At first I was disappointed with this ’80s Gumby movie. The intro theme was not exactly the same. That’s half the joy of any Gumby episode. The plot and pacing were a little off. Seeing characters use new technological developments that did not exist when the original tv show was made, like computers and pointy guitars, bothered me. Most troubling was the pointy guitar-inspired music that Gumby’s “Let’s put on a show!” rock band, The Clayboys, was playing. I feared that exposure to these songs would adversely influence my boy’s musical development. (Note: I have not seen the “Director’s Cut” of this video, as advertised above.)
My boy was fine with the movie, and thankfully he was hip to the fact that the movie sucked. The trippy shape-shifting and travel through books were enough to keep him amused. He probably watched the movie 30 times during a stretch in his preschool years, and then our second son did the same. They are unscathed by the bad musical sequences, but I’m still disappointed that they’ve not seen the real Gumby episodes. Someday I’ll get them up to speed on that cultural phenomenon.
Next: The real reason I bring this Gumby movie up for discussion in the Halls of Rock.
Mr. Mod, you missed an even more historic name in those endless credits. The late, great ‘Sneaky’ Pete Kleinow, pedal steel guitarist and original Flying Burrito Brother, was involved in this Gumby movie, both in the animation and, to a lesser extent, in the music. A little research shows that he was in the animation biz way before the Burritos, and he even worked — wait for it — on your beloved original Gumby TV series.
Wikipedia says:
“Kleinow was born in South Bend, Indiana. Before his musical career, he originally worked as a special effects artist and stop motion animator for movies and television, including the Gumby, Outer Limits, and Davey and Goliath series, as well as movies such as 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (starring Tony Randall and Barbara Eden) and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.”
A resume of his animation credits is available at http://www.sneakypetekleinow.com/.
I love the way Chaquico says, repeatedly:
“blahblahblah-our NUMBER ONE RECORD…
… (then adds, rushed, and practically under his breath):
“on smooth jazz radio…blahblahblah…”
Hobson’s choice: Craig Chaquico or Waddy Wachtel?
HVB
I noticed later, doing further research, that Sneaky Pete has some tie-in with Gumby, but I didn’t have time to click on the links that were in my periphery. Amazing!
Dear God, Mod! Next time feel free to spoil the surprise and not have me sit through that kind of bilge! It seems clear to me that the main thing missing in a lot of later Gumby things is the inherent twisted vision of that original dude. Or, at least he was sorely muted by more marketing-oriented minds. I used to have some old VHS Gumbys, and they included ones more primitive than any I had seen as a kid. Low-Fi. Did you ever see one where Gumby is rushed into the OR on a gurney, going under the lights in the hallway of the hospital, with dark patches in between, then on the operating table, he is given laughing gas and goes to the moon? It is just scary. The shapes are rough, the animation jerky, and the story, simply hallucino-freaky. No cutie-pie going into a book with a pal! Just your parents drugging you and cutting you open and a fearful trip to the moon. Gumby ‘the Movie” indeed! I will say one thing: those men do a superb job of vacuuming their studios and putting away their cables and things. They really inspire us little people. In fact, sometimes when I can’t quite bring myself to vacuum and clean up, I’ll listen to a little Number One Smooth Jazz instead, and while it’s on, I *feel* like I’m vacuuming!