Linus the Lionhearted

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Linus the Lionhearted
LinusTheLionRecord.jpg
1964 vinyl record
Genre Comedy
Created by Ed Graham Jr.
Developed byGene Schinto
Directed byEd Graham
Voices of Sheldon Leonard
Ed Graham Jr.
Carl Reiner
Ruth Buzzi
Bob McFadden
Jesse White
Jonathan Winters
Gerry Matthews
"Bashful Bigshots"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes39 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerEd Graham
ProducerEd Graham
Running time30 minutes (with commercials)
Production companiesEd Graham Productions
General Foods
Original release
Network CBS (B&W)
ABC (color)
ReleaseSeptember 26, 1964 (1964-09-26) 
December 11, 1965 (1965-12-11)

Linus the Lionhearted is an American Saturday morning animated television series that aired on CBS from September 26, 1964 to December 11, 1965, originally airing in black and white. Color versions of the episodes started airing on ABC in 1966, and continued in reruns until September 7, 1969. It was an early Saturday morning cartoon. The show follows a jungle-dwelling lion king who ruled from his personal barber's chair. [1]

Contents

The character was created in 1959, by the Ed Graham advertising agency, originally as a series of ads for General Foods' Post Cereals. [2] At first, Linus the lion was the spokesman for the short-lived Post cereal "Heart of Oats" (a Cheerios imitation). Eventually, the lion was redesigned and reintroduced in 1963, to sell Crispy Critters, which featured Linus on the box. [3] The ads were so popular that a television series was created in 1964, with General Foods as sponsor. The show ran on the CBS network until 1966, and reruns aired on ABC from 1966 to 1969. [4]

History

In addition to Linus, a rather good-natured "King of the Beasts" who ruled from his personal barber's chair and was voiced by Sheldon Leonard, there were other features as well, all based on characters representing other Post breakfast cereals. [5] The best-known of these was Sugar Bear (Sugar Crisp), who sounded like Dean Martin or Bing Crosby and was voiced by actor Gerry Matthews. [6] There was also a postman named Lovable Truly (Alpha-Bits), a young Asian boy named So-Hi (Rice Krinkles), and Rory Raccoon (Post Toasties). [7]

A long-play record album was released as a premium tie-in in the year of the show's debut, featuring the characters (voiced by the same stars as the animated cartoon) singing familiar songs such as "Jimmy Cracked Corn" with rewritten lyrics. A coloring book was also published which detailed the adventures of So-Hi going on a scavenger hunt in order to break a curse on a two-headed bird, who is then transformed into a human boy due to So-Hi's dedication.

Vocal talent

The show was perhaps best noted for its abundance of well-known vocal talent. In addition to Leonard, Carl Reiner voiced several characters, most notably Linus' friend Billy Bird; Ruth Buzzi (later of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) voiced an old witch who'd befriended Lovable Truly, as well as Sugar Bear's sometime nemesis, Granny Goodwitch; and veteran Bob McFadden voiced So Hi, Rory and Lovable Truly. Jonathan Winters made a number of guest appearances, as did Jerry Stiller and his wife Anne Meara. Also credited was the later "Maytag Repairman," Jesse White.

End theme

As opposed to the cartoon's jaunty, upbeat, fast-paced opening, which promoted "Linus the King, Linus the Star, Linus the Lionhearted," the end theme, likely by the Johnny Mann Singers [ citation needed ], was slow and melancholy in tone. As it played, the cartoon's five principal characters—Linus, Lovable Truly, Rory Raccoon, So Hi, and Sugar Bear were depicted loading the series' "props" into a trunk under a spotlight. As the song progressed and with the trunk filled, closed, and now in Linus' hand, the characters, with big tears in their eyes, were all sadly forced to wave goodbye, turned, and faded away into darkness as they walked out of the spotlight. As the song concluded, Billy Bird "mopped up" the white spotlight circle of tears until it faded to black for the week:

"Linus and his friends must go, so we leave you with a song.

We're all kind of sad to go, glad to know it won't be long.

Lion-hearted friendships don't end, we'll all be back, and then

Linus and his friends will go on with the show again!"

Cancellation

The FCC made a ruling in 1969 that forbade children's show characters from appearing in advertisements on the same program and ABC was forced to cancel reruns. [8]

Even after the show left the airwaves, Linus continued to appear in balloon form in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, making his final appearance in 1991. [9]

Episode list

Segments

Season 1 (1964–65)

EpOriginally broadcast segmentsAir date
11"Mocking Bird" (C) / "The Gallant Grouse" (LK) / "Truly Chewy" (LT) / "Bye, Bye, Bad Bird" (R) / "So-Hi and the Bamboo Stalk" (SH) / "Room for One More" (SB)September 26, 1964
22"Adrift on the Rapids" (C) / "Swami Bird" (LK) / "Beware of the Dog Catcher" (LT) / "Samples from Mars" (R) / "King Midas" (SH) / "Bad Apple" (SB)October 3, 1964
33"Linus Plays, Linus Says" (C) / "Rocky Road to Riches" (LK) / "Truly Scarey" (LT) / "Faults of the Toreador" (R) / "Sleeping Beauty" (SH) / "Which Is Witch?" (SB)October 10, 1964
44"Water Skiing" (C) / "Birds Gotta Swim" (LK) / "It's a Dog's Life" (LT) / "Winter Blunderland" (R) / "The Night Before Christmas" (SH) / "Cry Wolf" (SB)October 17, 1964
55"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon" (C) / "Hiccups" (LK) / "Frank Pfaff Streetcleaner" (LT) / "Circus Stars" (R) / "So-Hi and the Ugly Duckling" (SH) / "Water, Water, Everywhere" (SB)October 24, 1964
66"Sugar Bear, Linus Says" (C) / "Hidden Talent" (LK) / "Wrong Dog" (LT) / "Rory Takes a Vacation" (R) / "When So-Hi Called Wolf" (SH) / "Picture Me in Pictures" (SB)October 31, 1964
77"Cheering of the Grouse" (C) / "Exercise" (LK) / "Dog Gone" (LT) / "Make Someone Happy" (R) / "Casey at the Bat" (SH) / "Stop the Magic" (SB)November 7, 1964
88"Joke Day" (C) / "A Gift for Linus" (LK) / "Dog Pound" (LT) / "Rory's Circus Act" (R) / "The Bear Who Danced Too Well" (SH) / "Granny's Broom" (SB)November 14, 1964
99"Hide and Seek" (C) / "Who Am I" (LK) / "One for the Book" (LT) / "World's Worst Caddy" (R) / "The Tortoise and the Hare" (SH) / "A Cake for Benjie" (SB)November 21, 1964
1010"Suggestion Box" (C) / "Help! Save the Mocking Bird!" (LK) / "My Fuzzy Fugitive" (LT) / "Beautiful Baby Contest" (R) / "The Fisherman and the Wishes" (SH)November 28, 1964
1111"Musical Chairs" (C) / "Talking Rock" (LK) / "A Visit to a Toy Store" (LT) / "Vincent Van Crow, Artiste" (R) / "So-Hi and the Knight" (SH)December 5, 1964
1212"National Linus Admirers Day" (C) / "Be Kind to Dogs Week" (LT) / "Big Chief Rain In the Face" (R) / "So-Hi and the Singing King" (SH)December 12, 1964
1313"It's Rhyme Time" (C) / "Flyin' Lion" (LK; Pilot) / "One Way" (LT) / "This Means Total War" (R) / "The Princely Toad" (SH)December 19, 1964
1414"Old Car" (C) / "Linus' Coronation" (LK) / "Making Movies" (LT) / "C. Claudius Dreams" (R) / "The Prince Who Wasn't Charming" (SH)December 26, 1964
1515"Flying High" (C) / "The Birds" (LK) / "Puncture Time" (LT) / "Some Total" (R) / "Little Red So-Hihood" (SH)January 2, 1965
1616"The Picnic" (C) / "Remember the Birds" (LK) / "Flop Flop" (LT) / "Rory Goes Skiing" (R) / "The Giant with Two Glass Jaws" (SH)January 9, 1965
1717"Mountain Climbing" (C) / "Fishing for Relaxation" (LK) / "Ups and Downs" (LT) / "Numbskull and Crossbones" (R) / "The Business-Like Witch" (SH)January 16, 1965
1818"Treasure Hunt" (C) / "Missing—One Throne" (LK) / "What's Up" (LT) / "The World's Greatest Hypnotist" (R) / "The Wolf Who Changed His Spots" (SH)January 23, 1965
1919"Cross Jungle Race" (C) / "Helping Hands" (LK) / "United We Stand" (LT) / "Rest Cured" (R) / "CinderSo-Hi" (SH)January 30, 1965
2020"The Voyage" (C) / "Dinny's Sydney Special" (LK) / "A Visit to Dizzyland" (LT) / "The Too-Particular Princess" (SH)February 6, 1965
2121"The Hand Gernade" (C) / "Travel Is Broadening" (LK) / "Keep Off the Grass" (LT) / "E.R. Jack Rumplestiltskin" (SH)February 13, 1965
2222"The Bicycle" (C) / "Billy's Sydney Special" (LK) / "It's a Bird Dog" (LT) / "The Jester Who Took Himself Serious" (SH)February 20, 1965
2323"The Tank" (C) / "Crocodile Tears" (LK) / "Double Trouble" (LT) / "Huffy Miss Muffet" (SH)February 27, 1965
2424"The Box" (C) / "The Sinking Island" (LK) / "The Flying Dog Catcher" (LT) / "The Walrus and the Carpenter" (SH)March 6, 1965
2525"Coconut Harvest" (C) / "Surprise" (LK) / "The Poet Bandit" (SH)March 13, 1965
2626"The Sky Race" (C) / "That Winning Smile" (LK) / "The Cat Who Looked at a Queen" (SH)March 20, 1965

Season 2 (1965)

EpOriginally broadcast segmentsAir date
271"Underwater" (C) / "Linus to the Rescue" (LK) / "Truly Heroic" (LT) / "Thieves Who Fell Out" (SH) / "Mervyn Meets His Match" (SB)September 18, 1965
282"The Lost Kingdom" (C) / "Shadow Thief" (LK) / "Truly Explosive" (LT) / "Magic Pig" (SH) / "Benjie, the Apprentice" (SB)September 25, 1965
293"Hand Car" (C) / "No News Is Good News" (LK) / "The Counterfeiter" (LT) / "Genie Who Got His Wish" (SH) / "Rich Witch" (SB)October 2, 1965
304"Skateboard" (C) / "Surprise Attack" (LK) / "The Spy" (LT) / "King's Canary" (SH) / "Singing Toad" (SB)October 9, 1965
315"Albino Gorilla" (C) / "Leaping Lizard" (LK) / "Truly to the Rescue" (LT) / "Twin Witches" (SH) / "Mervyn's Museum" (SB)October 16, 1965
326"Space Capsule" (C) / "Jungle Rot" (LK) / "Carnival Cars" (LT) / "The Giant Who Liked People and Birds" (SH) / "Benjie's Revenge" (SB)October 23, 1965
337"Linus Submarine" (C) / "Nephew Norman" (LK) / "Trestle Trouble" (LT) / "The Dragon Who Went Home To His Mother" (SH) / "Mervyn's Genie" (SB)October 30, 1965
348"The Man Eating Plant" (C) / "The Census" (LK) / "Pony Express Postman" (LT) / "The Scaredy Cat" (SH) / "Trick Banjo" (SB)November 6, 1965
359"Twin Gorillas" (C) / "Booby Traps" (LK) / "Truly Monstrous" (LT) / "The Fast Sword" (SH) / "Head Over Heels" (SB)November 13, 1965
3610"The Peculiar Tree" (C) / "What's on Third" (LK) / "Playing the Trains" (LT) / "Jolly Roger" (SH) / "Granny's Phone Booth" (SB)November 20, 1965
3711"Ivory Tower" (C) / "Winner and Still King" (LK) / "The Flying Dog" (LT) / "The Princess Who Held On to her Hand" (SH) / "Perilous Picnic" (SB)November 27, 1965
3812"Pre-Historic Perils" (C) / "Around the World in 80 Gags" (LK) / "Mervyn's Elevator" (SB)December 4, 1965
3913"Cool Cousin" (C) / "The Disappearing Act" (LK) / "Mervyn's Songbook" (SB)December 11, 1965

Credits

Season 1

Season 2

Voices

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