Saturday Mornings: Lidsville - The Trippiest Show of the 70’s

We all know Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, H.R. Pufnstuf and the Banana Splits – but what if I told you there was another retro Sid and Marty Krofft show that was even weirder and tripper than those?

 I present Lidsville, a show about a teenage boy named Mark (Butch Patrick) who, while at an amusement park, tries to peek into a Magician’s hat – only to fall into an extradimensional world of living hats, and that these hats have taken on the characteristics and traits of the humans that would worn them…aka, the Cowboy hat (Tex) talks and acts like John Wayne, the Pith Helmet (Colonel Poom) speaks like a British officer, the feathered hat (Big Chief Sitting Duck) speaks like an Native American ect…..

The concept alone is pretty crazy, but when you mix in the visuals (even the houses take on hat shapes) with the live action cast….you are in for a ride.

Live Cast

• Charles Nelson Reilly plays Horatio J. HooDoo the Magician, main antagonist of the show and better known for his flamboyant appearances on the game show circuits during the 70’s, TV shows ranging from Car 54 Where are you (1962) to playing Dirty Bubble on SpongeBob SquarePants (2000) and stage appearances such as Bye Bye Birdie and Hello Dolly.

• Butch Patrick is Mark, the hero of our story and the boy who falls into the hat. I find Butch to be the most interesting casting, as he originally played Eddie Munster (The Munsters) and although he had some guest star roles, Lidsville was going to be his breakout vehicle into other roles. Sadly, after cancelation this never materialized. Butch went on to make some cameo appearances (usually as Eddie Munster), started a band (Eddie and the Monsters) and now does the Convention Circuit to make a living.

• Billie Hayes takes on the role of Weenie the Genie, a genie enslaved to HooDoo by the power of a magic ring (not a lamp) who is then rescued by Mark and helps him on his adventures. With her distinct voice, you will immediately recognize her as playing Witchiepoo on H.R. Pufnstuf – but also might recognizer her fore her voicework in Teen Titans, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Batman, Darkwing Duck and many others.

The Bad Hats

• Mr. Big (Lennie Weinrib (voice)) – A gangsta fedora who is the leader of the Bad Hats. “youse guiez….”

• Captain Hooknose (Lennie Weinrib (voice)) – The pirate hat with parrot on brim and with a hook for a nose

• Bela (Walker Edmiston (voice)) – Kind of a vampire bat and 70’s pimp hat combination. (I guess the creators had something on their mind besides all the drugs)

• Boris (Walker Edmiston (voice)) – The executioners cowl. He wields the big axe and ever seems to hit anything with it.

The Good Hats

•  Rah-Rah (Lennie Weinrib voice)) – A football helmet. Always throwing Footballs.

• Madame Ring-a-Ding (Joan Gerber (voice)) – The social butterfly party hat and center of Lidsville’s party scene.

• Mother Wheels (Joan Gerber (voice)) –Leather clad, grandmother hell-on-wheels. “Hiya, Hon-ees”.

• Nursie (Joan Gerber (voice)) – First responder to just about any trouble in Lidsville

• Twirly (Joan Gerber (voice)) – A flying beanie hat. Rescues Mark and Weenie quite often when they get stuck in hard to reach parts of Lidsville

• Colonel Poom (Lennie Weinrib (voice)) – He is the very model of a British Pith Helmet. Also owns the only offensive weapon the good hats really have, an old war cannon.

• Tex (Lennie Weinrib (voice)) – A cowboy hat who is always eager to hit the trail and take the fight to HooDoo

• Tonsilini (Lennie Weinrib (voice)) – The opera hat who sings EVERYTHING

• Hiram (Walker Edmiston (voice)) – A farmer’s straw hat who carries a small piglet with him everywhere

Overall, the series uses some crazy visuals, psychedelic effects and some reused footage from previous episodes to tell the adventures of Mark, as he tries to get back to real world….but slowly begins to interact and care for the occupants of Lidsville. I personally recall that this show was trippy and almost overwhelming to the senses, even to me back in the 70s, so when I introduced Steph to it some of her comments included:

• This is Dark

• They did more than just smoke some weed to come up with this

• What an incredible set design – so much going on

• What did I just watch

• Hey – I remember her!

• These stereotypes would never be aired today

In her first introduction, I think she came away impressed and we can continue watching the show.  We currently have all the episodes on Forgotten Saturdays, and you can find the links below.   Sadly, the show only ran for one season (17 episodes from 1971 - 1973) and was canceled. The show still holds up interestingly well - with the bad puns (pertaining to hats), creepy special stories (the Evil Eye monitoring TV is still unnerving) and great sets. If you are looking for some serious nostalgia, something definitely different or just a peek back into the golden years of Television where Kroffts could do no wrong, then defently check this show out.

Trivia

•  Given the psychodelic nature of the show, it should be no surprise that a Lid was also a slang term for an ounce of marijuana.

• The role of Weenie was originally going to be played by the late Billy Barty (He-Man, Willow, Labyrinth, UHF), but illness prevented him from taking the role. 

• Charles Nelson Reilly reportedly hated working on the show and was dismayed later in life when most people who met him would only remember him for Lidsville.

• The opening was filmed in Six Flags Over Texas, while the rest of the show was shot on a California soundstage.

• Dialogue from the show can be heard in the Marilyn Manson song "Dope Hat"

• Some of the costume characters were played by the Hermines Midgets (who also played Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz), but children were also used under the costumes.