Heathcliff (1980 TV series)

Last updated
Heathcliff
Also known asHeathcliff and Dingbat
Heathcliff and Marmaduke
Genre Animated series
Created by George Gately (Heathcliff character)
Brad Anderson (Marmaduke character)
Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
Story byTony Benedict
Tom Dagenais
Paul Haggis
Gordon Kent
Michael Maurer
Dalton Sandifer
Buzz Dixon
Elana Lesser
Cliff Ruby
Jack Enyart
Jack Hanrahan
Mark Jones
Don Jurwich
Kayte Kuch
Jim McNamara
Mark Shiney
John Dunn (uncredited)
Directed by Charles A. Nichols
John Kimball
Voices of Mel Blanc
Henry Corden
June Foray
Don Messick
Russi Taylor
Frank Welker
Paul Winchell
Opening theme"Heathcliff and Marmaduke Theme" by Scatman Crothers (season two)
Ending theme"Heathcliff and Marmaduke Theme" (instrumental, season two)
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (90 segments)
Production
Executive producers Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
Producer Jerry Eisenberg
Running time30 minutes
Production companies Ruby-Spears Productions
McNaught Syndicate
United Features Syndicate (Season 2)
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseOctober 4, 1980 (1980-10-04) 
December 5, 1981 (1981-12-05)
Related
Heathcliff (1984)

Heathcliff is a half-hour Saturday morning animated series based on the Heathcliff comic strip created by George Gately and produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. It premiered on ABC on October 4, 1980, [1] with a total of 26 episodes produced under the titles Heathcliff and Dingbat and Heathcliff and Marmaduke. [2]

Contents

History

The series began production on November 10, 1979. [3]

The first season, called Heathcliff and Dingbat, ran for 13 episodes and included backup segments with Dingbat and the Creeps, who were created for the show. [4]

Dingbat and the Creeps revolved around the adventures of three monstrous characters who were self-employed as "Odd Jobs, Inc." which consisted of Dingbat, a vampire dog who used a bat-shaped novelty straw to eat most foods; Sparerib, a strangely rotund skeleton with the ability to change himself into useful items (such as a floor lamp, which he did in the opening credits); and Nobody, a gravelly-voiced jack-o-lantern who led the team and often found them various work.

The second season, called Heathcliff and Marmaduke, ran for 13 episodes and featured backup segments with fellow comic strip character Marmaduke (although the Marmaduke segments are actually the first to be seen in each half-hour show). [4]

Reruns of the second season (Heathcliff and Marmaduke) were seen occasionally on Boomerang.

In 1983, NBC reran the show as a segment on Thundarr the Barbarian reruns.

Two years after this show ended, another one based on Heathcliff was produced by DiC Entertainment, which was called simply Heathcliff , although for distinction this series is usually referred to by the expanded title of Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats .

Dingbat has appeared as a cameo in a Yogi Bear comic with many Hanna-Barbera animal characters captured. He was the only Ruby-Spears character there. [5]

Cast

Additional voices

Episodes

Season 1: Heathcliff and Dingbat (1980)

Each episode consists of two 5-minute Heathcliff cartoons and two 5-minute "Dingbat and the Creeps" cartoons. [6] [7]

HeathcliffDingbat and the CreepsAir date
1Feline Fugitive / Doggone DogcatcherFootball Flunkies / Lumbering LooniesOctober 4, 1980
2The Watchcat / Pumping IronyIt's a Snow Job for a Creep / Knutty KnightsOctober 11, 1980
3Great Cop 'n Cat Chase / Milk Run MayhemHeir Today Gone Tomorrow / U.F. OafsOctober 18, 1980
4Mascot Rumble / Heathcliff of Sherwood ForestSafari Saps / Prized PoochOctober 25, 1980
5Angling Anglers / Cake FlakesHealth Nutz / Retail RuckusNovember 1, 1980
6The Mouse Trapper / Lion Around the HouseWindow Washouts / Door to Door Sales CreepsNovember 8, 1980
7Robinson Cruise Ho / Heathcliff & the Sleeping BeautyCreep Crop Crack-ups / Nautical NoodnicksNovember 15, 1980
8Gold-Digger Daze / HivesBatty Boo-ticians / Carnival Cut-upsNovember 22, 1980
9Rodeo Dough / Pinocchio Rides AgainBungling Baby Sitters / Treasure HauntsNovember 29, 1980
10Cat In The Beanstalk / The Great ChaseLeMans-ter Rally / Beach Blanket BozosDecember 6, 1980
11Kitty a la Carte / Mystery Loves CompanyFrench Fried Fracas / Showbiz ShenanigansDecember 13, 1980
12Red Hot Riding Hooded Heathcliff / The Great Milk Factory FracasService Station Screwballs / No News Is Ghoul NewsDecember 20, 1980
13Star Trick / The Big Fish StoryDetective Ding-a-Lings / High Flying FoolsDecember 27, 1980

Season 2: Heathcliff and Marmaduke (1981)

Each episode consists of a 6-minute Heathcliff cartoon sandwiched between two 6-minute Marmaduke cartoons. [8] Scatman Crothers sang its theme song. It competed with The Smurfs on NBC.

MarmadukeHeathcliffMarmadukeAir date
1Home Run RoverGator Go RoundPlay GroundedSeptember 12, 1981
2Missy MisequeCrazy DazeShuttle Off to BuffaloSeptember 19, 1981
3Wish BonesCaught Cat NappingWondermuttSeptember 26, 1981
4Gone with the WhimDud BoatSeagoing WatchdogOctober 3, 1981
5Beach BrawlOf Mice and MenaceTricky TreatOctober 10, 1981
6Ghostly Goof UpA Briefcase of Cloak and DaggerFret VetOctober 17, 1981
7Bearly CampingTabby and the PirateGold Fever FracasOctober 24, 1981
8Police PoochMush Heathcliff MushBone to Pick with MarmadukeOctober 31, 1981
9Surburden CowboyA Close EncounterMarmaduke of the MoviesNovember 7, 1981
10Baby Sitting ShenanigansA New Kit on the BlockKitty SitterNovember 14, 1981
11Leapin' LeprechaunClon'en AroundSchool DazeNovember 21, 1981
12Caper CrackerCat KitBarking for DollarsNovember 28, 1981
13The Lemonade KidThe Great Milk Factory Fracas (repeat from Dingbat)Double Trouble MakerDecember 5, 1981

Home media

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released The Heathcliff and Dingbat Show on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection in August 2012. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively in the US and only through Warner's online store or Amazon.com. [9]

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References

  1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. Penguin Books. ISBN   9780140249163 . Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  2. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 271–273. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  3. Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television, the First Thirty-five Years, 1946-1981: Animated cartoon series. Scarecrow Press. p. 134. Retrieved 9 October 2019 via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 398–400. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  5. "If you're wondering why they stopped making Hanna-Barbera cartoons, this is why. Although, I guess with JELLYSTONE!, they've been released for a while now". Mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. "Heathcliff and Dingbat (1980) TV Show - Season 1 Episodes List - Next Episode". Next-episode.net. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  7. "Heathcliff (1980)". Episodate.com. 4 October 1980. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  8. "Heathcliff (1980)". Episodate.com. 4 October 1980. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  9. "Heathcliff DVD news: Announcement for Heathcliff - Season 1: The Heathcliff and Dingbat Show | TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2012-08-12. Retrieved 2012-08-11.