Video of the Week: A Daws Butler Profile

 There are few people I like to talk more about on this blog than Daws Butler, and today, I've got another opportunity to do so. Check out this news segment from the eighties on Daws Butler's incredible career. He talks about everything from his early acting days to Beany and Cecil, but I think the highlight is the opening of the segment, where we see him alongside puppet renditions of Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. We also see footage of his famous workshops, and what looks to be a table read of Laff-a-Lympics.

If you enjoyed this and would like a more in-depth feature on Daws' life, I suggest you give Daws Butler: Voice Magician a watch. Released shortly before his 1988 passing, it's an amazing look at his career, told by both himself and his many colleagues. The whole documentary is on YouTube, so it's not exactly hard to find, either. Watch it, and trust me when I say you'll be glad you did!

Flintstones Neocid Print Ads

 As mentioned in last week's piece on Carosello, the Flintstones being used to promote Neocid spray continued beyond segments in the series. There were also several print advertisements released, all of which showcase Fred and Wilma discussing how much they need the product to get rid of those pesky insects. Today, I have three of these ads to showcase, starting with what might be the most interesting one. Why is it so interesting? Well, it's not every day you see Wilma Flintstone with normal eyes!

The above ad reads "'The Ancestors' in Carousel. No club... or Neocid or Flies." The Ancestors is what The Flintstones was titled in Italy, while the mentioning of a club might be a reference to the phrase "Wilma, give me the club!" To my understanding, this was Fred's catchphrase in many pieces of merchandise in Italy, rather than the traditional "Yabba Dabba Doo."

This one reads as "'The Ancestors' in Carousel. He reminds you. Neocid or Club." This ad sports more traditional versions of Fred and Wilma, almost looking like they came out of the Flintstones newspaper strip. That being said, I doubt any Hanna-Barbera artists did any of these advertisements.

"Not Fred's club, but Wilma's cunning will solve the problem. You will have confirmation of this in Carousel." is what is said here. This one looks to be less of an ad for Neocid, and more for the Flintstones segments on Carosello. 

And that's everything I have to say about Carosello. At least for now, that is. Know that the translation of these ads isn't 100% accurate (I know a lot about Hanna-Barbera, but not much about the Italian language), but I hope you guys will understand that. Perhaps I have some Italian readers who remember these, or could translate these far better than I could. Just remember this summer if you're having pest issues, who needs a club when you have Neocid?

Happy Birthday, Elliot Field!

 Today marks a very special occasion. On this day in 1927, voice actor Elliot Field was born. Field was one of the "Seven Swingin' Gentlemen" for the Los Angeles KFWB 980 radio station before becoming one of the first voice actors Hanna-Barbera employed. He worked with them from 1959 to 1965, but while his voice was heard in many of their shows, including the extremely popular Flintstones, many have overlooked his work. His most famous Hanna-Barbera role would probably be Blabber Mouse in Snooper and Blabber. He voiced the character in his earlier appearances before Daws Butler took over the role.

At an astounding 97 years old, Field is one of the longest-lived Hanna-Barbera voice actors, and the only surviving actor from their early years. Because of this, I think he more than deserves a celebratory post on this blog, especially as many don't recognize his contributions to these cartoons. Below is a lengthy interview with Field from just a few years ago, where he looks back on his entire life, both in and out of the entertainment industry. He looks fantastic here, and it's awesome to hear such an in-depth conversation with someone who hasn't always gotten his dues.

If that doesn't quite satisfy you, don't worry. Yowp has more than a few pieces on his blog dedicated to Field, and in 2014, Elliot wrote an autobiography, which you can purchase at Amazon right here. To wrap this up, I wish Elliot Field the happiest of birthdays, and that he spends it surrounded by those closest to him.

Video of the Week: Geico Dishes Out a Flintstones Scoop

 It's time for this week's video, and what else could it be other than The Flintstones shilling for some random product? In this instance, we see them in a Geico commercial from around 2007. This one is actually kind of unique compared to a lot I've shown so far. Rather than having the characters going on about the joys of Geico, we see a sensationalized, TMZ-esque report, giving us "the real scoop" on the stone-age family. All of the footage comes from the original series, and this presentation style makes this ad one of the funnier I've seen. Check it out below!

Hanna-Barbera Cookie Jars at the Warner Bros. Studio Store

 Following the merger of Turner and Time Warner, the Hanna-Barbera characters became a common fixture of the short-lived Warner Bros. stores, alongside other properties like the Looney Tunes and DC Comics superheroes. There, you could find the characters as keychains, plush dolls, and the focus of today's post, cookie jars. For whatever reason, cookie jars were popular at these stores, so several Hanna-Barbera characters got turned into jars, some more than once! This isn't a comprehensive collection of them all, but I thought I'd share a few of my favorites, starting with this one of Scooby burning out of a TV set. Scooby-Doo got several cookie jars, which isn't a surprise, as these were made right around the time the franchise became popular again. Overall, it's a pretty good piece. I dig Scooby's expression, and the concept of him popping out of a TV is a lot more interesting than just being a statue of Scoob that has his head pop off.

Speaking of Scooby, here's a fun crossover jar featuring him alongside Dino and Astro, two of Hanna-Barbera's other canine companions (Dino may not have been a dog, but considering his personality, he might as well have been). This was the only cookie jar they did that crossed over characters, which is a real shame. This has to be one of my favorites in the line.

For The Jetsons, we got this lovely jar based off of everyone's favorite maid from the future, Rosie the Robot, who looks like she's ready to prepare some tea. There's actually another Rosie cookie jar that exists, but I think this one is a better depiction of the character, at least from images online. This one looks just a bit better proportioned than the later one. 

The Flintstones, to nobody's surprise, also had their fair share of cookie jars at the store. Below are three in the line: Fred at the quarry, Wilma and Betty, and one of the family in the Flintmobile. The first one looks great, but I feel the latter two leave a lot to be desired. Something about the faces on the Wilma and Betty jar just seems off, and that can also be said for the Flintmobile one. And no, I don't know why Wilma's wearing a blue dress in these. Perhaps they thought it looked more visually appealing?

With this lookback wrapped up, I'm curious if any of my readers have (or had) any of these, or anything else from the WB store. It sounds great from everything I've heard, so I'd love to hear about your experiences there. It's just a shame the store closed so early. We never even got a Funky Phantom jar!

HB Voice Actors in Classic TV Shows The Third

 It's been a minute, but I'm back again with another entry in my "Hanna-Barbera Voice Actors in Classic TV Shows" series! You know the drill by now, so let's get right into things with this segment on the beloved game show "What's My Line?," featuring Top Cat voice actor Arnold Stang alongside another name you've probably heard of, Betty White.

Next, meet George Jetson! Or, the man who breathed life into him, to be exact. This is George O'Hanlon as Joe McDoakes, the main character in a comedy series he portrayed for several years. These were made for theaters instead of television, but as these air often on TCM, I felt they were worth showing here. The one below is one of my personal favorites from the series, showcasing him as a bit of a model railroad addict. If you enjoy it, I'd definitely recommend watching more, as it really is a great series of films.

Finally, here's another on-screen appearance from Janet Waldo, this time on The Andy Griffith Show. While this isn't as remembered as her appearance on I Love Lucy, it's probably a good choice for second place. And rest assured, this isn't the last time we'll see Miss Waldo here. I haven't even gotten to Valentine's Day!

The Cartoon Network Dive-In Theater Tour

 Everyone who has even a passing interest in cartoons knows of Cartoon Network. For over thirty years they've been (or so they claim to be) the best place for cartoons. But in its early years, it was a much different story. The channel was brand new, and had to market heavily to attract viewers. Cartoon Network's marketing got pretty creative in its earlier years, and one of its most unique endeavors was the Cartoon Network Dive-In Theater Tour.

Running through the summers of 1995 and 1996, the Dive-In tour saw the channel take over various water parks in the United States. Each event featured previews of their series, as well as games and prizes. Below is a piece about one such event that appeared in the July 12th, 1996 edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Accompanying the article are several of the unique rafts and floats that were offered at these parks.

Casanova, other Toons capture attention of young park patrons

By Monica S. Skaggs

    Kitchen Casanova, one of the Cartoon Network's newest animated characters, won the heart of the 7-year-old Watauga girl last night.
    "I liked it when the food started burning." Kali Barber said as she sat scrunched up on a lounge chair next to her parents, Nancy and Steve Barber, and her 4-year-old sister, Lisa.
    The Barbers were among 775 people who turned out for the Dive-In Theater at NRH2O Family Water Park. The Cartoon Network took over the popular water park for a night of sneak-preview cartoons, prizes, and a visit by Space Ghost, a 40-foot blowup cartoon character clad in a swimsuit.

    Guests had a chance to preview five cartoons and a trailer of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest on a 9-by-12-foot screen.
    "That's about as fresh as they get," said Paul Siefken, a Cartoon Network spokesman. "It's hot off the artist's pen."
    The antics of Kitchen Casanova, billed as "a love-starved Casanova who tries to cook up dinner as well as a little romance for his date," garnered several laughs from the young viewers.
    NRH2O was the first stop in an 11-city Cartoon Network tour that will include New York, Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco.
    "We're only one of two sites that were chosen last year, too," NRH2O spokesman Jack Thompson said. "We were so popular, they came back."
    At last year's first World Premiere Toons Dive-In Theater, children at NRH2O previewed a cartoon featuring a carrot-topped boy genius named Dexter. They—and other children around the country—apparently liked what they saw.
    "He's a big sensation now. He recently got an Emmy nomination," Siefken said. "We're using the World Premiere Toons as a pilot program. We show new talent to these kids, and when we find out what they like, we turn it into a series. Dive-In Theater is an excellent opportunity." 

    The Atlanta-based Cartoon Network, an all-animation channel, is operated by Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

If you'd like to know more about these events, check out this Twitter post from Brian A. Miller, who worked as a producer for Hanna-Barbera in its final years before embarking on a 21-year journey at Cartoon Network Studios. His account, in general, is worth a follow if you're a fan of either studio, as he's always sharing interesting stuff and great anecdotes from his time in the industry.