Posted on 03/02/2006 3:25:44 AM PST by lunarbicep
LONDON -- Jack Wild, the actor appeared who in the movie musical "Oliver!" as the irrepressible Artful Dodger, has died, his agent said Thursday. He was 53.
Wild died Wednesday after a battle with mouth cancer, agent Alex Jay said.
As a child actor, Wild appeared in a London stage production of "Oliver!", Lionel Bart's adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist." He was cast in the film as cheeky pickpocket the Artful Dodger, earning an Academy Award nomination at the age of 16.
He was known to a generation of children as the hero of "HR Pufnstuf," a U.S. television series about a boy stranded on a fantastical island with a talking flute, a friendly dragon and eerie, chatty trees. A feature film, "Pufnstuf," appeared in 1970.
Wild's adult acting career was fitful and he struggled with alcoholism. He had a role as one of the Merry Men in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" in 1991.
Wild was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000, and surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy had left him unable to speak.
The cance probably affected his appearance, but I've noticed a lot of the super cute kids look very strange when they grow up. Sad story, RIP, hope he knew his Savior.
There is a show right now that my wife and I call "Creepy Town". I don't know if they are rotoscoping the human actors, or giving them rubber heads like Max Headroom, but this children's show gives me the cast-iron willies. "Dopy Town"? "Puzzle Town"? It's sometime on Saturday here. Anybody?
Fleegle (lion?), Droopy, Bingo(ape?), and ????
One of them was an elephant that didn't talk.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Some humor in death is OK. Well done.
Snork
That being said, I thought Pufnstuf was one of the goofiest shows on TV!
It's called "Lazy Town". Creepy Town indeed! The girl's skocking pink hair threw me off and the show has such a wierd look and feel...THAT I HAD TO WATCH! It is produced in Iceland by Nickleodeon.
Cold, very cold :-)
I used to love that show, I had no idea he would have been that old now. Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was another of my favorites. Wacky and weird but they were great.
Lazytown. Very strange. My 5 y.o. loves it.
Aw, man. I'm feeling old right now. Pufnstuf was a weird, but endearing show.
Poor Jack, mouth cancer is not a nice way to go.
RIP.
"na na na
na-na na na
na na-na na na
na-na na na"
NOOOOOOO!!! NONONONONONONO! When they were runing that theme in Boomerang, it took me a YEAR to get it out of my head.
Now you put it back!!!!!!!!!!!
"na na na
na-na na na
na na-na na na
na-na na na"
NOOOOOOO!!! NONONONONONONO! When they were runing that theme in Boomerang, it took me a YEAR to get it out of my head.
Now you put it back!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry. I'm a member of the Banana Splits club. I believe I still have the card somewhere. If I ever find it I'll scan it and post to this thread.
Yes, mine too. I'm beginning to revisit some lifestyle choices (e.g., weight, alcohol).
Me too. Alcohol isn't a problem, but the weight sure is (as I sit here eating my plain organic yogurt sweetened with Splenda and granola). My biggest lifestyle change is going to have to be exercise. We have a really nice treadmill that is a clothes hanger right now. Gotta get my big old fanny up ON it for it to do any good! ;o)
LOL, that's just wrong. Frankly though the show always creeped me out. Didn't know if it was a 7 foot yellow thing with a big head or the flute in his shirt pocket. It was just weird. Not that Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was much better though...
I found out, much to my dismay and the other patrons in the hobby shop, that he calls the green engine on Thomas and Friends something other than Percy; when he said in a VERY loud voice, "I love P****!"
I bought the HR Pufenstuf box set a few years ago. Allegedly for my kids.
It is a beautifully packaged set of every episode from Rhino. Outstanding video and sound quality. I recommend it highly. The kids love it.
While watching it, you can really notice what a very talented kid Jack Wild was. He's a cornball actor (which is exactly what the tone of the show called for), fine singer and a terrific dancer.
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