GOING GUMBY

Gumby is headed for the big screen. He’ll sing and dance in the 90-minute “The Return of Gumby.”

The plot: Gumby returns from a distant planet. Once on Earth, he and his four-member band hold benefit concerts and make a music video.

“Gumby’s dancing would make Michael Jackson envious,” boasted Gumby creator Art Clokey, who’ll write and direct for his Premavision Inc.

The film features the old gang--Pokey, Goo, Prickle and the villainous Blockheads, as well as six or seven new figures (including Gumby’s blue-bodied, brunette girlfriend and a magical mascot).

According to Clokey, the Gumby revival (which includes a line of Gumby toys) owes much to a Hindu avatar (a holy man). When Clokey visited India in 1979, Satya Sai Ba Ba blessed a seven-inch Gumby figure with a handful of black ashes. The seemingly retired Gumby made his show-biz comeback in 1980.

As for Gumby’s continued popularity, Clokey noted: “Gumby symbolizes good human nature. Everybody’s good underneath and everybody has a little Gumby in them.”