Nilsson :: The Point (Me And My Arrow) 1971

harry-nilsson-the-point.jpg“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 was no way I could quit at just one Nilsson post this week, so here is number two. Bolstered by the recent Nilsson documentary, Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why is Everybody Talkin’ About Him), I sought out and watched (on Youtube) The Point, Harry Nilsson’s 1971 animated feature narrated by his pal Ringo Starr.

Directed by Fred Wolf, Nilsson’s tale of nonconformity first aired on ABC in 1971. Reportedly (wiki) Dustin Hoffman originally narrated the special inhabiting the role of the father until legal hassles led the producers to bring Ringo Starr on board to replace him. If memory serves, I believe when I first saw this on television in the early ’80s, it was a decidedly British accented narrator, which leads me to believe I got to know The Point v. 2 via Ringo.

Below: Watch part one, of eight, of The Point below, and listen to Nilsson’s brilliant “Me And My Arrow” which clocks in at about seven minutes and twenty seconds.

Download:
MP3: Nilsson :: Me And My Arrow

13 thoughts on “Nilsson :: The Point (Me And My Arrow) 1971

  1. Justin, great post, thanks so much for bringing attention to this gem of music and creativity. My mother used to play The Point all the time when I was growing up and remains a cherished memory for me. Thanks!

  2. I have both my kids (5 and 7) totally hooked on this record (both the mobile audio and the actual vinyl, replete with bad-ass comic book nestled inside the gatefold sleeve.) The songs are all cool, and even the incidental music is killer, but this tune is easily my (and my young’ns’ ) favorite.

  3. There’s actually a band here in Nashville that took their name from The Point – they’re called Oblio. I had heard of the film because of them but now I’ll have to watch it!

  4. Love this movie! I’m a big Nilsson fan. My favorite song from the movie is “Think About Your Troubles.” The Asylum Street Spankers did a fabulous remake of that song as well, which just happens to be on their latest CD.

  5. I first watched The Point when I was about 5; eighteen years later, it still captivates me. I have an old scrambled version that my parents taped of the tv. It is the one narrated by Alan Thicke. Yep, Alan Thicke. I could get a new DVD, but without the Alan Thicke version I grew up with, its just not the same.

  6. This is for Colleen (post # 7), or anyone else who could help. I have been trying for the longest time to get the version with narration by Alan Thicke. The version with Ringo, although not bad, is not the one my kids grew up with. When my son was in 4th grade, I lent my copy of it to his teacher, and it wasn’t returned. I never saw it again. My kids have never let me forget about my “mistake” of lending it out. I would be eternally grateful if someone could help me find a copy. If anyone can help, please leave a post on this board. I’ll keep checking back, and if anyone can help I’ll leave you my E-Mail address.
    Thanx…………………………

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