Sítio do Pica-pau Amarelo is a 1952 Brazilian children-family television series produced and aired by TV Tupi, Sítio was scripted by Brazilian author Tatiana Belinky, based on the series of novels of same name, written by Monteiro Lobato. The series is the second live-action adaptation of the Sítio universe, after the theatrical filmO Saci, released in the previous year. Sítio tells the story of the peaceful title site, the Yellow Woodpecker Ranch, where its unique dwellers live in fantasy and learning. It starred actress Lúcia Lambertini in the role of Emília, the living, smart and talkative doll of the farm. The Viscount of Sabugosa was played by Daniel Filho, who also debuted his directing career in TV Tupi. The series premiered on January 10, 1952 and ran until 1962, being canceled after 360 episodes and several recastings. The cast needed to re-enact some episodes in 1963 for the show's "reruns", since episodes were originally broadcast live. Each episode was of 45 minutes duration.
Plot
At the peaceful Yellow Woodpecker ranch, an intelligent and tender old lady named Mrs. Benta lives with her grandsons Lúcia "Little Nose" and Pedrinho. The two kids have their respective living and thinking toys: the talkative rag doll, and the Viscount of Sabugosa, an incredibly intellectual man made of maize. Aunt Nastácia prepares her unique delicacies for the family, all of them living in magic, fantasy and discovery.
Cast
The following cast list has the names of all actors that portrayed the major characters.
The idea was first conceived by Tatiana Belinki's husband, psychiatrist Júlio Gouveia, after he asked some adults, at a children's birthday party, to improvise a stage play version of Peter Pan for their present and bored kids. This led him to write a thesis about children's theatre and its role on the youngers' education. His article impressed TV Tupi, the only television network in Brazil at that time. He was then hired by the channel and decided to adapt Monteiro Lobato's fantasy series of novels for the teleplay, and the pilot was broadcast live as a single presentation. The good rating forced Tupi to create a television series, with Júlio Gouveia's wife Tatiana Belinky as the screenwriter. Despite Sítio immediate repercussion, the budget was extremely limited and only one set was available. Other sets required by the script would be hastily handmade by the crew. Since special effects were non-existent, the fantasy was highly improvised with available resources. For example, for the underwater scenes at the Clear Waters Kingdom, Tatiana Belinky put her own fish bowl in front of the camera. Salathiel Coelho's song "Dobrado" was the series' opening theme before Gilberto Gil composed the famous Sítio do Picapau Amarelo main title theme for Rede Globo's posterior versions. Sítio do Pica-pau Amarelo, produced as a traditional stage play, had an actress portraying Peter Pan, maintaining the character's pantomime tradition.
Soundtrack
The LP of the soundtrack and the double compact of the series of the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, released in 1952 by Odeon Records.
