Lassie's Rescue Rangers

Last updated
Lassie's Rescue Rangers
Lassie-Rescue-Rangers-(Animated)-(DVD).jpg
Genre Children's animation
Directed by Hal Sutherland
Voices of Ted Knight
Jane Webb
Keith Sutherland
Erika Scheimer
Lane Scheimer
Composers Yvette Blais
Jeff Michael
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes16 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer Norm Prescott [1]
Lou Scheimer
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies Filmation Associates
Wrather Productions (as Wrather Corp.)
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 15 (1973-09-15) –
December 22, 1973 (1973-12-22)

Lassie's Rescue Rangers is an animated television series produced by Filmation and featuring Lassie, running from 1972 to 1973. [2] The hour-long pilot, Lassie and the Spirit of Thunder Mountain, was part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie . [3]

Contents

Summary

In the series, Lassie the collie lives near Thunder Mountain with the Turner family. Ranger Ben Turner (voiced by Ted Knight) works with wife Laura (voiced by Jane Webb) and children Susan (voiced by Erika Scheimer), Jackie (voiced by Lane Scheimer), and Ben Jr. (voiced by Keith Sutherland) as the Forest Force, a ranger-rescue team that protects Thunder Mountain National Park. Lassie is the leader of the Rescue Rangers, a group of wild animals living in the park, working alongside the Turners to help protect the environment and keep it safe for visitors. [4]

The Rescue Rangers were eight animals including Groucho the owl, Toothless the mountain lion, Musty the skunk, and Robbie the raccoon. Also helping the Forest Force was Gene Fox (voiced by Lane Scheimer), a Native American, who was Ben Jr.'s, Jackie's and Susan's friend. Lassie herself and Toothless are the only animals who appeared in every episode. Also, Laura Turner was absent from "Lassie's Special Assignment," "The Impostors," and "The Sunken Galleon."

Reception

The sixteen-episode season was not well received. Lassie's trainer, Rudd Weatherwax, said, "That's not Lassie. That's trash." [5] The National Association of Broadcasters agreed: "The manufacturers of this rubbish have incorporated violence, crime and stupidity into what is probably the worst show for children of the season." [5]

Episode list

NºTitleOriginal air date
1"Lassie and the Spirit of Thunder Mountain"November 11, 1972 (1972-11-11)
Lassie, the Turner family, Gene Fox, and a small group of animals oppose Aaron Lipton's plan to build property on a reservation.
2"The Animals Are Missing"September 15, 1973 (1973-09-15)
All the animals are captured by drug traffickers who need them to retrieve heroin from a dangerous subterranean area.
3"Mystic Monster"September 22, 1973 (1973-09-22)
Something has crash landed in the woods. Could it be a visitor from outer space?
4"Lassie's Special Assignment"September 29, 1973 (1973-09-29)
The rescue animals risk everything to rescue an imprisoned medical doctor when an epidemic threatens the public at large.
5"The Imposters"October 6, 1973 (1973-10-06)
A mad scientist has created robot duplicates of the whole Rescue Rangers team, and sent them out to rob banks.
6"Deadly Cargo"October 13, 1973 (1973-10-13)
The team discovers that the couple they rescued from a plane crash were transporting explosives.
7"Grizzly"October 20, 1973 (1973-10-20)
The Rescue Rangers return a grizzly bear named King to the wild. Having been raised in captivity, will he be able to adjust to his new surroundings?
8"Deepsea Disaster"October 27, 1973 (1973-10-27)
Jackie, Susan, Gene Fox, Lassie, Toothless, and Fastback are assigned as the crew of the Aquabase. But will a disgruntled sub designer have his revenge?
9"Black Out"November 3, 1973 (1973-11-03)
The team heads into the city during a blackout to stop looters and other threats.
10"Arctic Adventure"November 10, 1973 (1973-11-10)
This adventure focuses on the search for firefighters in Alaska.
11"The Sunken Galleon"November 17, 1973 (1973-11-17)
Jackie, Susan, and Gene Fox search for a missing frogman in Clinton Inlet, unaware that two men have set their sights on a fortune in gold bars.
12"Goldmine"November 24, 1973 (1973-11-24)
A greedy man mistakenly believes the Rescue Rangers are trying to steal gold from his mine.
13"Rodeo"December 1, 1973 (1973-12-01)
Someone is trying to sabotage a rodeo. Note: One of the rodeo stars is a man named Ted Knight. Ted Knight was the voice of Ben Turner, Sr.
14"Hullabaloo in Hollywood"December 8, 1973 (1973-12-08)
The Rescue Rangers arrive in Hollywood to appear in a movie. But a mysterious phantom is causing problems on the set.
15"Tidal Wave"December 15, 1973 (1973-12-15)
The Rescue Rangers have their work cut out for them when a tidal wave threatens to devastate the Florida coast. Note: Jackie references Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" when the Rescue Rangers arrive at the Everglades.
16"Lost"December 22, 1973 (1973-12-22)
Duane Johnson gets lost on his first camping trip, putting himself and a mountain man called Jake in terrible danger.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filmation</span> American production company

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and principal producers were Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lassie</span> Fictional female collie dog

Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel, Lassie Come-Home. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fictional female collie of the same name, featured in the British writer Elizabeth Gaskell's 1859 short story "The Half Brothers". In "The Half Brothers", Lassie is loved only by her young master and guides the adults back to where two boys are lost in a snowstorm.

<i>The Brady Kids</i> 1972 American TV series or program

The Brady Kids is an American animated television series and a spin-off based on the ABC live-action sitcom The Brady Bunch, produced by Filmation in association with Paramount Television. It aired on ABC from September 9, 1972, to October 6, 1973, and also spun off another Filmation series, Mission: Magic!, starring Rick Springfield.

<i>Groovie Goolies</i> Television series

Groovie Goolies is an American animated television show that had its original run Saturday mornings on CBS between 1970 and 1972. It was rebroadcast the following season on Sunday mornings. Set at a decrepit castle, the show focused on its monstrous but good-natured and mostly friendly inhabitants. Created by Filmation, Groovie Goolies was an original creation of the studio; its characters would cross over with Filmation's Archie Comics adaptations including Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Archie Show, as well as with the Looney Tunes cast.

<i>Lassie</i> (1954 TV series) 1954 TV series

Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie dog named Lassie and her companions, both human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 25, 1973, making it the eighth longest-running scripted American primetime television series. The show ran for 17 seasons on CBS before entering first-run syndication for its final two seasons. Initially filmed in black and white, the show transitioned to color in 1965.

<i>BraveStarr</i> US 1987–1988 animated TV series

BraveStarr is an American Space Western animated series that aired 65 episodes from September 1987 to February 1988 in syndication. The show was created a year after Mattel had released a line of action figures. BraveStarr was the last animated series produced by Filmation and Group W Productions before Filmation shut down in 1989. Reruns of the show aired on Qubo Night Owl from 2010 to 2013, and on the Retro Television Network from 2010 to 2015.

<i>The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show</i> 1980 American animated television program

The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show is an American animated television series produced by Filmation for MGM Television featuring the popular cartoon duo Tom and Jerry. The show first aired on September 6, 1980 on CBS and continued until December 13 the same year. Its episodes were eventually added to syndicated Tom and Jerry packages in 1983. Episodes of the show also occasionally appear on Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

<i>The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty</i> American television series

The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty is an American animated and partially live-action television series, produced by Filmation, which originally aired for one season on Saturday mornings on NBC from September 6 to November 29, 1975. Howard Morris, Jane Webb, and Allan Melvin provided voices for the three main characters on the series. The show follows a cat named Waldo who daydreams of being a superhero and defeating the villainous bulldog Tyrone. It was inspired by James Thurber's 1939 short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", and his widow Helen Thurber sued Filmation in 1975 for creating the series without the permission of her husband's estate. The outcome of the decision resulted in the series being retitled in future broadcasts as The New Adventures of Waldo Kitty.

<i>Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle</i> Animated television series

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seasons.

<i>The New Adventures of Gilligan</i> 1974 American TV series or program

The New Adventures of Gilligan is an American Saturday morning animated series produced by Filmation, which aired on ABC during the 1974–75 seasons. The show was based on the 1964–67 sitcom Gilligan's Island. A few years later, Filmation produced a sequel, Gilligan's Planet.

<i>The New Adventures of Superman</i> (TV series) 1966-1970 animated television series

The New Adventures of Superman is a series of six-minute animated Superman adventures produced by Filmation that were broadcast Saturday mornings on CBS from September 10, 1966, to September 5, 1970. The 68 segments appeared as part of three different programs during that time, packaged with similar shorts featuring The Adventures of Superboy and other DC Comics superheroes.

<i>The U.S. of Archie</i> 1974 American TV series or program

U.S. of Archie is a Saturday morning cartoon show on CBS from September 7 to December 21, 1974. It is spin-off of the popular Archie comic books and television show.

The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie — retitled The New Saturday Superstar Movie for its second season — is a series of one-hour animated made-for-television films, broadcast on the ABC television network on Saturday mornings from September 9, 1972 to November 17, 1973.

<i>These Are the Days</i> (TV series) 1974 American TV series or program

These Are the Days is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by the Hanna-Barbera studios and broadcast on ABC from September 7, 1974, to September 27, 1975.

<i>Uncle Crocs Block</i> 1975 American TV series or program

Uncle Croc's Block is an hour-long live-action/animated television series. It was produced by Filmation, and broadcast on ABC in 1975–76.

<i>The Tom and Jerry Show</i> (1975 TV series) 1975 American animated television series

The Tom & Jerry Show is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with MGM Television. Based on the Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon series, which was created by H-B co-founders and former MGM cartoon studio staff William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the show originally aired on ABC from September 6 to December 13, 1975 as the first half of The Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show, with The Great Grape Ape Show representing the series' second half and The Mumbly Cartoon Show representing the series' third half. This series marked the first time that Tom and Jerry appeared in animated installments produced specifically for television.

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 that 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.

<i>Rescue Heroes</i> (TV series) Television series

Rescue Heroes is an animated adventure television series produced by Nelvana. Based on the Fisher-Price toy line of the same name, the television series tracks the adventures of a team of emergency responders who rescue people from various disasters.

Events in 1972 in animation.

<i>The New Adventures of the Lone Ranger</i> (1980 TV series) 1980 TV series or program

The New Adventures of the Lone Ranger is an American animated television series produced by Filmation in 1980. The series ran for 28 episodes over two seasons on CBS as part of The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour.

References

  1. ↑ Lentz, Harris M. III (2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland p. 302. ISBN   978-0-7864-5210-1.
  2. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (July 15, 2018). "VFX Artist, Illustrator George Jenson Dies Age 87". Animation Magazine . Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  3. ↑ Miller, Chuck (June 21, 2016). "The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie". Times Union . Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  4. ↑ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981 . Scarecrow Press. p.  167. ISBN   0-8108-1557-5 . Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  5. 1 2 Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 487–488. ISBN   978-1476665993.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.