Don Messick Travels Across the Pond

I've got one last post to finish off July, and I think I may have saved the best for last. Below is an English newspaper article focused on Don Messick. As his son Tim mentioned in my interview with him, Don made a lot of overseas visits in his later years to children's hospitals and similar locations. During such occasions, Messick shared his many character voices, and entertained children with his ventriloquist abilities. I was never fortunate enough to meet Mr. Messick, but stories like these really show that he was just as sweet and kind as many who worked with him over the years say he was. I hope you enjoy this piece, which ran in the Medway News on November 14th, 1986. And before you say anything, yes, the list of characters the paper claims Messick voices is...let's just say "questionable."

Scooby in the Priory

    Handicapped youngsters in Strood were delighted by a visit from their favorite cartoon characters.
    Fifty children at Ravenswood Priory were able to talk to Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Hong Kong Phooey, Papa Smurf, Penelope Pitstop, Dastardly and Muttley. And they are all the product of one man's voice box. 

    Don Messick, who is the voice behind more than 30 cartoons, was starting a two-week tour of Spastics Society day centres around the country with his children's show.
    He ran through his most famous characters and also did a ventriloquist act with his Papa Smurf puppet.
    The children at the day centre for the handicapped were captivated by Don's ability to switch back and forth between characters.
    Don's visit was organized by Medway Area Care Project, which works under the auspices of The Spastics Society. It holds play days every school holiday for children who are mentally or physically handicapped.

Just as Messick enjoyed entertaining children, it looks like the media in England enjoyed interviewing the voice-acting veteran. In 1984, he appeared on the popular British children's program Blue Peter, as evidenced by this blurb below. He'd appear during a segment on ITV News a decade later. I'd share one of these in this post, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like they're available online. If I had a nickel for every Don Messick TV interview I knew of but couldn't find, I'd be rich! Well, not quite, but you get the picture.

Fred Heads to Hawaii

I'm sure many of you remember the Flintstones episode "Hawaiian Escapade," which featured Fred and the gang winning a trip to the locale to visit the set of a TV show, but what if I told you that wasn't the first time Fred wound up there? Kinda. In July 1962, four months before that episode aired, Fred touched down in Honolulu to meet his many adoring fans. Here's a piece that ran in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on July 15th, 1962, promoting the event.

Fred Flintstone's Coming to Oahu

    A royal Hawaiian aloha will welcome television star "Fred Flintstone" next Friday when the A.B.C.-TV personality arrives at Honolulu Airport for his first Island visit.
    A hula troupe and State and City dignitaries will be on hand to greet the Hanna-Barbera "hero" of TV fans. A special floral-decked float and motorcade—with official police escort—will carry Fred from the airport to downtown Honolulu.
    The television idol will make personal appearances Friday through Sunday, July 20-22, at Honolulu's Gem Store, 1199 Dillingham Boulevard.
    On Monday, July 23, Fred calls on the patients of Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children, where the party will include ice cream provided by Dairyman's.
    In photo above, Fred indicates his ancestry is Hawaiian. Perhaps Bishop Museum administrators can authenticate it.
    "The Flintstones" telecasts are viewed here on KHVH Friday nights at 7:30.

This paper also had a giant advertisement for the event, which you can view below. Not only is the appearance advertised, but lots of merchandise, including shirts, towels, records, and a contest to win a replica of Fred's ride.

Video of the Week: Sniff and Snuff Teach Fire Safety

 Hanna-Barbera cartoons always seemed to have some great pairings: Yogi and Boo Boo, Fred and Barney, Pixie and Dixie, you get the idea. But the one I'm sure nobody mentions is Sniff and Snuff. Who are Sniff and Snuff you ask? They were characters created in partnership with the California Division of Forestry. The two strived to keep California safe and fire-free and appeared in a few PSAs on television in 1967, which you can see below. A big thanks goes to Craig Davison of the Cartoon Research Facebook group for shedding light on these!

If the fact almost nobody remembers these guys didn't make it obvious, Sniff and Snuff didn't exactly take off. After these ads, they fell off the face of the Earth. And I mean that in the literal sense. The next time they showed up was in 1969, when they visited the moon, learning that ignoring fire safety precautions caused it to be the inhabited land we know today. Kind of weird, but it's obvious they were tapping into America's fascination with the cosmos following the space race with this one. You can check those ads right here, thanks to Internet Archive user "California-Revealed". 

Making Cartoons with Fred and Barney

 Apparently, Geico insurance isn't the only thing that's easy enough for a caveman to do. They can also make cartoons! At least, according to these three fun pieces of artwork that appeared in the March 1st edition of The Los Angeles Times in 1964. These drawings show a simplified demonstration of how cartoons are made, from the earliest sketches until the cartoon is finally assembled in the editing room. I've seen the first drawing before, but I've never seen the others until now. I don't know for certain the artist behind these, but I suspect this is Dick Bickenbach's work. 

Putting life into cartoons

    

This does not represent a minor revolt at the Hanna-Barbera cartoon studios. Rather, Fred Flintstone and his pal, Barney Rubble, are simply showing how their animated color cartoon series, "The Flintstones," is produced for ABC. They demonstrate how the studio's artists prepare individual transparent "cels," and how they edit the film. Then there's the typical recording sessions held by the show's voices, Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Alan Reed and Jean Vander Pyl. It all adds up to a lot of work for the people behind the scenes. That's the way it is each week with a cartoon series—then it's back to the old drawing board. 

 

Hanna-Barbera Salutes June Foray

 This week marks seven years since we lost the irreplaceable June Foray, arguably the greatest voice actress animation has ever had. The list of characters she's voiced is nothing short of impressive: Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Granny, Natasha Fatale, Witch Hazel, Cindy Lou Who, Spider-Man's Aunt May, Magica De Spell, and the list goes on and on. She worked with everyone from Warner Brothers to Disney for over seven decades. I'd share the great Chuck Jones quote on her, but I'm sure you've heard it at least once before.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to spotlight her much on this blog. I already have a little something planned for her birthday in September, but until then, check out this great cel the Hanna-Barbera folks made in tribute to her. This was done at some point in the nineties and is signed by both Bill and Joe. It features several of the characters she portrayed in the studio's shows, as well as a lovely poem celebrating her. 

I feel I should mention who's who in this piece, as even I drew a blank trying to remember some of these characters. The only ones I recognize are Grandma Cavemom from The Flintstones Kids, Granny from 2 Stupid Dogs, and Jokey Smurf. The characters to the side of Granny and the dinosaur I don't know, but they also look like characters from The Flintstones Kids. While it's a lovely tribute, the character selection could've been better. Come on, no Grandma Dynamite or Tanya? 

MeTV Toons News Roundup - Summer 2024

 It's been about a month since its launch, so why don't we check in on what's new with MeTV Toons? At this point, I imagine a lot of you have been watching the channel if you have access to it. If you want my two cents on the channel, I think it's been great so far, and it looks like it'll only get better in the months to come. From schedule changes to convention panels, here's the latest news on MeTV Toons!

Over the last week or so, the channel has seen its first major schedule changes. For the Hanna-Barbera shows, Penelope Pitstop has replaced airings of Wacky Races, while Yogi's Space Race replaced Yogi's Gang. The Flintstones Family Specials block on Sundays has also begun airing The New Fred and Barney Show, and the original Scooby-Doo has been swapped out with The Scooby-Doo Show. Starting tomorrow, The Secret Squirrel Show will replace airings of Atom Ant.

If seeing some of these shows leave the schedule disappoints you, don't worry. The plan is to rotate series in and out of the schedule, which will help the channel stay fresh without having to make original programming. That info comes straight from Neil Sabin, the vice-chairman of Wiegel Broadcasting, who recently did an interview with the YouTube channel Black Nerd Comedy. The video is above, but if you simply want the highlights, here they are.

• There will be special celebrations for specific months and holidays. For example, October will lean heavily on Scooby-Doo shows and specials.
• The Yogi Bear Show and Huckleberry Hound will debut on the network soon. Both will be restored, complete with the original opening and closing segments. Hokey Wolf and Pixie and Dixie will be coming along for the ride.
• New Hanna-Barbera shows coming include Dastardly and Muttley, Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har, Loopy De Loop, Jeannie, and The Superfriends. I should also mention that The Superfriends come to Blu-Ray this fall!
• New prints are also in the works for Touche Turtle, Top Cat, Magilla Gorilla, Wally Gator, and Frankenstein Jr..

Overall, there's some exciting stuff in the cards for MeTV Toons' future, and that's only on the Hanna-Barbera side of things. There's plenty more where that came from, as well as a lot of stuff they are currently working on acquiring.

Last but not least, if you're heading to San Diego Comic-Con this week, MeTV Toons will be there as well! The panel is held on Friday from 1-2 PM, and will feature Jerry Beck, Eric Bauza, Bob Bergen, Neal Sabin, Candi Milo, and Jeff Bergman as guests. Attendees will get a sneak peek at the network's Bugs Bunny birthday documentary (which will air on the channel the following Sunday), and a free gift.  Give it a look if you're going, and while you're at it, head on over to Greg Ehrbar's Hanna-Barbera panel as well!

And with that, I think I've covered every single bit of news (Hanna-Barbera adjacent news, at least) related to MeTV Toons. The channel's been great so far, and it looks like it'll only get better as time goes on!

Video of the Week: Fred Flintstone's a Pepper Too!

 This week's featured video is a strange one for sure. This is a TV commercial from 1980 for Dr. Pepper, a soda brand I really don't think I need to explain to anyone. At first, it seems like your standard eighties commercials, and it is, but look who appears during the commercial's final seconds. It's everyone's favorite caveman, Fred Flintstone, who proclaims that he, too, is a pepper! Joining him in the celebration is Jimmie Walker, best known for his role on the sitcom Good Times, and the lead of An American Werewolf in London, David Naughton. Naughton was essentially the mascot for Dr. Pepper at the time, which makes me wonder if any of my readers remember this particular ad campaign?

Alice in Rexall-Land

 You know what company sounds like the perfect sponsor for your primetime animated adaptation of Alice in Wonderland? Why, a drugstore of course! For Hanna-Barbera's 1966 take on the classic story, the drugstore Rexall collaborated with them to help promote the special. It seems like a weird pairing, but it's not that odd if you look at the company's history. Rexall, who no longer exists (the locations in Canada merely use the name through licensing), sponsored several radio shows, including Amos and Andy and The Jimmy Durante Show. Coca-Cola was also a sponsor for the special. Take a look at this colorful advertisement promoting both the store and the special, as well as a sweepstakes readers could enter for a chance to win a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado.

Naturally, when the special was broadcast, a series of commercials for Rexall accompanied it. Check them out below!

Much of the merchandise released of the special also made mention of the Rexall partnership. Below's a candy dish and a promotional comic book, the latter of which was only available at...you guessed it, Rexall. What were you expecting, Spirit Halloween?

Stu's Show Gets a Lesson in Hanna-Barbera History

 As many of you may already know, this year sees the release of two Hanna-Barbera books. Already out is Kevin Sandler and Tyler Williams' Hanna and Barbera Conversations, and next month sees the release of Greg Ehrbar's Hanna-Barbera: The Recorded History. I really enjoyed reading the former and I'm especially excited to see the latter, but in the meantime, I've got a special treat to share with you all.

If you've never heard of Stu's Show, it's a podcast revolving around classic television. Hosted by Stu Shostak, many of the show's episodes over the years have also focused on classic animation, featuring guests like Jerry Beck, June Foray, Tony Benedict, and many, many more. Tomorrow will feature a discussion with the authors of both books, and I cannot wait to hear it. Give the episode a watch if you're interested in either of these books, and if you like what you hear, please check out more episodes of Stu's Show. It's been going on strong for over fifteen years, so you're bound to check out at least one or two episodes that'll interest you. I'd also recommend donating to his Patreon, as you get some really neat VIP offerings, such as invitations to live shows. Overall, it looks to be a great discussion between four individuals who know their stuff!

Muttley Starts Your Day with a Bang

 It's a new week here on The Exposure Sheet, so why don't we start it with a bang? And few characters are better at blowing stuff up than Muttley from Wacky Races! Here's a sweet alarm clock of the maniacal mutt, released in Japan sometime during the 1970s. In case you didn't know, over in Japan, Wacky Races has a big following, so there's been a lot of merchandise released for the series only over there (If you'd like to see some of that merch, look at this post I made last September). 

Named the "Barking Mad Alarm Clock", Muttley here plays a few songs when the alarm is triggered, including "How Much is That Doggy in the Window" and "It's a Small World." Muttley barks along to the tunes, and after each song concludes, a good morning message is uttered. As you can see, his design differs a little from how he looks in the series, featuring a black spot over his left eye. I'm curious about why this change was made.

It seems like this product was a popular one, as in 1994, it was actually re-released. This time, Muttley sports a design more accurate to his show look. The sounds that accompany the alarm are replaced as well. In this version, a ticking noise plays, followed by a voice (which I assume belongs to Dick Dastardly) saying "Its' time, get up early" before an explosion happens. Here's a video of this version of the clock in action.  Like I said, it's a really neat obscure piece of Hanna-Barbera merch, and of one of my favorite characters to boot!

Video of the Week: William Hanna Tells the Truth

 This coming Sunday marks what would've been the 114th birthday of Hanna-Barbera co-founder William Hanna. Unlike his partner Joseph Barbera, who lived and breathed Hollywood, Hanna was a lot more low-key. He wasn't obsessed with fame, and rarely made appearances without Barbera.

Note that I did say "rarely", and not "never", because there were a few times he appeared on TV by his lonesome. One such time was in 1975, when he appeared on the game show, To Tell the Truth. For those who have never heard of the show, it revolves around a group of contestants having to guess which of three individuals has led the life they are told of. Hanna was that person in the group seen in this clip, which also features an appearance by Jellystone Park's own Yogi Bear. It's a pretty fun segment, and it's nice to see Hanna get his own time in the spotlight.

The Stars of Hanna-Barbera, Coming to a Fair Near You!

Have you ever seen a Hanna-Barbera cartoon and wondered what it'd be like to meet Fred Flintstone or Top Cat? If so, my first thought is that you need to be outside more. My second thought is that, back in the early sixties, you could've done that and more! Screen Gems, the company that initially distributed Hanna-Barbera's cartoons, came up with the idea of personal appearances. Locations ranging from parks to fairs could make arrangements for characters like Yogi Bear and Wally Gator to meet and entertain guests. 

Take a look at this ad from 1963, showing off a couple of the characters that were available for appearances. Considering how early this was in the company's life, these may have been the first costumes done for the characters. They'd be remade over and over in the following decades, but these early costumes are a little..uncanny, let's say. It's also interesting to see Top Cat sporting his model sheet design, rather than the actual outfit he had in the show, as was commonplace in merchandise of the time.

You may be wondering who the man next to Fred is. No, it's not Alan Reed, despite him being named in the caption above the photo. It's actually Ed Alberian, who entertained everyone from children to President Harry Truman. His relationship with Hanna-Barbera didn't end here, either, as he would appear in The Banana Splits years later. Below is another ad showing off both these costumes and Alberian, this time from 1960. This time, the ad focuses on a show based around Huckleberry Hound, which promises to entertain "all ages, adults as well as children."

Both ads urge readers to "call Ed Justin," and you're probably wondering who that is as well. Justin was the man at Screen Gems who handled the licensing of all the Hanna-Barbera characters. All those Pebbles dolls that flew off store shelves when the character was first introduced? You can partly thank him for pulling that off. If you'd like to know more about him and the early years of Hanna-Barbera licensing, read this post from Yowp's blog. Not only does it detail his role at Screen Gems, but it also highlights a lot of early Hanna-Barbera merchandise, some you might've seen before, and others that may be brand new!

Hanna-Barbera Sales Advertisements Throughout the Years

 With how much airtime the Hanna-Barbera library has gotten through Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and now MeTV Toons over the last few decades, it's easy to forget that there was a time when these shows were made for the major networks, like ABC and CBS. But it wasn't necessarily easier. They still had to get said networks to buy the shows, and one way they could do that was through sales ads. Often appearing in trade magazines, these advertisements showed off Hanna-Barbera's offerings for a particular TV season, enticing networks to give them a call and pick up the shows. Here are a few of these ads, ranging from the mid-sixties to the early nineties. 

This first one appears to be from 1964, as it advertises the two newest additions to the Hanna-Barbera family, Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus. It also references the collaboration between Ideal Toys that helped bring both of these shows to life.

This second one comes from 1977, and must've appeared in trades from around February, as it sports a Valentine's Day theme. The ad combines classic characters like Yogi and Penelope Pitstop, with some of their later efforts, like everyone's favorite, the Funky Phantom. 

Hanna-Barbera really liked to experiment with their trade ads around this time. This one from 1979 features the characters as pieces to an ice cream sundae. I'll have two scoops of Top Cat, please!

Unfortunately, it seems that they seemed to go back to a more generic approach for these ads as the eighties came around. This ad from '84 simply has a lineup of their major characters, promising that they'll wake up the kids this fall. Seems a bit ominous if you ask me!

1989's ad shows off four of Hanna-Barbera's most successful shows of the time, while bragging about being the best in the business. While there's nothing wrong with some confidence, I think you and I both know that was not the case by this point.

The last one I could find was from 1991 and man...I don't like to get negative on here, but this is one dire lineup. Not all of these shows I necessarily find bad, but none of them even come close to a lot of the ones seen in earlier ads. It's honestly not a surprise Great America had so much trouble finding a new owner for the company when they sold it that year.

Photography With Yogi Bear

 I feel like it's been a while since I shared some strange Hanna-Barbera merchandise, so how does a camera bolted into Yogi Bear's mouth sound? Released in 1975, this is a Yogi Bear 126 film camera, made in Hong Kong. While I like the idea, the execution is pretty lacking. I know I know, this was probably as good as they could do back then, but I can't get over how his tongue just cuts off where the lens is. I feel it would have looked better if they just had his mouth be a pure black void. You also gotta love the packaging, showing Yogi using the camera. Seems like someone's got a pretty big ego!

Here's what the camera looks like out of the box. The camera doesn't look as jarring here, but the side of Yogi does. Honestly, when I first saw this, I thought it was some weird bootleg toy. Could you really blame me though?

Video of the Week: A Taste Right Out of History

 Everyone loves ice cream when that summer heat hits, and one of my favorites growing up was the push-up popsicles. These were exactly what they sounded like. The popsicles were encased in tubes that you pushed on so you could get more. Even today, these popsicles remain popular, but one of the more interesting variants on them came in 1990 with push-ups based on The Flintstones.

Below is a commercial for the popsicles, which came in several flavors and characters (Like with the earlier Flintstones vitamins, though, Betty was nowhere to be seen). And, like every commercial aimed at kids in 1990, much of it is told through a rap. While I must admit I don't get much out of seeing Fred and Barney doing so, it's never not amusing to see how new trends and the passage of time can lead many of the classic cartoon characters to evolve, sometimes in strange ways.

The Stars of Hanna-Barbera Celebrate the Fourth of July

 It's the Fourth of July today, and I'm many of you who live in America are ready to watch some fireworks and have a cookout. While we all love spending time with our families and friends on this day, how about we add cartoon characters to the celebration? Back when Hanna-Barbera was still an active studio, they would release a new calendar for employees every year. Today, I'm sharing a few of the July illustrations seen in these calendars.

Here's the July art from the 1980 calendar. As you can see, Fred, Wilma, and Barney look to be channeling the spirit of '76 here. It's funny that people always discuss the strangeness of Flintstones media featuring Christmas, yet nobody ever talks about how weird it is to see these characters celebrate the birth of a country that didn't exist in prehistoric times.

In 1990, a decade later, the Hanna-Barbera artists decided to let the family of the future celebrate the fourth this time around. That one makes a lot more sense than the Flintstones one. It's also not shocking to see the Jetsons be the focus of July for this particular year, as this was the same time the 1990 animated movie was released in theaters. Here, we see the family preparing a barbecue while Astro and Elroy seem to have gone airborne!

One last illustration for today, this one comes from the 1998 calendar, which I believe was the very last calendar the studio put out. This one is based on Wacky Races, and has a similar kind of setup to the Jetsons piece. The difference is that this time, it's Dastardly and Muttley on the rocket. I imagine things don't go so well for them here.

Some Quick Words from Henry Corden and Janet Waldo

 I've got a nice little surprise for you guys today. Here's not one, but two newspaper interviews with Hanna-Barbera voice actors. Featured here are Henry Corden (second voice of Fred Flintstone) and Janet Waldo (Judy Jetson). These come from the June 3rd, 1990 edition of The Toronto Star, and were part of a larger piece that saw the outlet interview a whole host of children's entertainment creators. Several writers worked on the piece, but Jane Hawtin was the individual who did both of these. I'll start with Corden's section first and then follow it up with Waldo's.

For whatever reason, Henry Corden's name was erroneously written as "Henry Cordon" in this piece. As for the content itself, this section has Corden discuss his voice-acting beginnings, his relationship with OG Fred Flintstone Alan Reed, dubbing over Jackie Gleason, and the evolution of The Flintstones characters. Enjoy!

Henry Corden: Fred Flintstone

    So, how does a nice boy from Montreal end up in Bedrock as the voice of Fred Flintstone?
    He leaves Montreal, gets his stage training in Montreal and then knocks on the door of Hanna Barbera in California. "I was kind of drifted into Hanna Barbera in 1961, doing odd voices for The Flintstones and Jonny Quest, Henry Corden explains. "Then, I got to take over the voice of Fred in 1977, when Alan Reed passed away." 

    Reed and Corden had been pretty good friends. They had some pretty good rivalries and found that their careers had followed similar paths. However, being friends didn't make it any easier for Corden to take over the voice. "That was the hardest part," he says. "You see, Alan used his natural voice. I still have to pump myself up and push to get Fred's voice to sound right."
    Corden did have to practice with the model for Fred Flintstone in the early '70s. "Fred Flintstone is based on Jackie Gleason and The Honeymooners and I used to be hired to dub Jackie's voice for films." It was a strange job. "I was hired by Universal to dub over Jackie's voice for the Smokey and the Bandit movies. I would basically redo the script without the bad words that Gleason would have added while the film was shooting. So I got to know his inflections pretty well."
    Corden is now in his 60s, and Fred is the only character he still performs. "I love Fred. He is a very stable character. He's a family man. He isn't as sexist as he used to be in the earlier cartoons, and I think it's great the way the audiences have accepted the changes. But, I also think it was good when Fred was on the wrong side of things because then the drama came from everybody else setting him straight."

Now, we move on to Janet's interview. Once again, there are a few instances of names being written incorrectly. Daws Butler is "Dos Butler", while Jean Vander Pyl is "Jean Vanderpile." I have no idea how these errors made their way to print quite frankly. Waldo spends most of this interview discussing the enduring legacy of  The Jetsons. Oddly enough, there's not a single mention of the animated Jetsons feature, despite this being written right before its premiere. 

Janet Waldo: Judy Jetson

    Of all the Hanna Barbera cartoon characters, The Jetsons seem to have made the biggest comeback. Hard to believe that when the show originally went to air, there were only 24 episodes.
    "That was almost 25 years ago," remembers Janet Waldo, the voice of daughter Judy. "It was a quirky little show that became a national rage. But there were only those 24 episodes, so they kept playing them over and over on Saturday mornings." 

    Three years ago, Hanna Barbera rounded up the cast once more. "We made 65 episodes and a couple of full-length videos," Waldo says, "but what I think is amazing is that we made them with the entire old cast! Everyone who did The Jetsons originally did it again. 
    Unfortunately, since that time, we have lost dear George O'Hanlon, who played George Jetson, and Daws Butler, who played Elroy, so we have soundalikes for them. But the rest of us are alive and talking!"
    The cast is extraordinary. Rosie the Robot is played by Jean Vander Pyl, also the voice of Wilma Flintstone. Don Messick, who does Scooby-Doo, is Astro. Jane is played by Penny Singleton and Waldo has a whole closet full of characters.
    She slides into each character's voice to play her resume. "I play Judy and Miss Brainmacker and Miss Galaxy on Jetsons, Josie on Josie and the Pussycats. I'm Penelope Pitstop and the evil mother-in-law on The Flintstones and the one that's really fun, I play Hogatha on The Smurfs. She is a wicked but ravishing witch."
    Waldo thinks she knows why The Jetsons revival has worked so well. "We're all into nostalgia. And let's face it, The Jetsons is sort of like Father Knows Best. The old-fashioned family is very hot. Especially an old-fashioned family in outer space.
    Plus, people love to see the outer space gadgets that were dreamed up by our writers and are now household items. W head slidewalks, talking watches. We had the foodarackacycle, which of course, is now the microwave oven. Remember, this was 25 years ago and these things were unheard of, so now they're watching  to see what we'll predict for the next 25 years!"

Coming This August: Top Cat on Blu-Ray!

 The folks at Warner Archive have always done a good job in bringing Hanna-Barbera titles to DVD and Blu-Ray, but they've really been on fire this year. This February saw the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 films released both as a box set and individually on Blu-Ray, and we've gotten several of the early Scooby-Doo direct-to-video films as well. It doesn't look like WB is slowing down either, as this past Friday, it was announced that Top Cat will be making his long-awaited high-definition debut!

Arriving on August 27th, "Top Cat: The Complete Series" will be the first time the classic series has ever been offered on Blu-Ray. All thirty episodes will be spread across four Blu-Ray discs, and the release also comes with a bevy of special features. Of course, these features were all previously available on the DVD releases, but it's nice that they included them in this one. Some features include audio commentaries on three episodes, classic commercials, and an interview with several of the show's cast members, conducted by the late Earl Kress. 

Overall, this looks to be another slamdunk by the Warner Archive crew, and I cannot wait to get my hands on this release. I'm curious as to what series they'll release next on Blu-Ray, though. I'm guessing they'll go with Yogi Bear, but I could very well be wrong. Maybe they'll surprise us and give us a Blu-Ray set of Quick Draw McGraw. Hey, a guy can dream!