Billie Hayes Dies: Wicked Witchiepoo Of ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’ Was 96

Deadline.com ^ | May 3, 2021 | Greg Evans

[lowbridge]

Billie Hayes, whose portrayal of the flamboyantly and comically wicked witch Witchiepoo on the 1969-70 Saturday morning live-action children’s classic H.R. Pufnstuf, died of natural causes Thursday April 29 at Cedar’s Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 96.

Her death was announced by her family.

[Dr. Sivana]

Don’t forget Sigmund & the Sea Monsters. Sid & Marty Kroft put out some fun shows for kids during that era.

If I recall, they presented some ideas to McDonald's Inc., and had to sue McDonald's (and won) when the McDonald land characters came out (Grimace, Captain Hook, Mayor McCheese, Hamburglar, etc.)

[Lurker]

Yep.

L

[LeoTDB69]

“If I recall, they presented some ideas to McDonald’s Inc., and had to sue McDonald’s”

Another bit of trivia regarding the show I had not heard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_%26_Marty_Krofft_Television_Productions_Inc._v._McDonald%27s_Corp.

[Envisioning]

Wichiepoo (((Ping))))

Uh oh Chongo!

[Hatteras]

I thought it was Wynonna Judd.

Separated at birth maybe?...

[dljordan]

“jettisoned us into the Age of Aquarius”

You had to say that? Now I’ve got that stupid song in my head.

[Magnum44]

So what’s she doing on the Billie Hayes thread? Not that I mind....

[Cowgirl of Justice]

No, I could swear it is Barbara Bouchet.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

Land of the Lost...

[Dr. Sivana]

Land of the Lost...

Among the non-animated Saturday morning fare, I was more along the lines of "The Banana Splits" and "Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp". I wanted to like "Shazam!" (the real Captain Marvel), but it was lame. The special effects consisted of a Winnebago.

[lapsus calami]

 

 

Billie on an episode of Bewitched as both a witch and a fairy godmother. She looked rather smoky hot as the fairy godmother.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxscbol6Ii4

 

 

[lapsus calami]

 

 

Am pretty sure I've seen that stunt used more than once - think it may have been a running gag on that show. I remember one time HRP was being some bigshot director, wearing a beret, neck scarf and carrying a short megaphone. He'd yell "makeup!" into the megaphone and not one but TWO underlings would come running up and smack the crap out of someone with giant powderpuffs. May have been his favorite victim Witchiepoo again, I don't recall.

 

 

[fella]

That makeup gag goes back as least to Vaudeville maybe further.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Dude! Too much caffine!

[OneVike]

That was the dumbest so-called human cartoon ever created

[scrabblehack]

Wilhelmina Witchiepoo was said during the show.
Willy Gilligan was not. I think it was Bob Denver’s conjecture during interviews.

“Gilligan Gilligan” makes a whole lot more sense.
I can see the skipper calling him Gilligan, but would he introduce himself that way, to an island visitor? Gilligan had to be his first name also.

[MrLucky1966]

Don’t forget Sigmund & the Sea Monsters. Sid & Marty Kroft put out some fun shows for kids during that era.

I also remember Land of the Lost, Far Out Space Nuts (with Bob Denver (Gilligan) and Chuck McCann), Lost Saucer (with Jim Nabors and Ruth Buzzi), Magic Mongo, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Land of the lost really had a lot of deep plots, many of them written by the still living writers of the science fiction pulp era as well as a few Star Trek Alumni. The talked of parallel and closed universes and so forth, very heavy topics.

[MrLucky1966]

Among the non-animated Saturday morning fare, I was more along the lines of "The Banana Splits" and "Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp". I wanted to like "Shazam!" (the real Captain Marvel), but it was lame. The special effects consisted of a Winnebago.

I loved Shazam! and Isis too, got the DVD's for Shazam! I always got a big kick that they had the lightning bolt decal on the front of their RV and no one really quetioned that. Then again, they did admit they can into "contact" with Captain Marvel if need be. Trivia, the RV is a 1973 Open Road model, IIRC, it used a Dodge chassis.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

🎶 Lance Link, Secret chimp!!! 🎶

I remember all those shows!!!

LOVED the Banana Splits!!! Such a good time to have grown up!! Life was so sweet, unsimple and not yet evil.

I daresay you and I must be about the same age!

[Chode]

well... there must be two then as that’s the name on the pic

https://www.wallofcelebrities.com/celebrity/billie-hayes/pictures/xxlarge/billie-hayes_807549.jpg