SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: GARY OWENS

 

GARY OWENS
(May 10, 1934-February 12, 2015)

 
Notable Roles: Roger Ramjet, Space Ghost, Blue Falcon, Captain Squash, Commander Ulysses Feral, Powdered Toast Man, 1950s Batman
 

Born Gary Bernard Altman, Owens was notable for his baritone speaking voice and deadpan comedic delivery that made him an ideal narrator and announcer for various projects—particularly of the humorous kind. He began his career as a news reporter on radio station KORN in 1952 in Mitchell, South Dakota, and was promoted to news director two years later. In 1956 he left to be a newscaster at KMA in Shenandoah, Iowa, before becoming a disc jockey at KOIL in Omaha, Nebraska. After bouncing around a few other stations, he finally ended up in California in 1959. He began a two-decade tenure at 710 KMCP (now KSPN AM) where he displayed his surrealistic humor and tendency for puns, as well as inventing nonsense words and doing amusing radio promotions. He also developed several alter-egos: gruff old man earl C. Festoon and his wife, Phoebe; stuffy businessman Endocrine J. Sternwallow; goofy good ol’ boy Merle Clyde Gumpf; and crochety old Mergenthaler Waisleywillow. In 1961 he started transitioning into film and television by providing the uncredited prologue narration for The Naked Witch (although it wasn’t released until 1964). In 1965, he made a couple of appearances on McHale’s Navy and voiced the titular character in the animated Roger Ramjet. His most well-known role came in 1968 as the announcer for the sketch comedy series Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, where he established his trademark routine of holding his hand on his ear as he spoke into the microphone. Owens had a long association with Hanna-Barbera Productions, providing either opening narrations or episode narrations for various shows like The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Yogi’s Space Race and Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, as well as various roles including the heroes Space Ghost in Space Ghost and Blue Falcon in Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and supporting antagonist Commander Ulysses Feral in SWAT Kats. Additionally, he voiced various cartoon characters on Sesame Street, the characters of Powdered Toast Man in The Ren & Stimpy Show and Captain Squash in Bobby’s World, and was even one of the prospective voices for Inspector Gadget in one of the pilot episodes. In 2004, Owens co-wrote the book How to Make a Million Dollars with Your Voice (Or Lose Your Tonsils Trying) with Jeff Lenburg, an anecdote-laden guide on how to get into voice acting. In his final years, Owens served as the promotional announcing voice for retro network Antenna TV until his death in 2015 due to complications from his life-long bout with Type-1 diabetes.

 
Saturday Credits:
Space Ghost and Dino Boy
Sesame Street
The Perils of Penelope Pitstop
Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
Scooby’s Laff-A-Lympics
Yogi’s Space Race
Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
Space Stars
The Mighty Orbots
Inspector Gadget (1 pilot version)
Garfield & Friends
Yogi’s Treasure Hunt
Bobby’s World
Defenders of Dynatron City
Tom & Jerry Kids Show
Eek! the Cat
Goof Troop
Raw Toonage
Skeleton Warriors
The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat
The Mask: The Animated Series
Nightmare Ned
101 Dalmatians: The Series
The New Batman Adventures
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Teamo Supremo

1980s 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 1980s:

ABC

1980.

1980.

1981.

1982.

1982.

1983.

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1989.


CBS

1980.

1981.

1981.

1982.

1983.

1984.

1984.

  

1984.

1985.

1985.

1986.

1987.

1988.

NBC

1980.

1980.

1981.

1981.

1982.

1983.

1984.

1985.

1985.

1986.

1987.

1987.

1989.

SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: JACK KIRBY

JACK KIRBY

(August 28, 1917-Feburary 6, 1994)

Notable Roles: Comic book artist, comic book writer, comic book publisher, storyboard artist, character designer

Born Jacob Kurtzberg, Kirby was a comic book artist, writer and editor regarded as one of the medium’s major innovators, the most prolific, and the most influential; which is why he was affectionately dubbed “The King”. He began in the 1930s, drawing under various pen names before settling on Kirby. He frequently partnered with writer-editor Joe Simon, which led to the creation of Captain America for Timely Comics (later Marvel) in 1941. After serving in WWII, Kirby worked for National Comics (later DC), Harvey Comics, Hillman Periodicals, Crestwood Publications (where he and Simon created the first romance comic, Young Romance) and started his own short-lived publishing company, Mainline Publications, with Simon. He returned to Timely, now known as Atlas Comics, and in the 1960s, with writer-editor Stan Lee, created the bulk of the company’s major characters: the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, the Avengers and more. As Marvel began licensing out their characters for adaptation, Kirby provided storyboards for the first Fantastic Four cartoon by Hanna-Barbera. In the 1970s, Kirby felt he wasn’t being treated fairly by Marvel; he felt publisher Martin Goodman made him numerous unfulfilled promises, had a lack of creative control, received no recognition for his story or character contributions, and was resentful over Lee’s prominence in the media. After getting an unfavorable contract, he left the company to return to DC where he created his Fourth World saga, OMAC, Kamandi, Etrigan and Kobra. Because DC kept putting him on books he didn’t want to work on, he returned to Marvel where he created The Eternals, Machine Man and Devil Dinosaur. Once again dissatisfied with his working conditions, Kirby left Marvel to work for Hanna-Barbera; designing characters for Turbo Teen, The New Shmoo, Thundarr and others. He also worked on the second Fantastic Four cartoon for DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. Kirby also branched out to storyboarding and designing for films; part of which led to his drawings being utilized in the CIA’s “Canadian Caper.” Kirby spent the 80s and 90s working for a variety of smaller publishers like Pacific Comics, Eclipse Comics and Topps Comics, doing a lot of creator-owned work. DC executives Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz had him re-design the Fourth World characters for the Super Powers toyline in order to get him some royalties for his creations, and he helped create The Centurions for Ruby-Spears Productions. Kirby also spent a great deal of time in a legal battle with Marvel over the return of his tens of thousands of original pages, which resulted in his only getting a fraction of his total output for the company back (many of them had been lost, stolen, or given away as gifts). The last comic Kirby worked on was Phantom Force for Image Comics before he died in 1994 from heart failure. An episode of Superman: The Animated Series, which made extensive use of his Fourth World and modeled the character of Dan Turpin after him, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), which adapted an original Mirage Studios story inspired by Kirby, were dedicated to his memory.

Saturday Credits:

Fantastic Four (1967)

The New Shmoo

The World’s Greatest Superfriends

The New Fantastic Four

Thundarr the Barbarian

Space Stars

Goldie Gold and Action Jack

Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

Turbo Teen

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (characters)

The Incredible Hulk (1982, characters)

Mister T

Lazer Tag Academy

Pryde of the X-Men (characters)

X-Men: The Animated Series (characters)

Superman: The Animated Series (characters)

Silver Surfer (characters)

Avengers: United They Stand (characters)

X-Men: Evolution (characters)

Wolverine and the X-Men (characters)

Young Justice (characters)

Justice League Action (characters)

SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: LEN JANSON

LEN JANSON 

(Unknown) 

Notable Roles: Animator, writer, story editor, producer, director 

Janson began working at Walt Disney Productions as an in-betweener. In 1965, he became a story man and received his first screen credit in Warner Bros.’ Boulder Wham! Roadrunner short. In the following years, he partnered with fellow animator and writer Chuck Menville. Together, they produced a series of live-action short films utilizing the long-forgotten stop-motion pixilation method. Among them was the Academy Award-nominated Stop Look and Listen, which followed a day in the life of motorists who tooled around the city in invisible cars. They wrote, directed and starred in their shorts. Clips from their second film, Vicious Cycles, were used in ABC’s The New Communicators which landed them a gig making commercials for Gulf Oil’s “no-nox” gasoline. In 1969, Janson and Menville started long stints at both Filmation and Hanna-Barbera, serving as story editors and producers for several of their shows. Over at DiC Enterprises in the 1980s, Menville and Janson were offered the story editor position of The Real Ghostbusters, but they initially turned it down due to the massive workload of having to produce a syndicated and Saturday morning version of the show at the same time. Following the departure of story editor J. Michael Straczynski over creative differences in changes ABC wanted to make, Janson and Menville became the story editors for the remainder of the show’s run. They went on to write, produce and story edit for the reboot of Land of the Lost and Tiny Toon Adventures. Following Menville’s death in 1992, Janson went on to develop the Sonic the Hedgehog animated series for ABC, as well as its follow-up, Sonic Underground. He also wrote several episodes of Baywatch Nights and The Woody Woodpecker Show revival. Janson’s last credited work was on an episode of Gadget and the Gadgetinis in 2003, although he did appear in 2008 documentaries about The Real Ghostbusters. 

Saturday Credits: 

Cattanooga Cats 

Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down 

Groovie Goolies 

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1969) 

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids 

The Flintstone Comedy Hour 

The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (episodes) 

Lassie’s Rescue Rangers 

Speed Buggy 

Star Trek: The Animated Series 

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch 

Hong Kong Phooey 

Korg: 70,000 B.C. 

Shazam! (1974) 

Uncle Croc’s Block 

The New Adventures of Gilligan 

The Secrets of Isis 

ABC Weekend Specials (episodes) 

Ark II 

The New Adventures of Batman 

Space Sentinels 

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle 

Tarzan and the Super 7 

Yogi’s Space Race 

Buford and the Galloping Ghost 

Jason of Star Command 

The New Fred and Barney Show 

The New Shmoo 

Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo 

The Flintstone Comedy Show 

Space Stars 

The Smurfs 

Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour 

Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince 

The Biskitts 

Kissyfur 

The Real Ghostbusters 

The Little Wizards 

Tiny Toon Adventures 

Land of the Lost (1991) 

The Little Mermaid: The Animated Series 

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993) 

Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series 

Gadget and the Gadgetinis 

RIP DAVID WISE

You can read the announcement here.

As a writer, he worked on Star Trek: The Animated Series, The Secrets of Isis, Space Sentinels, The New Archie/Sabrina Hour, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, Godzilla (1979), The Smurfs, The Biskitts, The Mighty Orbots, Kissyfur, Jem, Cyber COPS, Batman: The Animated Series, Wild C.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams and Corn & Peg. In addition to writing for, he also served as story editor on Space Stars, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Conan and the Young Warriors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) and Mighty Ducks.

SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: HOYT CURTIN

HOYT CURTIN

(September 9, 1922-December 3, 2000)

Notable Roles: Composer, music producer, musical director

Curtin was always musically inclined. He began playing piano at age 5, and in high school had his own orchestra while playing in a jazz band. After serving in the Navy during WWII, Curtin studied music at the University of Southern California on the G.I. Bill. Initially he wanted to be a composer and arranger for movies, but found himself instead being highly-demanded in the field of radio and television commercials due to his ability to write quick and memorable jingles. He did manage to do some theater work, scoring music for a variety of animated theatrical shorts such as Mr. Magoo and Tom and Jerry and some minor movies like Mesa of Lost Women and Jailbait. He met William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1957 while they were working on a commercial for Schlitz beer. At the same time, Hanna and Barbera were working on their first independent television series for their new studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions, after having lost their jobs when MGM shut down their animation division. Needing a theme song for The Ruff & Reddy Show, they provided Curtin with their lyrics and 5 minutes later he provided them with the song. They signed him right then and there. Curtin would serve as their primary composer, producer, and musical director for most of his tenure. Hanna-Barbera would contact Curtin with the description of the shows in production, and he would proceed to write the songs, hire the musicians, book and conduct the orchestra. There would be times when Curtin was single-handedly writing and recording the scores for up to 9 series at a time. Curtin retired in 1992, turning to his love of gadgets to invent and license a design for an underground lawn sprinkler. In 1995, Rhino Records attempted to put together a tribute album in his honor featuring the various songs he had composed over the years. Unfortunately, due to the methodology Curtin employed in making his music, there were hardly any masters of the songs he composed; existing only on the actual film stock. Curtin died in 2000 after a brief hospitalization.

Saturday Credits:

The Ruff & Reddy Show

Linus! The Lion Hearted

The Atom Ant Show

Wacky Races

Josie and the Pussycats

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show

The Roman Holidays

The New Scooby-Doo Movies

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space

The Addams Family (1973)

The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (episodes)

Speed Buggy

Jeannie

Super Friends

Inch High, Private Eye

Goober and the Ghost Chasers

Yogi’s Gang

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids

Partridge Family 2200 AD

Valley of the Dinosaurs

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch

Korg: 70,000 B.C.

Hong Kong Phooey
These Are the Days

Devlin

The Great Grape Ape Show

The New Tom & Jerry Show

Clue Club

Jabberjaw

The Skatebirds

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder

The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour

The Mumbly Cartoon Show

CB Bears

The All-New Super Friends Hour

Scooby’s Laff-A-Lympics

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

Yogi’s Space Race

Galaxy Goof-Ups

Buford and the Galloping Ghost

Jana of the Jungle

Challenge of the Superfriends

Dinky Dog

Godzilla (1978)

The World’s Greatest Superfriends

The Super Globetrotters

Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979)

Casper and the Angels

The All-New Popeye Hour

Drak Pack

The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show

The Flintstone’s Comedy Show

The Kwicky Koala Show

Space Stars

Laverne & Shirley in the Army

The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang

Trollkins

The Smurfs

Superfriends (1981)

The Little Rascals (1982)

The Gary Coleman Show

Shirt Tales

The Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour

Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour

Pac-Man

The Dukes

The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show

The Biskitts

Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince

Challenge of the GoBots

Snorks

SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians

Galtar and the Golden Lance

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo

Wildfire (1986)

Yogi’s Treasure Hunt

Popeye and Son

Foofur

Pound Puppies (1986)

The Flintstone Kids