JERRY EISENBERG DEAD AT 87

 

You can read the full story here.

He did layouts for Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Cattanooga Cats, Motormouse and Autocat, Josie and the Pussycats, Help!...It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, ; designed characters for The Atom Ant Show, The Secret Squirrel Show, Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor, Wacky Races (also layouts), Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines, “The Adventures of Robin Hoodwink” and “Lost in Space” episodes of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, Inch High Private Eye, Yogi’s Gang, Super Friends, Speed Buggy, Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, Hong Kong Phooey, Fangface (also producer), “The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy” and “The Puppy’s Great Adventure” episodes of ABC Weekend Specials, Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show (also producer), Heathcliff (1980) (also producer), Thundarr the Barbarian (also producer), Little Clowns of Happytown and Tom & Jerry Kids Show; storyboards for Muppet Babies, Rude Dog and the Dweebs, Tom & Jerry Kids Show (also producer and writer), Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Droopy: Master Detective (also writer), Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series, Histeria!, House of Mouse, What’s New Scooby-Doo?, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps; and served as a producer on 8 episodes of ABC Weekend Specials, Meatballs and Spaghetti and Pandamonium (the latter two which he also created).

SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTIONS

 

RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Aka RUBY-SPEARS ENTERPRISES, RS HOLDINGS

(1977-96)

 

Key People: Joe Ruby (founder, president), Ken Spears (founder, vice president), Jerry Eisenberg (producer), Jack Kirby (production artist)

 

One of Ruby-Spears' former locations, just across from Hanna-Barbera.

 

Joe Ruby and Ken Spears began as sound editors at Hanna-Barbera Productions before turning into a valuable writing team; particularly with the creation of Scooby-Doo. When their contracts were up and their desires to advance to associate producers denied, they left Hanna-Barbera to be producers and writers at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. Eventually, they were hired away by television executive Fred Silverman to supervise the Saturday morning programming for him at CBS, and then over at ABC. By 1977, Hanna-Barbera was stretched pretty thin making several programs for all the major networks and their work quality was suffering as a result. Feeling Hanna-Barbera needed some competition, Silverman decided that Ruby and Spears should start their own production company. ABC executive Peter Roth secured financing from Filmways and Silverman promised them a commitment for one series and one special. The special, The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy, was released in 1978 as an episode of the ABC Weekend Specials. It was nominated for an Emmy, and got three sequel specials before becoming an ongoing show called The Puppy’s Further Adventures. The series was Fangface, which was pitched as kind of a reverse Scooby-Doo, and did well enough to run for two seasons. From there came a steady output of shows and specials, including The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Heathcliff, Thundarr the Barbarian, Goldie Gold and Action Jack, Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, Rubik, the Amazing Cube, Mister T, Alvin and the Chipmunks (for the first five years until the Bagdasarians wanted to go elsewhere), Saturday Supercade and more. By that point, their exclusivity agreement with ABC was done, allowing them to expand to the other networks as well as syndication. Each production allowed the company to grow from a shoestring operation to a full-fledged one, poaching as many Hanna-Barbera talent as they could due to the shortages at the time. One of their most notable hires was legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby, brought to them by writer Mark Evanier, who reportedly enjoyed the best treatment of his entire career. In 1981, Ruby-Spears was sold to Taft Broadcasting, who also owned Hanna-Barbera making them sister companies (while still also competing for the same timeslots). In 1991, Ruby and Spears spun the company off into the independent RS Holdings, with most of their pre-1991 library being sold along with Hanna-Barbera to Turner Broadcasting System (excluding Rambo: The Force of Freedom which is owned by StudioCanal), resulting in a mix of both company’s productions populating the fledgling Cartoon Network. Ruby-Spears would produce three more series—Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, Mega Man and Skysurfer Strike Force—and two more ABC Weekend Specials before finally closing up shop in 1996. Ruby and Spears continued to work on developing new projects under the Ruby-Spears banner for the next two decades up until the deaths of both men in 2020.

 

Promo image featuring some of Ruby-Spears' earliest characters.

Saturday Credits:
Fangface
ABC Weekend Specials (episodes)
The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show
Heathcliff and Dingbat/Marmaduke
Goldie Gold and Action Jack
Thundarr the Barbarian
The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour
The Puppy’s Further Adventures
Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour
Rubik, the Amazing Cube
Mister T
Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983)
Saturday Supercade
Dragon’s Lair
Turbo Teen
It’s Punky Brewster
Lazer Tag Academy
Superman (1988)
Dink, the Little Dinosaur
Piggsburg Pigs!
Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa

KEN SPEARS DEAD AT 82

 

You can read the full story here.

He worked for Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he co-created Scooby-Doo with his partner, Joe Ruby. He also did work for Krofft Television Productions and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises before ABC set them up with their own studio, Ruby-Spears Productions.

 

The shows he’s worked on include Space Ghost, The Herculoids, The Adventures of Gulliver, Cattanooga Cats, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Harlem Globetrotters, Help!...It’s the Hair Bear Bunch, The Barkleys, The Houndcats, Bailey’s Comets, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, Jabberjaw, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Wonderbug, Magic Mondo, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Bigfoot and Wildboy, ABC Weekend Specials (episodes), Fangface, The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Heathcliff (1980), Thundarr the Barbarian, Goldie Gold and Action Jack, The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour, Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, The Puppy’s Further Adventures, Saturday Supercade, Rubik, The Amazing Cube, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Dragon’s Lair, Turbo Teen, Mister T, It’s Punky Brewster, Lazer Tag Academy, Superman (1988), Dink, the Little Dinosaur, Piggsburg Pigs!, and Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa.

1970s SATURDAY MORNING ADS

            It wasn’t until the late 60s that Saturday mornings were beginning to get into full swing. Content with airing primetime reruns and a few new shows here and there, that all changed in 1966 when CBS revitalized its schedule with an action-heavy slant. When CBS showed massive success, the other networks followed and Saturday morning suddenly became good business. So, how would the networks advertise to their targeted audiences to tune in every week? Simple: advertise in comic books! For almost every Saturday schedule for decades, there was an artfully designed cartoon representing the networks’ schedules in every major publication. They even made sure to cover their bases with ads in TV Guide and newspapers so that parents would be aware shows for their kids would be on.

                Below are some of the ads that ran for the 1970s:

ABC

1970.

1971.

1972.

1973.

 

1974.

1975.

1976.

1977.

1978.

1979. 

CBS

1970.

1974

1975.

1976.

1977.

1978.

1979.

 NBC

1972.

1973.

1974.

1975.

1976.

1977.

1978.

1979.

1979 Saturday Morning club application.

SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: FRANK WELKER

FRANK WELKER

(March 12, 1946- )

Notable Roles: Fred Jones, Scooby-Doo, Pudge, Wheelie, Chopper, Jabberjaw, Wonderbug, Dynomutt, Buford, Nugget Nose, H.E.R.B.I.E., Impossible Man, Crazy Legs Crane Jr., Dragonfly, Toyman, Dinky Dog, Shmooo, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Droopy Dog, Dingbat, Rockjaw, Dollar, Cosmo, Blip, Mr. Cool, Dirty Dawg, Hefty Smurf, Poet Smurf, Smurfberry Bird, Timber, Wild Bill, Rock ‘n Roll, Marvin, Wonder Dog, Fangface, Donkey Kong Jr., Flash the dog, the General Lee, Smokey, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Flash Thompson, Darkseid, Kalibak, The Joker, Dr. Claw, Brain, Uni, Scoooter, Blaster, Rest-Q, Cap’n O.G. Readmore, Megatron, Soundwave, Skywarp, Dr. Ray Stantz, Slimer, Foofur, Catgut, Tooter Shelby, Occy, Bigtime Beagle, Baggy Beagle, Bubba the Caveduck, Toto, Kermit the Frog, Skeeter, Beaker, Abu, Gogo Dodo, Furball, Barney Rubble, Fall-Apart Rabbit, Dr. Viper, Bo, Booker, Sheldon, Bronx, Ralph the Security Guard, Krypto the Superdog, Father Time

When Welker moved to California, he attended Santa Monica College where he majored in theatrical arts. He received honors for his performance as the Cowardly Lion in the school’s 1966 production of The Wizard of Oz. His career officially started on stage as a stand-up comedian and impressionist, landing his first voice-over role in a Friskies commercial. The producer’s girlfriend encouraged him to audition for Hanna-Barbera while they were casting for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! He auditioned for Scooby-Doo and Shaggy but ended up with the role of Fred Jones, which he has played in almost every incarnation of the franchise since (he did eventually get the role of Scooby after original actor Don Messick retired). Welker has since led a prolific voice acting career, spanning television shows and films. Along with Scooby, he’s most associated with the Transformers franchise; voicing several characters including primary antagonist, Megatron. Notable for his creature and animal sound effects, Welker is often cast as monsters, ghosts, animals or other inhuman characters. A good range of his vocal effects can be heard with the character Tooter from Snorks, who only communicated via sounds. He has done work for all the major animation studios, including Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, Ruby-Spears, Marvel Productions, DiC Entertainment, Warner Bros., Disney and others. Though rare, Welker has made on-camera appearances in films and television shows. His first on-screen role was as a kid who befriended Elvis Presley in 1969’s The Trouble with Girls. He also appeared in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and its sequel, How to Frame a Figg and Dirty Little Billy. On television, he’s appeared on Laugh-In, Love, American Style, The Patridge Family, Catch-22 and others. Welker made an on-camera appearance in CBS’ 1984 Saturday morning preview special, which showcased his recording an episode of Muppet Babies. In 2016, he was honored with a lifetime achievement Emmy Award.

Saturday Credits:

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

The Barkleys

The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie

The New Scooby-Doo Movies

Super Friends (1973)

Bailey’s Comets

Valley of the Dinosaurs

Hong Kong Phooey

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch

The New Tom & Jerry Show

The Oddball Couple

Jabberjaw

Wonderbug

The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder

What’s New, Mr. Magoo?

The Skatebirds

Scooby’s Laff-A-Lympics

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

Fred Flintstone and Friends

The Robonic Stooges

The All-New Popeye Hour

Fangface

Yogi’s Space Race

The Fantastic Four (1978)

The All-New Pink Panther Show

Challenge of the Superfriends

Dinky Dog

The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle

Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo

The New Shmoo

Casper and the Angels

The World’s Greatest Superfriends

The Super Globetrotters

The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show

The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show

The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979)

Heathcliff (1980)

Super Friends (1980)

The Flintstone Comedy Show

The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show

Richie Rich

Space Stars

The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang

Trollkins

Blackstar

The Kwicky Koala Show

The Smurfs

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

Shirt Tales

The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour

The Puppy’s Further Adventures

Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour

Pac Preview Party

Pac-Man

Inspector Gadget

Dungeons & Dragons

Monchichis

Saturday Supercade

The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show

The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries

ABC Weekend Specials (episodes)

The Dukes

Alvin & The Chipmunks (1983)

The Littles

SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

Snorks

The Get Along Gang

Turbo Teen

Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies

Pink Panther and Sons

Back to Next Saturday

Jim Henson’s Little Muppet Monsters

Punky Brewster

Robotix

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians

The Wuzzles

Challenge of the GoBots

There Berenstain Bears

Galtar and the Golden Lance

Pound Puppies (1986)

The Real Ghostbusters

Scooby’s Mystery Funhouse

Kissyfur

Teen Wolf

CBS Storybreak

Wildfire

Foofur

Lazer Tag and Academy

DuckTales (1987)

Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears

The Flintstone Kids

Popeye and Son

Yogi’s Treasure Hunt

The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley

Superman (1988)

Garfield and Friends

The New Yogi Bear Show

Dino-Riders

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo

Dink, the Little Dinosaur

Pryde of the X-Men

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue

The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera

The Wizard of Oz

Rick Moranis in Gravedale High

Captain N: The Game Master

Where’s Waldo? (1991)

Yo Yogi!

Tom & Jerry Kids Show

Tiny Toon Adventures

Bobby’s World

The Plucky Duck Show

Darkwing Duck

The Pirates of Dark Water

Goof Troop

The Addams Family (1992)

Batman: The Animated Series

The Little Mermaid: The Animated Series

Marsupilami

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993)

Cro

Animaniacs

Droopy: Master Detective

Gargoyles

Freakazoid!

The Savage Dragon

The Mask: The Animated Series

Pinky and the Brain

Timon & Pumbaa

The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

Mighty Ducks

Casper

101 Dalmatians: The Series

Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm

Road Rovers

Jungle Cubs

The Legend of Calamity Jane

Waynehead

Superman: The Animated Series

Cave Kids

The Secret Files of the SpyDogs

Hercules: The Animated Series

Histeria!

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

Xyber9: New Dawn

Mickey Mouse Works