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, 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 Joe Raposo.
Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? | |
---|---|
Genre | Animation Comedy Adventure Musical |
Written by | Dr. Seuss |
Directed by | Gerard Baldwin |
Voices of | Wayne Morton Ken Lundie Hal Smith Sue Allen Don Messick Joe Raposo |
Country of origin | United States |
Production | |
Executive producers | David H. DePatie Friz Freleng |
Producer | Ted Geisel |
Production company | DePatie–Freleng Enterprises |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | May 2, 1980 |
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 causes a jam that floods the factory. He is ordered to leave and never come back. Depressed and feeling like a failure, 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, scaring the Groogenites out of their wits and causing havoc. The Groogenites decide to attack Pontoffel with the "Goomy Gun", which fires multi-colored paint, and drive him away. After being hit by the gun, he 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.
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. Choosing a random button, he loses control of the piano and Neefa Feefa slips off into the guards' clutches. Not knowing 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. 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. Pontoffel is rehired at the pickle factory, along with Neefa Feefa. Outside, a rainbow appears as the Fairies fly the worn-out piano away.
Cast
- Ken Lundie - Higby
- Joe Raposo - Gil Gickler / Additional voices
- Wayne Morton - Pontoffel Pock
- Hal Smith - McGillicuddy / Good Fairy-in-Chief
- Sue Allen - Neefa Feefa
- Don Messick - Humboldt
- John Stephenson - Groogen Cop
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
- "This Wondrous Piano (Reprise)" - Wayne Morton
- "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
See also
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Perlmutter, Alan (2015). America Toons In: A History of Television Animation. McFarland & Co. p. 165. ISBN 9781476614885. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Kunst, Bojana (2015). Artist at Work: Proximity of Art and Capitalism. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 9781785350016. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
External links
- Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? at IMDb
- Dr. Seuss: The Grinch Grinches The Cat In The Hat / Pontoffel Pock is available for free download at the Internet Archive