Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?

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Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?
GenreAnimation
Comedy
Adventure
Musical
Written byDr. Seuss
Directed byGerard Baldwin
Voices ofWayne Morton
Ken Lundie
Hal Smith
Sue Allen
Don Messick
Joe Raposo
ComposerJoe Raposo
Country of originUnited States
Production
Executive producersDavid H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
ProducerTed Geisel
Production companyDePatie–Freleng Enterprises
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseMay 2, 1980 (1980-05-02)

Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? (renamed Pontoffel Pock & His Magic Piano for the sing-a-long videocassette release) is an animated musical television special written by Dr. Seuss, directed by Gerard Baldwin, produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, and completed in 1979 but first aired on ABC on May 2, 1980.[1] This was one of the final productions done at DePatie–Freleng as the studio would be sold to Marvel Comics and become Marvel Productions in 1981. The songs are by Sesame Street composer Joe Raposo.

The special was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program" the first year that award was given.[2]

The story has been noted for its satirical critique of capitalist structures.[3]

Plot[]

Young Pontoffel Pock is about to start his first day working at Gickler's Dill Pickle works. The manager Gil Gickler assures him the job is 'as easy as pie,' but on his first attempt to work the machinery, his confusion with using the Pushems and Pullems causes the machinery to malfunction, flooding the factory with pickles and pickle juice. After repairmen fix the factory pipes and drain down the sea of pickle juice, Gil cuts ties with Pontoffel's job at the factory, ordering him to leave and never come back. Depressed and feeling like a nobody, Pontoffel sadly returns alone to his dilapidated house and wishes that he could "get away from it all". He is immediately visited by McGillicuddy, an Irish-accented representative of the "Amalgamated Do-Gooding Fairies" who says: "Pontoffel Pock, your wish has been heard, and your wish has been granted." McGillicuddy and his fairy associates, Humboldt and Higby (and later on, Hoikendorf), give him a magical flying piano that can take him anywhere in the world. To do so, Pontoffel Pock plays a simple fanfare (C, C, C, D, D#, E) and then chooses a destination by pressing one of many differently-colored buttons, which fly him to his destination. The fairies instruct him to "twitch the Homing Pigeon Switch" to return home if he chooses. After learning to play the notes, Pontoffel chooses a button that sends him to Groogen (based on Germany, Switzerland and the Alpine regions).

At first the locals welcome Pontoffel to their country, but Pontoffel soon gets carried away and starts recklessly flying through Groogen, later scaring the Groogenites out of their wits and causing havoc, such as inadvertently inciting damage to one musician's flugelhorn. After the musician informs a Groogen cop about what Pontoffel just did, the cop then reports the incident to the magistrate of Groogen, who then rules in that the Groogenites load up the "Goomy Gun", which fires multi-colored paint, in an attempt to attack Pontoffel and drive him away. After being hit by the gun, Pontoffel plummets downward, but at the last second he is able to send himself and the piano home. McGillicuddy angrily attempts to take the piano back for Pontoffel's mishandling of it, but eventually Pontoffel begs him for a second chance, claiming that he cannot handle working at the factory for any longer and still feels the need to run away from hardship.

After a brief dispute with Humboldt and Higby over the rules described in the official Fairy handbook, McGillicuddy decides to choose a random destination for Pontoffel and sends him to Casbahmopolis in The Middle East). There Pontoffel sees a procession for Neefa Feefa, a famous "eyeball dancer," and the two fall in love at first sight. Pontoffel follows her to the palace where she dances for the king, wishing, like Pontoffel, wants to "get away from it all". Pontoffel promises his piano can take them anywhere, and they are pursued and surrounded by the palace guards, one of whom breaks the Homing Pigeon Switch off the piano upon hearing Pontoffel's attempt of its use for escape. Choosing a random button as an alternative but unsuccessful option to escape, he loses control of the piano as it tilts over upon Neefa Feefa sitting on top of it, leading Neefa Feefa into slipping off of it and into the guards' clutches, without Pontoffel knowing at first. Not remembering which button can take him back to her, Pontoffel starts pushing random buttons, sending him to several different places such as the North Pole, the Congo region, Spain, Waikiki, Africa, Japan, and others, including Seuss's birthplace of Springfield, Massachusetts) in the hope of returning to her.

Meanwhile, McGillicuddy gets worried that his superiors will discover what is happening with the piano, and enlists the help of all of his fairy associates to fly all over the world, looking for Pontoffel. Eventually the Head Fairy sends out all the reserves to locate it, but none of them can find it in time. Along the way, Pontoffel ends up in a stormy sky twice which sets the piano on fire with lightning, and later, Pontoffel ends up lost in Japan where there is heavy rain. Finally remembering the right button, Pontoffel goes straight to Neefa Feefa, only to crash-land into the tower where she is being kept prisoner and destroy the piano. Neefa Feefa voices a wish to "get away from it all", just as Pontoffel had earlier, which comes to the attention of the fairies who appear to grant her wish. They are escorted home together, with the Fairies having to carry the now-damaged piano with ropes. Pontoffel is rehired at the pickle factory, along with Neefa Feefa and he finally gets the gears working right. Outside, a rainbow appears as the Fairies are still carrying the worn-out piano away.

Cast[]

Songs[]

  • "Pull on the Pullum" - Joe Raposo and Chorus
  • "I Had Failed" - Wayne Morton and Chorus
  • "The House that My Family Had Left Me" - Wayne Morton (To the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)
  • "This Wondrous Piano" - Hal Smith
  • "Welcome to Groogen" - Chorus
  • "I'm Flying Free" - Wayne Morton
  • "Optic Coptic (AKA The Eyes Song)" - Sue Allen and Wayne Morton (ending with a brief reprise to "This Wondrous Piano")
  • "Pontoffel Pock, Where the Heck Are You?" - Hal Smith and Sue Allen
  • "Pull On the Pullum (Reprise)" - Joe Raposo, Wayne Morton, Sue Allen and Chorus

Home media[]

This special was released on VHS by Random House Home Video in 1992 under the cover title Pontoffel Pock and the Magical Piano. Then it was later released as paired with The Lorax on both VHS and DVD by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in 2003 and again on its Deluxe Edition Blu-ray reprint in 2012 by Warner Home Video. As of 2021, there are seldom any plans of this special to be remastered in high definition, possibly due to scene issues including racist imagery and depictions (which six of the Dr. Seuss books have been banned for) and also some shots of alternate flashes that would induce epileptic seizures to the young audiences.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 123–124. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, Alan (2015). America Toons In: A History of Television Animation. McFarland & Co. p. 165. ISBN 9781476614885. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. ^ Kunst, Bojana (2015). Artist at Work: Proximity of Art and Capitalism. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 9781785350016. Retrieved 27 March 2020.

External links[]

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