Brainatra
01-05-2004, 01:49 PM
1970: While the dawn of the "Me Decade" of the 70's, it's also still wrapped up culturally in what we recollect as the "Sixties"... among the various cultural highlights include: the Kent State shootings, the release of motion picture "Shaft" (and future "South Park" voice actor Isaac Hayes' hit tune for said film), the war in Vietnam grinding on, and...uh, a bunch of other stuff. On a lighter note, let's now turn to Saturday mornings...
Re: Saturday mornings:
As was the case from last year, teenagers and tone down fare continued to be popular traits, especially thanks to parents groups complaining about violence---all the superheroes and action shows that defined 60's Saturday mornings are off the air (though a few years later sees the toned-down superheroics of "The Superfriends" debuting, as well as another Filmation Batman cartoon series). Popular/noteworthy shows in 1970 include: "Lancelot Link" (live-action show using trained chimps acting out roles as secret agents), the debut of "Sabrina and the Groovy Ghoulies" (Sabrina of "Archie" fame paired up with various "groovy" monsters), "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?", "H.R. Pufnstuf", and the debut of "Josie and the Pussycats" (Earthbound, that is; they go into outer space a few seasons later). "Josie" is also noteworthy for providing (Far as I know) the first regular appearance of a Black character as a major cast member on a Sat. morning kids cartoon (the "Jackson Five" and "Fat Albert" cartoons debut within the next few seasons), thus showing the kidvid people realizing that yes, us African-Americans watch Saturday morning cartoons as well. ;-)
Today's show, filling the whole hour, is "The Cattanooga Cats"...
"Cattanooga Cats" (ABC)
Description: an hour long show featuring various cartoon segments and musical numbers by a musical quartet of cats called, well, the "Cattanooga Cats"...
"Cats" actually aired just in the 1969-70 season, with its half-hour-long spinoff "Motor Mouse" being the actual 1970-71 season show. Why they didn't just air "Cats" last week and air "Josie" and another show for this week's airing, I have no idea... (shrug).
Segments presented on "Cats" included:
- Several musical numbers per episode featuring the Cats themselves, as well as a Cats cartoon. These numbers clearly show a sign of its "flower power" era times---decidedly psychedelic looking (along with being a slight notch above average animation-wise for Hanna-Barbara). The Cats cartoon in this episode features the band trying to dodge an obsessed feline autograph hunter. Odd part: during a skiing sequence, the music briefly changes from the "groovy" late 60's sound to being vintage late 50's H-B music---i.e. what one might've heard on "Pixie and Dixie" or "Huckleberry Hound"...
Yep, those are "go-go" boots the female characters are wearing... this *is* the groovy, boss, "Swinging Sixties", after all. ;-)
I know people who still say "let's cut out".
And while I gather whoever the "Cats" fan that's posted to here before will elaborate on details I've missed, I concur that the female Cats band member *is* wearing an outfit similar to Daphne's on "Scooby Doo". Seeing as both shows debuted in the same season, maybe the animators figured giving them similar-looking outfits would save time and effort, or something (or a byproduct of Daphne reflecting a typical H-B female adventure show character of the time)...
Finally, for our non-U.S. readers (and/or geography flunkies), "Cattanooga" is a pun on the real-life locale of Chattanooga, a mid-sized city in the southern U.S. state of Tennessee...come to think of it, some of the Cats themselves sounded a bit Southern...
- "Motor Mouse and Auto Cat", a cartoon about a motorcycle-riding mouse (with a southern accent) being chased by a hotrod-driving cat. Another sign of the times: hotrods/auto racing was popular in the 60's as a cartoon subject (see: "Wacky Races", "Hot Wheels", "Tom Slick", etc.) and in real life. Throw in the fact that chase cartoons were a more than adequate substitution for superheroic/action show slugfests, and there you go. ;-) As a segment, this one's probably a bit weaker than "It's the Wolf", but apparently must've been popular enough to give it its own spinoff.
Auto Cat's voice sounds a lot like Pac-Man's (from the 80's Pac-Man cartoon)... either that or they all live within a few blocks from Tony Danza and his cabbies' depot on "Taxi." :-)
Two Motor Mouse cartoons here: the first has Auto Cat trying to tutor his nephew "Auto Kitty" in the ways of mouse-chasing (similar to Sylvester and Sylvester Jr. cartoons); the second, Auto tries to sabotage Motor's taxi business (complete with a kangaroo/"giant mouse" gag also similar to Sylvester's old cartoons).
- "It's the Wolf", a cartoon about a small sheep being stalked by hungry Mildew Wolf (voiced by Paul Lynde), and protected by a sheepdog. Yep, similar to the old Ralph Wolf/Sam Sheepdog cartoons, but with the addition of the small sheep as a character (with a voice that's basically Auggie Doggie's, down to the "dear old" catchphrase of Auggie's). Lynde as the wolf is probably the most appealing aspect of this segment.
Paul Lynde was an actor who played Uncle Arthur on "Bewitched", and was a mainstay on "Hollywood Squares" in the 70's (filling a similar role to Bruce Vilanch did in the modern version of the show). Lynde died in the early 80's. And yes, he was gay (with his "Hollywood Squares" appearances IIRC full of jokes alluding to said orientation)...
Today's cartoon: The Wolf tries to nab the sheep from a train they're on, with backfiring results.
Mildew Wolf showed up again as the "anchor" in the mid-70's H-B series "Laff-a-lympics".
- "Around the World In 79 Days", a cartoon about three young people trying to go around the world in 79 days via a hot-air balloon, chased by some derby-wearing villain, his dumb henchman, and a trained monkey in a souped-up Model T. Yes, that's right---a trained monkey. The weakest cartoon segment here; similar to other late 60's H-B filler (right down to the three young adult characters seen in countless other adventure shows).
"79 Days" is obviously (extremely loosely) based on the classic Jules Verne novel "Around the World In 80 Days", in which British nobleman Phineas Fogg makes a bet that he can circle the globe in 80 days--which was no mean feat during the novel's time era of the late 19th century (before airplanes and automobiles).
The characters mention a "million [British] pounds" was at stake if they finish their journey; £1 million pounds = approximately a bit over $2 million dollars (US) at current exchange rates... an amount worth circling the globe for. ;-)
While "Cats" was short-lived, apparently the psychedelic musical numbers are still remembered by some--- "Dexter's Laboratory" featured a similarly-styled musical montage in the episode "Aye Aye Eyes" (the one with the creepy, big-eyed little girl stalking Dexter)...
For the 1969 season, "Cats" competition at 9 AM EST Saturdays was:
NBC: "Here Comes the Grump" at 9, and "Pink Panther" at 9:30. "Grump" was produced by DePatie-Freleng (makers of the "Pink Panther") and was apparently a stab at offering less-violent fare for Saturday mornings (a show about a princess, her dog, and an evil entity called the Grump, from what I can tell from its description on "TV Party"'s website), and apparently was short-lived (lasted two seasons). The Pink Panther, of course ,was another DePatie-Freleng production, and one that proved to be quite popular in the 70's (anyone remember "Mister Jaws"?).
CBS: The second half of the "Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Hour" at 9, followed by "Dastardly and Muttley In Their Flying Machines" at 9:30. Bugs we all know, of course; "Dastardly" was a spinoff of sorts of the '68 season's "Wacky Races", featuring the two classic H-B villains Dick Dastardly and Muttley as World War I flying aces trying to constantly capture (in "Roadrunner" fashion) a messenger pigeon using various goofy airplanes. I thought it was an OK show (for a Roadrunner knockoff ;-) ).
Obviously, a one-two ratings punch of Bugs and the Panther likely is what ensured "Cats" its quick demise (along with possibly the Celebrity Voice Factor as an influence, i.e., the higher-than-average voiceover expense that paying Paul Lynde probably cost just making for an extra incentive for cancellation)...
For "Cats'" spinoff, "Motor Mouse"'s competition at 8:30 AM EST Saturdays in 1970 was:
NBC: "The Woody Woodpecker Show."
CBS: The second half of the "Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Hour". I'll take a wild guess and presume that ol' Bugsy & company were the main ratings grabbers for this timeslot...
---
Apologies for the above formatting...stupid text editor...
Next week, we move up to cover 1971...groovy!
-B.
Re: Saturday mornings:
As was the case from last year, teenagers and tone down fare continued to be popular traits, especially thanks to parents groups complaining about violence---all the superheroes and action shows that defined 60's Saturday mornings are off the air (though a few years later sees the toned-down superheroics of "The Superfriends" debuting, as well as another Filmation Batman cartoon series). Popular/noteworthy shows in 1970 include: "Lancelot Link" (live-action show using trained chimps acting out roles as secret agents), the debut of "Sabrina and the Groovy Ghoulies" (Sabrina of "Archie" fame paired up with various "groovy" monsters), "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?", "H.R. Pufnstuf", and the debut of "Josie and the Pussycats" (Earthbound, that is; they go into outer space a few seasons later). "Josie" is also noteworthy for providing (Far as I know) the first regular appearance of a Black character as a major cast member on a Sat. morning kids cartoon (the "Jackson Five" and "Fat Albert" cartoons debut within the next few seasons), thus showing the kidvid people realizing that yes, us African-Americans watch Saturday morning cartoons as well. ;-)
Today's show, filling the whole hour, is "The Cattanooga Cats"...
"Cattanooga Cats" (ABC)
Description: an hour long show featuring various cartoon segments and musical numbers by a musical quartet of cats called, well, the "Cattanooga Cats"...
"Cats" actually aired just in the 1969-70 season, with its half-hour-long spinoff "Motor Mouse" being the actual 1970-71 season show. Why they didn't just air "Cats" last week and air "Josie" and another show for this week's airing, I have no idea... (shrug).
Segments presented on "Cats" included:
- Several musical numbers per episode featuring the Cats themselves, as well as a Cats cartoon. These numbers clearly show a sign of its "flower power" era times---decidedly psychedelic looking (along with being a slight notch above average animation-wise for Hanna-Barbara). The Cats cartoon in this episode features the band trying to dodge an obsessed feline autograph hunter. Odd part: during a skiing sequence, the music briefly changes from the "groovy" late 60's sound to being vintage late 50's H-B music---i.e. what one might've heard on "Pixie and Dixie" or "Huckleberry Hound"...
Yep, those are "go-go" boots the female characters are wearing... this *is* the groovy, boss, "Swinging Sixties", after all. ;-)
I know people who still say "let's cut out".
And while I gather whoever the "Cats" fan that's posted to here before will elaborate on details I've missed, I concur that the female Cats band member *is* wearing an outfit similar to Daphne's on "Scooby Doo". Seeing as both shows debuted in the same season, maybe the animators figured giving them similar-looking outfits would save time and effort, or something (or a byproduct of Daphne reflecting a typical H-B female adventure show character of the time)...
Finally, for our non-U.S. readers (and/or geography flunkies), "Cattanooga" is a pun on the real-life locale of Chattanooga, a mid-sized city in the southern U.S. state of Tennessee...come to think of it, some of the Cats themselves sounded a bit Southern...
- "Motor Mouse and Auto Cat", a cartoon about a motorcycle-riding mouse (with a southern accent) being chased by a hotrod-driving cat. Another sign of the times: hotrods/auto racing was popular in the 60's as a cartoon subject (see: "Wacky Races", "Hot Wheels", "Tom Slick", etc.) and in real life. Throw in the fact that chase cartoons were a more than adequate substitution for superheroic/action show slugfests, and there you go. ;-) As a segment, this one's probably a bit weaker than "It's the Wolf", but apparently must've been popular enough to give it its own spinoff.
Auto Cat's voice sounds a lot like Pac-Man's (from the 80's Pac-Man cartoon)... either that or they all live within a few blocks from Tony Danza and his cabbies' depot on "Taxi." :-)
Two Motor Mouse cartoons here: the first has Auto Cat trying to tutor his nephew "Auto Kitty" in the ways of mouse-chasing (similar to Sylvester and Sylvester Jr. cartoons); the second, Auto tries to sabotage Motor's taxi business (complete with a kangaroo/"giant mouse" gag also similar to Sylvester's old cartoons).
- "It's the Wolf", a cartoon about a small sheep being stalked by hungry Mildew Wolf (voiced by Paul Lynde), and protected by a sheepdog. Yep, similar to the old Ralph Wolf/Sam Sheepdog cartoons, but with the addition of the small sheep as a character (with a voice that's basically Auggie Doggie's, down to the "dear old" catchphrase of Auggie's). Lynde as the wolf is probably the most appealing aspect of this segment.
Paul Lynde was an actor who played Uncle Arthur on "Bewitched", and was a mainstay on "Hollywood Squares" in the 70's (filling a similar role to Bruce Vilanch did in the modern version of the show). Lynde died in the early 80's. And yes, he was gay (with his "Hollywood Squares" appearances IIRC full of jokes alluding to said orientation)...
Today's cartoon: The Wolf tries to nab the sheep from a train they're on, with backfiring results.
Mildew Wolf showed up again as the "anchor" in the mid-70's H-B series "Laff-a-lympics".
- "Around the World In 79 Days", a cartoon about three young people trying to go around the world in 79 days via a hot-air balloon, chased by some derby-wearing villain, his dumb henchman, and a trained monkey in a souped-up Model T. Yes, that's right---a trained monkey. The weakest cartoon segment here; similar to other late 60's H-B filler (right down to the three young adult characters seen in countless other adventure shows).
"79 Days" is obviously (extremely loosely) based on the classic Jules Verne novel "Around the World In 80 Days", in which British nobleman Phineas Fogg makes a bet that he can circle the globe in 80 days--which was no mean feat during the novel's time era of the late 19th century (before airplanes and automobiles).
The characters mention a "million [British] pounds" was at stake if they finish their journey; £1 million pounds = approximately a bit over $2 million dollars (US) at current exchange rates... an amount worth circling the globe for. ;-)
While "Cats" was short-lived, apparently the psychedelic musical numbers are still remembered by some--- "Dexter's Laboratory" featured a similarly-styled musical montage in the episode "Aye Aye Eyes" (the one with the creepy, big-eyed little girl stalking Dexter)...
For the 1969 season, "Cats" competition at 9 AM EST Saturdays was:
NBC: "Here Comes the Grump" at 9, and "Pink Panther" at 9:30. "Grump" was produced by DePatie-Freleng (makers of the "Pink Panther") and was apparently a stab at offering less-violent fare for Saturday mornings (a show about a princess, her dog, and an evil entity called the Grump, from what I can tell from its description on "TV Party"'s website), and apparently was short-lived (lasted two seasons). The Pink Panther, of course ,was another DePatie-Freleng production, and one that proved to be quite popular in the 70's (anyone remember "Mister Jaws"?).
CBS: The second half of the "Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Hour" at 9, followed by "Dastardly and Muttley In Their Flying Machines" at 9:30. Bugs we all know, of course; "Dastardly" was a spinoff of sorts of the '68 season's "Wacky Races", featuring the two classic H-B villains Dick Dastardly and Muttley as World War I flying aces trying to constantly capture (in "Roadrunner" fashion) a messenger pigeon using various goofy airplanes. I thought it was an OK show (for a Roadrunner knockoff ;-) ).
Obviously, a one-two ratings punch of Bugs and the Panther likely is what ensured "Cats" its quick demise (along with possibly the Celebrity Voice Factor as an influence, i.e., the higher-than-average voiceover expense that paying Paul Lynde probably cost just making for an extra incentive for cancellation)...
For "Cats'" spinoff, "Motor Mouse"'s competition at 8:30 AM EST Saturdays in 1970 was:
NBC: "The Woody Woodpecker Show."
CBS: The second half of the "Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Hour". I'll take a wild guess and presume that ol' Bugsy & company were the main ratings grabbers for this timeslot...
---
Apologies for the above formatting...stupid text editor...
Next week, we move up to cover 1971...groovy!
-B.