If you are of a certain age, you will know who Jack Wild was. He snagged an Oscar nomination for his role as the Artful Dodger in the 1968 film “Oliver!” and he was the bemused human hero of the cult TV classic “H.R. Pufnstuf.” He died at his home in England this week at the age of 53. The cruel irony was that his death came from oral cancer, which robbed him of the ability to speak. While his career was not as eventful when he became an adult, he nonetheless was an audience favorite in his youth — and, in a weird way, he will always be a youngster as long as “Oliver!” plays on TV (I just saw it the other day on TCM) and “H.R. Pufnstuf” is recalled.
