Hanna-Barbera Heads for Tubi

 Ever since the official Boomerang app ceased operations in 2024, the Hanna-Barbera library has virtually disappeared from streaming services. Many thought the Boomerang titles would simply migrate to HBO Max, but that never came to pass. Instead, the task has fallen to the free streaming platform Tubi.

Last week, Tubi's official Twitter revealed a truckload of animated series from the WB library will be coming to the streaming service this year. You can see the full list here, but here are all of the Hanna-Barbera titles coming. Keep your eye out for one particularly shocking name.

• Abbott and Costello Cartoons
• The Addams Family (1973)
• Astro and the Space Mutts 
• Atom Ant
• Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
• Cow and Chicken
• Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines
• Dexter's Laboratory 
• The Dukes
• Dumb and Dumber
• Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
• Flintstones Family Adventures
• The Flintstones Kids
• Great Grape Ape
• Help, It's the Hair Bear Bunch
• Hong Kong Phooey
• Jonny Quest
• Magilla Gorilla
• New Scooby-Doo Mysteries
• Paddington Bear
• Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm
• Perils of Penelope Pitstop
• Powerpuff Girls
• A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
• Quick Draw McGraw (!)
• Ricochet Rabbit
• Smurfs
• Snagglepuss
• Super Friends
• 13 Ghosts of Scoobv-Doo
• The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley
• The New Fred and Barney Show
• Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
• Secret Squirrel Show
• Super Globetrotters
• The Tom and Jerry Show
• Tom and Jerry Kids
• Top Cat
• Wacky Races
• Yo! Yogi!
• Yogi's Galaxy Goof-Ups
• Yogi's Gang
• Yogi's Space Race
• Yogi's Treasure Hunt

That's a whopping 44 shows that will drop this year, starting with Powerpuff Girls and Yogi's Gang on March 1st. And yes, you saw that right, Quick Draw McGraw is among the shows slated to appear. Does this mean the show has been remastered and the music issues have been resolved? I have no clue, but we live in a world where Huckleberry Hound is now on Blu-Ray, so I'm optimistic. 

Tubi already has The Flintstones and Yogi Bear, so more of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons coming to the service isn't shocking. The sheer volume of titles arriving definitely is, though. They've picked an impressive lineup of shows from the studio's entire history, many of which have never been seen on streaming period. So if you love Hanna-Barbera but lack access to MeTV Toons, Tubi's got you covered and then some. 

Chatting With Janet Waldo

 This week would've been the 107th birthday of the talented Janet Waldo. In celebration of Hanna-Barbera's premier voice actress, below is a terrific interview with Waldo, conducted by the late, great Dennis Daily. While the interview does touch on her work with Hanna-Barbera, primarily on The Jetsons, there's also plenty of discussion about her other work. From her days as Corliss Archer to appearing on I Love Lucy, Daily left no stone unturned. Give it a listen at the link below!

The Almost Fred's

As a lot of Flintstones fans will know, today is the birthday of the one and only Fred Flintstone. I've made a post before covering some of the many actors who have voiced the character, but what about the men who almost portrayed him? 

Around sixty or so actors auditioned for The Flintstones. Of that group, we know of three that were considered for Fred before the role went to the great Alan Reed. I'll be going through all of them today, starting with the king of Hanna-Barbera voiceovers, Daws Butler. 

Daws voiced both Fred and Barney in the pitch film, The Flagstones. His performance as both characters is good, but nothing particularly special when compared to his other roles. That being said, this was a pilot, so who knows how he'd have sounded in the actual series. Daws would not voice either character when the show was picked up, supposedly because Joe Barbera felt the studio was stretching him too thin. Despite that, he'd go on to voice the occasional side character in the series, and famously filled in for Mel Blanc as Barney after his near-fatal crash.

For a time, the role was nearly George O'Hanlon's. If that name sounds familiar to you, it's because he would later voice George Jetson in The Jetsons. He had sent out a tape that Joe Barbera enjoyed, but there was one small problem: the network didn't, forcing Barbera to continue his search. Though O'Hanlon didn't get the role, Barbera kept him in mind and soon called on him for The Jetsons. O'Hanlon would also contribute to The Flintstones' later seasons as a writer. 

Though I love George O'Hanlon and his work, I have to go with the executives on this one. O'Hanlon's voice worked perfectly for someone like George Jetson, but he lacks the gruffness that Fred Flintstone needs. Funnily enough, that was the exact reason Bill Thompson was booted from the role. For a short time, Touche Turtle himself was going to play Fred Flintstone. He had recorded five episodes before being sacked. Hal Smith, the original voice of Barney, was thrown out with him. 

After a lengthy search, Alan Reed was finally chosen to play Fred Flintstone. Reed hadn't done much in the way of animation at the time (though he did contribute to Disney's Lady and the Tramp, which also featured Bill Thompson), but his voice had the grittiness Joe was looking for. Reed also chose to play the character straight, which I imagine put him above others auditioning for the role. And just like that, history had been made, and I don't think anyone can imagine anybody else voicing Mr. Flintstone.