The Point!
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The Point! is a fable by American songwriter and musician Harry Nilsson about a boy named Oblio, the only round-headed person in the Land of Point, where by law everyone and everything had to have a point.
"I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, 'Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn't, then there's a point to it.'" -- Harry Nilsson
There have been, so far, at least three different renditions of The Point!, each featuring songs written by Nilsson to accompany the story. There has been an animated film, an album, and a musical play.
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[edit] The animated film
The film version of The Point! first aired February 2, 1971, at 7:30pm on the ABC television network as a "movie of the week." The film was directed by Fred Wolf and produced by Fred Wolf Films in association with Nilsson House Music. In this version, there is a framing device of a father telling his son the fable as a bedtime story. In its initial airing, the voice of the father was provided by Dustin Hoffman, but for contractual reasons later airings of the film could not use Hoffman's voice and it had to be re-recorded. The VHS and DVD releases feature Ringo Starr as the father. The voice of the son, and of Oblio, was provided by Mike Lookinland, an actor best known as young Bobby Brady on the television series The Brady Bunch.
| The Point! | ||
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| Studio album by Harry Nilsson | ||
| Released | 1971 | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | Pop Music | |
| Length | 35:43 | |
| Label | RCA Victor | |
| Producer(s) | Harry Nilsson | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Harry Nilsson chronology | ||
| Nilsson Sings Newman (1970) |
The Point! (1971) |
Aerial Pandemonium Ballet (1971) |
[edit] The album
The Nilsson album called The Point! features the same songs as the film, and the same basic fable. However, the framing device of the father and son is discarded, and Nilsson himself tells the story directly to the listener, providing all the characters' voices as well as the narration.
[edit] Track listing
All music and lyrics by Harry Nilsson
- "Everything's got 'em" – 2:25
- The town (narration) – 1:31
- "Me and my arrow" – 2:04
- The game (narration) – 1:49
- "Poli high" – 2:41
- The trial & banishment (narration) – 2:11
- "Think about your troubles" – 2:49
- The pointed man (narration) – 2:42
- "Life line" – 2:21
- The birds (narration) – 1:58
- "P.O.V. Waltz" – 2:12
- The clearing in the woods (narration) – 1:53
- "Are you sleeping?" – 2:17
- Oblio's return (narration) – 3:08
[edit] The musical play
In 1977, a stage adaptation of The Point! was presented at the Mermaid Theatre in London. Featured in the cast were Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, both former members of the band The Monkees and long-time friends of Nilsson. In order to accommodate the expansion of The Point! to a full-length musical, other Nilsson songs from various points (!) in his career were incorporated. An original cast album was released in the United Kingdom by MCA.
[edit] Credits
- Davy Jones as Oblio
- Micky Dolenz as Count's Kid and The Leafman
- Colin Bennett as The Count
- Davide Claridge as Arrow
- Veronica Clifford as Oblio's Mum, Balloon Lady
- Noel Howlett as The King
- Julia Lewis as Oblio's Girlfriend
- Clovissa Newcombe as Count's Lady, The Pointed Man
- Mark Penfold as The Pointed Man
- Felix Rice as The Rockman
- Chrissy Roberts as Balloon Lady
- Denny Ryder as The Pointed Man
- Roy Sampson as Oblio's Dad
- Gary Taylor as Balloon Man, New Bird
Directed by Colin Bennett
Original Adaptation by Ron Pember and Bernard Miles
Designed by Peter Whiteman
Lighting by Peter Sutton
Choreography by Gillian Gregory
Musical Director Mike McNaught
[edit] Track listing, original cast recording
All titles written by Harry Nilsson, except "Thursday" (Nilsson, Danny Kortchmar)
- Overture - Orchestra
- "Everything's Got 'Em" - Company
- "Me and My Arrow" - Davy Jones
- "Poli High" - Company
- "Remember" - Veronica Clifford
- "To Be a King" - Noel Howlett and Company
- "He's Leaving Here This Morning (Bath)" - Micky Dolenz, Colin Bennett, Clovissa Newcombe
- "Think About Your Troubles" - Davy Jones and Company
- "Blanket For a Sail" - Davy Jones
- "Life Line" - Davy Jones
- "Thursday (Here's Why I Did Not Go To Work Today)" - Felix Rice
- "It's a Jungle Out There" - Micky Dolenz
- "P.O.V. Waltz" - Davy Jones and Company
- "Are You Sleeping?" - Davy Jones and Company
- "Gotta Get Up" - Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz
- Reprise Overture - Orchestra
[edit] Miscellanea
- The chorus of the title track on Blackalicious' 2002 album Blazing Arrow uses a sample of the chorus of "Me And My Arrow" (from the 1971 album) as a centerpiece.
- A cover of the song "Think about your troubles" was recorded by Belly (band) for the album: Safe and Sound: A Benefit in Response to the Brookline Clinic Violence(1996).
- The song "Me and my arrow" was used in television commercials in the United States promoting the Plymouth Arrow during the 1970s.
