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The Land of Tinkerdee: Directed by Mel Swope. With Darryl Ferreira, Jim Henson.
- Mel Swope
- 1964
- Comedy, Family
- Darryl Ferreira, Jim Henson
The Land of Tinkerdee (TV Movie 1964) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
May 24, 2024 · The Land of Tinkerdee was a pilot for a daily children's television program produced by Muppets, Inc. in 1964. Jim Henson's company had produced a previous p...
Jun 5, 2020 · Another Tinkerdee pilot, The Land of Tinkerdee, was created in 1964. The pilot is held in the Paley Center for Media collection, and can be viewed by visiting either of the museum's locations in New York City or Los Angeles.
- Overview
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was a pilot for a daily children's television program produced by Muppets, Inc. in 1964.
Jim Henson's company had produced a previous pilot in 1962 -- Tales of the Tinkerdee, a fast-paced puppet show with many sets and a complicated narrative. That show wasn't picked up, and the 1964 version was a much simpler and more conventional puppet show. Ten plot outlines were written, and Jerry Juhl wrote several full scripts. The pilot was taped on August 9, 1964.
took place on a single set, with minimal props. The show paired a human actor, Darryl Ferreira, with a Muppet dog, Rufus (The human and dog pairing may have been inspired by Rowlf the Dog's successful run on The Jimmy Dean Show, which began in 1963). King Goshposh appeared in this pilot, still the reigning monarch of Tinkerdee. Princess Gwendolinda was mentioned, but doesn't appear.
Though The Land of Tinkerdee wasn't picked up as a series, King Goshposh and Rufus later appeared in the 1970 special
The show opens with the title: "Muppets, Inc. presents The Land of Tinkerdee, featuring Darryl and Rufus".
The scene is a cluttered workroom in Tinkerdee. Darryl is the gatekeeper of Tinkerdee, and Rufus is his watchdog and friend. At the start of the show, Darryl has been told that King Goshposh wants him to repair a watch. Rufus wants to help, so Darryl tells him to go to the store and get some oil. Rufus complains: "What a dirty deal! He always gets to do the good jobs." Darryl promises that he won't start repairing the watch until Rufus comes back.
Rufus prepares to leave, but forgets what he's supposed to bring back: "A tube of glue? A box of nails? A... a bottle of, uh... no..." Darryl shakes his head. "A pound and a half of... a quart of... a yard and a third of..."
"I'll tell you once more," Darryl says. "Oil." Rufus leaves to get the oil.
While Rufus is gone, Darryl gets a magnifying glass. King Goshposh enters, smoking a cigar and holding a small chest. Goshposh is shy and retiring as always: "Your handsome, noble, lovable king -- namely me -- is here to visit you." Goshposh is very protective of the watch -- at first, he doesn't even want Darryl to touch the box, until Darryl explains that he can't fix the watch without touching it.
Darryl opens the box, and he's amazed: "Now, that is really a watch!" Goshposh struts: "That's diamond studded, jewel encrusted, and solid gold. The eye -- yea, verily, the eye -- is truly blinded by its stunning beauty." "What's wrong with it?" Darryl asks. "It runs slow," says Goshposh.
•Producer: Jim Henson
•Writer: Jerry Juhl
•Directed by Mel Swope
•with Darryl Ferreira
•Puppets by Jim Henson and Frank Oznowicz
•A presentation of Muppets, Inc.
•Jim Henson's Red Book entry on the pilot
1.Jim's Red Book Entry - 9/ /1963 - Build Rufus
Tales of the Tinkerdee: Directed by Carl Degen. With Jane Henson, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Bob Payne.
A clip from Jim Henson's unaired pilot "Land of Tinkerdee" featuring Darryl Ferreira and Rufus (performed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz).
- 3 min
- 9.2K
- The Jim Henson Company
