Saturday, June 06, 2009

The Point

I was six in 1971 when ABC first aired the animated version of Harry Nilsson's The Point as Movie of the Week. I barely remember it. Maybe later tonight I'll watch it in its entirety courtesy of YouTube. Until then, here's an excerpt featuring the Rock Man, which is chock full of great lines like this:

"Us rock folks are impervious to heat. We stay cool."

15 comments:

Rita Writer said...

WOW. That brings one back. I remember "My and My Arrow," and that "you don't have to have a point, to have a point." I could never figure out, though, why the thing was shown originally in prime time.

Erin O'Brien said...

Thank god someone else remembers ...

David Zimmerman said...

Many of us remember. I love that movie. "Me and My Arrow" is one of those viral tunes that get stuck in my head. I don't mind it as much as others.

Anonymous said...

In jr high (i am a wee bit older than you) we made ourselves some triangles and enjoyed many a game of triangle toss

i believe they used the arrow song to promote the car of the same name.

my favorite nilsson song won't be heard on tv or be part of a car commercial...you're breaking my heart

jo

Erin O'Brien said...

... you're tearin' it apart ...

philbilly said...

Not sure if I missed this one or not.

Wolfman? Is dat you?

The new Woodstock Anthology is out. No Ten Years After or Band, though. Bummer.

paul bitzan said...

For the life of me, I can't figure out what accent lies beneath the beatnik rasp.

Sounds Eastern European.

Erin O'Brien said...

Can't find who voiced Rock Man.

After viewing the whole thing last night, he was my fave character. Watch all of it if you have time. It was oodles of fun!

Anonymous said...

it was bill martin, he's a american so it must be an accent he made up, he's a voice actor primarily

jo"too much time on my hands" meincke

Big Mark 243 said...

This was a neat little clip ... it makes me wonder why they don't do things like this for children anymore ... afraid to stimulate minds, I guess!

Erin O'Brien said...

Thanks, Jo.

Glad you said that Mark.

The drug references would get you in trouble today, as well as the slightly not-PC stuff. There's a great scene where Oblio gets bounced around between three giggling pudgy sisters that would never fly today.

I loved the Peter Max influence on the animation; and the way the songs would often have nothing to do with content.

Everyone, do watch this if you can. My 12-year-old was transfixed by it.

Kirk said...

Anonymous states that Bill Martin is an "american so it must be an accent he made up." It may very well be that Bill Martin doesn't talk like that in his free time, but I do believe that was supposed to be an American accent. To be exact, a stereotypical American 1950s jazz musician accent that bohemian types like Wolfman Jack (whom philbilly mentioned) sought to imitate.

For the sake of political correctness, I'm leaving something out here.

Kirk said...

Peter Max influence? I was thinking more Gahan Wilson (longtime New Yorker cartoonist)

The Fool said...

I've watched this one many times over the years, and it is always a delight. It was a staple that had to be shared with my children, along with "Yellow Submarine." The two movies go well together, along with a side of Screaming Yellow Zonkers.

philbilly said...

I long to be Oblio bouncing betwixt three pudgy giggling sisters.

Last summer , some of the local hipsters screened "Yellow Submarine" on a makeshift screen overlooking Lake Erie at night. I was surprised at how much I was instantly drawn in by that silly film on that perfect Cleveland night, and in remembering how much influence it had actually had upon me when I first saw it, and how different I was as the same person 40 years after.

I'm beginning to remember seeing " The Point".

The sixties and seventies were underwritten by a profound lack of fear, I think. Not like now.

Gahan Wilson, Peter Max, Woodstock, Janis, Jimi, an epoch.

Girls wore velvet hotpants.
CRUSHED VELVET MAGENTA HOTPANTS I'm tellin' ya!

Two young lads named Rumsfeld and Cheney working for Dick Nixon. Who knew.