George of the Jungle | |
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Created by | Jay Ward Bill Scott |
Directed by | Gerard Baldwin Frank Braxton Pete Burness Paul Harvey Jim Hiltz Bill Hurtz Lew Keller John Walker |
Starring | Bill Scott Paul Frees June Foray Daws Butler |
Opening theme | Stan Worth Sheldon Allman |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 17 (51 segments) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Ponsonby Britt, O.B.E. Jay Ward Bill Scott |
Producers | Jay Ward Bill Scott |
Running time | 30 minutes with commercials |
Production company | Jay Ward Productions |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | September 9 – December 30, 1967 |
Related | |
George of the Jungle is an American animated television series produced and created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who also created The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends . The character George was inspired by the story of Tarzan and a cartoon characterization of George Eiferman (Mr. America, Mr. Universe, IFBB Hall of Famer) drawn by a cook on his minesweeper in the Navy during World War II. The series aired first-run for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the ABC-TV network. [1] Then, rather than commissioning new episodes, the network was content to repeat the 17 episodes, keeping George of the Jungle on its Saturday schedule [2] until September 1969 when it moved to Sunday mornings until September 19, 1970.
Each episode featured three segments in the form of three unrelated cartoons: George of the Jungle, Tom Slick , and Super Chicken . [3] All three theme songs were written by the team of Stan Worth and Sheldon Allman, with Worth primarily composing the music and Allman handling the lyrics. [4] Each of the cartoons ended with a strike on the tympani (kettle drum), which changed to an ascending tone, following a pun.
Unlike previous Ward series, the animation production was done in Hollywood using veteran animators Phil Duncan, Rod Scribner, and Rudy Zamora, among others. Ward mainstays Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, and Daws Butler provided most of the character voices over all three segments.
The cartoons are technically more advanced than the animation in Ward's earlier series, which originated from Gamma Productions, a Mexican studio sponsored by Ward. He was so pleased with George of the Jungle that he allowed production to go over budget, which resulted in considerable financial loss, ultimately limiting the series to 17 episodes.
In 2008, Classic Media and Genius Entertainment released the complete series on DVD. [5]
The title segment, George of the Jungle, is a parody of the Tarzan stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs. George (voiced by Bill Scott) is a dim-witted but big-hearted "ape man" who is always called upon by District Commissioner Alistair (voiced by Paul Frees) to save inhabitants of the jungle territory of Mbwebwe Province in Africa from various threats.
In the opening title, George is depicted swinging on vines, repeatedly slamming face-first into trees or other obstacles even as theme-song singers warn him to "watch out for that tree!" Another running gag is that George keeps forgetting that he lives in a treehouse, falling from it to the ground every time he leaves home.
George's "beloved mate" is Ursula (voiced by June Foray), a Jane-like character (the character was referred to as Jane in the first episode and original pilot [6] ) far brighter than George. [7] George's closest friend is an ape named Ape (voiced by Paul Frees impersonating Ronald Colman [ citation needed ]) who, like Ursula, is far more intelligent than George. George has a pet elephant named Shep, who behaves like a lap dog, or, as George refers to him, a "great big peanut-lovin' poochie," and who George thinks is a dog. Also of note is the Tooky Tooky (or Tookie Tookie) bird, famous for his call: "Ah ah ee ee tooky tooky!" [8]
George's two most frequent foes are a pair of stereotypical hunters named "Tiger" Titheridge (voiced by Daws Butler) and "Weevil" Plumtree (voiced by Paul Frees). Tiger, the taller of the two, wears a pith helmet and khakis, has a pencil moustache, and speaks in an Oxford accent, while Weevil talks like a pirate and wears a white t-shirt and shorts with a bush hat. Another one of George's recurring enemies is a mad scientist named Dr. Chicago (voiced by Daws Butler).
George, though hopelessly unintelligent, possesses substantial strength and jungle instincts that allow him to track down enemies. When trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation, he carries a miniature phrase book with numerous animal calls to summon help—although he usually gives the wrong call.
Tom Slick features the title character (voiced by Bill Scott), a racecar driver who competes in races with his trusty vehicle, the Thunderbolt Greaseslapper. He is accompanied by his girlfriend Marigold (voiced by June Foray), and his elderly mechanic Gertie Growler (also voiced by Bill Scott). Tom's chief antagonists are Baron Otto Matic (voiced by Paul Frees) and his lackey Clutcher (voiced by Daws Butler impersonating Frank Fontaine as "Crazy Guggenheim"), whom the Baron often hits across the head with a monkey wrench when he messes up Otto's plots.
Super Chicken features the title character (voiced by Bill Scott in a Boston Brahmin accent), a superhero (who, in "real life", is wealthy Henry Cabot Henhouse III) with a vegetarian lion sidekick named Fred (voiced by Paul Frees impersonating Ed Wynn). Super Chicken usually begins his adventures with the battle cry, "To the Super Coop, Fred!", to which Fred replies, "Roger Willcox!" When Fred comments on his latest injury, Super Chicken responds with a variation on the theme, "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred!" Following his own mistakes, Super Chicken remarks, "I'm glad no one was here to see that!"
Each of the following episodes consists of a George of the Jungle cartoon, a Super Chicken cartoon, and a Tom Slick cartoon.
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "The Sultan's Pearl" "The Zipper" "The Bigg Race" | September 9, 1967 | |
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2 | "The Malady Lingers On" "One of Our States Is Missing" "Monster Rally" | September 16, 1967 | |
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3 | "Oo-oo Birds of a Feather" "Wild Ralph Hiccup" "Send In a Sub" | September 23, 1967 | |
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4 | "Ungawa the Gorilla God" "The Oyster" "Snow What" | September 30, 1967 | |
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5 | "Little Scissor" "The Easter Bunny" "The Great Balloon Race" | October 7, 1967 | |
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6 | "Monkey Business" "The Elephant Spreader" "I Was Railroaded" | October 14, 1967 | |
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7 | "Next Time, Take the Train" "The Geezer" "Dranko the Dragster" | October 21, 1967 | |
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8 | "The Desperate Showers" "Rotten Hood" "The Cupp Cup Race" | October 28, 1967 | |
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9 | "Treasure of Sarah Madre" "The Laundry Man" "Irish Cheapstakes" | November 4, 1967 | |
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10 | "The Trouble I've Seed" "The Noodle" "Overstocked" | November 11, 1967 | |
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11 | "Dr. Schpritzer, I Presume?" "The Fat Man" "Double Cross Country Race" | November 18, 1967 | |
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12 | "Rescue Is My Business" "Merlin Brando" "The Apple-less Indian 500" | November 25, 1967 | |
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13 | "Big Flop at the Big Top" "Salvador Rag Dolly" "Sneaky Sheik" | December 2, 1967 | |
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14 | "Chi Chi Dog" "Briggs Bad Wolf" "Cheap Skate Board Derby" | December 9, 1967 | |
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15 | "A Man for All Hunting Seasons" "The Muscle" "The Badyear Blimp" | December 16, 1967 | |
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16 | "The Forest's Prime Evil" "Dr. Gizmo" "Swamp Buggy Race" | December 23, 1967 | |
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17 | "Kings Back-to-Back" "The Wild Hair" "Mack Buster Trophy" | December 30, 1967 | |
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On February 12, 2008, Classic Media released a complete collection of the 1967 series which included, as a bonus feature, the original pilot cartoons for both George of the Jungle and Super Chicken.
In 2002, TV Guide ranked George of the Jungle #30 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list. [9]
Gold Key Comics published two issues of a comic book based on the series in 1969.
In 1997, the segment was adapted into a live-action film, titled George of the Jungle . Brendan Fraser played the title role, with Leslie Mann as Ursula, John Cleese as the voice of Ape and Thomas Haden Church as the villain, Lyle Van De Groot. A direct-to-video sequel, George of the Jungle 2 , starring Christopher Showerman as George and Julie Benz as Ursula, was released in 2003.
Classic Media developed a new George of the Jungle Flash animation series 40 years later in 2007. It now utilizes a co-production. The new version of the series is co-produced with Studio B Productions and Teletoon Canada (with other studios also involved), and currently airs on Teletoon in Canada and on Cartoon Network in the United States (starting with a Christmas-themed episode December 21, 2007). The series was scheduled to air on Nicktoons in the United Kingdom and Disney Channel Asia in Southeast Asia. [10] [11] [12] The series officially premiered on Cartoon Network on January 18. Both seasons are available digitally on iTunes.
The series initially ran 26 episodes, with two George stories per episode for a total of 52 stories. In 2016, 26 additional episodes were made, also with two George stories per episode.
"Weird Al" Yankovic did a cover version of the George of the Jungle theme on his 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid , the only straight cover Yankovic ever released on an album, and which later appeared on the soundtrack of the 1997 live-action film. The music video for Al's song Like A Surgeon, also from the Dare to be Stupid album, features a doctor watching a clip of the TV series.
Another cover of the theme by The Presidents of the United States of America also appeared on the soundtrack and was the title theme for the film.
The Rhino Records 1989 release Rerun Rock: Superstars Sing Television Themes included a cover version performed in the style of "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin and sung by Scott Shaw.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks. Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters, the anthropomorphic flying squirrel Rocket J. ("Rocky") Squirrel and moose Bullwinkle J. Moose. The main antagonists in most of their adventures are the two Russian-like spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, both working for the Nazi-like dictator Fearless Leader. Supporting segments include "Dudley Do-Right", "Peabody's Improbable History", and "Fractured Fairy Tales", among others. The current blanket title was imposed for home video releases more than 40 years after the series originally aired and was never used when the show was televised; television airings of the show were broadcast under the titles of Rocky and His Friends from 1959 to 1961 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons on ABC, The Bullwinkle Show from 1961 to 1964 on Sunday evening and then late Sunday afternoon on NBC, and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show as repeats from 1964-73 on Sunday mornings on ABC and in syndication following this.
The Huckleberry Hound Show is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the second series produced by the studio following The Ruff and Reddy Show. The show first aired in syndication on September 29, 1958, and was sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring the title character, Huckleberry Hound, another with Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, which starred two mice who in each short found a new way to outwit the cat Mr. Jinks, and a third starring Yogi Bear and his friend Boo-Boo. The series last aired on December 1, 1961.
Charles Dawson Butler, professionally known as Daws Butler, was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera characters, including: Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey, Augie Doggie, Loopy De Loop, Wally Gator, Snooper and Blabber, Dixie and Mr. Jinks, Hokey Wolf, Lippy the Lion, Elroy Jetson, Lambsy, Peter Potamus, The Funky Phantom and Hair Bear. While at Walter Lantz, he did the voices of: Chilly Willy, Smedley, Maxie the Polar Bear, Gooney and Sam in the Maggie and Sam series.
Hoppity Hooper is an American animated television series produced by Jay Ward, and sponsored by General Mills, originally broadcast on ABC from September 12, 1964, until 1967. It is one of the earliest Saturday morning cartoons and the Jay Ward's first original one for this schedule. The series was produced in Hollywood by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, with animation done in Mexico City by Gamma Productions.
The Quick Draw McGraw Show is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and their third television series overall after The Ruff and Reddy Show and The Huckleberry Hound Show. Voice actor Daws Butler performed the show's title character, Quick Draw McGraw.
William John Scott was an American voice actor, writer and producer for animated cartoons, primarily associated with Jay Ward and UPA, as well as one of the founding members of ASIFA-Hollywood. He is probably best known as the head writer, co-producer and the voice of several characters from the popular programs Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show.
Wally Gator is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired as one of the three segments from the syndicated block The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series. The other two segments that compose the series are Touché Turtle and Dum Dum and Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har. The segment consisted of 52 episodes that aired from September 3, 1962, to August 26, 1963.
The Peter Potamus Show is a 1964–1966 animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and starring Peter Potamus, a purple hippopotamus.
Super Chicken is a segment that ran on the animated television series George of the Jungle. It was produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who earlier had created the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. It debuted September 9, 1967, on ABC.
Yakky Doodle is a fictional anthropomorphic cartoon duck, an anthropomorphic yellow duckling with green wings, who appear for the first time in prototype form on The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958 and on The Quick Draw McGraw Show in 1960, and he appear in regular form on The Yogi Bear Show in 1961, on his own segment. Yakky's name is a spoof of "Yankee Doodle".
The Super 6 is an animated cartoon series which was produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and Mirisch-Rich Television Productions in 1966, and shown on NBC from 1966 to 1969. This was DePatie–Freleng's first vehicle for Saturday morning. Only one season of the show was produced, but NBC ran the series for three years in the same timeslot.
Tom Slick is the cartoon star of a series of shorts that aired within the half-hour animated television series George of the Jungle. It was the work of Jay Ward Productions, the creators of Rocky & Bullwinkle and other satiric animated characters. Seventeen six-minute episodes were made.
George of the Jungle is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and based on Jay Ward and Bill Scott's 1967 American animated television series of the same name, which in turn is a spoof of the fictional character Tarzan, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Written by Dana Olsen and Audrey Wells, and starring Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, Holland Taylor, Richard Roundtree and John Cleese. It tells the story of a young man raised by wild animals who falls for an heiress and contends with the heiress's spoiled and narcissistic fiancé. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and was released in theatres throughout the United States and Canada on July 16, 1997. It was later aired on Disney Channel in the United States on December 5, 1998. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $174 million worldwide. A sequel, George of the Jungle 2, was released direct-to-video on October 21, 2003.
Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and aired as one of the three segments of the syndicated show The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series, the other two being Wally Gator and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum. The segment stars the titular anthropomorphic lion and hyena duo in a series of goofy misadventures.
CB Bears is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC from September 10 to December 3, 1977.
George of the Jungle is an animated television series. It is a reboot of Jay Ward and Bill Scott’s 1967 American animated television series of the same name, which in turn is a spoof of the fictional character Tarzan, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Using Flash animation, it is produced in Canada, airing there on Teletoon. The remake mostly stays true to the original production, with a few key differences existing between the two. One episode of the show typically consists of two 11-minute segments. This is unlike the original cartoon, which featured other stories such as Tom Slick and Super Chicken.
Secret Squirrel is a cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera for The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, which debuted in 1965 on Saturday mornings. The character was given his own show in 1966, titled The Secret Squirrel Show, but was reunited with Atom Ant for one more season in 1967. The half-hour The Secret Squirrel Show included three individual cartoon segments: "Secret Squirrel", "Squiddly Diddly" and "Winsome Witch". Secret Squirrel first appeared in a prime-time animated special called The World of Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant, which aired on NBC on September 12, 1965.
The Yogi Bear Show is an American comedy animated television series, and the first entry of the Yogi Bear franchise, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. A spin-off of The Huckleberry Hound Show, the show centers on the adventures of forest-dwelling Yogi Bear in Jellystone Park. The show debuted in syndication on January 30, 1961, and ran for 33 episodes until January 6, 1962. Two other segments for the show were Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle. The show had a two-year production run.
Laff-A-Lympics is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, which consists of 24 episodes, on ABC on September 10, 1977. The show is a spoof of the Olympics and the ABC primetime series Battle of the Network Stars, which debuted one year earlier. It featured 45 Hanna-Barbera characters organized into teams which competed each week for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In each episode, the Really Rottens would try in each event to cheat only to get caught by Snagglepuss each time. One season of 16 episodes was produced in 1977–78, and eight new episodes combined with reruns for the 1978–79 season as Scooby's All-Stars. Unlike most cartoon series produced by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, Laff-A-Lympics did not contain a laugh track. Scooby’s Laff-a-Lympics was originally owned by Taft Broadcasting; Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution currently owns the series through its two in-name-only units, Warner Bros. Family Entertainment and Turner Entertainment.
The second season of George of the Jungle, an animated television series for children aged 6 to 12 years, was co-produced in 2015 by Singapore-based August Media Holdings and Yowza Digital of Canada. The revival series is based on the original animated series produced in 1967 by Jay Ward and Bill Scott and later remade by Teletoon in 2007.
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