track, the inclusion of which the Kroffts were initially against. Sid Krofft commented "We were sort of against that, but Si Rose—being in sitcoms—he felt that when the show was put together that the children would not know when to laugh." Marty Krofft added "the bottom line—it's sad—you gotta tell them when it's funny. And the laugh track, (Si) was right. It was necessary, as much as we were always looking to have a real laugh track, a real audience. In comedies, if you don't have them (laugh track), you're in big trouble, because if you don't hear a laugh track, it's not funny. And that's the way the audience (at home) was programmed to view these shows."[9]

text: Witchiepoo later appeared in the Lidsville episode "Have I Got a Girl For Hoo Doo" where she lands a date with Horatio J. Hoodoo. H.R. Pufnstuf appeared in a segment of Sigmund and the Sea Monsters as well as in the Lidsville episode "Have I Got a Girl For Hoo Doo" where Hoo Doo conjures Pufnstuf as Witchiepoo's date for a witches' dance. The Krofft Superstar Hour also involved characters in two segments The Lost Island (which H.R. Pufnstuf was in) and Horror Hotel (which Witchiepoo, Orson Vulture, Seymour Spider, and Stupid Bat are featured with Hoodoo).

text: Theme song[edit]

text: The show’s theme song, titled "H.R. Pufnstuf", was written by Les Szarvas but is also credited to Paul Simon. Simon's credit was added when he successfully sued The Kroffts, claiming that the theme too closely mimicked his song "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)".[10] He is credited as the song's co-writer in TeeVee Tunes's Television's Greatest Hits Volume 5: In Living Color.[11]

text: A cover of the show’s theme song, performed by The Murmurs, is included on the 1995 tribute album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, produced by Ralph Sall for MCA Records.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.

Title

Original air date
1"The Magic Path"September 6, 1969 (1969-09-06)
Jimmy and H.R. Pufnstuf infiltrate Witchiepoo's castle to rescue Judy Frog so that they can get directions to the Magic Path. The Magic Path is the only way off Living Island. Will Jimmy and Freddy get back home?
2"The Wheely Bird"September 13, 1969 (1969-09-13)
Jimmy and H.R. Pufnstuf use a bird-shaped "Trojan Horse" as a ruse to enter Witchipoo's castle and recover Freddy from Witchiepoo.
3"Show Biz Witch"September 20, 1969 (1969-09-20)
When shyster Ludicrous Lion convinces Jimmy that he has a super-duper pogo stick for sale that could bounce him home, H.R. Pufnstuf and Jimmy conduct a talent show to raise the money.
4"The Mechanical Boy"September 27, 1969 (1969-09-27)
Witchiepoo puts a spell on Jimmy that turns him into a mechanical boy and commands him to acquire Freddy for her. The Clock people have to find a way to cure Jimmy.
5"The Stand In"October 4, 1969 (1969-10-04)
When H.R. Pufnstuf’s sister Shirley comes to Living Island to make a movie, Jimmy and Freddie get parts in it. Together, they hatch a plot to get Witchiepoo into the movie so that Jimmy can steal her Vroom Broom to escape.
6"The Golden Key"October 11, 1969 (1969-10-11)
Sour Jimmy buys a map to the location of the Golden Key which unlocks the Golden Door (a secret way off of Living Island), Witchiepoo captures H.R. Pufnstuf and imprisons him in her dungeon diverting Jimmy from his escape.
7"The Birthday Party"October 18, 1969 (1969-10-18)
It's Jimmy's birthday! Pufnstuf and his friends fixes a surprise birthday party for Jimmy. Witchiepoo invites herself to Jimmy's party and steals Freddy by rendering the partygoers helpless with laughing gas.
8"The Box Kite Kaper"October 25, 1969 (1969-10-25)
Jimmy and Freddy attempt to fly from Living Island in a giant box kite during a kite-flying contest.
9"You Can't Have Your Cake"November 1, 1969 (1969-11-01)
Witchiepoo hides in a cake to steal Freddy.
10"The Horse with the Golden Throat"November 8, 1969 (1969-11-08)
The Polka-Dotted Horse accidentally swallows Freddy causing a big catastrophe with Dr. Blinky, H.R. Pufnstuf, and Jimmy.
11"Dinner for Two"November 15, 1969 (1969-11-15)
Jimmy and Freddy both age 70 years when the Clock Family's time machine malfunctions. Witchiepoo mistakes Jimmy for an old man and falls in love with him.
12"Flute, Book and Candle"November 22, 1969 (1969-11-22)
Freddy gets turned into a mushroom by the touch of Witchiepoo's evil mushrooms. Jimmy disguises himself as a beggar to rescue Freddy from the spell.
13"Tooth for a Tooth"November 29, 1969 (1969-11-29)
Disguised as a little girl, Witchiepoo visits Dr. Blinky about a bad tooth. But she breaks into fits of rage when the pain becomes too much forcing the doctor to calm her down via love potion.
14"The Visiting Witch"December 6, 1969 (1969-12-06)
Witchiepoo receives a message from headquarters that the Boss Witch is coming to Living Island for an inspection. In a plot to impress the Boss Witch, she ends up kidnapping H.R. Pufnstuf.
15"The Almost Election of Witchiepoo"December 13, 1969 (1969-12-13)
Witchiepoo runs for Mayor of Living Island challenging H.R. Pufnstuf with another of her spells.
16"Whaddya Mean the Horse Gets the Girl?"December 20, 1969 (1969-12-20)
H.R. Pufnstuf's sister Shirley stars in a movie to raise money for Living Island's anti-witch fund.
17"'Jimmy Who?"December 27, 1969 (1969-12-27)
Jimmy gets amnesia that Dr. Blinky and Witchiepoo take turns trying to cure with flashbacks from earlier episodes.

tag: table

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Jack Wild – Jimmy
Billie Hayes – Wilhemina W. Witchiepoo

text: Krofft puppets[edit]

text:
Performer

Character(s)

Voice(s)

Sharon Baird

Stupid Bat

Lennie Weinrib

Judy Frog

Joan Gerber

Shirley Pufnstuf

Lady Boyd

End credits vocals

Joy Campbell[13]

Orson Vulture

Lennie Weinrib

Cling

No voice

Albert F. Bentley

H.R. Pufnstuf

Lennie Weinrib

Angelo Rossitto

Seymour Spider

Walker Edmiston

Clang

No voice

John Silver

Dr. Blinky

Walker Edmiston

Ludicrous Lion

Jerry Landon

?

Jon Linton

Scutter McKay

Harry Monty

Andy Ratoucheff

Tick Tock

Lennie Weinrib

Robin Roper

?

Felix Silla

Polka-Dotted Horse

Lennie Weinrib

text: Voice characterizations[edit]

text:
Lennie Weinrib – Bela Lugosi Tree, H.R. Pufnstuf, Dr. Blinky's Talking Book, Stupid Bat, Pop Lolly, West Wind, Max Von Toadenoff the Great, Orson Vulture, Polka Dotted Horse, Jimmy as Movie Villain
Walker Edmiston – Boris Karloff Tree, Dr. Blinky's Candle, East Wind, Grandfather Clock, North Wind, Chief Redwood, Alarm Clock, Dr. Blinky, Dr. Blinky's Test Tube, Ludicrous Lion, Seymour Spider
Joan Gerber – Freddy the Flute, Grandmother Clock, Judy the Frog, Madame Willow, South Wind, Lady Boyd, Shirley Pufnstuf

text: Film[edit]

text: While the television series was still in production, the Kroffts were approached to do a film adaptation.[14]  A joint venture between Universal Pictures and the show's sponsor Kellogg's Cereal,[15] the 1970 film retained most of the cast and crew from the series and featured guest appearances by Cass Elliott as Witch Hazel and Martha Raye as Boss Witch. The movie was finally released on VHS in 2001 by Universal Home Video as part of their Universal Treasures Collection, and on DVD on May 19, 2009.[16] The film also included Googy Gopher, Orville Pelican, and Boss Witch's chauffeur Heinrich Rat who were exclusive to the movie. A main difference in the film is that the characters that were voiced by Lennie Weinrib were each voiced by Allan Melvin and Don Messick.

text: The Kroffts have long had plans for a new H.R. Pufnstuf film. Sony first attempted a remake in 2000, but dropped the project.[17] In September, 2008, it was revealed that a live-action feature film was again being developed at Sony. But after 9 years of waiting, it is currently unknown when a release date for the film will be announced.[18]

text: Tours[edit]

text: A number of USA stage show tours were run starring the same characters from the show. 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 performance was released on VHS in 1997.

text: DVD releases[edit]

text: In 2004, Rhino Entertainment released H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series, featuring all 17 episodes on three discs, remastered and uncut, accompanied by interviews with Sid & Marty Krofft, Billie Hayes, and Jack Wild. The Complete Series has gone out of print, but individual (best-of) releases continue to be sold. Pufnstuf, a major motion picture released in 1970, was also released on May 19, 2009, by Universal Studios. SMK and Vivendi Entertainment has obtained the home video rights to the series and released the complete series on Jan. 11, 2011. Two versions of the release exist; one is a traditional complete series set, while the other is a collector's set, featuring a bobble-head of H.R. Pufnstuf.  The series is also available in Digital media format at iTunes Store. The whole catalog is available to stream at www.qkids.com and the Qkids app in iTunes Store.

text: McDonaldland lawsuit[edit]

text: The show was the subject of a successful lawsuit brought by the Kroffts against the fast food restaurant McDonald's, whose McDonaldland characters were found to have infringed the show's copyright. The case, Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald's Corp., 562 F.2d 1157, was decided by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1977.

text: Claims of drug references[edit]

text: The Krofft brothers have responded in several interviews to popular beliefs that subtle recreational drug references exist in the show.[19][20][21] For example, the title character's name Pufnstuf has been interpreted as a reference to smoking hand-rolled (H.R.) marijuana (puffin' stuff);[19][20][21][22][23][24] Marty Krofft has said the initials H.R. actually stand for "Royal Highness" backwards.[23][24] The show's theme song lyric "he can't do a little, 'cause he can't do enough" has been read as referring to the addictive nature of drugs. Pufnstuf has quotes like "Whoa, dude!" and other "hippie" slang words. Lennie Weinrib, the show's head writer and the voice of Pufnstuf, has said, "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."[25][26] In a 2000 interview, Marty Krofft answered the question by saying, "The Krofft look has a lot of color, but there were no drug connotations in the show." He addressed the topic at length in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2004, in response to the question, "OK, let's get this right out in the open. Is H.R. Pufnstuf just one giant drug reference?":

text: We've heard that for 35 years. We did not intentionally do anything related to drugs in the story. People thought we were on drugs. You can't do good television while on drugs. People never believe you when you say that, but you can't. The shows were very bright and spacey looking. They may have lent themselves to that culture at the time, but we didn't ascribe that meaning to them, and I can't speak to what adults were doing when they were watching the shows. We just set out to make a quality children's program.

text: Authors of books on the show and its contemporaries, however, have not always accepted the Kroffts' alternative explanations for apparent references to drugs. David Martindale, author of Pufnstuf & Other Stuff, maintains that the Kroffts' desire to attract an audience who are now parents of impressionable children pushes them to downplay the double entendres: "But to deny it, the shows lose some of their mystique. The Kroffts prefer to remain playfully vague."[19] Martindale said in another interview that he fully believes Marty Krofft's insistence that he did not use drugs, especially given that Marty's focus was that of a businessman, but Martindale describes Sid Krofft as "a big kid" and "a hippy", saying, "His comment when I told him we were going to do this book was—and I quote—'Oh, far out.' He says these shows didn't come from smoking just a little pot, and you could say, 'Oh, yeah. It comes from smoking a lot of pot.' But I think he was very deliberately doing double meanings so the show could amuse people on different levels."[27]

text: Kevin Burke, co-author of Saturday Morning Fever: Growing Up with Cartoon Culture, argues that the "consistency of thought" in the rumors of drug references has a basis, although his co-author and brother Timothy Burke, a history professor at Swarthmore College, insists "human beings are capable of achieving hallucinatory heights without chemical assistance."[19] Contradicting his own position, Marty Krofft has neither admitted nor hinted in occasional interviews that the references were made knowingly; in one case, a writer reported that when pressed as to the connotation of "lids" in the title Lidsville, "Well, maybe we just had a good sense of humor", Krofft said, laughing.[24] His comments to another interviewer were more direct; in a Times Union profile whose author observed, "Watching the shows today, it's hard to imagine a show with more wink-and-nod allusions to pot culture, short of something featuring characters named Spliffy and Bong-O", Krofft conceded that the show's title had been an intentional marijuana reference, as had Lidsville, but "that was just a prank to see if they could get them past clueless NBC executives".[28]

text: Parodies and tributes[edit]

text:
One of the most notable parodies of H.R. Pufnstuf was "The Altered State of Druggachusetts", a segment on the HBO comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David. The sketch consists of a failed television pilot for a kids' show introduced by "Sam and Criminy Craffft" (portrayed by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross). The show itself is similar to H.R. Pufnstuf, with drug references made humorously overt. Instead of a talking flute, the boy carries a talking bong, and all of the residents in Druggachusetts take or are living incarnations of various drugs.[29][30]
Nike made a skateboarding shoe for their SB Dunk line named after the show, with the colors of the shoe resembling those of Pufnstuf.[31]
Excerpts from the show can often be seen playing on the TV in the hotel room Earl and his brother share in My Name Is Earl, and the October 18, 2007, episode features an extended scene with H.R. Pufnstuf as a super-crimefighter working alongside the title character's brother in a fantasy creative-writing exercise.
In an episode of the TV sitcom George Lopez, H.R. Pufnstuf makes a guest appearance at a birthday party. Lopez dances with him and the theme song is used as the music.
An episode of the animated television series The Simpsons features a "Hufnstuf on Ice" show which has characters that resemble the cast of H.R. Pufnstuf. Another episode features a muffin shop in Shelbyville called "H.R. Muffinstuff".
H.R. Pufnstuf appears in the eighth episode of the first-season of CHiPs, titled "Green Thumb Burglars" with his voice reprised by Lennie Weinrib. He is pulled over by Ponch (Erik Estrada) and Jon (Larry Wilcox) on one of Los Angeles, California's, numerous freeways. Though he was referred to by name, while Jon maintained a sense of decorum about the actor inside the Pufnstuf suit, he let the good Mayor Pufnstuf off with a warning. Ponch later declared himself a "big overgrown kid", in reference to the kids' show.[32]
In the film Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, the title character asks another character who is pushing him "Hey, what are ya, H.R. Shove n Stuff?"
The series has been cited as a major influence to the Cartoon Network program Adventure Time.
In 2015, H.R. Pufnstuf, Cling, Clang, and Freddy the Flute appear in a crossover episode of Mutt & Stuff titled "H.R. Pufnstuf Comes to Mutt & Stuff!" with H.R. Pufnstuf voiced by Randy Credico with Mary Karcz providing the in-suit performance while Donna Kimball provided the face performance, Freddy the Flute performed by Donna Kimball, and Cling and Clang performed by Arturo Gil and Joseph S. Griffo.[33] H.R. Pufnstuf is depicted as the uncle of Stuff.


document_title: Do the Right Thing

question_text: who tries to stop violence at sals in do the right thing

text: Do the Right Thing

text: Plot[edit]

text: Mookie (Spike Lee) is a 25-year-old delivery man living in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with his sister Jade (Joie Lee). He and his girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez) have a toddler son named Hector (Travell Toulson). He works at the local pizzeria, but lacks ambition. Sal (Danny Aiello), the pizzeria's Italian-American owner, has been in the neighborhood for 25 years. His older son Pino (John Turturro) intensely dislikes blacks, and does not get along with Mookie. Because of this, Pino is at odds with both his father, who refuses to leave the increasingly African-American neighborhood, and his younger brother Vito (Richard Edson), who is friendly with Mookie.

text: The neighborhood is full of distinct personalities, including Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), a friendly drunk; Mother Sister (Ruby Dee), who watches the neighborhood from her brownstone; Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), who blasts Public Enemy on his boombox wherever he goes; and Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith), a mentally disabled man, who meanders around the neighborhood trying to sell hand-colored pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

text: While at Sal's, Mookie's trouble-making b-boyish friend Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) questions Sal about his "Wall of Fame", a wall decorated with photos of famous Italian-Americans. Buggin' Out demands that Sal put up pictures of black celebrities since Sal's pizzeria is in a black neighborhood. Sal replies that it is his business, and that he can have whomever he wants on "The Wall of Fame". Buggin' Out attempts to start a protest over the Wall of Fame. Only Radio Raheem and Smiley support him.

text: During the day, the heat and tensions begin to rise. The local teenagers open a fire hydrant and douse the street, before police officers intervene. Mookie and Pino begin arguing over race. Mookie confronts Pino about his negative attitudes towards African Americans, even though his favorite celebrities are black. Various characters then spew flowery racial insults into the camera: Mookie against Italians, Pino against African Americans, Latino Stevie (Luis Antonio Ramos) against Koreans, white police officer Gary Long (Rick Aiello) against Puerto Ricans, and Korean store owner Sonny (Steve Park) against Jews. Pino and Sal talk about the neighborhood, with Pino expressing his contempt for African-Americans, and Sal insisting that he is not leaving. Sal almost fires Mookie, but Jade intervenes, before Mookie confronts her for being too close to Sal.

text: That night, Buggin' Out, Radio Raheem, and Smiley march into Sal's and demand that Sal change the Wall of Fame. Raheem's boombox is blaring and Sal demands that he turn it off, but he refuses. Buggin' Out calls Sal and sons "guineas", threatening to close down the pizzeria until they change the Wall of Fame. Sal, in a fit of frustration and after being called a guinea bastard, calls him a "nigger" and destroys the boombox with a baseball bat. Raheem attacks Sal, leading to a violent fight that spills out into the street, attracting a crowd. While Radio Raheem is choking Sal, the police arrive. They break up the fight and apprehend Radio Raheem and Buggin' Out. Despite the pleas of his fellow officers and the onlookers, one officer refuses to release his chokehold on Raheem, killing him. Realizing that Raheem has been killed in front of onlookers, the officers place his body in the back of a squad car and drive off, leaving Sal, Pino, and Vito unprotected.

text: The onlookers, enraged about Radio Raheem's death, blame Sal and his sons. Mookie grabs a trash can and throws it through the window of Sal's pizzeria, sparking the crowd to rush into the restaurant and destroy it, with Smiley finally setting it on fire, what actually diverts revenge away from Sal himself. Da Mayor pulls Sal, Pino, and Vito out of the mob's way. Firemen and riot patrols arrive to put out the fire and disperse the crowd. After police issue a warning, the firefighters turn their hoses on the rioters, leading to more fighting and arrests. Mookie and Jade sit on the curb, watching in disbelief. Smiley wanders back into the smoldering building and hangs one of his pictures on what is left of Sal's Wall of Fame.

text: The next day, after an argument with Tina, Mookie returns to Sal, who feels that Mookie betrayed him. Mookie demands his weekly pay, leading to an argument. They cautiously reconcile, and Sal finally pays Mookie. Mister Señor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson), a local DJ, dedicates a song to Raheem.

text: The film ends with two quotations expressing different views about violence, one from Martin Luther King and one from Malcolm X, before fading to a photograph of them shaking hands. Prior to the credits, Lee dedicates the film to the families of six victims of police brutality: Eleanor Bumpurs, Michael Griffith, Arthur Miller, Jr., Edmund Perry, Yvonne Smallwood, and Michael Stewart.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Spike Lee as Mookie
Danny Aiello as Sal
Ossie Davis as Da Mayor
Ruby Dee as Mother Sister
Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin' Out
Bill Nunn as Radio Raheem
John Turturro as Pino
Richard Edson as Vito
Roger Guenveur Smith as Smiley
Rosie Perez as Tina
Joie Lee as Jade
Steve White as Ahmad
Martin Lawrence as Cee
Leonard L. Thomas as Punchy
Christa Rivers as Ella
Robin Harris as Sweet Dick Willie
Paul Benjamin as ML
Frankie Faison as Coconut Sid
Samuel L. Jackson as Mister Señor Love Daddy (credited as Sam Jackson)
Steve Park as Sonny
Rick Aiello as Officer Gary Long
Miguel Sandoval as Officer Mark Ponte
Luis Antonio Ramos as Stevie
John Savage as Clifton
Frank Vincent as Charlie
Richard Parnell Habersham as Eddie
Ginny Yang as Kim
Nicholas Turturro as Extra (uncredited)

text: Production[edit]

text: Spike Lee first got the idea for the film after watching the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Shopping for Death" where the main characters discuss their theory that hot weather increases violent tendencies. He was also inspired by the Howard Beach racial incident and the shooting of Eleanor Bumpurs.[9] Lee wrote the screenplay in two weeks.[10] The original script of Do the Right Thing ends with a stronger reconciliation between Mookie and Sal. Sal's comments to Mookie mirror Da Mayor's earlier comments in the film and hint at some common ground and perhaps Sal's understanding of why Mookie was motivated to destroy his restaurant. It is unclear why Lee changed the ending.[11]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Spike Lee campaigned for Robert De Niro as Sal the pizzeria owner, but De Niro had to decline due to prior commitments. Actor Danny Aiello eventually played Sal and his real-life son Rick Aiello played Gary Long, the police officer who kills Radio Raheem. The character of Smiley was not in the original script; he was created by Roger Guenveur Smith, who was pestering Spike Lee for a role in the film.[12] Four of the cast members were stand-up comedians: Martin Lawrence, Steve Park, Steve White, and Robin Harris. Lee originally wanted Bill Nunn to play the role of Mister Señor Love Daddy, but later recast him as Radio Raheem. Real-life husband and wife Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were friends of Spike Lee's father Bill Lee and were cast as Mother Sister and Da Mayor.[9] Rosie Perez was cast as Mookie's love interest Tina after Lee saw her dancing at a Los Angeles dance club. Perez decided to take the part because her sister lived four blocks from the set; however, she had never been in a film before and grew upset during the filming of Radio Raheem's death scene.[9]

text: Filming[edit]

text: The film was shot entirely on Stuyvesant Avenue between Quincy Street and Lexington Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The street's color scheme was heavily altered by the production designer, who used a great deal of red and orange paint in order to help convey the sense of a heatwave. The Korean grocery store and Sal's pizzeria were built from scratch on two empty lots. The pizzeria was fully functional and the actors actually cooked pizzas in the ovens. During filming, the neighborhood's crack dealers threatened the film crew for disturbing their business so Lee hired Fruit of Islam members to provide security.[9] Samuel L. Jackson later revealed that he spent most of his time on set sleeping as he has no scenes outside.[9]

text: Controversies[edit]

text: The film was released to protests from many reviewers, and it was openly stated in several newspapers that the film could incite black audiences to riot.[13] Lee criticized white reviewers for implying that black audiences were incapable of restraining themselves while watching a fictional motion picture.[14] In a 2014 interview Lee stated "That still bugs the shit out of me," calling the remarks "outrageous, egregious and, I think, racist," and further elaborating, "I don't remember people saying people were going to come out of theatres killing people after they watched Arnold Schwarzenegger films." [15]

text: One of many questions at the end of the film is whether Mookie "does the right thing" when he throws the garbage can through the window, thus inciting the riot that destroys Sal's pizzeria. Critics have seen Mookie's action both as an action that saves Sal's life, by redirecting the crowd's anger away from Sal to his property, and as an "irresponsible encouragement to enact violence".[16] The question is directly raised by the contradictory quotations that end the film, one advocating nonviolence, the other advocating violent self-defense in response to oppression.[16]

text: Spike Lee has remarked that he has only ever been asked by white viewers whether Mookie did the right thing; black viewers do not ask the question.[17] Lee believes the key point is that Mookie was angry at the death of Radio Raheem, and that viewers who question the riot's justification are implicitly failing to see the difference between property and the life of a black man.[14]

text: In June 2006, Entertainment Weekly magazine placed Do the Right Thing at No. 22 on its list of The 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever.[18]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2016)

text: Do the Right Thing was met with acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 90%, based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Smart, vibrant and urgent without being didactic, Do the Right Thing is one of Spike Lee's most fully realized efforts – and one of the most important films of the 1980s."[19] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 91 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim", and placing it as the 68th highest film of all-time on the site.[20]

text: Both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert ranked the film as the best of 1989 and later ranked it as one of the top 10 films of the decade (#6 for Siskel and #4 for Ebert).[21] Ebert later added the film to his list of The Great Movies.[22] According to online film resource They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?, Do the Right Thing is the most acclaimed film of 1989.[23]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
List of awards and nominations

Award

Date of ceremony

Category

Recipients and nominees

Result

Academy Awards

March 28, 1990

Best Supporting Actor

Danny Aiello

Nominated

Best Original Screenplay

Spike Lee

Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics

1990

Grand Prix

Boston Society of Film Critics

1990

Best Supporting Actor

Danny Aiello

Won

Cannes Film Festival[24]

May 23, 1989

Palme d'Or

Spike Lee

Nominated

Chicago Film Critics Association

1990

Best Picture

Won

Best Director

Spike Lee

Best Supporting Actor

Danny Aiello

Golden Globe Awards

January 20, 1990

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Nominated

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

Danny Aiello

Best Director – Motion Picture

Spike Lee

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

December 16, 1989

Best Film

Won

Best Supporting Actor

Danny Aiello

Best Director

Spike Lee

Best Screenplay

2nd place

Best Music

Bill Lee

Won

MTV Movie Awards

June 6, 2006

Silver Bucket of Excellence

NAACP Image Awards

December 11, 1989

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Ruby Dee

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Ossie Davis

National Society of Film Critics Awards

January 8, 1990

Best Director

Spike Lee

3rd place

New York Film Critics Circle

January 14, 1990

Best Film

5th place

Best Screenplay

Spike Lee

4th place

Best Cinematography

Ernest Dickerson

Won

The 20/20 Awards

2010

Best Picture

Nominated

Best Director

Spike Lee

Won

Best Supporting Actor

Danny Aiello

Nominated

John Turturro

Best Original Screenplay

Spike Lee

Best Film Editing

Barry Alexander Brown

Won

Best Original Song

"Fight the Power"Music and Lyrics by Chuck D, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, and Keith Shocklee

text: American Film Institute lists

text:
AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
"Fight the Power" – No. 40
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – No. 96

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The film's score (composed and partially performed by jazz musician Bill Lee, father of Spike Lee) and soundtrack were both released in July 1989 on Columbia Records and Motown Records, respectively. The soundtrack was successful, reaching the number eleven spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and peaking at sixty-eight on the Billboard 200.[25] On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, the Perri track "Feel So Good" reached the fifty-first spot, while Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" reached number twenty, and Guy's "My Fantasy" went all the way to the top spot. "My Fantasy" also reached number six on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, and sixty-two on Billboard's Hot 100. "Fight the Power" also charted high on the Hot Dance Music chart, peaking at number three, and topped the Hot Rap Singles chart.[26][27]

text:
Do the Right Thing: Original Motion Picture ScoreFilm score by Bill LeeReleased
1989Recorded
December 12, 1988 – December 16, 1988Genre
Film scoreLength
35:36Label
ColumbiaProducer
Spike Lee (exec.)

text: Track listing[edit]

text:
Do the Right Thing: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackSoundtrack album by Various artistsReleased
1989Genre
SoundtrackLength
53:14Label
Motown RecordsProducer
Gregory "Sugar Bear" Elliott (exec.), Ted Hopkins (exec.), Mark Kibble (exec.), Spike Lee (exec.), Johnny Mercer (exec.)
Singles from Do the Right Thing: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

"Fight the Power"Released: June 1989

text: No.TitleMusicProducer(s)Length1."Fight the Power"Public EnemyHank Shocklee, Carl Ryder, Eric Sadler5:232."My Fantasy"Teddy Riley, GuyTeddy Riley, Gene Griffin4:573."Party Hearty"E.U.Kent Wood, JuJu House4:434."Can't Stand It"Steel PulseDavid R. Hinds, Sidney Mills5:065."Why Don't We Try?"Keith JohnVince Morris Raymond jones larry decarmine3:356."Feel So Good"PerriPaul Laurence, Jones5:397."Don't Shoot Me"Take 6Mervyn E. Warren4:088."Hard to Say"Lori Perry, Gerald AlstonLaurence3:219."Prove to Me"PerriJones, Sami McKinney5:2410."Never Explain Love"Al JarreauJones5:5811."Tu y Yo/We Love [Jingle]"Rubén BladesBlades5:12

text: In popular culture[edit]

text: In 1990, the film was parodied in a sketch on In Living Color.[28] Many television series have parodied the trash can scene, including Bob's Burgers.[29]

text: In 2016, Air Jordan released a special Radio Raheem sneaker based on the colors of the shirt that he wears in the film.[30]

text: Related films[edit]

text: Mookie makes another appearance in the 2012 film Red Hook Summer, where he is shown delivering pizzas. According to Lee, Sal took the insurance money from his burned pizzeria and reopened the restaurant in Red Hook. He then rehired Mookie, agreeing to include black celebrities on his Wall of Fame.[31]


document_title: Kato

question_text: what does the name kato mean in japanese

text: Kato

text: Look up kato or 加藤 in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

text: Katō, Kato or Katou (加藤, characters for "add/increase" and "wisteria") is the 11th most common Japanese surname. "Kato" means "Fujiwara in Kaga", commonly said. Notable people with the surname include:

text:
Ai Kato, an actress
Akemi Kato, a field hockey player
Ameril Umbra Kato, Filipino fighter
Cha Kato, a member of drifters
Daijiro Kato, a motorcyclist
Daishi Kato (加藤 大志, born 1983), Japanese footballer
David Kato, Ugandan activist
Eizō Katō, a painter
Emiri Katō, a Japanese voice actress
Fujiko Kato (加藤 富士子, born 1946), Japanese cross-country skier
Hifumi Katō, a professional shogi player
Izumi Kato (加藤 和, born 1990), Japanese swimmer
Joji Kato, speedskater
Kazuhiko Kato a.k.a. Monkey Punch, a manga artist
Katō Kiyomasa, a daimyō during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history
Kazue Katō – real name of Hibari Misora, Japanese singer and actress
Kazuya Kato, a Japanese mathematician
Koyuki Kato, a model and actress
Masao Kato, a Go player
Masashi Kato, a freestyle swimmer
Masato Kato, a game developer and scenario writer
Midori Kato, a Japanese voice actress
Mikiko Kato (加藤 美起子, born 1954), Japanese handball player
Miliyah Kato, a singer
Miyoshi Kato (加藤 美善, born 1962), Japanese speed skater
Miyu Kato (born 1999), Japanese table tennis player
Miyu Kato (tennis) (born 1994), Japanese tennis player
Nanae Katō (加藤 奈々絵, born 1976), Japanese voice actress
Natsuki Katō, an actress
Tomohiro Katō (加藤 智大, Katō Tomohiro), murderer at Akihabara massacre
Rena Kato, a singer
Ryohei Kato, Olympic gymnast
Rosa Kato, an actress/ model
Ryozo Kato, Japanese diplomat
Sawao Kato, an Olympic gymnast
Katō Takaaki (1860–1926), Prime Minister of Japan from 11 June 1924 to 28 January 1926
Tōichi Katō, a painter
Tomoe Kato, Japanese footballer
Katō Tomosaburō (1861–1923), Prime Minister of Japan from 12 June 1922 to 24 August 1923
Shigeaki Kato (born 11 July 1987), a singer
Tosio Kato (1917–1999), Japanese mathematician
Yoichi Kato, a volleyball player
Yoko Kato, Japanese professor of neurosurgery
Yuki Kato (disambiguation), several people with this name
Yusuke Kato (加藤 友介, born 1986), Japanese footballer

text: Fictional characters[edit]

text:
Kato (The Green Hornet), from The Green Hornet
Ayano Katou, from Someday's Dreamers
Otome Kato from School Days
Go Kato, from Someday's Dreamers
Griffin Kato (Griff), from Rave Master
Jeri Katou (Juri Katou in Japan), from Digimon Tamers
Kachiro Kato, from Prince of Tennis
Kyōji Katō, from School Rumble
Kazumi Kato and Daigo, characters in The Order of the Stick webcomic
Marika Katō, protagonist of Bodacious Space Pirates
Masaji Kato, a special agent from Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Masaru Kato, from Gantz
Megumi Kato, from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend
Yasunori Kato, from Teito Monogatari
Yue Kato, from the manga Angel Sanctuary
Yuichiro Kato, from Doubt!
Saburo Kato, a fighter pilot from Space Battleship Yamato
Yakumo "Cloud" Kato, a character from Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

text: Surname listThis page lists people with the surname Kato. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

text: SurnamesJapanese-language surnames

text: Articles containing Japanese-language textArticles with short descriptionAll set index articles


document_title: Angel Oak

question_text: where is the angel oak in south carolina

text: Angel Oak

text: Angel Oak is a Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) located in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina. The tree is estimated to be 400-500 years old.[1] It stands 66.5 ft (20 m) tall, measures 28 ft (8.5 m) in circumference, and produces shade that covers 17,200 square feet (1,600 m2). Its longest branch distance is 187 ft[2] in length. Angel Oak was the 210th tree to be registered with the Live Oak Society.[3][4][5]

text: The oak derives its name from the estate of Justus Angel and his wife, Martha Waight Tucker Angel.[6] Local folklore tells stories of ghosts of former slaves appearing as angels around the tree.[7][8]

text: Despite the claims that the Angel Oak is the oldest tree east of the Mississippi River, bald cypress trees throughout North and South Carolina are[9] significantly older. One example in North Carolina is over 1,600 years old.

text: History[edit]

text: Angel Oak was damaged severely during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 but has since recovered.[10] The City of Charleston has owned the tree and surrounding park since 1991.[11]

text: Development is beginning to encroach on the site of Angel Oak. In 2012, plans to build a 500-unit apartment complex that would be 160 yards (150 m) from Angel Oak were challenged in court by a group called Save the Angel Oak and the Coastal Conservation League; their concerns included the construction's effect on available groundwater and nutrients.[12] By December, 2013, another South Carolina nonprofit celebrated [13] "the preservation of 17 acres adjacent to the majestic tree."

text: The Angel Oak tree is featured prominently in the book The Heart of A Child by Emily Nelson.


document_title: Bonnie and Clyde (film)

question_text: the story of bonnie and clyde movie cast

text: Bonnie and Clyde (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In the middle of the Great Depression, Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) meet when Clyde tries to steal Bonnie's mother's car. Bonnie, who is bored by her job as a waitress, is intrigued by Clyde, and decides to take up with him and become his partner in crime. They pull off some holdups, but their amateur efforts, while exciting, are not very lucrative.

text: The duo's crime spree shifts into high gear once they hook up with a dim-witted gas station attendant, C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), then with Clyde's older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons), a preacher's daughter. The women dislike each other on first sight, and their feud only escalates from there: shrill Blanche has nothing but disdain for Bonnie, Clyde and C.W., while gun-moll Bonnie sees Blanche's flighty presence as a constant danger to the gang's well-being.

text: Bonnie and Clyde turn from pulling small-time heists to robbing banks. Their exploits also become more violent. When C.W. botches a bank robbery by parallel parking the getaway car, Clyde shoots the bank manager in the face after he jumps onto the slow-moving car's running board. The gang is pursued by law enforcement, including Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Denver Pyle), whom they capture and humiliate before setting him free. A raid later catches the outlaws off guard, mortally wounding Buck with a gruesome shot to his head and injuring Blanche. Bonnie, Clyde and C.W. barely escape with their lives. With Blanche sightless and in police custody, Hamer tricks her into revealing C.W.'s name, who was up until now still only an "unidentified suspect."

text: Hamer locates Bonnie, Clyde and C.W. hiding at the house of C.W.'s father Ivan Moss (Dub Taylor), who thinks the couple—and an ornate tattoo—have corrupted his son. The elder Moss strikes a bargain with Hamer: in exchange for leniency for the boy, he helps set a trap for the outlaws. When Bonnie and Clyde stop on the side of the road to help Mr. Moss fix a flat tire, the police in the bushes open fire and riddle them with bullets. Hamer and his posse then come out of hiding, looking pensively at the couple's bodies.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow
Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker
Michael J. Pollard as C.W. Moss
Gene Hackman as Buck Barrow
Estelle Parsons as Blanche Barrow
Denver Pyle as Frank Hamer
Dub Taylor as Ivan Moss
Gene Wilder as Eugene Grizzard
Evans Evans as Velma Davis
Mabel Cavitt as Bonnie's mother (uncredited)

text: Cast notes[edit]

text: Actor Gene Wilder portrayed Eugene Grizzard, one of Bonnie and Clyde's hostages. His girlfriend Velma Davis was played by Evans Evans, who was the wife of film director John Frankenheimer.

text: The family gathering scene was filmed in Red Oak, Texas. Several local residents gathered to watch the film being shot. When the filmmakers noticed Mabel Cavitt, a local school teacher, among the people gathered, she was cast as Bonnie Parker's mother.[7][8]

text: Production and style[edit]

text: The film was intended as a romantic and comic version of the violent gangster films of the 1930s, updated with modern filmmaking techniques.[9] Arthur Penn portrayed some of the violent scenes with a comic tone, sometimes reminiscent of Keystone Kops-style slapstick films, then shifted disconcertingly into horrific and graphic violence.[10] The film was strongly influenced by the French New Wave directors, both in its rapid shifts of tone, and in its choppy editing, which is particularly noticeable in the film's closing sequence.[10][11]

text: The first handling of the script was in the early 1960s. Very influenced by the French New Wave writers and in a state not yet completed, it was first sent by its writers David Newman and Robert Benton to Arthur Penn. He was already engaged in the first decisions of production for the 1966 film The Chase and could not further involve himself at that point. The writers then sent to François Truffaut, renowned director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project and went on to make Fahrenheit 451.[12] At Truffaut's suggestion, the writers, much excited (the film's then-producers less so), approached Jean-Luc Godard. Some sources claim Godard didn't trust Hollywood and refused; Robert Benton claimed that Godard wanted to shoot the film in New Jersey in January during the winter and took offense when would-be producer Norah Wright objected that that was unreasonable considering the story took place in Texas with its year-round warm environment.[13] Her partner Elinor Jones[14] claimed they did not believe Godard was right for the project in the first place. Godard's retort: « Je vous parle de cinéma, vous me parlez de météo. Au revoir. » ("I'm talking cinema and you're talking weather. Goodbye.")[15] After the 1968 Academy Awards, Godard sent Benton and Newman a cable that read, "Now, let's make it all over again!"[16]

text: Soon after the failed negotiations for production, Warren Beatty was visiting Paris and learned through Truffaut of the project and its perambulations. On returning to Hollywood, Beatty requested the script and bought the rights. A meeting with Godard was not productive. Beatty then changed compass and convinced the writers that while the script at first reading was very much of the French New Wave style, an American director was necessary for the subject.[17]

text: Beatty offered the position to George Stevens, William Wyler, Karel Reisz, John Schlesinger, Brian G. Hutton, and Sydney Pollack, all of whom turned down the opportunity. Arthur Penn actually turned down the director's position again further times before Beatty finally convinced him to helm the film.[18]

text: When Warren Beatty was on board as producer only, his sister Shirley MacLaine was a strong possibility to play Bonnie, but when Beatty decided to play Clyde, obviously a different actress was needed. Those considered for the role were Jane Fonda, Tuesday Weld, Ann-Margret, Leslie Caron, Carol Lynley and Sue Lyon. Cher auditioned for the part, while Warren Beatty begged Natalie Wood to play the role. Wood declined the role to concentrate more on her therapy at the time, and acknowledged that working with Beatty before was "difficult." Faye Dunaway stated that she won the part "by the skin of her teeth!"[citation needed]

text: The film is forthright in its handling of sexuality, but that theme was toned down from its conception. Originally, Benton and Newman wrote Clyde as bisexual and he and Bonnie were to have a three-way sexual relationship with their male getaway driver. However, Arthur Penn persuaded the writers that since the relationship's emotional complexity was underwritten, it dissipated the passion of the title characters and it would harm the audience's sympathy for the characters who would write them off as sexual deviants because they were criminals. Others claimed that Beatty was not willing to have his character display that kind of sexuality and that the Production Code would never have allowed such content in the first place.[19] Instead, Clyde is portrayed as unambiguously heterosexual, if impotent. When Clyde brandishes his gun to display his manhood, Bonnie suggestively strokes the phallic symbol. Like the 1950 film Gun Crazy, Bonnie and Clyde portrays crime as alluring and intertwined with sex. Because Clyde is impotent, his attempts to physically woo Bonnie are frustrating and anti-climactic.

text: Bonnie and Clyde was one of the first films to feature extensive use of squibs – small explosive charges, often mounted with bags of stage blood, that are detonated inside an actor's clothes to simulate bullet hits. Released in an era where shootings were generally depicted as bloodless and painless, the Bonnie and Clyde death scene was one of the first in mainstream American cinema to be depicted with graphic realism.[20]

text: Beatty had originally wanted the film to be shot in black and white, but Warner Bros. rejected this idea. As it stood, much of the senior management of the studio was hostile to this film project, especially Jack L. Warner who considered the subject-matter an unwanted throwback to Warner Bros.' early period when gangster films were common product.[21] In addition, Warner was already annoyed at Beatty who refused to star in the film, PT 109 at his behest and was insolent enough to defy his favorite gesture of authority of showing the studio water tower with the WB logo on it by responding "Well, it's got your name, but it's got my initials."[22] In addition, Warner complained about the film's extensive location shooting in Texas which exceeded its production schedule and budget, until he ordered the crew back to the studio backlot, where it was planned to be anyway for final process shots.[23]

text: At first, Warner Bros. did not promote Bonnie and Clyde[11] for general release, but instead mounted only limited regional releases that seemed to confirm its misgivings about the film's lack of commercial appeal, despite the fact the film was doing excellent sustained business in select urban theatres.[24] In fact, while Jack Warner was selling the studio to Seven Arts Productions, he would have had the film dumped but for the fact that Israel, of which Warner was a major supporter, had scored a triumphant victory in the Six-Day War, and he was in too defiant a mood to sell any of his studio's films.[25] Meanwhile, Warren Beatty, Bonnie and Clyde's producer and star, complained to Warner Bros. that if the company was willing to go to so much trouble for Reflections in a Golden Eye (they had changed the coloration scheme at considerable expense), their neglect of his film, which was getting excellent press, suggested a conflict of interest; he threatened to sue the company. Warner Bros. gave Beatty's film a general release. Much to Warner Bros.' management surprise, the film eventually became a major box office success.[26]

text: Music[edit]

text: The instrumental banjo piece "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Flatt and Scruggs was introduced to a worldwide audience as a result of its frequent use in the movie. Its use is strictly anachronistic as the bluegrass-style of music dates from the mid-1940s rather than the 1930s, but the functionally similar Old-time music genre was long established and widely recorded at the period in which the film is set.[citation needed] Long out of print in vinyl and cassette formats, the film soundtrack album was finally released on CD in 2009.[27]

text: Historical accuracy[edit]

text: The film considerably simplifies the lives of Bonnie and Clyde, which included other gang members, repeated jailings, other murders and a horrific auto accident that left Parker burned and a near-invalid.

text: The Gene Wilder–Evans Evans sequence is based on the kidnappings of the undertaker H. D. Darby and his acquaintance Sophia Stone, near Ruston, Louisiana on the late afternoon of April 27, 1933 by the Barrow gang, who had stolen their car.[28]

text: The film strays furthest from fact in its portrayal of the Texas Ranger Frank Hamer as a vengeful bungler who had been captured, humiliated, and released by Bonnie and Clyde. In real life, Hamer was already a legendary and decorated Texas Ranger when he was coaxed out of semi-retirement to hunt down the duo; indeed he had never seen them until the moment he and his posse ambushed them near Gibsland, Louisiana on May 23, 1934.[29] In 1968, Hamer's widow and son sued the movie producers for defamation of character over his portrayal and were awarded an out-of-court settlement in 1971.[30]

text: The couple's notoriety in 1933 came from photos found by police as undeveloped film in a hastily abandoned hideout in Joplin, Missouri. In one, Bonnie holds a gun in her hand and a cigar between her teeth. Its publication nationwide typed her as a dramatic gun moll. The film portrays the taking of this playful photo. It implies the gang sent photos—and poetry—to the press, but this is untrue. The police found most of the gang's items in the Joplin cache. Bonnie's final poem, read aloud by her in the movie, was publicized only posthumously by her mother.[31]

text: The only two members of the Barrow Gang who were alive at the time of the film's release were Blanche Barrow and W. D. Jones. While Blanche Barrow approved the depiction of her in the original version of the script, she objected to the later re-writes. At the film's release, she complained loudly about Estelle Parsons's portrayal of her, saying, "That film made me look like a screaming horse's ass!"[32]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The film was controversial on its original release for its supposed glorification of murderers, and for its level of graphic violence, which was unprecedented at the time. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was so appalled that he began to campaign against the increasing brutality of American films.[33] Dave Kaufman of Variety criticized the film for uneven direction and for portraying Bonnie and Clyde as bumbling fools.[34] Joe Morgenstern for Newsweek initially panned the film as a "squalid shoot-'em-up for the moron trade." After seeing the film a second time and noticing the enthusiastic audience, he wrote a second article saying he had misjudged it and praised the film. Warner Bros. took advantage of this, marketing the film as having made a major critic change his mind about its virtues.[35]

text: Roger Ebert gave Bonnie and Clyde a largely positive review, giving it four stars out of four. He called the film "a milestone in the history of American movies, a work of truth and brilliance." More than 30 years later, he added the film to his The Great Movies list. Film critics Dave Kehr and James Berardinelli have also praised the film in the years since.

text: The fierce debate about the film is discussed at length in For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. This 2009 documentary film chronicles what occurred as a result: The New York Times fired Bosley Crowther because his negative review seemed so out of touch with the public, and Pauline Kael, who wrote a lengthy freelance essay in The New Yorker in praise of the film, became the magazine's new staff-critic.[11]

text: It performed well at the box office, and by year's end had grossed $23,000,000 in US theatrical rentals, becoming the studio's second highest-grossing film of all time, right behind My Fair Lady.[36] Listal lists it as one of the top five grossing films of 1967 with $50,700,000 in US sales, and $70,000,000 worldwide.[37]

text: Although many believe the film's groundbreaking portrayal of violence adds to the film's artistic merit, Bonnie and Clyde is still sometimes criticized for opening the floodgates for violence in cinema.[38] It currently holds a 89% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[39]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: In the 40th Academy Awards, Estelle Parsons won Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of Blanche Barrow, and Burnett Guffey won for Best Cinematography. The film was also nominated for:

text:
Best Picture – Warren Beatty
Best Director – Arthur Penn
Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) – David Newman and Robert Benton
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Warren Beatty
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Faye Dunaway
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Gene Hackman
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Michael J. Pollard
Best Costume Design – Theadora Van Runkle

text: In 1992, Bonnie and Clyde was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

text: The film is also honored by the American Film Institute:

text:
1998 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – #27
2001 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – #13
2002 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – #65
2003 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains

Clyde Barrow & Bonnie Parker – #32 Villains

2005 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes – #41

"We rob banks." – #41

2007 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – #42
2008 – AFI's 10 Top 10 – #5 Gangster Film[40]

text: In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild listed the film as the fifth best edited film of all time based on a survey of its membership.[41]

text: Influence[edit]

text: Forty years after its premiere, Bonnie and Clyde has been cited as a major influence for such disparate films as The Wild Bunch, The Godfather, The Departed,[42] and Natural Born Killers.[43]

text: In popular culture[edit]

text: The "Storage Jars" skit of episode 33 of Monty Python's Flying Circus features a brief still shot of Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow firing a Thompson submachine gun as he escapes from the Red Crown Tourist Court. [44]