(CBS, September 12, 1970-October 16, 1971)
Hanna-Barbera Productions, CBS Productions
MAIN CAST:
Nancy Wible – Granny
Don Messick - Dribbles
For the history of the Harlem Globetrotters, check out the post here.
CBS executive Fred Silverman secured
the rights to the Harlem
Globetrotters in the hopes to bring their zany antics from the court
to the small screen and maybe attract some of their fans to the network. Turning
to Hanna-Barbera,
the result was Harlem
Globetrotters.
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| Globetrotters character model sheet. |
The series adapted
the then-current team of Globetrotters into animated form; however, seasoned
voice actors were used as not all of the players could actually act. The team
included their leader, who always got them in--and out--of trouble, George
“Meadowlark” Lemon (Scatman Crothers), bald Freddie “Curly” Neal (Stu Gilliam),
Hubert “Geese” Ausbie (Johnny Williams), giant strongman J.C. “Gip” Gipson
(Richard Elkins), diminutive Pablo “Pabs” Robertson (Robert DoQui) and
scatterbrained Bobby Joe Mason (Eddie Anderson) as they traveled around in
their American flag-colored bus. Originally, coach Leon Hillard was going to
be featured in the series, but as production began he was cut out and replaced
with original character Granny (Nancy Wible), who served as the team’s coach
and driver. The team was also given a dog mascot in the form of Dribbles (Don
Messick).
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| Close-up character art from the Globetrotters album. |
Harlem
Globetrotters debuted on CBS on September 12, 1970. Like other
Hanna-Barbera productions, the series followed a formula for each episode. Typically,
episodes would find the Globetrotters winding up in a location where they get
involved in some kind of conflict either voluntarily or by chance. The
Globetrotters settled the matter with a basketball game in which the villains
would constantly cheat to win. But, of course, the Globetrotters managed to
turn it around in the second half and triumph over all adversity; driving home
the pro-social message of sportsmanship and fair play. The series was
written by Heywood Kling, Tom Dagenais, Michael Maltese and Dalton Sandifer,
with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears
serving as story editors.
 |
| Globetrotters 1971 program. |
Globe Trotters was not only the first Saturday morning carton to feature
real sports stars, but it was the first to feature a predominantly African-American
cast; both on screen and in the recording booth. It shared a distinction with
another Hanna-Barbera property that aired earlier in the day: Josie
and the Pussycats, which featured the first African-American female
character. The year prior, Filmation’s The
Hardy Boys gave the first African-American
male.
 |
| The Globetrotters album. |
Don Kirshner, music supervisor
for the show, also oversaw the production of a soundtrack featuring the music
used in the program; typically, from the basketball games in each episode. The
record, The
Globetrotters, was produced by series theme composer Jeff Barry and released in 1970 by Kirshner
Records. The songs “Cheer Me Up” with “Gravy” and “Rainy Day Bells” with “Meadowlark” were
released as two separate single albums. Three more single albums were released
with songs not featured on The Globetrotters; one of which featured the actual Globetrotters’ theme, “Sweet Georgia Brown”. The real
Meadowlark provided background vocals on several of the tracks, making him the
only Globetrotter to have any involvement in the project.
 |
| Page from the Harlem Globetrotters comic by Gold Key. |
Globetrotters ran for a full
first season and an abbreviated second season before it was ultimately
cancelled. The series did make a brief return to television in reruns in 1978 as
Go-Go Globetrotters on NBC. In 1971, the team
made their first appearance in Gold Key Comics’ Hanna-Barbera
Fun-In #8 before getting their own twelve-issue series between 1972
and 1975. Whitman also published several coloring books. Milton Bradley produced a board game using the
Hanna-Barbera character models, while Thermos released two different lunchboxes; one of which depicted an actual
scene from an episode.
 |
| The New Scooby-Doo Movies title card introducing the Globetrotters. |
The Globetrotters were also
featured on three episodes of The New Scooby-Doo
Movies in 1972 and 1973. In 1980, similar character models and
their bus were used in the movie The
Harlem Globetrotters Meet Snow White, although it
featured a slightly altered cast to better represent the then-current line-up.
In 1998, the series was lampooned as part of Robert Smigel’s “TV Funhouse” on Saturday Night Live. In
it, the Globetrotters accidentally went back in time to the first
Christmas, instead of their first Christmas together.
EPISODE GUIDE (the series was never released, making episode data hard to come by):
Season 1:
“The Great Geese Goof-Up” (9/12/70) – The team mistakenly believes a
mad scientist has turned Geese into a kangaroo, who happens to be wanted for a
jewel theft.
“Football Zeros” (9/19/70) – The team takes the place of a delayed
team in a charity football game while two criminals plan to make off with the
proceeds.
“Hold That Hillbilly” (9/26/70) – In order to stop a feud and allow
their game to get underway, the team must unite the only two eligible members
of the fighting families.
“Bad News Cruise” (10/3/70) – The team takes a cruise to Hawaii on a
ship involved in a race for a contract against another ship with a despicable
crew.
“Rodeo Duds” (10/10/70) – The team enters a local rodeo in order to
help a poor family get the money they need to pay off their mortgage.
“Double Dribble Double” (10/17/70) – A mad scientist performs
experiments on the team when they come to his house after their bus gets stuck.
“Heir Loons” (10/24/70) – Bobby Joe gains an inheritance that his
crooked cousin would love to get his hands on.
“From Scoop to Nuts” (10/31/70) – The team decides to help a
struggling newspaper get back on its feet in order to get their exhibition game
back on.
“What a Day for a Birthday” (11/7/70) – Granny unknowingly borrows the
money the team saved for her birthday present forcing the team to figure out
ways to raise more quickly.
“It’s Snow Vacation” (11/14/70) – The team wants to help their friend
Sam fix up his ski resort, but Sam’s competition wants to keep that from
happening.
“The Great Ouch Doors” (11/21/70) – A youth center asks the team to
calm down their clientele through sportsmanship before the kids’ behavior
forces the center to be shut down.
“Hooray for Hollywood” (11/28/70) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE
“Shook Up Sheriff” (12/5/70) – The team arrives to help Wally Weakness
raise money for his sheriff campaign in order to keep his opponent and his gang
from winning the election.
“Gone to the Dogs” (12/12/70) – The team believes Dribbles is jealous
of the dog they’ve been asked to babysit.
“The Wild Blue Yonder” (12/19/70) – In order to pay off the bills on
the airplane they won in a raffle, the team sets out to open their own airline.
“Long Gone Gip” (1/2/71) – Believing he’s caused Pabs to never play
again, Gip leaves the team.
Season 2:
“A Pearl of a Game” (9/11/71) – The team offers to help a private eye
find the giant pearl that was stolen from the museum right under his nose.
“Nothing to Moon About” (9/18/71) – The team is invited to a space
center to play an exhibition game in a dome that duplicates the gravity of the
moon.
“Pardon My Magic” (9/25/71) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE
“Granny’s Royal Ruckus” (10/2/71) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE
“Soccer to Me” (10/9/71) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE
“Jungle Jitters” (10/16/71) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE
Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2020.
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