TED TURNER DEAD AT 87

 

You can read the full story here.

Among his many founded cable networks was Cartoon Network, whose airtime was populated by the acquired libraries of MGM/United Artists, Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears. His environmental initiatives resulted in the creation of Captain Planet and the Captain Planet Foundation. 

DEXTER’S LABORATORY

 

DEXTER’S LABORATORY
(TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, April 27, 1996-June 15, 1998
November 18, 2001-November 20, 2003)
 
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons/Cartoon Network Studios

 

            While studying at the California Institute of the Arts, Genndy Tartakovsky screened a two-and-a-half-minute pencil test as his second student film for the producers of Batman: The Animated Series; earning him a job on the series. That same short would later earn him a slot in the upcoming Cartoon Network anthology series, World Premiere Toons (aka What a Cartoon!), which was developed to help find the network new content to turn into original programming as well as reinvigorate the classic short subject approach to animation. “Changes” debuted on the network on February 26, 1995, and it became one of the network’s highest-rated What a Cartoon! shorts. Not only did Tartakovsky end up making three more shorts starring his characters, but the network ended up giving him a full series order. Joining him on the production were fellow classmates and co-workers Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti and Paul Rudish.

Dexter and Dee Dee with Dad and Mom.

            Dexter’s Laboratory centered on a pair of siblings. One was the boy-genius Dexter (Christine Cavanaugh & Candi Milo), who had a massive secret laboratory under his house where he used science to solve a wide range of problems or deal with his arch-rival: Mandark (Eddie Deezen). Dexter was inspired by Tartakovsky’s childhood in Chicago, where he was mocked for his “very thick accent” since his family immigrated from Russia. Dexter, in turn, had an accent since “all well-known scientists have accents.” Dee Dee (Allison Moore & Kat Cressida) was Dexter’s tall, carefree older sister who loved to invite herself into Dexter’s lab and end up causing a mess with his inventions while dancing around. She was designed first, as Tartakovsky wanted to animate a girl dancing. Dexter was created to be her opposite in both personality and shape. Their parents, known only as Mom (Kath Soucie) and Dad (Jeff Bennett), were unaware of their son’s activities. The series also featured two recurring segments. Dial M for Monkey followed Monkey (Frank Welker), Dexter’s pet who was secretly a crime-fighting superhero. Monkey fought crime alongside Agent Honeydew (Soucie) and a team of heroes called The Justice Friends. The other segment, The Justice Friends, followed three of their members: uber patriotic Major Glory (Rob Paulsen); electric guitar-wielding Valhallen (Tom Kenny); and the simple-minded purple Infraggable Krunk (Welker) as they shared an apartment together. They were parodies of Captain America, Thor and the Hulk in a sitcom with a superhero twist. They were inspired by Tartakovsky’s reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English.

Monkey with The Justice Friends.

            Dexter’s Laboratory debuted on April 27, 1996. Early episodes premiered on TBS and TNT before airing on Cartoon Network; all of which were then-owned by Turner Broadcasting. The simplistic art style was inspired by UPA shorts and the short The Dover Boys at Pimento University. Other influences included Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and Japanese animation.  The series was a hit with the critics, and was Cartoon Network’s highest-rated original series. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and won three Annie Awards. After 2 seasons, the series was intended to end with the film Ego Trip. However, Cartoon Network ended up ordering 110 more episodes in 2001. As Tartakovsky was busy developing other projects, Chris Savino took over the series for an additional two seasons; with the third being ushered in by a 12-hour viewer’s choice marathon.

WHAT A CARTOON! / THE WHAT A CARTOON! SHOW

 

WHAT A CARTOON! / THE WHAT A CARTOON! SHOW

(Cartoon Network, February 20, 1995-November 28, 1997)

 

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Cartoon Network Studios

 
 
           
            Fred Seibert was hired to be the final president of Hanna-Barbera before the studio was completely absorbed into Warner Bros.’ operations. He was tasked with rejuvenating a studio that had largely fallen from grace and keep then-owner Ted Turner—who just wanted its library for his 24-children’s network, Cartoon Network—from shuttering it altogether. That network, subsequently, also needed some new programming to lure in advertisers. Seibert decided to revive an idea he had during his tenure at Nickelodeon he felt wasn’t executed as he intended, which would also get the network repeated publicity and allow the studio to revisit its roots and produce short cartoons like during the Golden Age of animation. Hanna-Barbera would produce 48 short cartoons that Cartoon Network could air every other week, and Cartoon Network could take the most well-received and turn them into full-fledged shows to populate its schedule. Once Turner and Seibert’s boss, Scott Sassa, approved, the studio began searching for talent around the world with the promise that the animators were in charge, not the suits. And, for the first time in the studio’s history, individual creators were allowed to maintain their rights over the material submitted. Over 5,000 pitches were received to fill those 48 slots.

            Initially broadcast under the name World Premiere Toons, each 7-minute cartoon was a product of the original creators’ vision with no executive meddling. Creators from various levels of experience came on board, such as veterans like Don Jurwich, Jerry Eisenberg, David Feiss, Mike Milo, Robert Alvarez and Ralph Bakshi, and newcomers like Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Butch Hartman, Van Partible, Seth MacFarlane and John R. Dilworth. Even founders William Hanna and Joseph Barbera each produced two shorts.

            The first short, Powerpuff Girls, premiered on February 20, 1995, during a special episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast titled “1^st Annual World Premiere Toon-In”. The show was simulcast on Turner networks TNT and TBS as well as Cartoon Network. Further promotion involved showcasing the shorts at water parks and large municipal swimming pools. The following week, each What a Cartoon! debuted on Sunday nights until an accumulation was repackaged as World Premiere Toons: The Next Generation. They would again be packaged as World Premiere Toons: The Show until the summer of 1996 saw it become The What a Cartoon! Show. The experiment proved successful, turning Cartoon Network into an industry leader by the end of the 1990s and helping to revive television animation. The shorts would continue to air in reruns under various package names, and would lead to the creation of several full series: Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.

YOGI'S TREASURE HUNT

 

YOGI’S TREASURE HUNT
(Syndication, September 6, 1985-March 25, 1988)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions

  

For the history of Yogi Bear, check out the post here.

        Yogi’s Treasure Hunt was the fifth entry in the Hanna-Barbera’s Yogi Bear franchise, and his third headlining an ensemble program. As with his previous series, Yogi’s Gang, Yogi (Daws Butler) and his friends—Ranger Smith, Boo-Boo Bear (both Don Messick), Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, Snooper, Blabber, Augie Doggie (all Butler) and Doggie Daddy (John Stephenson)—were once again on a flying ship, the S.S. Jelly Roger (a Jellystone-inspired play on Jolly Roger), travelling around the world. This time, however, they were sent on treasure hunts by Top Cat (Arnold Stang) who provided them riddles and cryptic clues to lead the way. However, they were often in an unknown race against Dick Dastardly (Paul Winchell) and Muttley (Messick) using their usual dirty tricks to try and get the treasure first on their own ship, the S.S. Dirty Tricks. This premise was similar to the Popeye’s Treasure Hunt segments of Hanna-Barbera’s earlier The All-New Popeye Hour.

Top Cat giving Yogi and his gang their next clue.

          Yogi’s Treasure Hunt debuted on September 6, 1985, running as part of the syndicated programming block The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbra. In fact, its working title was The Funtastic Treasure Hunt as an extension of Hanna-Barbera’s “fantastic” branding, and remained the title of the series’ theme performed by Jon “Bowzer” Bauman from Sha-Na-Na and the “Funtastic Singers”. This would be Butler’s final show voicing his characters for the studio as he would die in May of 1988 (the television films The Good, the Bad and Huckleberry Hound would air that month and Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears later that year). Reruns of the series would air on USA Cartoon Express before moving to Cartoon Network from 1993-99. In 2024, it would join the rotating line-up of Yogi cartoon on retro animation network MeTV Toons.

MOTOR MOUSE

 

MOTOR MOUSE
(ABC, September 12, 1970-January 9, 1971)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Thames International

 

MAIN CAST:
Marty Ingels – Autocat
Dick Curtis – Motormouse
Daws Butler – Lambsy Divey
Allan Melvin – Bristlehound
Paul Lynde – Mildew Wolf
Bill Callaway – Country (archive)
Julie Bennett – Kitty Jo, Chessie (archive)
Jim Begg – Scoots (archive)
Casey Kasem – Groove (archive)

  

Hanna-Barbera attempted to duplicate the success they found with The Banana Splits Adventure Hour by creating a new variety series headlined by a new fictional band of anthropomorphic animals, the Cattanooga Cats. Cattanooga Cats ultimately wasn’t received as well as they hoped; however, two of its segments, Motormouse and Autocat and It’s the Wolf! ended up standing out with audiences. For the next season, the hour-long program was broken up into two separate shows: Cattanooga Cats moved to Sundays, while Motor Mouse took over the Saturday timeslot with all-new episodes.

Autocat chasing Motormouse in one of his wacky vehicles.

The titular segment, Motormouse and Autocat, was essentially a Tom and Jerry clone. Autocat (Marty Ingles) was a fast-talking race car-driving cat that was hired to get rid of the motorcycle-riding Motormouse (Dick Curtis, using an over-enunciation of various words) from a garage. His tools of choice: bizarre vehicles he concocted designed to either trap or outrace Motormouse. Of course, those vehicles would often fail on Autocat or Motormouse would simply outsmart his opponent. Once Autocat clocked out, animosities would cease and the pair would be friendly with each other. Hanna-Barbera would also utilize strange vehicle chases as a central theme of Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines, which debuted the same year.

Mildew attempts to trick Lambsy into thinking he's one of his kind.

Despite the show’s title, the first segment aired was It’s the Wolf! It centered on hungry wolf, Mildew (Paul Lynde, who was uncredited), attempting to make a dinner out of sure-footed lamb, Lambsy Divey (inspired by the lyrics of the 1943 novelty song “Mairzy Doats” composed by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, voiced by Daws Butler), utilizing various schemes and disguises. A recurring gag would have Lambsy easily see through Mildew’s disguises and give several incorrect rhyming guesses as to his true identity before crying out “It’s the wool-uff!” and summoning his protector, sheepdog Bristlehound (Allan Melvin). Bristelhound would appear, snag Mildew with his cane, pound him and send him flying off into the horizon. This segment was largely inspired by the Warner Bros. theatrical shorts featuring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, running from 1953-63. For Japanese airings, It’s the Wolf! was renamed Ramji-chan, giving Lambsy top billing due to their love of cute characters.

Motormouse tries to earn some extra dough as a taxi driver.

Motor Mouse debuted on ABC on September 12, 1970. Despite not having a starring feature in the show, the Cattanooga Cats shorts were rerun between story segments. The series was written by Larz Bourne, Eddie Brandt, Tom Dagenais, Len Janson, Earl Klein, Michael Maltese, Chuck Menville, Bill Perez, and Dalton Sandifer. Mike Curb served as musical director for the Cats shorts, while Ted Nichols did the rest of the show. Both series left the network at the start of the 1971 season, and wouldn’t be seen again until the various segments aired intermittently on Cartoon Network beginning in 1995 until 2000 and on sister channel Boomerang beginning in 2000 until 2012.

Bristlehound flattens Mildew, disguised as a horse.

The two segments would be featured strips in the anthology series Hanna-Barbera Fun-In from Gold Key Comics, Heroes de la Tele from Ediciones Recreativas in Spain, and in Wacky Races Annual Featuring Motormouse and Autocat and The Funky Phantom Annual Featuring Motormouse and Autocat by Brown Watson Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Motormouse and Autocat would headline their own German comic series published by Bastei-Verlag (now Bastei Lübbe), Auto Katz und Motor Maus, for 7 issues; a French series by Editions Williams, Autochat et Mimimoto, for 13 issues; a Spanish series, Troquelados Teledibujos. Serie Motormouse y Autocat, for four issues; and their own UK annual, Motormouse and Autocat with “It’s the Wolf!”, all in 1973. They would then headline their own German anthology series, Motor Maus, from 1977-79 for 56 issues. An episode was included as one of the reels for use in Kenner’s Easy-Show Movie Projector.

Mildew and Snagglepuss reliving their Laff-A-Lympics careers on Jellystone!

Mildew, arguably the most popular character, would go on to star in Laff-A-Lympics as an announcer voiced by John Stephenson, and would become a recurring character in Jellystone! voiced by Bernardo de Paula. Lambsy would also appear, voiced by Dana Snyder, after last appearing in 1972’s Yogi’s Ark Lark, as would Bristlehound as an employee of the town courthouse. All three Wolf characters would also become featured costumed characters walking around Kings Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio, when it was opened in 1972 by then-Hanna-Barbera parent company, Taft Broadcasting.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Lamb Scout Cook Out / Catch as Cat Can” (9/12/70) – Mildew uses Lambsy’s new membership in the Lamb Scouts as a ploy to trap him. / Autocat hires a mouse-catching expert to help him catch Motormouse.

 

“Wolf in a Sheep’s Clothing / Catnapping Mouse” (9/19/70) – Mildew dons disguises while Bristlehound and Lambsy search for Little Bo Peep’s lost sheep. / Autocat tries to catch Motormouse as he sleepwalks.

 

“To Beach His Own / Paint That Ain’t” (9/26/70) – Mildew plans to ruin Bristlehound and Lambsy’s day at the beach. / Motormouse’s new paint job gives Autocat ideas on how to snag him.

 

“Sheep Scene Stealer / I’ve Been Framed” (10/3/70) – Mildew uses Lambsy’s acting against him./ Motormouse takes up painting.

 

“Kookie Cook Book Cook / Match Making Mouse” (10/10/70) – Mildew’s recipe calls for lamb, and he wants Lambsy to be it. / Autocat interrupts Motormouse’s picnic and ends up having to deal with his girlfriend.

 

“Train Tripped / Electronic Brainstorm” (10/17/70) – Mildew follows Bristlehound and Lambsy on a train trip. / Autocat uses a computer to help him figure out a way to catch Motormouse.

 

“I Never Met a Lamb I Didn’t Like / Brute Farce” (10/24/70) – Mildew tries to cure Lambsy’s boredom as a ploy to trap him. / After Autocat gets fired, Motormouse finds himself dealing with an even rougher cat.

 

“Bouncing Buddies” (10/31/70) – Motormouse tries to get his package from the post office while evading Autocat.

 

“Channel Chasers / Ramblin’ Wreck from Texas” (11/7/70) – Mildew tricks Lambsy into thinking he’s a film director while he pretends to be on TV. / Autocat’s uncle comes to town to visit and helps pursue Motormouse.

 

“Two Car Mirage” (11/14/70) – Autocat pursues Motormouse as he goes for a ride through the desert.

 

“Alacazap” (11/21/70) – Motormouse uses his new magic kit to foil Autocat’s traps.

 

“Genie and the Meanie” (11/28/70) – Autocat finds a genie in a carburetor and uses his wishes to try and catch Motormouse.

 

“Choo Choo Cheetah” (12/5/70) – Autocat hides an escaped cheetah and in return he helps try to capture Motormouse.

 

“The Fastest Mouse in the West” (12/12/70) – Autocat follows Motormouse to his uncle’s ranch.

 

“Cat Skill School” (12/19/70) – Autocat’s nephew seems more interested in befriending Motormouse than catching him.

 

“The Cool Cat Contest” (12/26/70) – Autocat challenges another cat to capture Motormouse for a date with a female cat.

 

“Lights! Action! Catastrophe!” (1/2/71) – A producer films a movie at the garage and seems to want Motormouse to star more than Autocat.

 

“Follow That Cat” (1/9/71) – Motormouse tries to run a taxi service while evading Autocat.

CATTANOOGA CATS

 CATTANOOGA CATS
(ABC, September 6-December 27, 1969)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Thames International

 

 

MAIN CAST:

Bill Callaway – Country

Julie Bennett – Kitty Jo, Chessie

Jim Begg – Scoots

Casey Kasem – Groove

Michael Lloyd & Peggy Clinger – Cattanooga Cats singing voices

Bruce Watson – Phineas “Finny” Fogg Jr.

Janet Waldo – Jenny Trent

Don Messick – Hoppy, Smirky, Opening Announcer

Daws Butler – Crumden, Lambsy Divey

Allan Melvin – Bumbler, Bristlehound

Paul Lynde – Mildew Wolf

Marty Ingels – Autocat

Dick Curtis – Motormouse

 

 

Hanna-Barbera sought to further bolster their offerings in the growing fictional band genre while duplicating the success they found with The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. They created a new variety program with an anthropomorphic band as the headliners. However, this time around, it would be completely animated. The resulting program was Cattanooga Cats.

Promotional art of Groove, Country, Kitty Jo and Scoots with super-fan Chessie and Teeny Tim.

The titular segment focused on the Cattanooga Cats (a play on Chattanooga, Tennessee) band comprised of Country (Bill Callaway), the lead singer and guitarist who also drove their converted bus, Gashopper; Kitty Jo (Julie Bennet), a singer and dancer that occasionally also drove the bus; Scoots (Jim Begg), the bassist with a magic crayon that could create anything out of thin air to get the group out of a jam; and Groove (Casey Kasem), the drummer that always spoke in rhyme. A fifth member, a keyboardist mouse named Cheesie, made it as far as storyboards but ultimately cut out of the final production. Ads for the series would also feature 5 members and presumably older, mod-inspired designs, rather than their final ones. They usually ended up embroiled in some kind of misadventure along the way to a gig; be it pestered by the supernatural—both real and man-made—or eluding a persistent autograph hound. Only nine full episodes were made with the Cats, however they would appear in bumpers and musical numbers between the other cartoons with the addition of Kitty Jo’s big blue dog, Teeny Tim (named after the Tiny Tim character from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens).

The Cattanooga Cats album.

Producer Mike Curb served as the series’ musical director and co-wrote all of the Cats’ songs along with Valjean Johns, Guy Hemric, Shaun Harris, Johnny Cymbal, Harley Hatcher, Jerry Styner, Roger Christian, Debra Clinger, Michael Lloyd and Peggy Clinger. Lloyd and Peggy Clinger also provided the Cats’ singing voices. 34 songs were produced in all, not including the series’ theme. Several songs were covers previously handled by Curb Records. “Cold Wisconsin Night (Sittin’ by the Fireside)” was recorded in 1968 by The American Revolution as “Cold Wisconsin Nights”; “I Wish I Was a Fire” and “My Girlfriend is a Witch” were recorded in 1968 by October Country; “My Birthday Suit” was composed for the 1968 independent hicksploitation comedy Jennie: Wife/Child, aka Albert Peckinpaw’s Revenge; the melody of “The Day That Love Won’t Stay Away” originated from the traditional Irish ballad, “The King of the Fairies”; and “Sing a Song of Sixpence” and “Johnny Johnny Jump Up” were based on traditional children’s songs.

Title card for It's the Wolf! featuring Bristlehound, Mildew and Lambsy.

It’s the Wolf! centered on hungry wolf, Mildew (Paul Lynde, who was uncredited), attempting to make a dinner out of sure-footed lamb, Lambsy Divey (inspired by the lyrics of the 1943 novelty song “Mairzy Doats” composed by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, voiced by Butler), utilizing various schemes and disguises. A recurring gag would have Lambsy easily see through Mildew’s disguises and give several incorrect rhyming guesses as to his true identity before crying out “It’s the wool-uff!” Lambsy was under the watchful guard of sheepdog Bristlehound (Melvin), and when Lambsy called out Bristelhound would appear, snag Mildew with his cane, pound him and send him flying off into the horizon. This segment was largely inspired by the Warner Bros. theatrical shorts featuring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, running from 1953-63. For Japanese airings, It’s the Wolf! was renamed Ramji-chan, giving Lambsy top billing due to their love of cute characters.

Around the World in 79 Days title card featuring Crumden and his crew looking at Phineas and his.

Around the World in 79 Days was a sequel to the Jules Verne novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. Phineas “Finny” Fogg Jr. (Bruce Watson) was the American great-great-grandson of Phileas Fogg who set out to not only beat his relative’s record, but gain a £1,000,000 inheritance by doing so. Joining him along the way were teenaged reporters Jenny Trent (Janet Waldo) and Hoppy (Don Messick). Attempting to stop him and get the money himself was Crumden (Daws Butler), the crooked butler of Phileas, his idiotic chauffer, Bumbler (Allan Melvin), and his pet monkey, Smirky (Messick). Unlike the other segments, 79 Days was serialized rather than episodic. Another unrelated attempt at adapting the novel would come 3 years later on rival network NBC.

Title card for Motormouse and Autocat, with the titular characters in mid chase.

Motormouse and Autocat was essentially a Tom and Jerry clone; however, utilizing various wild vehicles. Autocat (Marty Ingles) was a fast-talking race car-driving cat that was hired to get rid of the motorcycle-riding Motormouse (Dick Curtis, using an over-enunciation of various words) from a garage. To do so, he continually concocted bizarre vehicle contraptions in order to snag him. Of course, those vehicles would often fail on Autocat or Motormouse would simply outsmart his opponent. Hanna-Barbera would also utilize strange vehicle chases as a central theme of the concurrently-airing Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines.

The Cats in the Gashopper.

Cattanooga Cats debuted on ABC on September 6, 1969. The series was written by Neal Barbera, Larz Bourne, Eddie Brandt, Tom Dagenais, Len Janson, Earl Klein, Bill Lutz, Michael Maltese, Chuck Menville, Bill Perez, Joe Ruby, Dalton Sandifer, Martin Smith and Ken Spears. Along with Curb, producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were credited with the series’ theme. Ted Nichols handled the rest of the series’ music. To coincide with the series’ release, an album of 11 of the Cats’ songs were released by Forward Records and EMI, along with the singles “Mother May I” and “Merry-Go-Round”. The music has never seen a reissue, but as the album’s copyright was allowed to lapse in 1997 pirated recordings found their way online and for sale as bootleg CDs. While working on the show, layout artist Jerry Eisenberg had some fun with his new Super 8 camera during lunch breaks. He filmed and directed a live-action spoof of It’s the Wolf starring animator Bonita Versh as Lambsy, layout artist Alex Ignatiev as Bristlehound, and animator/layout artist Joel Siebel as Mildew.

Mildew disguised as a little old lady.

As part of their hopes for another hit, Cattanooga Cats had a decent merchandising blitz. All but 79 Days would be featured strips in the anthology series Hanna-Barbera Fun-In from Gold Key Comics, Heroes de la Tele from Ediciones Recreativas in Spain, and in Wacky Races Annual Featuring Motormouse and Autocat by Brown Watson Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Ben Cooper produced a costume based on Country in 1969. Western Publishing Company made a Cats tray puzzle in 1969, followed by a Magic Slate and coloring book the next year. Plastirama made party favors including a hat and wrist bracelets featuring the Cats’ images. Selex Decal produced a set of Cats stickers. Country, Motormouse and Lambsy were featured on the design for a footrest for The Happy Kingdom of Hanna-Barbera.

The air race has turned into an ice race between Phineas and Crumden.

Unfortunately, the series failed to achieve the success Hanna-Barbera was looking for. At least in part. It’s the Wolf and Motormouse and Autocat turned out to be the stand-outs, and were split off into their own half hour the following year with brand new entries. Cattanooga Cats and 79 Days would be paired up for reruns on ABC Sunday mornings until both shows left the network the following season. Reruns of the various segments, particularly Motormouse and Wolf, would air intermittently on Cartoon Network beginning in 1995 until 2000 and on sister channel Boomerang beginning in 2000 until 2012. The complete series has never seen a home media release, but Walton Home Movies released 3 of the music videos and the theme and several episodes of Motormouse on Super 8 in 1971, and 12 Wolf episodes were released by Hanna-Barbera Home Video on VHS in 1988.

Mildew in Laff-A-Lympics.

Mildew would appear as an announcer on the series Laff-a-Lympics, voiced by John Stephenson impersonating Lynde. Lambsy would appear on his own in 1972’s Yogi’s Ark Lark. Mildew (Bernardo de Paula), Lambsy (Dana Snyder), and the Cattanooga Cats (as animatronics) would go on to make appearances in the streaming series Jellystone! Plans were in place to revive The Cattanooga Cats along with The Hair Bear Bunch and Snooper and Blabber as rotating features of the second season of 2 Stupid Dogs, but were ultimately scrapped.

            

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Witch Whacky / It’s the Wolf! / The Race is On / Wheelin’ and Dealin’” (9/6/69) – A witch plans to make Kitty Jo her replacement so she can finally retire. / Mildew Wolf plans to have Lambsy for dinner—if he can get past Bristlehound first. / Crumden attempts to end Phinny’s trip early in Paris. / Motormouse and Autocat compete with their newly-arrived upgrades.

Songs: “How Did I Ever Get So Lucky”, “My Group Has Too Many Cavities”

 

“Geronihoho / When My Sheep Comes In / Swiss Mis-Adventure / Party Crasher” (9/13/69) – The Cats deal with a Native American chief set on chasing tourists off his land to preserve it. / Mildew attempts to snag Lambsy while he’s on his way to an Australian sheep show. / A rescue dog saves the crew after Crumden leaves them frozen in the Alps. / Autocat attempts to crash Motormouse’s party.

Songs: “My Girl Friend is a Witch”, “Alle Alle Oxen Free”

 

“The Big Boo-Boo / A Sheep in the Deep / Arabian Daze / Water Sports” (9/20/69) – A princess’ servant decides to kidnap Kitty Jo so that the princess may learn the Cats’ dances. / Mildew finds Bristlehound and Lambsy on a deserted island. / Crumden kidnaps Jenny to give to a sheik to be his princess. / Autocat tries to get Motormouse back to the garage from vacation to avoid being fired.

Songs: “Wait a Minute for Country”, “She’s the Right One”

 

“The Wee Greenie Goofie / High Hopes / Winter Blunder-Land! / Madrid or Busted / What’s the Motor with You?” (9/27/69) – The Cats deal with a mischievous leprechaun that followed Kitty Jo’s uncle home from Ireland. / Mildew becomes the Crimson Baron in order to snatch Lambsy out of the sky. / Dinner will be served cold if Mildew can catch Lambsy in the snow. / Crumden steals the crew’s map, leaving them lost in Spain. / Autocat tries to stop Motormouse’s testing of a new motorcycle.

Songs: “Country Carnival”, “Come and Play with the Cattanooga Cats”

 

“Mummy’s Day / Merry Go Roundup! / Mr. Bom Bom / Mini Messenger” (10/4/69) – The Cats end up locked inside a museum for the night and run afoul of a reanimated mummy looking to steal a ruby. / Bristlehound builds an amusement park for Lambsy. / Crumden’s storm causes the crew to become acquainted with a gorilla. / Autocat attempts to stop Motormouse’s new delivery service.

Songs: “My Birthday Suit”, “Super Love”

 

“Zoo’s Who / Super Sceintific Sheep Sitting Service / India or Bust / Wild Wheelin’ Wheels” (10/11/69) – The Cats try to figure out how to get a homesick elephant out of the zoo and back home. / Bristlehound employs a video security system to keep an eye on Mildew. / Crumden cuts away Phinny’s balloon after failing to trick him with an abominable snowman. / Unable to catch Motormouse, Autocat decides on some drastic actions and crafts new automobiles.

Songs: “Cold Wisconsin Night”, “Mother May I”

 

“Autograph Hounded / Any Sport in a Storm / Snow Slappy / Soggy to Me” (10/18/69) – The Cats try to get away from a very persistent autograph hound. / Lambsy just wants to play sports, but Mildew has other plans. / Crumden plots some dirty tricks at the North Pole. / Autocat ends up all wet after Motormouse becomes a firefighter.

Songs: “Johnny Johnny Jump-Up”, “Day When Love Won’t Stay Away”

 

“The Caribbean Kook / Magic Wanderer / Finney, Finney, Fun, Fun / Crash Course” (10/25/69) – The Cats take on a pirate that crashes their cruise ship gig. / Mildew, Lambsy and Bristlehound add prestidigitation to their chase. / Crumden forces the crew to land in an area where trespassing is a jailable offense. / Autocat tries to keep Motormouse out of a motorcycle race only to end up in it himself.

Songs: “Merry Go ‘Round”, “Story of My Life”

 

“Ghosting A-Go-Go / Runaway Home / The Argentiny Meany / Fueling Around” (11/1/69) – The Cats end up in a haunted house where a ghost is determined to put the fright into them. / Lambsy decides to run away from home to seek his fortune. / Crumden and Bumbler saw off the spot where the crew landed their balloon in Argentina. / Autocat tries to come up with his own super fuel to rival Motormouse’s.

Songs: “Hoot Owl”, “I Wish I Was a Fire”

 

“Smart Dummy / The Tree Man / Buzzin’ Cousin” (11/8/69) –Mildew increases his odds by creating mechanical duplicates of himself. / Bumbler downs the crew’s balloon, but they end up rescued by a jungle man. / Motormouse decides to have some fun with Autocat when his identical cousin comes to visit.

Songs: “Do You Dig the Music”, “It’s Summertime”

 

“Cat Caper / Saucy Aussie / Snow-Go” (11/15/69) – Paths get crossed as a cat attempts to catch a bird while Mildew goes after Lambsy. / Kangaroos help the crew retrieve the balloon Crumden lets loose. / Autocat comes up with snow-bound vehicles to catch Motormouse in the winter.

Songs: “We’re Incompatible”, “Love Could Be”

 

“Mask Me No Questions / Crumden’s Last Stand / Hard Day’s Day” (11/22/69) –Lambsy writes to his favorite TV super hero to help protect him from Mildew. / Crumden ends up betrothed to an Indian chief’s daughter. / Autocat creates a remote-controlled device to deal with Motormouse.

Songs: “Pretty as a Picture”, “Stop Right There”

 

“Freeway Frenzy / Egyptian Jinx / Tally Ha Ha” (11/29/69) –Mildew attempts to catch Lambsy as he plays on an unfinished highway. / Crumden attempts to scare off the crew with a fake haunted pyramid. / Leadership of a club comes down to who can capture Motormouse.

Songs: “Magic Machine”, “Come Back, Baby, Come Back”

 

“Slumber Jacks / Border Disorder / Hocus Focus” (12/6/69) – Bristlehound is unable to stay awake while Mildew pursues Lambsy. / Crumden recruits a Mexican criminal to help stop the crew. / Motormouse takes pictures to win a new motorcycle in a contest, despite Autocat’s best efforts to interrupt him.

Songs: “Children Understand”, “Up, Down and On the Ground”

 

“Pow-Wow Wolf / Troubles in Dutch / Kitty Kitty Bang Bang” (12/13/69) –Mildew goes after Lambsy as he pretends to be a Native American. / Phinny enters an ice-skating competition to pay for some prize-winning tulips Crumden caused them to crush. / Autocat tries to keep Motormouse from going on his cruise vacation.

Songs: “She Sure Got Soul”, “Cash Register Romance”

 

“Ghost of a Chance / The Fiji Weegees / King Size Kaddy” (12/20/69) – Mildew plays ghost when Bristelhound and Lambsy take shelter in an abandoned house. / Crumden tricks a tribe into thinking the crew are evil spirits. / Autocat interrupts Motormouse’s golf game.

Songs: “I Want to Sleep Tonight”, “Sing a Song of Sixpence”

 

“Hawaiian Hangup” (12/27/69) – Crumden plots to stop the crew during their Hawaiian break.

Songs: “Daydream”, “Honey”

CB BEARS

 

CB BEARS

(NBC, September 10-December 3, 1977)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
Daws Butler – Hustler, Blast-Off Buzzard, Stick, Big Duke, Undercover Elephant
Chuck McCann – Boogie, Blubber
Henry Corden – Bump
Susan Davis – Charlie
Lennie Weinrib – King, Yuka Yuka, Rattle, various
Sheldon Allman – Big H
Don Messick – Clyde, various
Marvin Kaplan – Skids
Ginny McSwain – Sheena
Susan Silo – Zelda
William Woodson – Sheriff of Saddlesore
Paul Winchell – Shake
Joe E. Ross – Roll
Alan Oppenheimer – Sidney Merciless
Bob Hastings – Loudmouse
Michael Bell – Chief
Scatman Crothers – Segment Title Narrator
 

 

CB Bears was a Hanna-Barbera anthology series featuring six different segments: Blast-Off Buzzard; Heyyy, It’s the King!; Posse Impossible; Shake, Rattle & Roll; Undercover Elephant; and the titular CB Bears. Each one was directly inspired by other shows and movies popular at the time.

The CB Bears and the Perfume Wagon.

CB Bears was a spoof of the hit series Charlie’s Angels and infused with elements of the CB radio culture that had gained popularity during the decade. Three bears—Hustle (Daws Butler impersonating Phil Silvers), Boogie (Chuck McCann), and Bump (Henry Corden)—were detectives that disguised themselves as trash collectors. They received their missions from the unseen sultry-voiced Charlie (Susan Davis) through the CB radio in their beat-up garbage truck, the Perfume Wagon. While it may not have seemed like much, their truck was loaded with plenty of devices that could be called upon in a pinch. Each of the bears’ names were taken from a popular disco dance, and their character models were reminiscent of the crew from the earlier Help! …It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!; from which Butler recycled the same voice for Hustle that he used there. Early promotional art for the series had Charlie’s face seen on a TV screen before they decided to make her only a vocal presence like its inspiration.

Blast-Off Buzzard and Crazylegs.

Blast-Off Buzzard was Hanna-Barbera’s answer to Warner Bros.’ Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner series. Blast-Off Buzzard (vocal effects by Butler), who wore an aviator hat with goggles and a scarf, wanted nothing more than to catch Crazylegs, a speedy football helmet-wearing snake, in a desert setting. Blast-Off used a variety of schemes and devices in his attempt to nab the pesky snake, but was always thwarted by his plans backfiring or Crazylegs just outsmarting him. Crazylegs was originally pitched as being a rabbit, but NBC rejected the idea. Artist Jerry Eisneberg offered the solution of making him a snake, which the network approved.

King, Big H, Skids, Clyde, Sheena and Zelda.

Heyyy, It’s the King! was inspired by Happy Days; the title taking a cue from star Henry Winkler’s catchphrase as Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli. King (Lennie Weinrib) was the cool leather-jacket wearing lion leader of his motley crew that included Big H (Sheldon Allman), a hippo that was always hungry; Clyde (Don Messick), a dopey gorilla with questionable athletic ability and a large ego; Yuka-Yuka (Weinrib), a hyena who was a practical joker; Skids (Marvin Kaplan), a crocodile that drove a jalopy and wore a bucket on his head; and cheerleaders Sheena (Ginny McSwain), a puma, and Zelda (Susan Silo), an ostrich. Most stories centered King’s schemes at acquiring money and fame and his friends’ attempts to help. Originally the segment was meant to be set in the jungle with their usual hang out, a malt shop, being the only building, but was changed to them living in the city. While the series featured a 1950s aesthetic reminiscent of its inspiration, it still very much took place in the modern 1970s.

The Posse Impossible: the Sheriff, Stick, Blubber and Big Duke.

Posse Impossible stemmed from an idea first explored in the final episode of Hong Kong Phooey. The Sheriff of Saddlesore (William Woodson) set out to protect the west with his posse of bungling cowboys: Stick (Daws Butler, using a hillbilly voice), Big Duke (also Butler, impersonating John Wayne who was known as “The Duke”), and Blubber (Chuck McCann). They pursued the most notorious outlaws in the territory and managed to bring them in by out-bumbling them.

Shake (yellow), Rattle (purple) and Roll (blue) rocking out with ghost mouse and their poltercat.

Shake, Rattle & Roll, titled after the 1954 hit penned by Jesse Stone (as Charles Calhoun) and first recorded by Big Joe Turner, was set in the rundown Haunted Inn managed by three ghosts: Shake (Paul Winchell), Rattle (Weinrib), and Roll (Joe E. Ross). Along with the hijinks that followed dealing with their clientele of supernatural entities and creatures, they often had to deal with a pesky Ghost Mouse (with the aid of their Poltercat), a ghost exterminator named Sidney Merciless (Alan Oppenheimer), and hotel inspectors.

Undercover Elephant and Loudmouse picking out his next disguise.

Undercover Elephant starred the mystery-solving titular character (Butler) and his sidekick, Loudmouse (Bob Hastings). Working for Central Control, they would receive their instructions from the Chief (Michael Bell) via exploding messages (ala Mission: Impossible) that Undercover would fail to avoid. Another recurring gag was that Undercover regarded himself as a master of disguise, but his disguises tended to give him away (usually blamed by him on their being of the mail-order variety) as did Loudmouse, living up to the term that inspired his name: “loud mouth”.

Cooking up trouble.

CB Bears debuted on NBC on September 10, 1977. Each segment would feature its own brief intro leading to the episode’s title card with narration by Scatman Crothers. The series was written by Bill Ackerman, Haskell Barkin, Barry Blitzer, Tom Dagenais, Karl Geurs, Orville Hampton, Don Jurwich, Jon Kubichan, Joan Howard Maurer, Ray Parker, Howard Post, Dick Robbins and Jerry Winnick, with Parker serving as story editor. Bob Singer, Willie Ito and Marty Murphy handled the character designs. Hoyt Curtin was the musical director while Paul DeKorte was the musical supervisor. Bill Perez designed the opening titles.

On the case?

The series only lasted a single season of 13 episodes. Reruns of the CB Bears segment would be included on its own in the package program Go Go Globetrotters (which replaced it on the schedule) and with Undercover as part of the 1980s episodes of Captain Kangaroo. Undercover would also serve as one of the filler segments for the Disney Channel run of Jump, Rattle and Roll. When the series entered syndicated reruns, it was halved into two distinctive programs: CB Bears included the titular segment with Blast-Off and Posse, and Heyyy, It’s the King included that segment with Shake and Undercover. These half-hour versions would air on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the 1990s and early 2000s before disappearing from the airwaves entirely.

Hanna-Barbera TV Stars #2.

CB Bears, Undercover, and Shake all had featured stories in Marvel Comics’ short-lived Hanna-Barbera TV Stars comic anthology series, which were reprinted in Australia by KG. Murray. King, while appearing on two covers, never had a story inside. That segment did get its own coloring book, published in 1978 by Rand McNally and featuring artwork by Alex Toth. Interestingly enough, it featured a lot of the early concepts for King such as the gang living in the jungle and Clyde having his original intended name, “Square”. Rand McNally would produce two other coloring books featuring the CB Bears paired up with either Blast-Off Buzzard or Undercover Elephant. The bears were on their own for a lunch box and a Mexican coloring book published in 1983 by Fernandez Editores, and King received two puzzles by Hestair. All of the characters were also featured in The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera Stamp Album.

The complete Posse Impossible series.

Only Posse received a complete release onto VHS in 1988, while three Shake, Rattle and Roll episodes were included on the 1990 compilation tape Scooby-Doo & Friends: Mostly Ghostly; both from Hanna-Barbera Home Video. The rest remained largely forgotten until fan uploads began making their way to the internet in 2022. However, Warner Archive did include King on a poll deciding their next releases in 2012 (obviously it didn’t win).

King and his gang in Jellystone!

Undercover the character would make appearances in two episodes of Yogi’s Treasure Hunt and a cameo in the “Agent Penny” episode of the Super Secret Secret Squirrel segment of 2 Stupid Dogs. Blast-Off and Crazylegs would receive two more shorts as part of the final season of Tom & Jerry Kids, this time with voices provided by Lewis Arquette and Charlie Adler, respectively. The Bears, Undercover (Dana Snyder) and King characters would appear in Jellystone! Skids and Big H were reimagined as girls, and King’s (Bernardo de Paula) gang were depicted as more villainous, while Zelda (Nicole Thurman) was depicted as an actress. One-off King antagonist Cool Cat (Frank Welker) also made an appearance in the episode “Disco Fever”, voiced by Snyder.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Missing Mansion Mystery / Buzzard, You’re a Turkey / The Blue Kangaroo / Big Duke and Li’l Lil / Guess What’s Coming to Dinner / The Sneaky Sheik” (9/10/77) – The Bears discover a lost mansion in the middle of an alligator-infested lagoon. / Blast-Off tries multiple schemes to catch Crazylegs. / King and his friends must protect a Blue Kangaroo being pursued by a hunter. / Duke’s fancy footwork helps save dance hall girl Li’l Lil. / Shake and Rattle come across a baby creature that keeps growing whenever it eats. / Undercover and Loudmouse go after a jewel thief posing as a sheik.

 

“The Doomsday Mine / Hard Headed Hard Hat / The First King on Mars / Trouble at Ghostarado / The Ghostly Ghoul is a Ghastly Guest / Baron Von Rippemoff” (9/17/77) – The Bears head out to Arizona to investigate strange lights and people changing color from a deserted mine. / Blast-Off invites Crazylegs to work on a construction site as a ploy to trap him. / King and his friends’ plan to get to Mars lands them on the set of a Martian movie. / The Posse goes after a thief that’s turning Mother Lode’s silverware into silver to sell. / The trio try to remove a guest that keeps scaring off the others from the inn. / Undercover and Loudmouse are sent to North Africa to retrieve a stolen experimental aircraft.

 

“Follow that Mountain / Hearts and Flowers, Buzzards and Snakes / The Riverbed 5000 / The Not So Great Train Robbery / There’s No Pest Like a Singing Guest / The Moanin’ Lisa” (9/24/77) – Investigating vanishing mountains leads the Bears to being chased underground by giant gophers. / Blast-Off builds a female robot snake to lure in Crazylegs. / King and his friends enter a race to win prize money and a kiss from actress Raquel Wrench. / The Posse go after Tiny Tex and the Toe Dance Kid for robbing the same train 47 times. / The trio must figure out how to get rid of the Phantom of the Opera as his singing is disturbing the other guests. / Undercover and Loudmouse must retrieve a famous painting from a notorious art thief.

 

“Valley of No Return / The Egg & Aye Aye Aye / Surf’s Up / The Alabama Brahma Bull / Shake, the Lion-Hearted / Pain in the Brain” (10/1/77) – The Bears investigate what’s driving animals out of a valley. / Blast-Off must protect an egg he found from Crazylegs. / Big H uses Skids’ customized surfboard to enter a competition at the beach. / The Posse attempt to arrest a couple of bull thieves—if Big Ben Cartwheel’s other bull will let them. / Rattle and Roll create a potion to cure Shake of his fear, but it ends up turning him into a fearless bully. / Undercover and Loudmouse must protect a scientist from being abducted by his rival.

 

“The Fright Farm / Testing 1-2-3 / King and His Jokers / The Crunch Bunch Crashout / The Real Cool Ghoul / The Great Hospital Hassle” (10/8/77) – The Bears track an old man who’s been stealing animals from the zoo to populate his huge ark. / / King and his friends form their own band to compete with Cool Cat’s after they’ve stolen the attention of all the girls in town. / The Posse set after capturing a gang of escaped stagecoach robbers. / A heatwave sends the Abominable Snow Ghost to the inn and he threatens to freeze out all of the other guests. / Undercover disguises himself as a patient to capture a thief robbing wealthy patients at a hospital.

 

“Drackenstein’s Revenge / Ho, Ho, Ho, It’s the Buzzard’s Birthday / Hot Gold Fever / One of Our Rivers is Missing / Spooking is Hazardous to Your Health / Latin Losers” (10/15/77) – While investigating why a town is fast asleep, the Bears discover its valuables are all missing. / It may be Blast-Off’s birthday, but he wants to give Crazylegs the surprise. / King and his friends’ camping trip becomes a treasure hunt when they find a map. / The Posse investigates Saddlesore’s water shortage. / An inspector threatens to shut down the inn if the trio don’t bring it up to code. / Undercover must rescue a famous detective after he’s kidnapped.

 

“Water, Water…Nowhere / Wheelin’ and Reelin’ / The Carnival Caper / Sneakiest Rustler in the West / Spooking the Spooks / Dr. Doom’s Gloom” (10/22/77) – The Bears try to save the world’s water supply from an ex-sea captain seeking to turn it all into sand with his device. / / King and his friends must free Yuka Yuka’s cousin Elmo from imprisonment at a carnival. / The Posse tries to catch an elusive cow rustler. / Sidney employs a robot to get rid of all the ghosts at the inn. / Undercover and Loudmouth must stop Dr. Doom’s evil plans.

 

“Wild, Wild Wilderness / Buzzard, Clean Up Your Act / The Unhappy Heavy Hippo / Bad Medicine / From Scream to Screen / Chicken Flickin’ Capon Caper” (10/29/77) – Charlie warns the Bears to be on the lookout for strange creatures as Boogie is taken by a giant vine. / / Needing to lose weight, Big H is put on a diet and rigorous exercise program. / Crooks secretly rob the town under the guise of selling medicine. / The trio try to scare off the movie crew attempting to film at their inn. /

 

“Island of Terror / Backyard Buzzards / King for Prez / Busting Boomerino / Gloom and Doom-De-Doom / Undercover Around the World” (11/5/77) – The Bears must deal with a giant octopus to get to a sinking island. / / King runs for student body president against an unscrupulous rival. / The Posse guards the bank to try and keep it from being robbed 20 years in a row when the circus comes to town. / Shake and Roll attempt to cheer up Rattle with a picnic and cruise that ends up being constantly interrupted. / Undercover’s disguises constantly failing causes him and Loudmouse to have to chase spies around the world.

 

“Go North, Young Bears / Spy in the Sky / Snowbound Safari / Roger the Dodger / Polt R Geist / Irate Pirates” (11/12/77) – The Bears head to the North Pole to investigate mysterious floods. / / King and his friends go hunting for Bigfoot in order to cash in on the reward for him. / The Posse must re-apprehend a sneaky bandit. / The trio eagerly await a hotel critic to rate their inn, but he ends up being frightened by its inhabitants. / Undercover seeks to challenge himself by capturing a gang of pirates.

 

“The Invasion of the Blobs / First Class Buzzard / Great Billionaire Chase Case / Riverboat Sam the Gambling Man / Too Many Kooks / Perilous Pigskin” (11/19/77) – The Bears investigate giant monsters swallowing up the town of Fool’s Gold. / / King decides to get an interview with the world’s most reclusive eccentric millionaire. / The Posse goes after a cheating riverboat gambler. / The trio hire a temporary cook to deal with the ravenous appetites of the Abominable Monsters Association. / Undercover and Loudmouse must apprehend Microfilm Freddie.

 

“Disaster from the Skies / Freezin’ and Sneezin’ / Boat Fever / The Invisible Kid / A Scary Face from Outer Space / Swami Whammy” (11/26/77) – The Bears investigate the source of mysterious destructive rays threatening a city. / / King and his friends try to raise money to buy a boat. / The Posse attempts to capture an invisible bandit. / Aliens come to Earth looking for humans to abduct and end up landing at the inn as it hosts a costume ball. / Undercover and Loudmouse must stop Swami Salami from hypnotizing people into his slaves.

 

“Disappearing Satellites / Cousin Snakey is a Groove / Go for It, King / Calamity John / Health Spa Spooks / The Disappearing Duchess” (12/3/77) – The Bears follow a spacecraft below a lake to discover a giant underground space station. / / King attempts to set a new world record. / The Posse must arrest a bandit that causes bad luck wherever he goes. / The trio hire a physical education teacher to try and bring new life to their inn. / Undercover and Loudmouse head to London to protect the Duchess from an evil scheme.