The boy who couldn't smile...

[Kassius]

Hey all

Does anyone remember a TV series that was on say mid to late eighties. It was aimed at I think a childrens / early teens audience. The story was of a boy who had a happy life until this millionnaire business man that drove around in a black car came along, and somehow stole his smile (I never understood how). Thereafter our protagonist boy was unable to smile, hence the title and lived an unhappy life wandering around trying to save himself and others. I imagine he would have regained his smile at the end of the series.

I'm fairly certain this show was dubbed and was probably scandinavian or generally european in origin.

Do you remember?

Cheers
Kassius

[Woffski]

The show you are after was called "The Legend of Tim Tyler" and it was his laugh that he sold to a bloke by the name of "The Baron".

If i remember rightly it was a German program and was in the same vain as "Silas"

Woff

[Sally Sausages]

Yes I remember it. I do seem to remember he got his laugh back at the end of the series too...I seem to have blurry memories of him laughing maniacally.....

[Kassius]

Cheers Woff, it's all come flooding back now.

If I remember correctly Tim Tyler was also the name of the guy that wrote the "Repton" games for the BBC micro. Class.

[Woffski]

You're welcome mate )

[JM28Cardiff]

It went on forever, this series! The bad guy in it cropped up in one of Rutger Hauer's Dutch films, so I think the series may have been Dutch

[Woffski]

Notes
Soundtrack to the hugely popular German kids TV show, Timm Thaler (retitled The Legend of Tim Tyler for international release).

Timm Thaler premiered in Germany in 1979 and was one of the most successful TV shows ever produced by ZDF (Germany's second TV station). The show told the tale of a boy that sells his laughter to an ominous character called "The Baron" (in exchange for the ability to win any bet) and then discovers that life isn't much fun without laughing and spends the next 25 episodes trying to get it back. The music here is absolutely fantastic - a kinda prog-rock/Pink Floyd type thing going on with some killer funk/disco themes thrown in too.

Bored in my lunch hour so i thought id dig up some info ;-)

[JM28Cardiff]

Dutch, German, its all the same! I can't remember if I enjoyed this programme or not, I suspect the dubbing spoiled it for me

[escorteclipse1990]

Re: The boy who couldn't smile...

Dutch, German, its all the same! I can't remember if I enjoyed this programme or not, I suspect the dubbing spoiled it for me

God Tim Tyler i remember this show it was on CBBC in the mid to late 80s, and it was badly dubbed too. It was German

[amun]

Re: The boy who couldn't smile...

yeah i remember!!!!