DOG CITY

DOG CITY

(FOX, September 26, 1992-November 26, 1994)

Nelvana Limited, Jim Henson Productions, Channel 4, Global Television Network, FORTA, Canal+ Spain

MAIN CAST:
Animated:
Ron White – Ace Hart
Elizabeth Hanna- Chief Rosie O’Gravy, Misty Whiskers
Stuart Stone – Eddie
John Stocker – Bugsy Vile, Styles Silverbark, Spunky the Flunky (season 2-3)
James Rankin – Frisky, Screwie Louie
Stephen Ouimette – Mad Dog, Thirsty Howll III, Mayor Kickbark (season 2-3)
Howard Jerome – Bruiser
Tabitha St. Germain (as Paulina Gillis) – Kitty, Eliot’s mother
Dan Hennessey – Baron von Rottweiler
Tara Strong (as Charendoff) – Dot (season 3)
George Buza – Steven (season 3)
Rino Romano – Yves (season 3)
 
Puppets:
Kevin Clash & Don Reardon (right hand) – Eliot Shag
Fran Brill – Colleen Barker (season 1), Terri Springer (season 2-3)
Joey Mazzarino - Artie Springer
Brian Muehl – Bruno
David Rudman – Bowser, Colonel Claghound, Bram, Pomeroy
Kathryn Mullen (season 1) & Lisa Buckley (season 2-3) – Ms. Fluffé

            In 1989, Jim Henson hosted a short-lived anthology series on NBC called The Jim Henson Hour. The show was modeled after the classic Walt Disney Presents series, having Henson come out and introduce the night’s episode with the Thought Lion (controlled by David Greenaway, Rob Tygner and Mark Wilson, voiced by Michael Kilgarriff) from The StoryTeller segments of the show. The first half of the show would be an updated version of The Muppet Show called MuppeTelevision. The second half featured a variety of content, including the dark-toned The StoryTeller and Lighthouse Island, light-hearted Muppet skits, or mini-movies.

            One of those mini-movies was Dog City. Dog City was a film noir parody set in a world entirely populated by anthropomorphic dogs, inspired by the series of paintings by C.M. Coolidge. Ace Yu (Kevin Clash) traveled to the city to take over a bar following the murder of his uncle by mob boss Bugsy Them (Henson), whose goons harassed Ace for protection money. The MuppeTelevision portion of the episode served as a set-up for the mini-movie, complete with an introduction and guest-appearance by Rowlf the Dog (Henson). Ace and Kermit the Frog (also Henson) even made a promo for the episode together. It would be only one of three segments of the Hour directed by Henson.

            Hour scored three award nominations, but its ratings were abysmal. It was cancelled by NBC before its only season even finished. Henson decided he wanted to get out of the business side of things and entered negotiations to sell his company to Disney. The deal fell through when he died suddenly the following year (Disney would later acquire the Muppets in 2004). The Henson family took over management of the company, with his son, Brian, being named president, chairman and CEO at the start of 1991. The younger Henson set out to make the Henson catalogue of characters work for the company, which included a deal with FOX Kids to bring the popular Dog City segment to their network.

Eliot Shag at his drawing table.

            Although it retained the name and its spoof on the film noir genre, Dog City underwent some heavy revisions from its original concept. The anthropomorphic dog motif remained, but the show was basically two-in-one; with Henson Productions producing puppet segments and Nelvana producing animated segments that would air together and play off each other. The puppet segments followed German Shepherd Eliot Shag (primarily Clash, retained from the special, with assistance from Don Reardon), an animator who drew the adventures of private eye Ace Hart (Ron White) in the tough streets of Dog City. Eliot would often translate his own dilemmas (typically interruptions when he was trying to work) into the stories and characters surrounding Ace, with the two tales often running parallel. The two of them would also break the fourth wall and interact with each other, with Ace giving input over his own story.

Bruno, Colleen, Bowser and Artie all interrupting Eliot.

            The puppet segments also featured collie Colleen Barker (Fran Brill, also from the special), Eliot’s on-and-off girlfriend; bulldog Bruno (Brian Muehl, who was instructed to emulate Henson in his performance), the building’s surly and incompetent superintendent; St. Bernard Bowser (David Rudman), Bruno’s dim-witted assistant; English Springer Spaniel Artie Springer (Joey Mazzarino), Eliot’s young neighbor and his biggest admirer; and feline Ms. Fluffé (Kathryn Mullen & Lisa Buckley), Eliot’s aloof landlady. All of the puppets were recycled from the special and given some cosmetic makeovers, with Colleen even retaining her name.

Ace, Eddie and Rosie on the case.

            Over in Ace’s world, there was Rosie O’Gravy (Elizabeth Hanna), the beautiful, by-the-book chief of detectives who also served as Ace’s love-interest. The two exchanged witty barbs and the affection was often mutual, but Rosie’s first love was the law and would never hesitate to lock up Ace if the law required it.  She was also the most competent cop on the force, with the rest of the police department being akin to the Keystone Kops. Eddie (Stuart Stone) was a young and enthusiastic news-pup that often followed Ace on his cases. Eddie was hungry for knowledge, and always preempted a barrage of facts with “It’s a well-known fact…”

The cast (from top): Frisky, Bruiser, Rosie, Ace, Barron, Kitty, Leon, Dot, Eddie and Bugsy.

Ace’s chief opponent was Bugsy Vile (John Stocker), the “Dogfather of Crime”, and his henchmen, including the excitable chihuahua Frisky (James Rankin); psychotic mongrel Mad Dog (Stephen Ouimette), who could only communicate through snarling and mauling until a bump on the head (at least once per episode) turned him articulate; his muscle-bound, though ultimately kind-hearted, nephew Bruiser (Howard Jerome); and his cat moll Kitty (Tabitha St. Germain), who actually was the brains behind Bugsy’s plans. Kitty owned the Kitty Kat Club, which served as the gang’s hideout.

One of Barron's schemes almost saw Rosie marrying him.

Also giving trouble to Ace was German Rottweiler Baron Von Rottweiler (Dan Hennessey), a stereotypical German villain with a monocle and tailored suits, and his mute dachshund valet, Leon Burger. As the owner of Rottweiler Explosives Incorporated, it was rare to not see Barron without some form of explosive device. Barron’s maniacal schemes, generally involving twisted science, painted him as more of a spoof of typical James Bond villains. His plans were often thwarted by his own valet’s love of fetch, which usually resulted in Leon retrieving some kind of dangerous item.

Kitty feeds a scheme to Bugsy.

            Dog City, also known as Jim Henson’s Dog City, debuted on FOX on September 26, 1992. Along with spoofing various movies in the crime genre, the series’ humor came from the plethora of dog-related puns in its writing. That included names of characters and places, parodies of real-life products and people, episode titles, and even expressions. Henson veteran Clash was in charge of coordinating the puppets, while fellow veteran Mullen served as a voice coach for the Canadian animation cast during the first season. Writers for the show included J.D. Smith, Marty Isenberg, Robert N. Skir, Jim Lewis, Peter Sauder, David Finley, Michael Edens, Mark Saraceni, Rich Fogel, Vince Grittani, Julia Lewald, Dale Schott, Mark Seidenberg, Kirk R. Thatcher, John Ludin, Cliff MacGillivray and Craig Shemin, with Sauder and Smith serving as story editors. The music was composed by Phil Balsam.

The second season cast, featuring Terri (bottom), Ms. Fluffé (top), and Eliot's new look.

            The show was renewed for two additional seasons, and both came with some changes. For the second season, the character of Colleen was dropped, with the in-story explanation of having moved away, and replaced by Artie’s mother, Terri (still Brill), in an attempt to have a female character whose identity wasn’t just “Eliot’s girlfriend” and give Artie some kind of family. Terri was a confident businesswoman and single mother, which explained why Artie hung out with Eliot so often. Fluffé was originally intended as a one-off character but was given a recurring role with Buckley assuming her performance.  Bruno and Bowser were also given larger roles. Eliot was given a new look; his striped shirt and sweater vest replaced by a t-shirt and open Hawaiian shirt. On the animated side, O’Gravy was given a rival in the form of Mayor Kickbark (Ouimette). He was the mayor of Dog City who always undermined O’Gravy either intentionally or accidentally, hampering investigations. Kickbark was often accompanied by his flunky, Spunky (Stocker).

The Woof Pack.

            For the third season, which was also the show’s shortest, Dog City’s format was heavily revamped. The noir spoofing and references were greatly reduced in favor of science fiction and sitcom elements. The animated segments were split to include several rotating short slapstick segments that interjected during the main story: “His Masters Choice Theater”, spoofing Masterpiece Theater, was hosted by Bugsy from his prison cell and featured sketches starring Frisky; “Rosie and Dot” had O’Gravy spending time with her niece, Dot (Tara Strong), who often only said “Why?”; “The Woof Pack” saw the return of superhero guest-character the Watch Dog now leading a team of heroes in a spoof of the genre; “The Adventures of Moogie” gave Artie’s favorite chew toy his own spotlight (narrated and “animated” by Artie in a slightly different style); and “Yves and Steven” (pronounced like “even Steven”), where literal cat burglar Yves (Rino Romano) ended up being foiled by dimwitted, overweight guard dog, Steven (George Buza). Each segment had its own title card introducing the shift in focus from the main story.

Yves and Steven.

            In true Dog City fashion, the new segments were introduced to the audience by Eliot himself in the first episode of the season. Following the show’s cancellation, the final episode also served as a series finale; with Eliot and his characters saying farewell to each other and the audience within context of the story (Eliot was actually going away on vacation in the story and was going to miss Ace). All of the animated series regulars made cameos in the episode, and the segments interjected into the main story rather than being separated as usual. During the show’s run, it was nominated for several Gemini Awards, winning one for “Best Children’s Television Programming” for 1993-94. Following its conclusion in the United States, the show was translated into German, French, Italian, Danish and Swedish and broadcast internationally.

Rosie and Dot camping out next to Bugsy.

            In 1993, Sony Wonder released two VHS collections of the show. The Big Squeak contained the episode of the same name and “Boss Bruiser”. Much Ado About Mad Dog also contained the titular episode, and “Old Dogs, New Tricks”. In 2006, Australia got a DVD release called Disobedience School that featured five episodes, including the titular one. The first five episodes of the German dub of the show was released to DVD in 2008 by Foreign Media Group. It was re-released by Constructive Media Service in 2009, following their release of the next five episodes the month before. 1993 also saw Western Publishing releasing a coloring book based on the show. In 1994, Golden Books released an adaptation of “The Big Squeak” as part of their Golden Look-Look Books line.

Dog City: The Movie.

Between 2005-2010, the original special, called Dog City: The Movie, was released to home video without the MuppeTelevision segments, since they are owned by Disney (Rowlf’s appearance in the actual film remained, however). HIT Entertainment released it in the United Kingdom and Lions Gate Entertainment in the United States. KSS Films released it in Japan on Laserdisc and was the only release to include the Muppet segments.

            

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“The Big Squeak” (9/26/92) – Ace and Rosie have to retrieve the city’s squeaky toys from the clutches of Bugsy.

“Taming of the Screw” (10/3/92) – A loose screw in Eliot’s drawing table inspires Screwie Louie, a crazy dog whose obsession with screwing things attracts the attention of Bugsy.

“Meat, the Butcher” (10/10/92) – Ace convinces Eliot to follow his boss’ wishes and create the violent Meat, but Meat ends up taking over the story and puts the entire city in peril.

“Disobedience School” (10/17/92) – While Eliot consoles Artie over having to go to a new school, Ace has to rescue Eddie from Bugsy’s school that looks to create new gang members early.

“The Dog Pound” (10/31/92) – Eliot being accused of chewing Bruno’s slipper leads to Ace being framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

“Radio Daze” (11/14/92) – As Eliot’s TV is being haphazardly repaired, Ace investigates a series of mysterious accidents plaguing one of the radio shows at WFIDO.

“The Bloodhound” (11/21/92) – Eliot suspects Colleen’s new friend is a vampire, leading to one plaguing the citizens of Dog City.

“Adventures in Puppysitting” (11/28/92) – As Eliot is talked into puppysitting Colleen’s nephew, Ace goes up against Puppy-Face Felson who plans to steal the Hope on a Rope Diamond.

“Ya Gotta Have Hart” (12/12/92) – When Eliot and Ace refuse to change the show as per the boss’ wishes, they end up getting fired.

“In Your Dreams” (1/9/93) – When Eliot falls asleep at his table, he ends up inside Dog City in a surreal parallel dimension created by his subconscious.

“Rocketship K-9” (1/16/93) – Bruno’s beliefs that aliens are invading has Eliot send Ace to the moon to investigate the disappearance of Arfstrong, the first mutt on the moon.

“Cats ‘N Dogs” (1/23/93) – Ms. Fluffé fires Bruno over his bigotry of a cat potentially moving in, while Bugsy is plagued by his own cat rival whose gang mirrors his own.

“Is It Arf?” (1/30/93) – Artie’s new detective hero inspires Eliot to give Ace a rival in super sleuth Surelick Bones, who is called in to stop a rash of theft’s Ace has thus far been unable to.

Season 2:

“Boss Bruiser” (9/18/93) – Bruno’s firing leaves Bowser in charge, inspiring Eliot to put Brusier in charge of the Vile gang for a while.

“Springer Fever” (9/25/93) – Eliot meets and becomes smitten with Artie’s mother, leading him to create embarrassing situations for Ace and Rosie as they try to rescue the mayor’s secretary.

“Much Ado About Mad Dog” (10/2/93) – While Ace is busy with Mad Dog after saving his life, a rash of flea powder thefts plague the city.

“Of Mutts and Mayors” (10/9/93) – The new mayor strips Ace and Rosie of their licenses.

“Who Watches the Watch Dog?” (10/16/93) – Reminiscing about his favorite superhero leads Eliot to introduce the Watch Dog to Dog City.

“The Great Dane Curse” (10/23/93) – Ace thinks Eliot’s idea of dating Terri is dumb, and Eliot sets out to prove him wrong.

“Out of the Mouths of Pups” (10/30/93) – Artie and some fan mail inspire Eliot to have the Vile gang kidnap Eddie, which then turns into Eddie giving them a never-ending lecture.

“Old Dogs, New Tricks” (11/13/93) – Eliot and his old mentor team-up Ace with his character Sam Spayed, but their differing methods lead to clashes between Eliot, Ace and their guests.

“Farewell, My Rosie” (11/6/93) – An interview causes Eliot to learn a lot about Terri, which inspires him to have Ace learn more about Rosie while investigating her disappearance.

“Sick as a Dog” (11/20/93) – When Eliot is too sick to make his deadline, his neighbors all take turns trying to finish Eliot’s latest story.

Season 3:

“The New Litter” (9/14/94) – While Ace faces the Vile gang in Jurassic Bark, Eliot introduces the new segments of “Yves and Steven” and “Rosie and Dot.”

“Doggy See, Doggy Do” (9/24/94) – Eliot shows Artie learning can be fun, Ace works on a case involving a kiddy show star, Bugsy reads a twisted fable, Ace and Mad Dog demonstrate table manners, and Mr. Moogie learns about math by entering a blackboard.

“Comedy of Horros” (10/1/94) – Artie, Bruno and Eliot believe Bowser may have gone mad, Rottweiler uses a Sci-Fido monster to try and take over the world, Mr. Moogie goes on an adventure under the bed, and the Dog City cast live their own version of an Edgar Allen Poe story.

“Howl the Conquering Hero” (10/8/94) – Eliot helps Artie understand what makes a real hero, Ace and Bugsy compete for “Hero of the Year”, Mr. Mooge shrinks into the stomach of the Presidog to remove some bad grass, and The Wolf Pack searches the supermarket for biscuits.

“Reduce, Reuse, Retrieve” (11/5/94) – Artie makes life miserable to inspire recycling, Rottweiler steals all the trees in the city, Rosie and Dot end up on a camping trip next to the Vile gang, Yves’ theft is once again foiled by Steven.

“Future Schlock” (11/12/94) – Eliot and Artie deal with their fear of the future, Rottweiler develops a doggie door time portal machine, Yves’ reputation as the greatest cat burglar in the cosmos comes to an end when Steven’s foils his plot, Rosie and Dot visit an exhibit about the city of the future.

“No Pain, No Brain” (11/19/94) – Eliot takes up exercising so that he can run with Terri, Ace investigates the disappearance of athletes ad the Fido Olympics, Mr. Mookie acts out his own version of The Tortoise and the Hare, and the Woof Pack engage in their own exercises.

“The Dog Days of Summer Vacation” (11/26/94) – With everyone else going on vacation, Eliot decides to send Ace and Rosie on one as well with Eddie and Dot.

LITTLE ROSEY

LITTLE ROSEY

(ABC, September 8, 1990-August 11, 1991)

Little Rosey Productions, Nelvana Ltd.

MAIN CAST:

Kathleen Laskey – Little Rosey

Noam Zyberman – Buddy

Tabitha St. Germain (as Paulina Gillis) – Tess

Lisa Jai (as Lisa Yamanaka) – Nonnie, Tater

Judy Marshak – Mom

Tony Daniels – Dad

Stephen Bednarski – Jefferey, Matthew

            In the early 1980s, Roseanne Barr became a prolific stand-up comedian. Her routine was centered around the working-class housewife whom she referred to as a “domestic goddess.” After appearing on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman, Barr landed an HBO special called The Roseanne Barr Show which earned her an American Comedy Award for “Funniest Female Performer in a Television Special.” When Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner of Carsey-Werner Productions sought to make a show centered around a working mother, they gravitated towards Barr’s unique “in your face” voice and offered her the lead role.

            Roseanne aired on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. It centered on the Conners: an American working-class family struggling to get by. Barr played Roseanne Conner, the outspoken matriarch of the family. Critics found the show notable as one of the most realistic depictions of a blue-collar family, and that the heavyset nature of the lead actors were never the target of jokes. The show was a hit, becoming the most-watched television program in the United States from 1989-90, and spending its first six seasons in the top five highest-rated shows. Its popularity remained strong enough that after years of discussing a possible revival, ABC greenlit one for premiere in 2018—over two decades after it left the air.

Tess, Rosey and Buddy.

            With Roseanne doing well and Barr’s popularity on the rise, ABC was looking to expand her presence on the network while she and then-husband Tom Arnold sought to expand her overall brand. It was decided that since Roseanne was already dominating primetime, they would try their luck introducing Barr to a younger crowd. As Barr was including elements of her personal life into the stories of Roseanne, she figured a cartoon focusing on stories from her childhood would be ideal. 

Rosey's parents and Tater.

            Enter: Little Rosey. Animated by Nelvana, the show focused on the adventures of 8-year-old Roseanne (Kathleen Laskey, doing an impression of Barr), her sister, Tess (Tabitha St. Germain), and best friend, Bobby (Noam Zyberman) as they dealt with the events of everyday childhood by using their imaginations to overcome difficulties and problems. Other characters included Roseanne’s parents (Judy Marshak & Tony Daniels), her baby brother, Tater (Lisa Yamanaka), and identical twin science nerds, Matthew and Jeffrey (both Stephen Bednarski), who served as Roseanne’s nemeses. Barr would serve as the co-host of ABC's preview special, along with the cast of Family Matters, introducing the new Saturday line-up and her show.

Rosey and her friends pretending to be super heroes.

            Little Rosey debuted on ABC on September 8, 1990. It was developed and story edited by Peter Sauder, with Barr and Arnold serving as executive producers through the production company they founded, Little Rosey Productions. The series’ music was written and composed by Marvin Dolgay, Glenn Morley and Kevin Staples for Tambre Productions, Inc. The theme song had additional lyrics written by Carole Pope and Peter Gilboy, and was performed by noted rock and roll performer Ronnie Spector. The series ran for a single season of 16 episodes, with most of them containing two segments. Sean Roche, J.D. Smith, Taylor Grant, Julianne Klemm, Tony Marino and Meg McLaughlin served as the show’s writers, along with Sauder. 

Rosey as Rapunzel.

            A second season was planned for the series, with Barr coming in to take over the role of her character. However, the executives at ABC felt the show needed some changes to improve it and bring it more in line to what they felt their audience wanted. Barr and Arnold disagreed with ABC’s stance and fought against the changes. ABC ultimately cancelled the show citing bad ratings, leaving one episode unaired until August the following year. That episode, “Not Rosey, Roseanne,” saw Rosey imagining her future set to a parody of Roseanne. Several episodes would be released to VHS in countries outside the United States.

Rosey and Buddy at the mercy of The Powers That Be.

            In 1992, Barr and Arnold financed their own animated special called The Rosey and Buddy Show that could serve as a potential pilot for a new animated series, as well as provide a subtle jab at the network over the cancellation of the last one. The special, again animated by Nelvana, starred Rosey and Buddy, voiced by Barr and Arnold, with significantly different designs. The special saw them travelling to Cartoonland to produce their show, but a group of weasels all with the surname Power (aka, the Powers that Be) refused to let them do the show they wanted to and sought to do away with any cartoon character that wanted to simply entertain for comedy. The special featured parodies of various shows and genres, as well as cameos from notable cartoon characters such as Droopy Dog, Strawberry Shortcake, Tom and Jerry, Archie Comics characters Betty & Veronica, and a colorized version of Alice from John Tenniel’s illustrations in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Nelvana properties The Care Bears (with Dan Hennessey reprising his role as Brave Heart Lion) and the animated Beetlejuice (with a different color scheme, voiced by Stephen Ouimette) also appeared. It aired on ABC on May 15, 1992 during the network’s TGIF block.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Farewell, My Dolly / Super Rosey (part 1)” (9/8/90) – Rosey leads a desperate search for her lost doll. / Rosey imagines herself as a superhero.

“The Baby of Baghdad / Explorers” (9/15/90) – Rosey and her friends find a genie that grants them wishes. / Rosey and her friends go on an adventure to magical places.

“Land of the Lost Toys / Magic Woods” (9/22/90) – Rosey discovers where all the lost toys end up. / Rosey and her friends head to the Magic Woods and discover a bunch of unusual things.

“New People / Flower Garden” (9/29/90) – Rosey and her friends don’t get along with some new people. / Rosey decides to plant a garden outside her house.

“Pirates / The Snowman” (10/6/90) – Rosey and her friends imagine that they’re pirates on the high seas. / After it snows, Rosey tries to build a snowman.

“The Cake / Super Rosey (part 2)” (10/13/90) – Rosey learns how to bake a cake. / Circumstances call for the return of Super Rosey.

“I Did It Without Decimals / Spelling Bee-Hemoth” (10/20/90) – Satisfied she’ll never need them, Rosey refuses to learn decimals. / Rosey is nervous about competing in the spelling bee.

“War of the Rosey” (10/27/90) – Matthew and Jeffery interrupt Rosey and her friends pretending to save the Earth from an alien invasion.

“If You Grow It, They Will Come / Of Mice and Rosey” (11/3/90) – A new girl needs lessons in playing baseball. / Rosey tries to keep the mouse she brought home a secret from her parents.

“The Pumpkins are Gone!” (11/10/90) – Rosey and her friends try to solve the mystery of who’s been stealing vegetables from her mother’s garden.

“It’s Under the Bed” (11/17/90) – Rosey’s friends try to convince her that there isn’t a monster under her bed.

“It’s Really Big Out There” (11/24/90) – Rosey and her friends use their imaginations to discover what’s beyond the sky that they can see.

“The Buddy and the Rosey” (12/1/90) – Rosey tries to prove she’s as good at everything that Buddy is.

“Try Not to Lie” (12/8/90) – Rosey’s parents try to teach her the consequences of lying.

“Tater’s Tots” (12/15/90) – When Tater gets really sick, Rosey and her friends search for a Leprechaun to grant him a wish.

“Dad’s Coming” (12/22/90) – Rosey dreads her father’s arrival after she’s sent to the principal’s office.

“Not Rosey, Roseanne” (8/11/91) – Rosey daydreams what life would be like when she grows up, sending her to the virtual world of Roseanne.

CADILLACS AND DINOSAURS

CADILLACS AND DINOSAURS

(CBS, September 18, 1993-January 28, 1994)

Nelvana Ltd., Galaxy Films, de Souza Productions

MAIN CAST:

David Keeley – Jack Tenrec

Susan Roman – Hannah Dundee

Bruce Tubbe – Mustapha Cairo

Dawn Greenhalgh – Governor Wilhelmina Scharnhorst

Tedd Dillon – Hammer Terhune

Colin O’Meara – Wrench Terhune

Frank Pellegrino – Vice Terhune

Greg Spottiswood - Narrator

            In the future, dinosaurs will roam.

Jack and Hanna fending off a dinosaur stampede.

            Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, also known by its original name of Xenozoic Tales, was an independent comicbook series created by Mark Schultz. The story is set in a dystopian future where the human race had been driven into underground cities to escape the rampant pollution and natural disasters ravaging the surface of the planet. When mankind reemerged after 600 years in the 26^th Century in what was dubbed the “Xenozoic Age”, they discovered that many previously extinct lifeforms (particularly dinosaurs, if there was any doubt) had reclaimed the world. 

Dinosaurs care not for winning hands.

Technology became an extremely limited resource, and those with the skill to repair it were given a great deal of respect and influence. One of the main characters was one of these beings: mechanic Jack Tenrec, who had an affinity for early 20^th century vehicles (especially Cadillacs, of which his was a 1953 Coupe de Ville) and converted his cars to run on dinosaur guano due to the inability to refine oil. Jack’s love interest was scientist Hannah Dundee, an ambassador from Wasoon (Washington, D.C.) who came to the City in the Sea (a submerged Manhattan) to build relations between the two cities as well as find any information she could from the preserved library archives. Hermes was an Allosaurus (called “Cutters” in this era) that Jack raised and became his loyal companion. 

The City in the Sea.

            The dystopian world was full of various criminals, politicians, scientists and inventors, each with their own agendas. Common antagonists for Jack and Hannah were Hammer Terhune, an overweight poacher, and Wilhelmina Scharnhorst, leader of the “Moles” that scavenge the ancient ruins under the City. There was also as a race of reptilian humanoids called the Grith. The Grith couldn’t speak in a human language and had to communicate using Scrabble tiles. They could also communicate telepathically with dinosaurs. 

Death Rattle #8.

            The world of Cadillacs first appeared in 1986 in Death Rattle #8; a horror anthology published by Kitchen Sink Press. The story was spun off into its own series, Xenozoic Tales, in 1987. Because of Schultz’s perfectionism, a monthly schedule was never kept and the series only reached 14 issues by 1996 when it ended in the middle of a story. Each issue had two adventures: the first starring the main characters, and the second was a glimpse into the life of a citizen of that world. The series was well-received, racking up four Harvey Awards and three Eisner Awards. 

Marvel's reprint series.

The potential for the series to become a media franchise was there, leading to the courting of Hollywood to turn it into a movie. Galaxy Films came on board and offered the suggestion of slowly building up the franchise with the public before adapting it into a film with things like toys, games and maybe even a cartoon series. They also suggested using the tagline from the second issue, “Cadillacs and dinosaurs”, as the new title for marketing purposes (which required a licensing deal with General Motors). It was under this title that Marvel Comics would reprint the first six issues in color through their Epic imprint.

Arcade game poster featuring Mustapha, Jack, Hannah and Mess.

            In 1993, Capcom adapted the comic into a beat ‘em up arcade game. The game followed a condensed version of the comic’s story and allowed up to three players. Jack and Hannah were amongst the playable characters, as was their friend and engineer, Mustapha Cairo, and Mess O’Brandovich, a character who only appeared briefly in the comic. The game was generally well-received in several markets. Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, who was involved in the production of the game, saw potential in the series and acquired the TV rights to the comic. Through his de Souza Productions partnered with Nelvana, the comic’s story was adapted for animation.  

Concept art.

            The show followed the same basic premise as the comic, following Jack (David Keeley) and Hannah (Susan Roman) on their adventures in the dangerous new world. Joining them from the outset was Mustapha (Bruce Tubbe), who already worked at Jack’s fortress-like garage as its sole employee. Unlike the comics, Jack was toned down considerably; reduced to merely being slightly grumpy than being the guy who regularly had to beat on his employees (there was more than just Mustapha) to keep them in line and loyal. He also preached the philosophy of the Old Blood Mechanics: “Machinatio Vitae”, which embraced technology with a respect for nature. The show took a decidedly larger pro-social ecological standpoint. Hobb (Don Francks), a Grith shaman, often appeared in Jack’s mind to offer him guidance and to keep him on the Mechanics’ path when he faltered.

Hermes defends.

            The primary antagonist of the series became Governor Wilhelmina Scharnhorst (Dawn Greenhalgh). She was just one of a council of three ruling over the City, including Governor Dahlgren (Kristina Nicoll) and Governor Toulouse (Philip Williams). Scharnhorst wanted the best for the City, but felt that meant having to discredit the Mechanics—especially Jack—and to plow through nature so that they can expand. She frequently hired poacher Hammer Terhune (Ted Dillon) and his gang to achieve her goals in exchange for the technology she could supply with the help of mad scientist Fessenden (John Stocker).

Hammer, Wrench and Vice.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs debuted on CBS on September 18, 1993. De Souza himself wrote the first episode, introducing the world and characters to the viewers which was largely an adaptation of the first Xenozoic story. In fact, several episodes were based on the actual issues or a combination of several issues and took on a serial format; gradually introducing and expanding on elements of the universe instead of dumping it all on the audience at once. 

Driving amongst the dinos.

David Wise wrote five of the episodes, one of them in partnership with Harlan Ellison. He served as one of the story editors along with fellow episode writers Dennise Fordham and Martin Pasko. Executive producer Herbert J. Wright and comicbook creator Marv Wolfman also wrote episodes, as did veteran animation writers Ted Pederson, Marty Isenberg, Robert Skir and Michael Reaves. Kitchen Sink publisher Denis Kitchen served as the show’s creative consultant and John Tucker was the series’ composer.

            The series, unfortunately, didn’t run beyond its single season of 13 episodes and cancelled any further plans to develop the media franchise beyond a second video game, The Second Cataclysm, released for Sega CD and PC. Tyco was awarded the license to produce the toys based on the show and released a single wave of vehicles and figures. Jack and a variant, Hannah, Mustapha, Hammer and Vice all received figures, as did Hermes and three generic dinosaurs. Jack’s Cadillac and Glider and Hammer’s bike were the vehicles. A playset based on Jack’s garage was advertised but never saw production. In promotion with the toyline, Kitchen Sink published a special run the first issue in both its original form and in 3-D as a giveaway at Toys R Us. While a million copies were published, the comic has become hard to find.

The expanded Xenozoic universe.

In 1994, Topps Comics began publishing their own series of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs comics set between moments of Xenozoic Tales #10 with input from Schultz. This run is often mistakenly attributed as a continuation of the animated series, however, while the show did influence the resurrections of some characters that died in the pages of Xenozoic, it was actually a part of the original comics continuity. Sony Home Video released a VHS with “Rogue” and “Dino Drive” in 1994. United American Video released six more episodes between two tapes in 1998. The series was made available for streaming on Amazon Video, Shomi (until it was shut down in 2016), and on the Retro Rerun channel on YouTube. The series also ran for years on HBO Family in Latin America in both English and Spanish. 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Rogue” (9/18/93) – Hannah’s trip to the City in the Sea is interrupted by a meeting with Jack, who tries to stop a shivet from causing the destruction he gets the blame for.

“Dino Drive” (9/25/93) – Jack tries to protect a herd of macks causing destruction by promising to move them to a safe area.

“Death Ray” (10/2/93) – Scharnhorst has Jack take a scientist to a building she claims will power the city, but Jack believes she has sinister intentions for the satellite controlled there.

“Siege” (10/9/93) – Hammer decides to bring the fight to Jack and attempts to conquer his garage.

“Wild Child” (10/23/93) – Jack and Hannah attempt to return a wild child to the Grith, but Hammer kidnaps the boy first.

“Mind Over Matter” (11/6/93) – Scharnhorst has a lab dug up from the bottom of a river in order to get at the secrets within.

“Survival” (11/20/93) – Scharnhorst has a dangerous railroad car dug up while a man from Jack’s past hunts him and Hannah.

“It Only Comes Out at Night” (11/27/93) – Jack and Kirgo investigate the disappearance of several moles and Kirgo ends up abducted.

“Remembrance” (12/11/93) – Jack and Hannah unearth an android created before the upheaval, and Scharnhorst wants the android’s vast library of technical knowledge.

“Pursuit” (12/18/93) -  Jack is accused of the theft of a piledriver, but he escapes capture in order to pursue Hammer and prevent him from turning the piledriver into a poaching weapon.

 “Departure” (1/14/94) – When Hannah’s early-warning system for the city is shut down, she puts in for a promotion that will take her back home.

 “Duel” (1/21/94) – Jack’s childhood friend comes back into his life, but he soon learns that his friend had stolen a life-preserving crystal from the Grith in order to corral dinosaurs for poaching.

“Wildfire” (1/28/94) – Jack and Hannah find themselves having to join Scharnhorst in helping her prevent a jungle fire from reaching her gas wells.