Video of the Week: The Great Jonny Quest Documentary

 With August finally coming to a close, I think now's a good time to announce my plans for this blog in September. Seeing as the month marks 60 years since Jonny Quest first premiered, I'd like to introduce you all to "Jonny Questember," a month-long celebration of Hanna-Barbera's first (and best!) adventure series. I've got lots of exciting things to share, and I'm starting it off with this wonderful YouTube documentary about the show. With a runtime of over two hours, it's an amazingly in-depth look at the original series. Another blogger and friend, Kamden Spies, showed me this months back, and I was blown away by how good it was. This is only part one, so if you enjoy what you see, I definitely recommend watching the other two.

A Look At The Gazoo Gazette

 Many of you may be aware of The Exposure Sheet, Hanna-Barbera's monthly newsletter that started in 1967 (and the source of this blog's name!). But I bet only a few of you have heard of The Gazoo Gazette. Launching in August 1996, this was Hanna-Barbera's second and final newsletter. Brian A. Miller, a producer at Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network, shared these pages from its inaugural issue. Joe Barbera, Bill Hanna, and Genndy Tartakovsky were interviewed, and the premiere of Dexter's Lab was also celebrated. Miller doesn't remember how long these ran for, but seeing as it was right before the Turner-Warner merger, I can't imagine there were many. Perhaps I have a reader or two who worked at HB around '96 that might have the answer?

Video of the Week: Introducing Hanna-Babrera Land

 Does anyone here remember Hanna-Barbera land? No, I'm not talking about the brand's presence at Universal Studios, Kings Island, or anything like that, but a full-fledged park dedicated to Fred, Scooby, Yogi, Jabberjaw, and more. It was located in Texas and had an extremely short-lived run. How short was it? Well, it opened in 1984, and was closed the following year, due mostly to competition from other locations and an oil bust in the area. 

While the park is long gone now, this commercial for the park from 1984 paints a picture of what it looked like. Some attractions included a carousel, bumper cars, and a Scooby-Doo rollercoaster. Looks like it would've been a fun place to visit, and it's a real shame it was around for such a short time.

Review: Hanna-Barbera, The Recorded History

 In the world of literature, this year has been pretty solid for fans of Hanna-Barbera. May saw the release of Hanna and Barbera: Conversations (check out my review of that book here), and this month, Hanna-Barbera, the Recorded History: From Modern Stone Age to Meddling Kids is unleashed by Greg Ehrbar. Ehrbar was nice enough to send me an early copy, and I was ecstatic to dig into this one. Many of you are likely familiar with Ehrbar's work on Cartoon research, but he's primarily known for his work with Disney. From writing comics to historical books, Ehrbar knows Disney quite well. He's also a big Hanna-Barbera history buff, and this book is proof of that.

So, what exactly is Hanna-Barbera, The Recorded History? Some might simply assume it's a retrospective on the company's short-lived record label of the 1960s, but it's much more than that. Ehrbar chronicles Hanna-Barbera's entire recorded history. From Colpix to Peter Pan Records, from The Flintstones to Banana Splits, and from the early days of Bill and Joe's partnership to today, no stone is left unturned. Voice actors, composers, lyricists, and singers are all covered, and then some. Even a few unreleased records are discussed in the book. He doesn't merely name off a bunch of records or shows and discuss the music, either. He weaves it through the history of the studio, and does a great job of showing why this is all worth remembering so many years after the fact. He shows how exactly their recorded history has evolved, from the early days of records featuring recast characters to today, where the cues of entire classic series have been released. 

While a lot of attention is (deservedly) put on people like Hoyt Curtin and the voice actors who built Hanna-Barbera's cartoon empire, Ehrbar also shines a spotlight on those involved in these records who are often forgotten. He looks at everyone from the writers of the records to the actors who voiced the characters when their primary actors were unavailable. It was fascinating to learn more about these individuals and learn why the voices on many records didn't match the voices on TV. Ehrbar also answers some big questions fans may have in this book. One of my favorite sections was focused on how the iconic sound effects of The Jetsons came into being. I also loved learning about the musicians featured on Hanna-Barbera records. Many forget, but HBR did a lot more than Flintstones and Yogi Bear albums!

If the book itself wasn't enough, Ehrbar was also nice enough to throw in a very helpful notes section and even better, an entire discography for the works of Hanna-Barbera. All in all, the book simply oozes a love for the music, sound, and voices of Hanna-Barbera. It's Ehrbar's dedication that really makes this book. But the biggest compliment that I can give this book is that it makes the reader want to learn even more about the subject. This is something I feel any good biographical book does, and ever since I read this title, I've started to listen to more and more of the Hanna-Barbera records. With just this book, I went from being simply aware of them to listening to as many as I could, and I can't give this book enough praise for doing that.

In short, Hanna-Barbera, The Recorded History is an amazing deep-dive into the auditory world of Hanna-Barbera. Whether you're interested in their records, the voice actors, or the musical cues featured in the shows, you'll leave this book a happy camper. 

Alan Reed Enters the Ring

 Quick disclaimer: This post was originally set to be published yesterday. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm knocked out my internet from the beginning of the weekend until last night, hence the lack of posts this week. Anywho, onto the post!

When animation fans think of Alan Reed, most tend to think of him as the voice of Fred Flintstone, and that's about it. He wasn't a man of a thousand voices in the way people like Mel Blanc or Daws Butler were, but I would argue he was every bit as innovative as they were. As Greg Ehrbar points out in his new title, Hanna-Barbera: The Recorded History, Reed tackled the role of Fred as a sitcom protagonist first, and as a cartoon character second. This gave the character a sense of reality and grounding, unlike most other classic cartoon characters. This approach was arguably every bit as groundbreaking as the show Fred Flintstone sprung from. 

In celebration of his birthday (August 20th, 1907), here's a nice biography on Reed in The Lewiston Evening Journal published in December of 1964. Reed's radio career, wrestling days, hobbies, and more are all detailed.

Alan Reed Was Wrestling Champ

    Alan Reed, entering his fifth season as the voice of Fred Flintstone, has long ago become accustomed to being greeted with a "Yabba Dabba Doo" wherever he goes. 
    Reed is a veteran of 38 years in show business. He spent 30 years in radio where he frequently worked as many as 35 different broadcasts a week. 

    In such characterizations as Falstaff Openshaw on "The Fred Allen Show," as Rubinoff with Eddie Cantor, and as the original daddy to Fanny Brice's Baby Snooks, Reed achieved nationwide fame. From his roles of Clancy the cop on "Duffy's Tavern" and Pasquale in "Life with Luigi," he moved on to television. He also had a featured role in the "Mr. Adams and Eve" TV series.
    Born Teddy Bergman, he grew up in New York City and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts until he met the age requirement at Columbia University. Majoring in journalism, he also won the Eastern Intercollegiate heavyweight wrestling title and took part in the school's annual varsity shows.
    He began his stage career with an Oklahoma City stock company, but shortly returned to New York and during 1934-35 starred in "The Blubber Bergman Show."
    Reed met his wife, Finette, while both were working in experimental TV in New York City.
    The Reeds moved to Hollywood in 1943, and since that time Allan has appeared in more than 50 motion pictures, the list including such hits as "Viva Zapata," "The Postman Always Rings Twice," "Desperate Hours," and "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
    In 1955 he founded Alan Reed Enterprises, a Hollywood advertising specialties and business gifts sales firm.
    The Reeds reside in a modern ranch style Beverly Hills home above the Sunset Strip. Their sons, Alan Jr. and Stephen, have presented them with five grandchildren.
    Reed's special interests include reading, golf, square dancing, and Fred Flintstone, whom Alan admits he resembles physically.

Video of the Week: Fred and Barney Have a Laugh

 Hey, everyone. Apologies for the lack of posts this week. Work's been kind of hectic recently, but I'm hopeful I'll return to a semi-normal schedule soon. At the very least, you can expect a review of Greg Ehrbar's new Hanna-Barbera book next week (spoiler alert: it is quite good!). September will also be a big month for this blog, as I plan on celebrating the anniversary of a particular show, but I'll discuss that more near the end of the month.

Anywho, this next week will mark what would've been Alan Reed's 117th birthday, the man who gave life to Fred Flintstone. I'll have more to say about him when that day comes, but until then, enjoy this 1962 TV pilot called Strictly for Laffs. The idea behind this series was simple. It's a roundtable of comedians discussing life, and their work, and having a laugh in the process. The pilot also happens to have not one, but two, classic animation voice actors. Alan Reed obviously makes an appearance, and later on, we see the man of a thousand voices himself, Mel Blanc. Unsurprisingly, their animated counterparts become a topic of conversation for both actors. 

The Yogi Bear Ball Toss Game

 Here's a fun little game I learned of through an Instagram post recently. Below is a ball toss game themed around Yogi Bear, released by Transogram. They were the makers of many toys and board games from 1951 to 1971, with several being themed around the Hanna-Barbera characters. The objective is pretty simple: throw the balls into Yogi's mouth, and whoever scores the most points wins. Below is the packaging art, featuring some odd-looking children playing the game. Also note the art in the corner noting that this is inspired by Huckleberry Hound, as this was before Yogi got his own series.

Now, here's what the game looks like. He's got quite the smile if you ask me. I love the buck-teeth, and how it looks like he's got freckles. Yes, I know Yogi is typically featured with whiskers, but here, they look a lot more like freckles. Overall, this is a pretty odd piece of early Hanna-Barbera merchandise (which is saying a lot honestly), but I love stuff like this and I hope you guys do as well.

Video of the Week: Daws Butler on CNN

 It's not everyday you stumble upon a TV interview with Daws Butler, and for this week's video, I've got quite a special one. Below is a segment that aired on CNN on December 23rd, 1981 featuring an interview with Butler. It starts at about the 23-minute mark. In this interview, he primarily discusses how animation has changed over the course of his career, and the problems facing the industry. It's interesting to see how Butler's views of the industry at that time (animation being done by committee, the networks having more power than the artists) seem quite similar to the critiques levied at the industry today. The more things change the more they stay the same, am I right?

Butler was also joined in this segment by Richard Webb. Webb appeared on radio and on film, but he's probably best remembered for portraying radio hero Captain Midnight in a TV series that ran from 1954 to 1956. Give the video a look down below!

A Real Treat from Dick Bickenbach

 Tomorrow marks 117 years since animator Richard Bickenbach was born. He had an extraordinary career in the industry that spanned fifty years and saw him work with everyone from Ub Iwerks to, of course, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera. He was one of many who joined the company in the aftermath of MGM closing down their animation unit, and he stayed with them until 1980. He played a big role in shaping the look of their early shows, and for many of us, when we imagine the likes of Yogi Bear and the Flintstones family, it's his art we see. 

Below is a short but nonetheless insightful piece about Bickenbach shortly after his retirement. This ran in The Desert Sun on January 31st, 1981, highlighting his appearance at the Palm Springs Women's Club. It also sheds some light on his pre-animation days, information that I had never heard of before finding this article. 

Palm Springs Women's Club

    The Palm Springs Women's Club will meet Monday at 314 S. Cahuilla Road at 2 p.m. The program titled "A Real Treat" will feature Dick Bickenbach, Dorothy Bickenbach, and Jim Bisso.  

    Dick Bickenbach studied music in Long Beach and won a scholarship to the Chicago College of Music. He studied with Frans-Proshowski and sang on a half-hour program at KNX radio. Dick is a graduate from UCLA and is the artist for the "Flintstones" and "Yogi Bear"/

    Dorothy Bickenbach, a graduate from USC played at KNX radio for the musicians where she met her husband. She has taught music and now, retired, gives her time to help students at C.O.D.

    Jim Bisso has been playing the mandolin since he was a child. Though he was in the electrical business for 35 years, his love for music never diminished. He enjoys playing today as much as he did when he was a child.

Welcome to the Hanna-Barbera Store

 Last year, I wrote up a post discussing the obscure and short-lived Hanna-Barbera stores, the studios' answer to Disney's then newly-launched retail locations. If you haven't seen that post and are interested, check it out here. Today, I return to this topic to present this newspaper ad for the grand opening of the first location, found inside LA's West Pavilion Mall. Fittingly enough, this weekend marked 34 years since it opened! Attendees could meet both Fred Flintstone and his current voice actor, see the Flintmobile, and grab goodies based on Jetsons: The Movie, which had just been released in theaters. It definitely sounded like a great opening for what could've been a great line of stores. You can thank Ted Turner for nipping that in the bud!

The Boomerang App Calls It a Day

Between the launch of MeTV Toons and a seemingly never-ending line of titles coming to Blu-Ray, the last few months have been pretty kind to Hanna-Barbera enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the news I report today is anything but. Effective September 30th of this year, the Boomerang app, which Turner launched in 2017, will be a thing of the past. And before you ask, no, this has no impact on the Boomerang TV channel.

In case you've never heard of it (which I think will be many of you, as Warner hasn't acknowledged it in years), the Boomerang app was exactly what it sounds like. For five bucks a month, viewers were treated to a bevy of Warner Brothers, MGM, Hanna-Barbera, and Cartoon Network titles. Basically, it was everything you'd want to watch on Boomerang, but couldn't, as it wasn't airing on the channel at the time of launch. It was a fine streaming service, but it rarely ever saw new titles added. The day-one content was nearly indistinguishable from what's available now. Considering how ignored it is by Warner, as well as how obsessed they are with cutting costs, I'm honestly surprised it took this long.

Though the Boomerang app is no more, they promise that a lot of the content will migrate to HBO Max (or Max, as they insist on calling it now). Some of it also appears to be headed to Hulu, as this last week saw The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Josie and the Pussycats all debut on the service. Though it's nice to see these titles make their way to more accessible services, I am a little bummed to see this app join the streaming service graveyard. It was far from perfect, and I haven't been subscribed in years, but I don't think we'll ever see another streaming service with so many titles from these studios. I couldn't see Netflix or even Warners' own HBO Max carry all those direct-to-DVD Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry titles, for example.

Farewell to the Boomerang app. Say hi to Quibi for me. Actually, does anyone even remember that service?

Video of the Week: Dishwashing with The Jetsons

 Despite living in a future full of robot maids and flying cars, the world of The Jetsons somehow still deals with dishes that come out of the wash dirty. Thankfully, they have Electrasol to help them out. Back in the early 2000s, the family was used in a series of commercials to promote their products. These were done by Primal Screen, who did a ton of work for Cartoon Network over the years, and sadly closed their doors this past May. Below is one ad in the campaign, showing George (voiced by the legendary Billy West) discovering the joys of Electrasol. There were several ads in the campaign, including one that saw Janet Waldo reprise her role as Judy Jetson. As far as I'm aware, this was the last time she voiced the character.

Another interesting piece of trivia exclusive to this particular commercial is that the late Martin C. Croker animated portions of it. Croker animated several spots for CN over the years, but he's far better known for the voice roles he did in numerous Adult Swim shows, starting with Zorak and Moltar on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. He was a tremendously talented individual who Adult Swim took for granted, and he was taken from us far too soon. He may no longer be with us, but he lives on through his voice roles and animated work.

The Warner Archive Presents: A Jonny Quest Double Feature

 What's a better way to start a new month than with the announcement of a new Hanna-Barbera title coming from the Warner Archive? Announced just last night, September 30th will see a Blu-Ray double feature release of two Jonny Quest movies: Jonny's Golden Quest and Jonny vs. the Cyber Insects. 

For those who don't know or don't remember, these were TV movies that acted as the finale for the classic era of Jonny Quest, shortly before The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest took the franchise in a new direction when it premiered in 1996. Golden Quest premiered on the USA channel in 1993, while Cyber Insects debuted on TNT in 1995. This is the first time either title has been available on Blu-Ray, though Warner Archive did release both on DVD back in 2011. No special features are included with the release, which is a shame, but not exactly shocking, either. 

As someone who remembers watching these when I was younger but nothing about the films themselves, I'm rather excited for this release. You don't see much discussion for these movies when people talk about the later incarnations of Quest, so I'm curious to see how they stack up against those. The September release date is also appropriate, considering that month will mark sixty years since the original series debut.