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News / Columns / Five Favorite Films
Five Favorite Films with Sid and Marty Krofft
The siblings behind the '70s TV shows H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and more reflect as Land of the Lost hits the big screen.
by Jen Yamato | June 03, 2009
Discuss Article

Sid and Marty Krofft

H.R. Pufnstuf. The Bugaloos. Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. Brothers Sid and Marty Krofft are showbiz legends, thanks to their flair for the bizarre and knack for creating a brand of hit shows that entertained generations of Saturday Morning TV-watchers throughout the '70s and '80s. This week, as the septuagenarians see their popular adventure series Land of the Lost adapted for the big screen by director Brad Silberling and star Will Ferrell --- both of whom have an obvious nostalgic love for the material --- RT sat down with both Kroffts to learn not only what movies they love, but which ones influenced some of their most famous whimsical creations. As you can see below, Sid (pictured on the left) and Marty (on the right) still enjoy a back-and-forth brotherly banter; they each picked two favorite films and agreed on their final pick.





Scarface (1983, 85% Tomatometer)
Scarface Marty (addressing Sid): The one with cocaine in Cuba, with your neighbor... Pacino. I've seen that twenty times. Scarface! It's compelling; it's hard to not see it. The whole picture was interesting.

Do you think your fans might expect such a hardcore, violent film among your favorites?

Marty: Well, I also like Dr. Doolittle. [Smiles]



The Wizard of Oz (1939, 100% Tomatometer)
Wizard of OzSid: I, on opening day, saw The Wizard of Oz -- 1939, in Providence, Rhode Island. I even remember the theater, the Majestic Theater. Our dad [took us] and we slept in the street that night to wait for the first showing of it. And of course, just like everybody else on this planet, it's made a lifetime impression on me. As a matter of fact, I think that H.R. Pufnstuft, which was our first television show, the whole feeling came from The Wizard of Oz. It wasn't like it, but the story -- with a boy instead of a girl, and all the characters and the trees and the witch -- but we went in a whole other direction with ours. As a matter of fact, when the first Pufnstuft movie came out a year after we did the series, Time Magazine said it was "the next Wizard of Oz." That was quite a statement.

What else? Margaret Hamilton -- as a matter of fact, I think the very last job that she had before she left us was in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. She played the crazy lady next door who kept seeing the little monster and nobody believed her. She did two or three episodes for us. And the reason she wanted to do it? She wanted to meet Billie Hayes, who was Witchiepoo. She said Witchiepoo is the best witch; as a matter of fact, Billie Hayes met her at the airport and they became great friends.

And the reason for being of Land of the Lost? In 1940 there was a movie called One Million B.C. Marty was just a couple of years old, and I was eleven. I had never seen a dinosaur moving; no one had. Only in our schoolbooks. I would take him to see One Million B.C. with Victor Mature... wow. That made a huge impression. It scared the hell out of me. Because, like I said, we had never seen a dinosaur moving before! And that idea gave us the idea to do Land of the Lost.



Step Brothers (2008, 55% Tomatometer)
Step BrothersMarty: Ok, my other favorite film was Step Brothers. It was funny! That was a funny movie. That was the hardest I've laughed in the theater in a long time. I thought it was a great movie.

Did you already know Will Ferrell at the time?

Marty: Of course, we'd been [working with Ferrell] for three and a half years on Land of the Lost.

Sid: So he's a little prejudiced. [Smiles]

Marty: No, I'm not prejudiced at all. That movie I liked over other movies he did.

Did any of Step Brothers remind you two of your own relationship growing up?

Marty: No -- our relationship lasted through almost every marriage! You can't fire your brother ---

Sid: -- and you can't divorce your brother.

Were there any hijinks in the Krofft household growing up?

Marty: Well, I didn't grow up with him. He was older than me, he was out doing his thing. I was a baby; I was an only child.

Sid: I was the opening act for Judy Garland, so I was on tour. And then Marty joined me at the end with Judy Garland's tour, and the snowball started...



Star Wars (1977, 95% Tomatometer)
Star WarsSid: Another film that I saw that just blew me away was the very first Star Wars. I saw it almost two months before it opened at the Academy, and the theater was half full! No one had ever heard of it; I had a hard time inviting someone --- "Star Wars? I'm not interested in that." When the movie was over, they cleared the audience out of the theater because everyone just sat. They were paralyzed. They had to ask us all to leave because they wanted to lock up the theater. Everybody in the theater was out on the street, sitting on the curb, in a daze. I'll never, ever forget that.



Land of the Lost (2009)
Land of the LostMarty: Land of the Lost is my favorite movie. I know I'm not objective, but it's my favorite movie and all the fans that we entertained for all those years -- we did them a turn, now they've got to do us one. Come on June 5!

What was your reaction to the film adaptation? It's got a similar look and feel, but it's much raunchier and some elements have been changed to suit the big screen.

Marty: Well, we were part of it all. This was going to be a different tone. Comedy, Will Ferrell, adventure, action, jeopardy...

Sid: We're in the year 2009! A couple of weeks ago, Will Ferrell said to Marty and myself, "you guys are so cool and this is the coolest project." I said, it's great that you say that, because all these years we've been accused of being hip and trippy. So now we're cool, hip, and trippy. This movie is all those three things.

Marty: Everybody always said we were 30 years ahead of the time. Now we're only one year ahead of the time.



See how the combined comedic forces of Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, and Anna Friel bring Sid and Marty Krofft's strange and fantastic lore into the 21st century in the Sleestastic Land of the Lost, in theaters Friday.

For more Five Favorite Films, visit our archive.


Related Items
Movie: Land of the Lost Vol. 1
Celeb: Brad Silberling
Will Ferrell
Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft
Anna Friel
Danny McBride
Jorma Taccone
Bookmark and Share
Comments (1-20 of 30 posts) | Reply
Dave J.
Dave J. writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:09 PM

I guess they'll do anything to hype his own movie. Interesting genres between Scarface and the Wizard of Oz.

(Reply to this)
tomwaitsjr
tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:29 PM

Hr Puffnstuff is one of the weirdest and mos def awful things I've ever seen. They should show it to people that are considering using acid, saying "This is what your life will be like for a while."

I HATE HR PUFFNSTUFF and the stupid talking instruments, etc. Thank God my parents didn't make me watch that #$#$.

And now, thanks to this, no way in hell am I watching Land of the Lost in theaters. I bet it will suck.


(Reply to this)
SuperJuice
SuperJuice writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:39 PM

Yay - plugging their own stuff and a couple of well-known films. Probably the lamest celeb listing ever in a RT interview.

(Reply to this)
TalkingClay
TalkingClay writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:41 PM

Scarface in someone's top films is generally an indicator that they are either an idiot of have a fabulous sense of humour. They don't seem that funny.

(Reply to this)
Jen Yamato
Jen Yamato writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:44 PM

I disagree. I think the story of watching The Wizard of Oz in 19-freaking-39 on opening weekend as a child is amazing. And to be affected by it that much, and to remember the feeling...

(Reply to this)
Bigbrother
Bigbrother writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:58 PM

In reply to this comment (#2524366)
Gotta agree with Jen, and not just because I'm hoping she'll go for the whole tomato costume/Happy Dance idea Ryan and I were discussing in the other thread, The Wizard of Oz is one of the most timeless movies ever made. I believe it could be released today with very little upgrading and still be popular. Any list that includes that can't be all bad.

(Reply to this)
RhapsodicInk M.
RhapsodicInk M. writes:
on Jun 03 2009 07:17 PM

i seriously think some people NEVER get off this site...i don't think i have to name names.

(Reply to this)
Bigbrother
Bigbrother writes:
on Jun 03 2009 08:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#2524375)
Fortunately for you some of us have lots of free time these days :)

(Reply to this)
crystalwhiteeyes
crystalwhiteeyes writes:
on Jun 03 2009 08:46 PM

Star Wars, and Scarface...both great films. Can't argue with those choices. I also think it's awesome to see Wizard of Oz on opening weekend back in 1939. The oldest film I remember seeing and feeling was Terminator 2 back in 1991. Uhhhhh...they have me beat! lol.

Picking your own film as a favorite is, and always will be a bad move. That's the only downside to this.


(Reply to this)
ledawg
ledawg writes:
on Jun 03 2009 10:07 PM

"Land of the Lost" film will be horrible. The show is so bad it's good, the new look likes Satan's s**t

(Reply to this)
ledawg
ledawg writes:
on Jun 03 2009 10:41 PM

In reply to this comment (#2524375)
Yes, we should use it as much you want! Can I speak?

(Reply to this)
Bulletproof_Animal
Bulletproof_Animal writes:
on Jun 04 2009 12:24 AM

No Godfather? No Citizen Kane? Step Brothers? I would be outraged if I were someone else.

(Reply to this)
Joggles
Joggles writes:
on Jun 04 2009 12:55 AM

I have to agree with a lot of the negative comments up top... This is by far one of the worst movie lists I've ever seen. The only ones on there that seems even remotely genuine is Wizard of Oz and Star Wars, and even those are just "I'm really old and saw these classics in the theater".

Scarface? Step Brothers? Morons... and to say Land of the Lost is their favorite is just... Good Christ.

I'll always fall back to an interview I read with David Cross where he responded to criticism about Alvin and the Chipmunks. He had the balls to admit that the movie was an abomination, but he did it because he was offered more money than most of us will ever see. Someone trying to plug their horrid, trailer-trash-brood entertainment as 'their favorite movie' right before it comes out (even going so far as to mention the release date) is absurd.

But the good lists on here wouldn't be good without the bad, so bravo for posting it :) Anyone with half a brain will see right through it, but now I know the kind of people they both are!


(Reply to this)
Joggles
Joggles writes:
on Jun 04 2009 12:58 AM

And going back to the David Cross thing, I'd be interested to see what Jorma has to say about his thoughts on Land of the Lost. I'd be surprised to say the least if he didn't share the same sentiments. Going from Lonely Island and Awesome Town, money can be the only possible reason.

(Reply to this)
soontobedirectorT
soontobedirectorT writes:
on Jun 04 2009 04:06 AM

i don't like this list very much but everyone has one's own opinion. art is subjective... for example scarface and star wars are mediocre at best in my opinion.

(Reply to this)
Funkmaster Flex
Funkmaster Flex writes:
on Jun 04 2009 06:38 AM

I do think it's a bit self-serving to list an upcoming movie of yours as a favorite movie. Reading the explanations for their picks, I would rather have just seen what Sid'd favorites were. Marty comes off as an idiot. Maybe they both just have dementia?

(Reply to this)
Ben J.
Ben J. writes:
on Jun 04 2009 08:29 AM

I love everyone that sits there complaining about how terrible these favorites lists always are because they are favorites and not Best lists. Now I will say that Step Brothers looked like crap, but if they liked it, it is probably a guilty pleasure kind of film. I love old Godzilla movies, at least one would make my list. Not because they are great cinematic expressions, but because I love them. Plugging your film that will most likely be in the guilty pleasures category isn't bad. They worked on it for years, and it has been with them for decades. That would build in a little bit of love for me it if was my project. While it is not a great list of films that will span the ages, it is a matter of personal taste. In there case, look at their work and it starts to make sense.

(Reply to this)
jgorycki
jgorycki writes:
on Jun 04 2009 10:15 AM

They actually sat outside waiting for Wizard of Oz with their dad is the coolest!!!

That is something that Margaret Hamilton wanted to meet Witchepoo!!!

That show was a riot! I liked the Bugaloos better. Martha Raye as Benita Bizarre!!! I thought The girl bug on the show was hot. Hey, I was 13 at the time. Oh, those raging hormones :)



(Reply to this)
Timothy M.
Timothy M. writes:
on Jun 04 2009 10:34 AM

Interesting List.

(Reply to this)
RhapsodicInk M.
RhapsodicInk M. writes:
on Jun 04 2009 11:00 AM

In reply to this comment (#2524426)
I wasn't trying to be negative ledawg. I was just pointing out an observation. I think bigbrother understood that.

(Reply to this)
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