Please support via Patreon: www.patreon.com/leithes Substack: doctoralex.substack.com/ Paypal: www.paypal.me/AlexLeithes Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DWJNJ1D Straight off the bat I would highlight the warning card at the beginning - this film was made in 1977 and may well contain ideas and attitudes which we would not hold today. But those ideas and attitudes are not what gives this film its merit, and it is its more laudable ideas and attitudes which prompted me to show the film here. I was reminded of this film while watching various equally laudable and worthy videos by TH-cam science channels. One thing which struck me was a lingering sense that these channels seemed under the impression that we only knew or cared about environmental damage and problems in the last ten or fifteen years or so, or that somehow these issues had been missing in the education system until that time frame. Suffice to say when I was in school from the late seventies, through the eighties into the early nineties, we were informed about problems such as water and air pollution, CFCs and the ozone layer, fossil fuels environmental damage, global warming, acid rain - we were taught about the environment. It may be a shame that more progress was not made by either the adults when we were children, or those same children when they became adults (one notable exception being the ozone layer, at least to a significant degree), but you cannot say that people were not informed. Which brings us back to the film. I only saw it once in primary school and yet have never forgotten it, in spite of only seeing it that one time and at quite a young age. Around 1981/82, when I was 7 or 8 years old, they brought an actual cinema protector and screen into our tiny village primary school hall and showed us this film. As a small child I was blown away by having the school become a cinema, plus I already loved the Wombles from the children's TV show. Suffice to say it left an impression, including the environmental damage themes (again, this was not the only source of information in my ongoing schooling, but serves as one unusual example). And that was the only time I saw it - I never saw it on TV in the UK, and further research shows me that although it was very successful in UK cinemas it never received a worldwide release! It was written and directed by Lionel Jeffries, who is most recognisable to me as an actor playing Professor Cavor from the film version of H. G. Wells' "The First Men In The Moon". An awesome film by the way. The voices of the Wombles were not specifically identified but it seems Lionel Jeffries also voiced Great Uncle Bulgaria. It had a star studded cast besides! For Doctor Who fans we have Jon Pertwee, voicing Tobermory, if my ears are correct! Also for the Whovians we have Bonnie Langford - Mel, ever popular companion for Doctors 6 and 7 - playing one of her earliest roles, within a year of her in Bugsy Malone. We also have Frances de la Tour - those of a certain age will remember her from the sitcom "Rising Damp". Those of another age will remember her from her role in the Harry Potter movies! David Tomlinson plays the father in this, and will be most recognisable as the father in "Mary Poppins". David Jason from many roles, from Del Boy to Dangermouse, voices Wombles too. Inside the suits Star Wars fans would find Kenny Baker (R2-D2) as Bungo! Problematic elements - as mentioned earlier and flagged in the pre-film card - aside, this is a fun little story with an additional educational purpose. Yet somehow it does not allow preachiness to derail the entertainment. This is something TV and film producers of today might like to take note of. I hope you enjoy the film. Take care. Doctor Alex.
I was a 70s child and in SCHOOL we were taught not to drop litter and the 10 rules of the Country Code. In those early years Supermarkets were just starting out and masses of plastic. unrecyclable plastic, is more a problem now with the sheer amount we import. It was a time when our parents generation did not buy everything new as soon as they set home, family donated second hand furniture to help them start up their first marital home. fifty years later my parents still have the G PLAN furniture they did buy for their first home along with pieces inherited from their parents. My bedroom furniture came from the local tip and given. Not because my parents were on the breadline, they were average but because in those days you re-used furniture. I have just done my dining room out in 1950s Nathan furniture for less than £160 as wood furniture is being thrown out still in near perfect condition for fashion reasons. We were so far more eco-conscious without knowing it because our parents were born during the war and for many years after there was still scrimping and saving. Clothes were exchanged between cousins as were toys and books. I got my cousins Sindys when she grew out of them thats just how it was. We hardly ever had take-aways, MacDonalds was a birthday treat and Pepsi and Cola was also for special occasions or when we went to the pub! The amoung of guff thrown in all our hedgerows, places of beauty, wasteland and streets is more than I ever remember as a youngster. My parents would have never dreamed of burying rubbish on the beach or leaving it, we were taught the same and it is still installed in me now!!!! Not all the attitudes and views of that time were bad we certainly learned more at school than they do now. No general knowledge and no real interest in learning about the history of subjects they are interested. Lewis Hamilton fans are the worst at the above. They will argue he is the best F1 driver but know very little about the talent that came before. I was pre-internet so learned from books right back to the 30s! Gives you a whole new perspective actually learning the subject matter before approaching a debate. Another fact obviously not taught in our schools. HENCE MODERN POLITICS!
I've got a claim to fame with this film . On about 28.40 in my dad makes an appearance. He's one of the hymac driver's. The one on the right...the second one shown. Peter Neale. Still with us. At the time based in Clay Cross Derbyshire. His job took him all over the world and had some great memories of this time. Royally looked after during the filming. He's not in good health at the mo so give him a good wish folks. I'm 52 now and was about 8 when I first watched it.
I live in Washington in the USA and we have a big litter problem. I usually go to Redmond at least 5 times a week and there's litter everywhere. By the way, there's a British restaurant there. It's a combination of a pub, a tea room and a gift shop.
I had no idea this even existed until finding it here by chance today. Glad I did. What a piece of (prophetic) history. And superbly entertaining, with some great names involved. Thank you for making it available.
The wombles would have fits In Texas and the rest of the U.S. Toxic wastes, babies in trash, plastic bottles, plastic six pack rings, plastic bags, and food wastes, etc.
Impressive cast of voice actors, but I hear it didnt do as well as expected & led to Lionel Jeffries ..not bothering to do ..any kids movies ever again. Maybe coulda done with a bit of Bernard Cribbins
It only occurred to me later on, that people cant see the Wombles, unless they believe in them. Hence why the crowd looks at Mr Frogmorton like he's nuts until the storm blows in, or why nobody notices Uncle Bulgaria walking into the Times office. And more so why it takes the Frogmorton adults a while to notice Bungo. Also David Frost as Bungo!
@@DoctorAlex1 Well you did a great job. Glad we’re getting the show on Blu-ray, but sad this won’t be in HD, but at least it’s included as a bonus DVD. Hopefully we can get the 90s show and specials too
Although i'm Australian (not to mention born DECADES after their conception), i did use to watch The Wombles on DVD when i was little. It is rather interesting to see these guys in a feature film, as opposed to the usual television series. I enjoyed it. Also, Jon Pertwee and Bonnie Langford? And here i thought Bernard Cribbins was the only connection to Doctor Who! But the only issues i have are 1. The songs don't have anything to do with the plot. And 2. The Wombles are a little out of character. In the show, it was established that Wombles are very careful to keep their existence secret from human beings fearing that discovery of their existence will lead to the "Great Womble Hunt". For the most part, adult human beings rarely take notice of them, or fail to distinguish them from humans. But in this movie, this is reversed as the Wombles seek to get humans to listen to their pleas to "make good use of bad rubbish". But all in all, it was a nice little film with such a great British icon. 👍
Please support via Patreon: www.patreon.com/leithes Substack: doctoralex.substack.com/ Paypal: www.paypal.me/AlexLeithes Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DWJNJ1D
Straight off the bat I would highlight the warning card at the beginning - this film was made in 1977 and may well contain ideas and attitudes which we would not hold today. But those ideas and attitudes are not what gives this film its merit, and it is its more laudable ideas and attitudes which prompted me to show the film here.
I was reminded of this film while watching various equally laudable and worthy videos by TH-cam science channels. One thing which struck me was a lingering sense that these channels seemed under the impression that we only knew or cared about environmental damage and problems in the last ten or fifteen years or so, or that somehow these issues had been missing in the education system until that time frame.
Suffice to say when I was in school from the late seventies, through the eighties into the early nineties, we were informed about problems such as water and air pollution, CFCs and the ozone layer, fossil fuels environmental damage, global warming, acid rain - we were taught about the environment. It may be a shame that more progress was not made by either the adults when we were children, or those same children when they became adults (one notable exception being the ozone layer, at least to a significant degree), but you cannot say that people were not informed.
Which brings us back to the film.
I only saw it once in primary school and yet have never forgotten it, in spite of only seeing it that one time and at quite a young age. Around 1981/82, when I was 7 or 8 years old, they brought an actual cinema protector and screen into our tiny village primary school hall and showed us this film. As a small child I was blown away by having the school become a cinema, plus I already loved the Wombles from the children's TV show. Suffice to say it left an impression, including the environmental damage themes (again, this was not the only source of information in my ongoing schooling, but serves as one unusual example). And that was the only time I saw it - I never saw it on TV in the UK, and further research shows me that although it was very successful in UK cinemas it never received a worldwide release!
It was written and directed by Lionel Jeffries, who is most recognisable to me as an actor playing Professor Cavor from the film version of H. G. Wells' "The First Men In The Moon". An awesome film by the way. The voices of the Wombles were not specifically identified but it seems Lionel Jeffries also voiced Great Uncle Bulgaria.
It had a star studded cast besides!
For Doctor Who fans we have Jon Pertwee, voicing Tobermory, if my ears are correct! Also for the Whovians we have Bonnie Langford - Mel, ever popular companion for Doctors 6 and 7 - playing one of her earliest roles, within a year of her in Bugsy Malone.
We also have Frances de la Tour - those of a certain age will remember her from the sitcom "Rising Damp". Those of another age will remember her from her role in the Harry Potter movies!
David Tomlinson plays the father in this, and will be most recognisable as the father in "Mary Poppins".
David Jason from many roles, from Del Boy to Dangermouse, voices Wombles too.
Inside the suits Star Wars fans would find Kenny Baker (R2-D2) as Bungo!
Problematic elements - as mentioned earlier and flagged in the pre-film card - aside, this is a fun little story with an additional educational purpose. Yet somehow it does not allow preachiness to derail the entertainment.
This is something TV and film producers of today might like to take note of.
I hope you enjoy the film.
Take care.
Doctor Alex.
I was a 70s child and in SCHOOL we were taught not to drop litter and the 10 rules of the Country Code. In those early years Supermarkets were just starting out and masses of plastic. unrecyclable plastic, is more a problem now with the sheer amount we import.
It was a time when our parents generation did not buy everything new as soon as they set home, family donated second hand furniture to help them start up their first marital home. fifty years later my parents still have the G PLAN furniture they did buy for their first home along with pieces inherited from their parents.
My bedroom furniture came from the local tip and given. Not because my parents were on the breadline, they were average but because in those days you re-used furniture.
I have just done my dining room out in 1950s Nathan furniture for less than £160 as wood furniture is being thrown out still in near perfect condition for fashion reasons. We were so far more eco-conscious without knowing it because our parents were born during the war and for many years after there was still scrimping and saving.
Clothes were exchanged between cousins as were toys and books. I got my cousins Sindys when she grew out of them thats just how it was. We hardly ever had take-aways, MacDonalds was a birthday treat and Pepsi and Cola was also for special occasions or when we went to the pub!
The amoung of guff thrown in all our hedgerows, places of beauty, wasteland and streets is more than I ever remember as a youngster. My parents would have never dreamed of burying rubbish on the beach or leaving it, we were taught the same and it is still installed in me now!!!!
Not all the attitudes and views of that time were bad we certainly learned more at school than they do now. No general knowledge and no real interest in learning about the history of subjects they are interested.
Lewis Hamilton fans are the worst at the above. They will argue he is the best F1 driver but know very little about the talent that came before. I was pre-internet so learned from books right back to the 30s! Gives you a whole new perspective actually learning the subject matter before approaching a debate. Another fact obviously not taught in our schools. HENCE MODERN POLITICS!
I've got a claim to fame with this film . On about 28.40 in my dad makes an appearance. He's one of the hymac driver's. The one on the right...the second one shown. Peter Neale. Still with us. At the time based in Clay Cross Derbyshire. His job took him all over the world and had some great memories of this time. Royally looked after during the filming. He's not in good health at the mo so give him a good wish folks. I'm 52 now and was about 8 when I first watched it.
Very cool! :)
😊
I live in Washington in the USA and we have a big litter problem. I usually go to Redmond at least 5 times a week and there's litter everywhere. By the way, there's a British restaurant there. It's a combination of a pub, a tea room and a gift shop.
We need Wombles.
I had no idea this even existed until finding it here by chance today. Glad I did. What a piece of (prophetic) history. And superbly entertaining, with some great names involved. Thank you for making it available.
You are most welcome :)
15:43 Poor Madame Cholet
Got this obsession for the wombles from my father, proud to be British.....always
Remember you're a womble and keep Britain tidy!
Always! :D
The wombles would have fits In Texas and the rest of the U.S. Toxic wastes, babies in trash, plastic bottles, plastic six pack rings, plastic bags, and food wastes, etc.
Impressive cast of voice actors, but I hear it didnt do as well as expected & led to Lionel Jeffries ..not bothering to do ..any kids movies ever again. Maybe coulda done with a bit of Bernard Cribbins
Bring back the Wombles ❤ Great Times 😊
They have always been there ;) :)
I want more wombles. No mummies or daddies wombles?
“The Times has to be taken seriously”
Well that’s debatable. You can never take most news sources seriously these days. 😂
Fun Fact: A couple of the images seen in the opening titles were later used in the opening titles of The Krypton Factor in 1982.
7:37 first song
"What in the name of Mary Poppins"
- George Banks 😂
The oldest kids- 1.29.07 plus "my generation" extremely moving; life REALLY is short compared to the realm of things.
I love it for the front card alone😂
:D :D
It only occurred to me later on, that people cant see the Wombles, unless they believe in them. Hence why the crowd looks at Mr Frogmorton like he's nuts until the storm blows in, or why nobody notices Uncle Bulgaria walking into the Times office. And more so why it takes the Frogmorton adults a while to notice Bungo.
Also David Frost as Bungo!
I always wanted to be a Womble. Now me and my boys pick up litter, pull stuff out the river and upcycle stuff from skips.
6:44 hey it Peter Thorndyke the main antagonist of herbie the love bug
47 years later (or ago) WHAT INCREDIBLE IRONY!!!
A really fantastic film!😁
20:21 Lord Fellamar says "What in the name of *MARY POPPINS* is the world, coming to four-feet, fat and furry uncles?!"
27:48 what does he say
Wolves! Wild vicious animals! 😂😂
@@DoctorAlex1 😂 help Tomsk help!!
This film is even quirkier than I remember
They were the first versions of recyclers about. And they made us think about keeping Britain tidy.
Crystal Tipps at 1.10.30
The best scenes were the ones
Bonnie appeared in
as if
22nd July 2024 - Happy 60th Birthday, Bonnie Langford.
i love this movie
I didn’t know this film was available in HD. Where did you source this or did you upscale it yourself?
@@jemstar63 I did indeed upscale it myself, as best I could.
@@DoctorAlex1 Well you did a great job. Glad we’re getting the show on Blu-ray, but sad this won’t be in HD, but at least it’s included as a bonus DVD. Hopefully we can get the 90s show and specials too
0:00 For all the Wokesters out there this message is for you 🤣😋
:)
10:58
28:17 😂
Quite the cast including the voice actors.
Indeed! :)
Did the Film realese in cinemas?
I - think - UK only, short run?
Although i'm Australian (not to mention born DECADES after their conception), i did use to watch The Wombles on DVD when i was little.
It is rather interesting to see these guys in a feature film, as opposed to the usual television series.
I enjoyed it.
Also, Jon Pertwee and Bonnie Langford? And here i thought Bernard Cribbins was the only connection to Doctor Who!
But the only issues i have are 1. The songs don't have anything to do with the plot. And 2. The Wombles are a little out of character. In the show, it was established that Wombles are very careful to keep their existence secret from human beings fearing that discovery of their existence will lead to the "Great Womble Hunt". For the most part, adult human beings rarely take notice of them, or fail to distinguish them from humans. But in this movie, this is reversed as the Wombles seek to get humans to listen to their pleas to "make good use of bad rubbish".
But all in all, it was a nice little film with such a great British icon. 👍
I am glad you enjoyed it :)
@@DoctorAlex1 No worries! 😉
Bungo is the youngest? I thought it was Orinoco.
The Wombles are in the NHL (joke)
In my opinion, this movie would be better without the Japanese stereotypes and if it had Orinoco as the main character.
Roaches, ants,sharks, rats, and other scavengers cannot do all the clearing up the environment.
Wombles are lucky in this movie if they were from America, they would have been shot if they were discovered.
Lol I'm only 12 😂
That's-'Not'-[R]-'Young'-SERVERLAND (Servalan) Is-It!!!??? >(*U^)< *Wink*
Which one?
[R]-Come-ON ... There's ONLY-[1]-SERALAN!!!??? >(*U^)< (Joke) *Wink*@@DoctorAlex1
@@DoctorAlex1 "I"ll-'Have'-To-CHECK 'Old'-[LP]-From CHILDHOOD!!!??? >(*U^)< *Wink* Definitely-ORCHESTRAL-Though ... But-The Opening Beats Even 'Sweet'-CAROLINE For An 'Extended'-OPENING So-To-Speak!!!??? >(*U^)< *Wink*
This looks like a right load of crap
Bonnie Langford grew up to be Mel, the Doctor's most annoying Companion. 😅
Hasn't changed much.
she wasn't even that good
Agreed. Glad Ace replaced her.