Woodhead Saves the Farm

Maybe I'm aging or becoming too politically sensitized. I wanted to see "Woodhead" (Woody Keppel's award-winning bumbling character) as a bright young star in the physical comedy firmament, but he struck me--at least, initially, as he sat playing with miniature farm toys--as an imitation (and not a bad one) of a moderately retarded adult male. In fact, my only clue that I was way off was that his boss, Farmer Guff (played by Tony Montanaro), was no intellectual pillar himself. In Woodhead Saves the Farm, Woodhead is thrown into a whirlwind of comic frenzy when Farmer Guff reminds him that it's Vermont Family Farm Day and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy will be arriving at Shelburne Farms within a few hours with TV crews in tow. The good farmer wants a ship-shape farm, and he's enlisted the aid of college volunteers. Unfortunately, Woodhead's direction sign slips and the busload of help sails on by, leaving Woodhead and, later, his Farm Kid friends to give the farm a lick and a promise. Original slapstick is very tough to do: Woody Keppel (who looks like a wide-eyed Rick Moranis) is a very talented guy, but the production--which doesn't feature much of the slick editing and sound effects which are now de rigeur in a lot of kidvid--doesn't quite measure up. Still, this is worth considering for larger collections and it does feature cameos by not only Senator Leahy but--in a serendipitous ironic twist--his recent opponent for the Senate, farmer Fred Tuttle. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)