Catweazle
| Television series ⓘ | |
| Title | Catweazle |
| Original title | Catweazle |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Children and youth series |
| Release date | 1970–1971 |
| Length | 25 minutes |
| Episodes | 26 in 2 seasons (list) |
| Idea | Richard Carpenter |
| Production | London Weekend Television (LWT) |
| Music | Ted Dicks |
| First broadcast | 15 Feb. 1970 on ITV |
| German language First broadcast |
28 Apr. 1974 on ZDF |
| Cast | |
| |
| → dubbing | |
Catweazle is a 1969 television series produced by the British private network Independent Television, about the Anglo-Saxon magician Catweazle and the adventures he has after traveling back in time with his teenage friends and in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The main role was played by Geoffrey Bayldon. The series gave rise to the novels Catweazle and Catweazle Seeks the Magic Mark by Richard Carpenter, who also wrote the screenplays. Two seasons of thirteen episodes each were produced. ⓘ
The series was shot on 16mm film. The filming locations for the first season were at Home Farm in the village of East Clandon (near Guildford) in the county of Surrey, and those for the second season were in and around Bayford and Brickendon in the county of Hertfordshire. Interior scenes were shot at Halliford Studios in Shepperton, Surrey. ⓘ
Storyline
First season
Catweazle is a crotchety, goat-bearded warlock dressed in a ragged brown robe who initially lives in the year 1066 and tries in vain to fly with the help of a potion made from henbane, hemlock, foxglove and buttercups. Instead, while fleeing the murderous Normans who invade England in the wake of the Battle of Hastings, he is inadvertently catapulted into the 1970s by his magic - again, unreliable. This happens by him jumping into a river while shouting a spell. As a result, he reappears in a boggy pond. In the new world, which is still unknown to him, Catweazle is fascinated, among other things, by the inventions of modern civilization (e.g. matches, electric light, etc.), which he believes to be powerful magic. In the first season, he befriends thirteen-year-old farmer's son Harold Bennet (Edward "Carrot" Bennet in the original English), who, among other things, helps him survive the pitfalls of a highly mechanized world. He constantly saves him from discovery, as the unwanted exposure of Catweazle's identity looms. Catweazle proves to be extraordinarily talented at disappearing only at the very last moment. ⓘ
Catweazle's magic formulas like "Salmei, Dalmei, Adomei" or "Schampampurasch", with which he makes a lot of messes, belong firmly to his magic and to his film character - as do his constant companion and "confidant", the toad Kühlwalda (in the original: Touchwood) and his dagger Adamcos. He invents terms for things that are now commonplace, such as: "magic bone" ('telephone receiver', in the original film: telling bone) and "electrickery" (electricity in the original electrickery). Catweazle is frightened at the sight of such modern things and considers them to be modern-day demons. For example, when a pastor holds a telephone receiver to his ear and Catweazle asks, startled, "What, with a magic bone you do magic?" he immediately interprets the device as an evil spirit and threatens the telephone system, "I will destroy you!" Early on, he wants to return to his ancestral present from the 1970s, populated for him by demons and equally inexplicable, although he had previously fled it in fear. ⓘ
Second season
Like the first, it begins in the distant past. Catweazle is initially trapped in the castle of a Norman prince at the time of the Norman Wars. However, as in the previous season, he manages to escape by means of his magic - but this time also through an unintentional time travel to the present. There he makes friends with the young Lord Cedric Collingford - who is respectfully called "Owlface" by him because of his glasses - who has returned from boarding school to his parents for the vacations. He considers Cedric's glasses to be something like a magical device, comparable to the face veil of an owl - which he interprets mythologically and thus possesses magical power. He therefore believes that he is facing an equally magically powerful person from his witch guild, since he does not recognize his glasses as a modern and simple visual aid. Added to this is the fact that when Cedric first meets him, he is in the former alchemy lab, studying 19th century spell books of a lord from the ancestral line of the castle family. Cedric provides him with the necessities of life and supports him in his search for a spell that would give him the art of flying. Cedric's eccentric ancestor had already dealt with this spell. Equally helpful is Cedric's knowledge of the alchemy laboratory, accessible through a secret passage, which Catweazle now also knows. But it is also cause for tension, since no one else is supposed to know about it. Not always only friendship between the two is depicted, because sometimes they also compete for things. Sometimes Catweazle then refers to Cedric rather disparagingly as an "owl". ⓘ
Since the parents, who run a tourist castle business, are on the verge of bankruptcy due to insufficient income, Catweazle increasingly helps Cedric in the search for an ancient treasure that is said to be hidden on the estate. Thus, the two main characters of the plot not only share secrets, but also each have a mystery to solve, while supporting each other in the process and also generally helping each other solve problems that arise. ⓘ
Thematic similarities of the two seasons
Again and again, the many coincidences in the course of action of the respective seasons link together. The two completely foreign worlds - the time of the Norman Wars and the "modern era" - connect with each other. Things that at first seem to have no connection at all, at first have a real meaning for Catweazle, who is unsettled in this strange new world, which arouses curiosity and a thirst for research in him. Catweazle and his respective youthful friend almost always skid a hair's breadth past disaster in their too-existing adventures. With his eccentric rituals Catweazle tries again and again to keep supposed evil spirits, first Harold and later Cedric, at bay. Typical is his excited hissing, the blowing over his thumb ring and the conjuring waving with his magic witch knife Adamcos. For him, nothing is coincidence or a matter of luck, nor the product of human ingenuity, but everything is magic - which he wants to unravel and get hold of. ⓘ
Catweazle considers the modern, heavily mechanized world into which he has fallen to be just as mysterious as Harold and Cedric Catweazle's magical world, which he reveals to them. This often evokes dialogues between the protagonists in which the quirky wizard's eccentric dispositions virtually bubble out of him. He can transform himself seamlessly from a submissive admirer of modern technical achievements, which for him represent sorcery, into a wild curser who can spout a lot of fantasy while ranting about these modern inventions. In his ancestral presence, he had had the necessities of life; with the most meager means, he was able to establish himself there. The comforts of the modern everyday world were still foreign to him there. To fathom the magic also in the new world makes him restless. He doesn't want to finally arrive at a place and find peace - no, he wants to be able to fly and discover new and old worlds, fathom their magic. Even though Catweazle's somewhat devious manner sometimes shows a pronounced egoism, his good side comes out again and again - for example, when he tries to eradicate many an evil of the new present by means of his magic power. But the magician from the distant past is not fundamentally opposed to the achievements of modern civilization. A modern three-wheeled bicycle, for example, becomes a means of transportation he highly values, uses intensively and with pride. Harold and Cedric often do not take him seriously, and his other surroundings often doubt his sanity. His unkempt appearance and frequent absentmindedness partially reinforce this. However, his friends also recognize that his wisdom is often actually true. He is not, strictly speaking, a senile old man and always retains his dignity. In his curiosity, mischievousness and in his sorcery, he always seems very concentrated and attentive. He is often serious, not at all unfashionable in his views, and simply a lovable older gentleman. ⓘ
Background
Richard Carpenter and Geoffrey Bayldon knew each other from the Old Vic Theatre School. Carpenter wrote the play to suit Bayldon, who actually only played classical roles in the theater. In the role of Catweazle, Bayldon interpreted Old English using his own rough dialect from his native Yorkshire. The makeup was so thick that he had to bathe twice after each day of shooting. The team was very familiar. A third season eventually didn't materialize. Director Quentin Lawrence had died, no one wanted to follow in his footsteps, and they didn't want to find a new style. ⓘ
In the accompanying text of the published DVDs, actor and author Uwe Sommerlad emphasizes that Carpenter succeeded in winning over a whole series of television and cinema actors who were already well-known at the time. In the ensemble, however, Bayldon shone above all, who made a lasting name for himself with this whimsical, yet sympathetically written role. He succeeded - as a classical theater actor according to his origins - in realizing an unexaggerated portrayal and in creating his character on the one hand multi-layered, but also not too distant or even too alienating. Although almost nine centuries lie between the initial year and the later time of the action, there were therefore no communication difficulties between the actors, who had to portray two epochs far apart. ⓘ
In an interview in August 2000, Bayldon reported about his character, "Even at 22, I was given roles of 90-year-olds." ⓘ
When the television series was filmed, Bayldon was only 45 years old - but otherwise appeared even younger. The somewhat matted mane of hair and goatee-like facial hair in the film, but above all Bayldon's facial expressions in combination with his hand-wringing gestures, his always somewhat hunched, at times wildly bouncing gait, his excited overstrain with everything that surrounded him and his excited voice made Bayldon into a pixie-like and at the same time very old-looking warlock. The film character was basically not interested in time travel, because Catweazle only wanted to be able to fly. Asked about a possible leap of Catweazle into the time of computers, CDs and cell phones, Geoffrey Bayldon sums up that - since he also no longer understands how they work - Catweazle would probably have been quite happy to return to the 11th century as soon as possible: "What I thought was, never mind Catweazle, as Geoffrey Bayldon cannot begin to understand the workings of those things at all, I suppose Catweazle would have found peace fizzing quickly back to the eleventh century." ⓘ
For someone who had seen "Catweazle" as a child on television in the mid-1970s, for example, and found himself a quarter of a century later - in the "digital age" - in turn quasi in Catweazle's role and very ignorant of technology, for example in connection with computer technology, this question was quite obvious. ⓘ
The theme song Busy Boy was not written especially for the series, but came from the TV station's archives. ⓘ
Reception
Even generations later and not least because of the constant repetitions, Catweazle's magic formula "Salmei, Dalmei, Adomei", his toad "Kühlwalda", the term "magic bone" or "electric trick" have become terms of everyday culture and language. ⓘ
Interpretation
While Catweazle assumes the role of a mediator of a past magical world towards his two teenage friends in the seasons, they take it upon themselves to teach him about the modern heavily mechanized world and allay his fears of it. The two boys, on the other hand, have no obvious fears, either in connection with the one or the other temporal epoch, in connection with magic and technology. They deal with the technologies of their time in a completely innocent and unprejudiced way; Catweazle, on the other hand, sees the "modern achievements" as mostly demonized and enchanted from the start. He has many prejudices and is very often prejudiced against modern technology and people who use it. But Catweazle also often marvels, with almost childlike naivety, at these - for us everyday - things. Sometimes you can see something like scepticism about technology in his reactions, on the other hand he usually has no problem to make use of technologies (the "magic") of modern times. His "dream of flying", dreamed of from time immemorial, has already come true extensively in the modern present with technological aids. He doesn't seem to realize that only such means are necessary for this and doggedly pursues his magical approach. For example, in the episode "Mistaken Identity," Harold vainly points out to Catweazle that he has no magical abilities and that modern abilities he believes to be magic are based on science. Catweazle, however, then announces that he still wants to "learn" the magic "electric trick." Cedric also counters him in "A New Friend," " ... there are airplanes if I want to fly." Catweazle, however, wants to be able to fly himself and not merely with the help of an airplane. ⓘ
First season
In both seasons, Catweazle questions, often with bitter humor, the modern technological world around him and the now seemingly sophisticated behavior of the typical villagers of the modern era of the first season. He teaches the boys about processes in nature and how to be close to nature. Today, this seems like an - almost "green" - approach to an environmental movement that was just beginning to take root. This is supported by the background scenario of the first season. Catweazle's time jump certainly doesn't land on an idealized farm without reason. This one also features a strict but fair boss, respectively father, a clumsy and thus sympathetic helper named Sam and the motherless boy Harold, who basically - without admitting it to himself - desperately needs an intimate friend and confidant. Both seasons fulfill the generally known desire of children: to have a friend all to themselves, to keep secrets from their parents and, above all, to be allowed to transgress strict rules in everyday life. The small village community, without crime and with many children of the first season series, seems innocent and well-behaved from today's perspective - at that time, moreover, also in the episode of the Swinging Sixties. ⓘ
In particular, the role of Harold's father presents classic social authority in stark contrast to the unwillingly anarchistic Catweazles. From the very first episode, not only does a potential for conflict build up here, but - primarily - young people are taught old familiar virtues such as honesty, hard work and a sense of togetherness in an almost playful manner. ⓘ
The only magic Catweazle uses that accurately achieves its goal is hypnosis, at least in the first season. As an example of side effects and conflicts of conscience in the film, in the very first episode, because of Catweazle's hypnosis, the son of the house cannot tell his father the real culprit for a window that later breaks. However, he feels an urgent need to make him understand that he is innocent. Here, the film figure of the master magician serves as a constant, but elementary, check with conscience for the protagonists, but also for the viewers with their conscience. Not only does the druid-like mage grow into the unusual role of a much older friend, he also completes - at least from the boy's point of view - the family, which is incompletely presented here due to the lack of a mother. Harold's only female reference person is the housekeeper, and Catweazle quickly becomes not only his closest confidant, but in a way also a mother substitute. He may give muddled advice at first glance, but at least he tries to help the boy in his own way, and many of his suggestions turn out to be actual help and insightful - especially when questioned further. In later episodes, this division of roles is reversed, and Harold takes the opportunity to teach the mostly childishly naive but also sometimes childish older gentlemen some "manners and morals," which is actually traditionally the job of a guardian. It becomes apparent that the newly forming family-like community - completed only from Harold's perspective - should not be blown up, if possible. This is revealed to the viewer in the fourth episode, "Witchcraft." Here Catweazle helps Harold to drive away an - as it turns out later - important business partner of his father. This kind of thing is practiced again at the end of the first season in "The Potion. Here, a new housekeeper - together with her son - initially bullies Harold. Catweazle manages, with the help of the "magic" of a brew, to scare away the unbearable house dragon and revive an "intact" family atmosphere. The film plot also fits in with the fact that the servant Sam prefers to avoid his domineering mother. This lady is driven through the countryside by the faithful son in the episode "The Magic Bone" primarily asleep and only very reluctantly - significantly with Catweazle lying under the back seat. This seventh episode also parodies a clichéd typecast, often a bit simple-minded country priest named Potts. ⓘ
The beginning of the story arc that spans the rest of the first season consists of the discovery of a spell book with a formula for Catweazle's return to his time. A fine line between a modern, seemingly enlightened, industrial society and the folk superstitions that continue to be widespread just beneath the "shell" is trodden here, showing Catweazle's continual evolution from an initially rather pitiful fool into a multi-layered, nuanced film character endowed with peasant shrewdness. In "The Eye of Time," widespread superstition is intertwined with the national passion of horse betting. In the episode "The Magic Image," the superstitious fear that a photograph can steal a soul is addressed. Catweazle believes there, because of photos of himself, to have fallen into the dependence of a rich American photographer named "Eleonor Derringer". In the eighth episode, "Adamcos," the magician has lost his sorcerer's dagger. There, an antique dealer and costume designer - very clichéd - portrayed as homosexual makes an appearance with a poncey behavior. For all that, however, "Catweazle" remains a harmless television series suitable for children, albeit with some socio-critical undertones. ⓘ
The film motif of being captured is reflected, for example, in "The Witch's House," where a scientist records bird calls in his local forest using a tape recorder and then plays them back. Sam applies for a job there. Catweazle, who joins him, naturally cannot explain the process of recording and playing back sound and thinks the technology, which seems mysterious to him, is witchcraft. Catweazle and Harold later consider Sam possibly murdered. The irritated magician tries to save the supposedly - this time not on photos, but on magnetic tapes - trapped "souls". In the process - through a misunderstanding - Catweazle gets into the situation that the scientist wants to make sound recordings of him. Catweazle feels at the mercy of him, whom he considers to be a "sorcerer", and panics, fearing that he will be "annihilated" by the device. ⓘ
If you look at these episodes one after the other, it is clearly noticeable that the role development of the eccentric but lovable mage druid is inconsistent. In "The Eye of Time" he seems vain, almost arrogant - in contrast, in the following episode "The Magic Image" he seems helpless and in need of protection. The episode "Mistaken Identity," for example, underscores the extent to which the series is more than mere entertainment, but is intended to convey a sense of right and wrong to young viewers in particular through Catweazle's role. Staged in the tradition of British "Carry On" comedies, the magician is drastically taught that stealing is wrong. At the same time, Catweazle's curmudgeonly old-age stubbornness - still very pronounced at the beginning of the episodes - is greatly reined in. The role of the former British Army colonel named Upshaw also caricatures the traditionalism and militarism of the defunct British Empire. ⓘ
Second season
In this season, Catweazle also questions the heavily mechanized modern world and, in the process, the now - only superficially - cultivated behavior of the aristocrats of the modern era. Except for Catweazle, none of the film characters will appear again this season, and he reappears in a completely different, aristocratic setting. This time, he inhabits a disused train station called "Duck Halt," opposite a disused water tower called "Castle Saburac" in the first season. Bayldon comes across convincingly in his cinematic role, less stiff than the characters surrounding him but realistically reflecting British tradition in many facets. Catweazle's potential new friend here is Cedric, whom, however, he calls - even somewhat disparagingly at times - "itchy earwig," "hollow-headed acorn," or "four-eyed ferret." Cedric is more conservatively dressed, more intellectual, more intelligent, and more musically invested in the role than Harold, but also more outgoing, shyer, quieter, not as expressive, younger, more vulnerable, and somewhat weaker in character. A boy to whom a great friend at his side - even more than Harold - can be wished. He has a lot of theoretical knowledge, but basically needs someone to open the door to reality for him. ⓘ
Already at the beginning - in contrast to the beginning of the previous season with the rustic but patent Harold - it looks between Catweazle and Cedric not like a real friendship relationship, but rather like a community out of necessity. Cedric comes across as arrogant and spoiled, and even his good pedigree does not initially make him a sympathetic figure. His relationship with his father in particular is rather distant and cool. Harold, on the other hand, unreservedly acknowledged his father as a person of respect. While Mr. Bennet often approached his lively boy offensively, father Farthing would probably have preferred the vacations to be over and his son back at boarding school. Because of his upbringing, Cedric can do little with the sudden stranger. Catweazle goes against all conventions. He behaves in the now more familiar future, his recent time travel, however, also intentionally clumsy. He seems to take partial pleasure in demolishing these stately structures. Cedric and Catweazle are both portrayed as outsiders who don't really converge emotionally or intellectually. The second season lacks rural simplicity and lacks human warmth. In the first season Catweazle acted as a mother substitute and only completed the family for Harold, now Catweazle and Cedric form their own parallel family or mutual substitute family. ⓘ
In "Summer Pleasures" there is a renewed discussion about the topics of other people's property and theft. Here, Catweazle is obviously more stubborn than usual: submissive and devious at the beginning - almost aggressive in the second half of the episodes. This transformation remains inexplicable - as does Cedric's lack of understanding for Catweazle's ignorance of modern everyday life, although he certainly believes his new acquaintance's time travel and especially his inability to empathize with his situation. The communication between these two more different characters is perceptibly more difficult than that with Harold. The latter, because of his personality, often took the initiative and saved Catweazle from harm in advance. Cedric reacts more passively to his environment, is often only able to avert greater harm after the fact, and generally seems rather phlegmatic. A fragile status quo develops between the friends, not least due to mutual distrust and based on some shared secrets. In the episode, an approach of technology skepticism can also be seen to some extent. In this episode, Cedric explains the function of an alarm clock to the astonished magician. A hint of skepticism towards this modern technical aid can be seen in Catweazle's defiant announcement to the alarm clock: "I get up when I wake up, eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm tired! I do not fear you (...)!" He does not want to be "told" by a clock what he "must" do. An example of political wit can be picked out in this episode in the reaction of the antique dealer Mr. Pickle in connection with a three-wheeled bicycle to be delivered: To the basic statement of the servant Groom "This belonged to your lordship's grandmother. (...) She was a champion of women's rights, but had no sense of balance." the dealer asks, "Fanatical bluestocking?" ⓘ
In the third episode, "The Birthday Party," Cedric clearly becomes uninhibited. By his own admission, the celebration of his birthday is only a "pretext" for a ridiculous and staged "cake fight". He shows childlike/adolescent emotions at the end - after a magic show sabotaged by Catweazle by every trick in the book - for the first time this season and no longer seems disillusioned. In the context of his parents, this is a great achievement, as the script doesn't miss a cliché to make them seem as unsympathetic, stiff and arrogant as possible. The conception of the birth party seems strikingly un-British and clichédly has more parallels with overly colorful parties in America, albeit against a picturesque castle backdrop. ⓘ
More and more this season, the element of comedy of errors pushes itself to the fore with allusions to seemingly everyday situations. In "In the Sign of Cancer," for example, Catweazle comes under suspicion of having stolen on a large scale. Cedric does know that the over-the-top magician is always stealing or "borrowing" useless odds and ends for his mission. In this case, however, Catweazle is innocent, because the brazen break-ins into the stately home are perpetrated by "Weeping Ted". The old magician finally unmasks him, and especially against Cedric's ever-increasing mistrust. In this episode, the British police are parodied first and foremost, while in the next episode, "Black Discs," Catweazle again becomes the victim of typical British humor. The dialogues are sharper in this episode. It can be seen that there is no real emotional connection between the two friends of convenience. There is little sympathy for the boy at first. In the more than 100 years since its invention, the record as a sound carrier has decisively changed media and cultural history. The Swinging Sixties is the term generally used to describe both a cultural and political trend, as well as a fashion trend or the zeitgeist of society from the mid-1960s onward. The "black discs" and the music contained on them played an important role during this period. This is caricatured in this episode. Catweazle crushes the black plastic of the "discs" into powder and tries to inject this into the sleeping servant Groom - to treat a loss of speech due to illness. The music of the popular band The Beatles was rejected by the adult world, as was the mushroom-headed hairstyle they made fashionable among the youth. Cedric's father therefore also once makes a disparaging comment about his son's hair length. At the end of the series, Cedric dances exuberantly with the Magician to record music. Catweazle, like a St. Vitus dance, shows sympathy for contemporary music culture together with his youthful companion. ⓘ
"There is no building here" concludes the small "Carry On" season. A snooty and superstitious developer is planning to build houses for 200,000 residents on the estate. Out of necessity, Cedric and Catweazle join forces against this "progress", which seems monstrous to them, while Cedric's parents are in awe of this large-scale construction project. The interplay between the two friends' characters, so different from each other, works well here. In the aftermath, the money-grubbing contractor is driven out, becoming too dangerous for the friends and their goings-on. Catweazle's "magic power," however, plays a role only in combination. The weakness of the modernist entrepreneur, who otherwise appears to be overpowering, plays a greater role - in the form of his manic belief, in a very popular form, in supernatural powers in certain spiritual beings, situations and things. This episode, as well as the episode "Kühlwalda," are prime examples of subtle humor. ⓘ
In season episodes such as "Ghost Stories," Catweazle gains stature not least because of his idiosyncratic but endearing actions. He exposes the behavior of his fellow humans there as an ambiguous farce. In "The Philosopher's Stone", the insecure magician sets out in search of a final panacea because he cannot find the sign of Capricorn, which he considers extremely important in his quest for the art of flying. In the process, he gets caught up in a maneuver of a reserve unit of the British Army on the castle grounds. This parody of the recreational military with its ossified officers and incompetent soldiers is nevertheless well summed up at the end in the interrogation of the supposed spy Catweazle. ⓘ
When Cedric sets out on a treasure hunt in the last episode, rather by chance and this time on his own initiative, he achieves his goal. He is able to avert the impending bankruptcy of his parents' tourist business. Now the relationship between father and son in particular improves, while Catweazle is unable to further increase the degree of friendship with Cedric. Cedric, in general, often helps the cranky oddball out of trouble, but he doesn't necessarily like doing it, and he's more afraid of punishment than motivated to help someone in need. Catweazle, on the other hand, conspicuously shows less reverence for Cedric than for Harold. Often, his eccentric nature simply gets the better of him. ⓘ
Stylistic devices
Scientific findings - but above all clichés - about human prehistory provide all the prerequisites for the use of the stylistic device of situation comedy in film products that revolve around this topic. They are created by the alienated situation that arises during time jumps into the past, and by the fact that, for example, supposedly Stone Age-equipped - but nevertheless "modern" people - have to find their way in an unfamiliar time with unfamiliar aids and do not always act very skillfully from the start. The TV series Catweazle used this kind of humor in an inverted form as late as the 1970s. There, when the time-traveling druid clashes with modern achievements, he offers plenty of target for ridicule by trying to avoid the pitfalls of modern technology with supposedly "medieval" demeanor. ⓘ
Catweazle and the Merlin Tradition
Among other things, the screenwriter Carpenter has taken up the Merlin tradition and many aspects, but also partially parodied them. The name Merlin stands for one of the best-known mythical wizards in Western culture. Tanja Lindauer points out the parallels between the two magicians in one of her books. The character Catweazle is one of several Merlin parodies in children's and young adult literature. Merlin or Merlin-like characters appear comical in these stories in part because of exaggerated characteristics. Merlin's appearance is indeed partially adopted. However, for example, his long white and well-groomed beard is parodied through deliberately comical depictions in the Catweazle series. Catweazle's beard costume is rather unkempt and dirty, his body hair somewhat matted, and his body seems to be covered in a layer of dirt. He seems to give off a stench more often than not. But this also shows parallels to the Merlin tradition, because the powerful wizard Merlin appears occasionally as a beggar figure. Catweazle's appearance, however, is often eccentric and also smelly. Carpenter also creates comedy in that Catweazle is often associated with a beggar in the plot. This turns an omnipotent wizard into a figure with human weaknesses, his magical abilities are sometimes denied and he is occasionally even declared more or less insane. In places he is portrayed as infantile when his respective childish/adolescent friend takes on the role of mentor and teacher. It is striking that in the plot Catweazle is very often referred to as an "old man". A perpetual guessing game is triggered in the viewer as to whether he is really a wizard or just a bit crazy in his ways. Another difference from Merlin is Catweazle's insecurity. With him, wizard omnipotence and wisdom are not absolute. Merlin performs his time travels very confidently and rarely shows any anxiety. Catweazle's time jumps are not based on reliable magic, but rather on coincidences. Like Merlin, who sometimes appears to be "crazy," he flees into the woods when in danger. Catweazle, however, can see into the future and possesses the "eye of time." His thumb and arm tingle, for example, when a person, "magic" or danger approaches. He has some negative traits - as does Merlin. Often Catweazle is in a bad mood, irritable, seems arrogant, steals or swears. His grin has evil, goblin and demonic traits and reinforces his negative appearances. Like Merlin, he uses black magic. ⓘ
As with Merlin, Catweazle's personal past remains completely obscure. The poisonous son of the tyrannical housekeeper in the series certainly does not have the name Arthur by chance. Just as the magical witch knife Adamcos plays a role in Catweazle, this is also the case in the Arthurian legend of King Arthur and the mythical sword Excalibur. The sword had been driven through a stone or anvil by Merlin. ⓘ
Permanent access to the Catweazle series
Technology has advanced rapidly in the meantime, and it's a viewer's glimpse into a technological past - mainly the 1970s. Different fashions are worn and less stilted speech is used in this era than in later times, but the numerous ideas that are still modern make the seasons timeless. A review on phantastik-news.de from 2006 says: "The series gets by without any trace of violence. Many of the plots are based on wordplay. The classic screwball comedy element has been modernized with a great deal of subtlety and put into a fantastic guise. This mix is still easy to watch, despite all the signs of age, and shows the superiority of original British television series for youthful viewers over the uniformity of the German three-channel society." ⓘ
The translator of the book series, Sybil Gräfin Schönfeldt, also addresses the discrepancy between the technological achievements of the 1970s and our "computer age" in her preface to the books. However, this disparity makes the Catweazle stories, when read or viewed - long after they were written - merely another journey back in time, which hardly complicates the immersion in the Middle Ages and the "worlds of Catweazle" that are also depicted. For example, cars in the stories are more or less what they currently still are, and television or the telephone are not described in such in-depth technical terms as to forfeit their reference to our time. ⓘ
Perception in the media
Karin Reddemann emphasizes in the online magazine Phantastikon the exceptionality that Catweazle represented back then, when television was still the simple "bag of tricks of the 1970s": "My mother shouted something profound like "Eureka!" on that memorable Sunday afternoon, and we four children joined her in a rush, sensing that something monstrous was going on there on the screen. Something we would love. And which all of you, who were born decisively too late for it, probably somehow can't quite comprehend. (...) Here, for once, is not all of our dog definitely most faithful companion, but a toad named Kühlwalda, a somewhat cool, only seemingly indefinable quacking and ergo all the smarter house friend, whose pocky appearance should not distract from its special magical charm." ⓘ
According to the review of the online magazine "Phantastik-News.de" in 2006: "(...) the release of the two "Catweazle" seasons appeals not only to the generation of forty-year-olds who first encountered the quirky magician at the beginning of the seventies - in 1974 in Germany - but (erg. also) to their child(ren), to whom a down-to-earth magical world without violence opens up." ⓘ
In 2010, the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote in retrospect, "What was once good about it? Awkward gags, washed-out picture, bad cuts. All the same: The superstar of our children's hearts was called, no is called forever Catweazle."... "On the other hand: Beautiful title music. Great lead actor. Good feeling." and quoted Sybil Gräfin Schönfeldt, Zeit literary critic and translator of the long out-of-print books on the series: "Catweazle was already something special" ... "He was all about humor, fantasy, anti-racism and friendship. Today, there's too much killing in children's books and series for me. Do you know Twig or Artemis Fowl?" ... "Whole peoples are wiped out there." Former ZDF youth program director Josef Göhlen was also quoted as saying, "The success astonished many. The thing is quite primitively made after all." ⓘ
When Catweazle is given a youthful friend to assist him in his adventures, the Süddeutsche Zeitung sees this as realizing a relationship without generational conflicts: " ... ... in which the boundaries between old and young, teacher and pupil, friend and foe blurred splendidly. Above all, it was about the question: How can human coexistence succeed, despite all differences, despite all problems? The answer: with humor." ⓘ
Stuttgarter Nachrichten 2013: "'Catweazle' is funnier and more profound than popular series of the time such as 'Lassie' or 'Flipper'. Parents probably felt the stories were educational, which is why you never had to beg for long to be allowed to turn on the boob tube." ⓘ
The online industry service Meedia reports: "From today's perspective, this TV series is an insane mix of magician nonsense, technology skepticism and British anarchist humor à la Monty Python. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, "Catweazle" quickly became a cult." ⓘ
In 2017, Die Welt headlined its obituary of the lead actor, "The man who was Catweazle is dead," writing, "That Catweazle couldn't perform magic is a rumor. ... But the very best thing about Catweazle was his failure ... Catweazle didn't just fall off walls and stick to steeples, he had made failure his religion: 'Nothing works,' was his best spell, and the longer 'Catweazle' ran, the more often the series was repeated, the truer that phrase became." ⓘ
Airing and Publications
The first broadcast of this series, produced by London Weekend Television (LWT), ran nationwide on the private British channel ITV on February 15, 1970 to April 4, 1972. ⓘ
In Germany, Catweazle was first shown on ZDF from April 28 to September 29, 1974. The series is repeated again and again by various broadcasters. Since October 12, 2005, the first, and since February 2006, the second season of the series is available in German version on DVD. ⓘ
With the launch of the remake on pay-TV channel Sky Deutschland, the two seasons were also rebroadcast on Sky Cinema Classic from May to July 2022. ⓘ
The series appeared on television for the first time on Sunday, 4 January 1970 in the Netherlands, broadcast by the NOS. It was originally shown in the UK between Sunday, 15 February 1970 and Sunday, 10 May 1970 at 17:30–18:00 in most regions. ⓘ
Episode list
Titles of the English and German dubbed versions of the two seasons: ⓘ
First season
- 1. The Sun in a Bottle
The Normans are coming
The Normans have defeated the Anglo-Saxons in 1066 and the Anglo-Saxon warlock Catweazle lives full of fear as a hermit in a cave. There he is attacked by enemy warriors and, fleeing from them, wants to fly away with the help of a magic spell. Instead, the wizard, together with his toad Kühlwalda, unexpectedly makes a leap in time to the Great Britain of the 1970s. There he meets Harold Bennett, the son of the owner of the Hexenhoff Farm. The boy is not further impressed by his strange appearance. To prevent his father from seeing the wizard, Harold hides him in the farm's barn. Catweazle cunningly hypnotizes Harold so that he can't tell anyone about the magician, which immediately gets the farmer's son into trouble.
- Castle Saburac
Saburac Castle
Harold provides the magician with the necessities of life and tries to familiarize him with the civilization of the 20th century. Above all, Harold must ensure that his father and the servant Sam Woodyard do not discover the strange guest. One day, Harold smuggles his bedraggled friend into the house so he can take a bath. When Sam later discovers the oddball wizard after all, a wild chase ensues and Catweazle flees into the woods. There he discovers a disused water tower in which he settles down. He christens his new home Saburac Castle and continues to transform it into an alchemy laboratory.
- 3 The Curse of Rapkyn
The spell book
Unfortunately, the farm is having financial difficulties. Harold suspects this may be because there is a curse on the farm. He asks Catweazle for help. Catweazle finds an old spell book in the local museum, which he finds very useful.
- 4 The Witching Hour
Witchcraft
A certain Miss Bonnington often appears on the farm. Harold does not like her. He thinks she wants to marry his father. The real reason for her frequent visits, however, is different, for Father Bennett has applied to the community for the construction of new stables and is consulting with Miss Bonnington on how to influence the community council. Harold plots with Catweazle to get rid of Bonnington. Catweazle explains to Harold how he will use a small doll to give the unloved Bonnington the measles, but to do this he needs Miss's hair. It is a good thing that Bonnington is about to go to the hairdresser. There, the magician performs a wild Secret Santa dance as a diversionary maneuver in front of the frightened customers.
- 5 The Eye of Time
The eye of time
Catweazle overhears a conversation between Harold and the farmhand Sam about horse betting: Sam hopes for "the" big win at the horse race and asks the fortune teller Madame Rosa for appropriate predictions. Catweazle knows that someone can win at the horse race who, like him, possesses the magical "eye of time". He gives Harold a practical demonstration, but he doesn't realize the meaning of Catweazle's "magic" until he sees on television that the magician actually predicted, in coded form, the winning horse in the first race. Harold wants to bet in the next races, knowing that his father urgently needs money for the farm. But his father, who doesn't want his son hanging around betting shops, thwarts his plan. Catweazle meanwhile also visits Madame Rosa, but quickly sees through the fact that she is a fraud. He first insults the alleged clairvoyant, saying that she is in cahoots with the betting office, and then hypnotizes her. Before she can recover, Catweazle is already gone - along with her crystal ball.
- 6 The Magic Face
The magic face
Near the Hexenhoff farm, the American photographer Eleonor Derringer has moved into a house. While walking with the farm owner, she encounters Catweazle and is fascinated by his bizarre appearance. Derringer thinks Catweazle is the most interesting photo subject she has ever seen. She is eager to photograph him and tries to invite him to her home. Catweazle has no prior knowledge of what photography means. He is horrified when he finally sees himself depicted in the photos and convinced that he has fallen under the spell of a powerful witch. He begs Harold to free him.
- 7 The Telling Bone
The magic bone
When Catweazle once again tries to get to his time by means of magic, something goes wrong again and he is hanging from a church spire. Reverend Potts from Bandon, a town near the witch's farm, gets him down there, at first believing he is saving a suicide. Later, he simply thinks the stranger is crazy and calls Mr. Bennet from the farm to come and fetch Catweazle. The magician is completely amazed at where the priest is talking into. He thinks the telephone receiver is a magic bone. He is determined to get this "magician's tool" into his power.
- 8. the power of adamcos
Adamco's
In Westborne, a town near the Witch's Farm, rehearsals for a play are taking place. It's all confusing for Catweazle, because the play is set in, of all places, the Norman period from which he fled. When he encounters amateur actors dressed as Normans in the forest, where their car has broken down on the way to rehearsal, he is horrified. Panic-stricken, he flees from them, losing his magic knife Adamcos, which he considers essential for survival. Catweazle and Harold feverishly search for Adamcos and finally suspect it to be in an antique store. There it comes between the two and the owner to some turbulence.
- 9 The Demi Devil
Mistaken identity
Catweazle tries to bewitch Harold into a monkey after an argument about the magician's thieving behavior. When, in the process, a small monkey appears in his alchemy lab, having previously escaped from Colonel Upshaw, Catweazle believes that this species of animal, unknown to him, is the enchanted Harold. Immediately, he regrets his actions and tries to change the supposed Harold back. He becomes increasingly desperate when he fails to do so and realizes that he desperately needs help. He seeks this from Upshaw, whom he once observed firing a hunting rifle. He considers the bang of the rifle to be the magic power of a magician, so he believes Colonel Upshaw to be magically empowered to "save" Harold. His visit leads to confusion and some chaos.
- 10 The House of the Sorcerer
The Sorcerer's House
Catweazle, while wandering in the woods, comes across an ornithologist named Cyril Fitton, who is trying to record bird calls in a trailer full of tape recorders. When Fitton shows the magician his devices, the magician believes in magic that traps "souls" in tapes. He tries to free the trapped bird sounds from the devices. In addition, Harold suspects that Sam was murdered by Fitton. After all, Catweazle has vaguely overheard that the voices are trapped in the tapes and can be heard running along the sound head of the tape recorders. Back in his alchemy workshop, Catweazle immediately pulls a tape stolen from Cyril over his own head, of course without success with this approach.
- 11 The Flying Broomsticks
Thirty brush brooms
The local police and Sergeant Bottle are at a loss. Again and again thefts of brushwood brooms are reported to her. Bottle's superiors suspect some kind of witchcraft. The sergeant is asked to put an end to the haunting. Of all people, the harmless and sympathetic Sam comes under suspicion. Some of the stolen brooms were found in a place where the farm worker had parked his car. The sergeant has him arrested. Harold is outraged by this. He is sure that Catweazle stole the brooms selfishly for his magic rituals. Catweazle's magic, however, can finally turn everything around for the better.
- 12 The Wisdom of Solomon
The Potion
Mr. Bennett has hired a new housekeeper, Mrs. Skinner, who has brought her son with her. The new court servant has a two-faced character: she is amiable in the presence of Mr. Bennet, but Harold and Sam suffer. Her son, who is just the same, also contributes. Catweazle brews a potion to help his friend - a kind of truth serum.
- 13 The Trickery Lantern
The magic formula
After Mr. Bennett injures his foot and therefore stays in bed, Harold has little time for his friend because he has to help Sam out with the yard work. Fortunately, Aunt Flo has come to nurse her brother. She is spiritually inclined and believes in ghosts. Catweazle takes the opportunity to hang around the farm without being put in his place by Harold. He works harder to get back to his time and goes to the lake from which he came to the present. But as fear creeps up on him of encountering Normans again, he plans to get a modern-day "magic weapon" before traveling back in time. When Aunt Flo discovers Catweazle in the house, she is convinced that she has met the ghost of a deceased childhood friend. The magician tries in vain to hypnotize her as well. Both of them have a short conversation in a bizarre way, which basically consists only of misunderstandings, but Catweazle takes new courage for a return trip to his ancestral time. ⓘ
Second season
- The Magic Riddle
A new friend - Duck Halt
Summer Delights - The Heavenly Twins
The Birthday Party - The Sign of the Crab
In the sign of the crab - The Black Wheels
Black wheels - The Wogle Stone
No building here - The Enchanted King
The Magic Box - The Familiar Spirit
Kühlwalda - The Ghost Hunters
Ghost Stories - The Walking Trees
The Philosopher's Stone - The Battle of the Giants
My pumpkin is the biggest! - The Magic Circle
Treasure Hunt - The Thirteenth Sign
The treasure of the Collingfords ⓘ
Synchronization
- Catweazle: Hans Hessling
- Mr. Bennet: Helmo Kindermann
- Harold Bennet: Steffen Müller
- Sam Woodyard: Peter Kirchberger
- Cedric Collingford: Friedrich Hey
- Lord Collingford: Werner Bruhns
- Lady Collingford: Renate Pichler
- Mr. Groome: Wolfgang Völz
- Ms. Gowdie: Jo Wegener ⓘ
- Catweazle: Geoffrey Bayldon
- Edward Bennet (Carrot): Robin Davies
- Mr. Bennet: Charles "Bud" Tingwell
- Sam Woodyard: Neil McCarthy ⓘ
Remake
In September 2019, it was announced that there will be a German remake of Catweazle. Catweazle will be played by comedian Otto Waalkes. The film, produced by Tobis, was originally scheduled to open in theaters at Christmas 2020. It is directed by Sven Unterwaldt and written by Claudius Pläging. The film's release in Germany was later postponed to March 11 and most recently to July 1, 2021. ⓘ
A German film adaptation of the series was released in June 2021, featuring German comedian Otto Waalkes as Catweazle.The film was mostly shot on location at Eberbach Abbey and Stolberg (Kupferhof Rosenthal, primary school Grüntalstraße, Oldtown) and the Katzensteine between Mechernich and Satzvey Castle. ⓘ
Cast
Other characters
- Theda Watkins: Marjie Lawrence (episode 2)
- Stuffy Gladstone: Peter Sallis (e3)
- Miss Arthur: Anne Jameson (e3)
- Miss Bonnington: June Jago (e4)
- Miss Willoughby: Ruth Kettlewell (e4)
- Audrey: Carmel Cryan (e4)
- Doris: Ursula Smith (e4)
- Madam Rosa: Hattie Jacques (e5)
- Albert: Ellis Dale (e5)
- Woman at bus stop: Betty Woolfe (e5)
- Mrs. Derringer: Marcella Markham (e6)
- Maud: Zulema Dene (e6)
- The Vicar: Brian Wilde (e7)
- Mrs. Woodyard: Hazel Coppen (e7)
- Wilkins: Harry Hutchinson (e7)
- Leslie Milton: Aubrey Morris (e8)
- Fred: David Ellison (e8)
- Dick: Andrew Bradford (e8)
- Colonel Upshaw: Peter Butterworth (e9)
- Miss Coote: Dorothy Frere (e9)
- Cyril Fitton: Bernard Hepton (e10)
- Sergeant Bottle: John Junkin (e11)
- Charley: John Tordoff (e11)
- Mrs Skinner: Patricia Hayes (e12)
- Arthur: Freddy Foote (e12)
- Aunty Flo: Hilda Braid (e13)
- Dr. Jane Matthews: Eileen Moore (e13) ⓘ
Director
- Quentin Lawrence ⓘ
Series 2
Other characters
- Pickle: Bill Owen (episode 2)
- Publican: Jerold Wells (episode 2)
- Vandanti the Magician: Paul Eddington (episode 3)
- Inspector Pugh: Derek Francis (episode 4)
- Tearful Ted: Ronald Lacey (episode 4)
- Policeman: Tim Pearce (episode 4)
- Doctor Hawkins: Jonathan Elsom (episode 5)
- Jack Victor: Kenneth Cope (episode 6)
- Richardson: Tony Caunter (episode 6)
- John Gobling: Graham Crowden (episode 7)
- TV story teller: Peter Bayliss (episode 7)
- Mayor: Richard Caldicot (episode 7)
- Professors Oscar & Otto Habbleman: John Ringham (episode 8)
- Mrs. Hannah Habbleman: Hana-Maria Pravda (episode 8)
- Hackforth: David Cook (writer) (episode 9)
- Hector Kenley: Dudley Foster (episode 9)
- Colonel Arnold Dickenson: John Welsh (actor) (episode 10)
- Sgt. Jones: Tony Selby (episode 10)
- Archie Goodwin: Arthur Lovegrove (episode 11)
- Dr. Benjamin Wenik Derek Godfrey (episode 12)
- Boris: Roger Hammond (episode 13) ⓘ
Directors
- David Reid (7 episodes)
- David Lane (6 episodes) ⓘ
Episodes
- The Magic Riddle (10 January 1971)
- Duck Halt (17 January 1971)
- The Heavenly Twins (24 January 1971)
- The Sign of the Crab (31 January 1971)
- The Black Wheels (7 February 1971)
- The Wogle Stone (14 February 1971)
- The Enchanted King (21 February 1971)
- The Familiar Spirit (28 February 1971)
- The Ghost Hunters (7 March 1971)
- The Walking Trees (14 March 1971)
- The Battle of the Giants (21 March 1971)
- The Magic Circle (28 March 1971)
- The Thirteenth Sign (4 April 1971) ⓘ
Home media
In the 1980s, Carpenter announced that he hoped to adapt Catweazle into a feature film. However, the planned film was never produced. ⓘ
Both series of Catweazle were released on VHS in 1998. ⓘ
The first series was released on Region 2 DVD in the UK in May 2005, with a short reunion documentary "Brothers in Magic" and audio commentaries on selected episodes by Carpenter, Bayldon, Davies and Executive Producer Joy Whitby. The second series was released in August 2005. ⓘ
In Australia Catweazle: The Complete Series was released in May 2007. In June 2011 both series were released in Region 4. ⓘ
On 29 March 2010 the series was re-released in the UK to commemorate its 40th anniversary. Among several other additional features were a "Westbourne Museum" image gallery (named after a small local museum in the episode "The Curse of Rapkyn" starring Peter Sallis) featuring the most comprehensive collection of original Catweazle memorabilia and promotional ephemera ever assembled, sourced from The Paul Pert Screen Collection. The release of the 40th Anniversary Special Edition DVD set was also accompanied by a commemorative publication, The Magic Book by Simon Wells and Paul Pert. Robin Davies (who had played Carrot) died just before its publication, on 22 February 2010, at the age of 56. The publication includes an article by Pert about the longevity of the Catweazle phenomenon, entitled "A Magical Spell in the Countryside," which contains Robin Davies's last recorded comments about the series that made him a star and about his special friendship with Bayldon. The DVD image gallery also recorded the occasion of their last meeting at an annual commemorative event held at the farm in East Clandon, Surrey, where the first series was filmed in the summer of 1969. ⓘ
Also featured in the article was an interview with Richard Carpenter in which he gave a frank account of his thoughts on modern television, and again expressed his desire to bring his writing career full circle with a Catweazle film for the 21st century. He also confirmed that he had drafted a new script. Negotiations for a film had reached pre-production stages when Carpenter died while walking his dog in the countryside at the age of 82 on 26 February 2012. ⓘ
The first episode of the first series is available to view in full for registered users at the BFI Screenonline site. ⓘ
The full series was shown on the UK free-to-air television channel Talking Pictures TV from Saturday 2 November 2019. ⓘ
Books
There are two novelisations by Carpenter, one for each series: Catweazle and Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac. Both books were illustrated by George Adamson. A 20-page picture book, Catweazle in Marrow Escape was also produced, written by Alan Fennell. A comic strip version featured in the TV comic Look-in, written by Angus P. Allan, and three annuals were also released by World, from 1970 to 1972. ⓘ