The Fabulous Funnies

Last updated
The Fabulous Funnies
Fabulous Funnies special.jpg
Written by Bill Persky, Sam Denoff, Lee Mendelson, George Schlatter
Directed by Gordon Wiles
Presented by Carl Reiner
Starring Ken Berry, Jack Burns, Avery Schreiber
Music by John Scott Trotter
Country of originUnited States
Production
Producers Lee Mendelson, George Schlatter
Running time60 mins
Production company Lee Mendelson Film Productions
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseFebruary 11, 1968 (1968-02-11)

The Fabulous Funnies is a one-hour primetime network special that aired on NBC on February 11, 1968, hosted by Carl Reiner. [1] The show is a salute to American comic strips, and features interviews with cartoonists, including Rube Goldberg, Chester Gould, Chic Young, Milt Caniff, Al Capp and Charles Schulz. [2]

Contents

In addition, the show includes songs that have been written about comic strips, performed by the Doodletown Pipers, the Royal Guardsmen and Ken Berry. [3] Ken Berry sings a song from the Li'l Abner musical, and the Royal Guardsmen perform their hit single "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron". Other songs featured in the program include "Barney Google (With the Goo-Goo-Googly Eyes)" and "Little Chatterbox," inspired by Little Orphan Annie . The comedy team of Burns and Schreiber also perform a skit about people reading comic strips. [4]

In one sequence, Reiner interacts with animated comic strip characters, leading production supervisor David Crommie to brag, "This is, perhaps, the most difficult show that has ever been done for television. Production began in January 1967, and continued until the end of the year. When you combine live action with animation, the impossible takes a lot longer!" [5]

The show did very well in the ratings, reaching #7 for the week according to the Nielsen ratings, [6] and garnered a follow-up a decade later. In an article about producer Lee Mendelson, comics historian Mark Evanier says, "The ratings were huge and the folks at CBS, for whom Lee was producing the Charlie Brown specials, said to him, "Why didn't you offer that special to us?" Lee replied, "I did. You didn't think it would do very well and passed so I sold it to NBC." The folks at CBS said, "Well... we want the next one." It was not until 1980 that Lee did the next one, which was called The Fantastic Funnies and yes, it was on CBS." [7]

Cartoonists

The cartoonists featured in the special are:

Reception

The next day's review in The New York Times was not kind, saying that the show "unfortunately turned out to be little more than a superficial look at one of the more interesting aspects of this country's kitsch culture. The producers were faced with an embarrassment of riches and did not know what to do with them. In attempting too much, the program did nothing well... Basically, the producers made the mistake of ignoring the strips themselves and leaving the viewer in the dark as to what, in fact, made them 'funnies.'" [8]

Similarly, The Baltimore Sun said, "It was plain from the beginning that those who produced it — Lee Mendelson and George Schlatter — failed to understand the scope and significance of their subject... The producers wasted precious time in superfluous matters and lumped together various manifestations of the comics, such as their radio versions, their invasion of the theater, and their proliferation in movies and television... The worst was a song, "Snoopy and the Red Baron", played with childish monkey business by a rock 'n' roll group called the Royal Guardsmen. It must have made Charles Schulz's blood run cold." [9]

On the other hand, the Ludington Daily News was enchanted with the show: "It was first cabin all the way, thanks in great measure to that gifted and civilized showman, Carl Reiner, who not only provided the link for the animated sequences, musical numbers, film clips and interviews with cartoonists — but set a new standard for video hosts as well. Despite the excellent organization and format of the show, it was the ubiquitous Reiner — participating in the animation, clowning, narrating with style and even singing "Little Orphan Annie" — who gave the hour its final touch of high gloss." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Capp</span> American cartoonist and humorist (1909–1979)

Alfred Gerald Caplin, better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner, which he created in 1934 and continued writing and drawing until 1977. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam (1954). He won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1947 for Cartoonist of the Year, and their 1979 Elzie Segar Award, posthumously for his "unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Cartoonists Society</span> Professional organization

The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops. They enjoyed each other's company and decided to meet on a regular basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles M. Schulz</span> American cartoonist (1922–2000)

Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, the creator of the comic strip Peanuts which features his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential cartoonists in history, and cited by many cartoonists as a major influence, including Jim Davis, Murray Ball, Bill Watterson, Matt Groening, and Dav Pilkey.

<i>Peanuts</i> Comic strip by Charles M. Schulz

Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. Peanuts is among the most popular and influential in the history of comic strips, with 17,897 strips published in all, making it "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being". At the time of Schulz's death in 2000, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of roughly 355 million across 75 countries, and had been translated into 21 languages. It helped to cement the four-panel gag strip as the standard in the United States, and together with its merchandise earned Schulz more than $1 billion. It got a movie adaptation in 2015 by Blue Sky Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Brown</span> Peanuts comic strip character

Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip Peanuts, syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown is one of the great American archetypes and a popular and widely recognized cartoon character. Charlie Brown is characterized as a person who frequently suffers, and as a result, is usually nervous and lacks self-confidence. He shows both pessimistic and optimistic attitudes: on some days, he is apprehensive to even get out of bed because he is unable to face the world, but on others, he hopes for the best and is determined to accomplish things. Charlie Brown is easily recognized by his round head and trademark zigzag patterned shirt. His catchphrase is "Good Grief!"

<i>Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown</i> 1966 animated Halloween television special

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a 1966 American animated Halloween television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The third Peanuts special, and the second holiday-themed special, to be created, it was written by Schulz along with director/animator Bill Melendez and producer Lee Mendelson. The cast included Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown, Christopher Shea as Linus Van Pelt, Sally Dryer as Lucy Van Pelt, and Melendez as Snoopy. The special features music composed by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, whose contributions include the theme song "Linus and Lucy". It aired on broadcast television every year from its debut in 1966 until 2020 when it became an Apple TV+ exclusive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rerun Van Pelt</span> Peanuts comic strip character

Rerun Van Pelt is Linus and Lucy's younger brother in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. Lucy Van Pelt, his sister, disparagingly calls the situation a "rerun" of the birth of her brother Linus, so Linus nicknames the child "Rerun". Despite Lucy's disappointment, she becomes a warm and protective older sister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Van Pelt</span> Peanuts comic strip character

Lucille "Lucy" Van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is characterized as a "fussbudget", crabby, bossy and opinionated girl who bullies most other characters in the strip, particularly Linus and Charlie Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shermy</span> Peanuts comic strip character

Shermy is a fictional character from the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles Schulz. Schulz named him after a friend from high school. When Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, Shermy sat on the curb with another early character, Patty, and spoke the first lines of dialogue, ending with "Good ol' Charlie Brown ... How I hate him!" which is ironic, considering how he became one of Charlie Brown's closest friends, along with Linus van Pelt and Schroeder.

See also: 1920s in comics, other events of the 1930s, 1940s in comics and the list of years in comics

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Starr</span> American cartoonist (1925–2015)

Leonard Starr was an American cartoonist, comic book artist, and advertising artist, best known for creating the newspaper comic strip On Stage and reviving Little Orphan Annie.

<i>Lil Folks</i> Comic strip

Li'l Folks, the first comic strip by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, was a weekly panel that appeared mainly in Schulz's hometown paper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, from June 22, 1947, to January 22, 1950. As Schulz's first regular cartoon, Li'l Folks can be regarded as an embryonic version of Peanuts, centered around children saying things beyond their years. Unlike Peanuts, Li'l Folks did not feature any recurring characters, though several themes were carried over to the later strip, including: Beethoven's music ; dogs resembling Snoopy that appeared in most strips; and the name Charlie Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Weiss</span> American comics artist

Morris S. Weiss was an American comic book and comic strip artist and writer. Active from the 1930s through the mid-1970s, he created the teen-comedy character Margie for Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics, and was the final cartoonist on the comic strip Mickey Finn. He also worked as a writer or illustrator on numerous other strips, including Joe Palooka.

Broom-Hilda is an American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russell Myers. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, it depicts the misadventures of a man-crazy, cigar-smoking, beer-guzzling, 1,500-year-old witch and her motley crew of friends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Mendelson</span> American animation producer (1933–2019)

Leland Maurice Mendelson was an American animation producer and executive producer of many Peanuts animated specials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snoopy vs. the Red Baron (song)</span> 1966 single by The Royal Guardsmen

"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" is a novelty song written by Phil Gernhard and Dick Holler and recorded in 1966 by the Florida-based pop group The Royal Guardsmen. The song was recorded at the Charles Fuller Productions studio in Tampa, Florida, and was released as a single on Laurie Records. Debuting at #122 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 on December 10, 1966, the single skyrocketed to #30 on December 17, 1966, shot up again to #7 on December 24, 1966 and peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 during the week of December 31, 1966 ; made #6 on the Record Retailer (UK) chart in February 1967; was #1 in Australia for 5 weeks from February 1967; and #1 for 3 weeks in Canada. On the Hot 100, "Believer" at #1 kept "Snoopy" at #2 from reaching the Hot 100 summit from December 31, 1966, through January 21, 1967, after which "Snoopy" fell off while "Believer" stayed at the top for another 3 weeks; however the song spent one week at the top of the Record World charts. The song sold close to three million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snoopy</span> Peanuts comic strip character

Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the Peanuts films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in the comic strip and is considered more famous than Charlie Brown in some countries. The original drawings of Snoopy were inspired by Spike, one of Schulz's childhood dogs.

Notable events of 1933 in comics.

Notable events of 1934 in comics.

References

  1. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936-2012 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 149. ISBN   978-0-7864-7444-8.
  2. ↑ Humphrey, Hal (Feb 9, 1968). "Funnies Get Their Inning on TV". The Marion Star. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Maays, Stan (February 10, 1968). "Fabulous Funnies Due on NBC Sunday". The North Adams Transcript. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Ask the Archivist: Fabulous Funnies". Comics Kingdom. Feb 26, 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Ashe, Isobel (Feb 10, 1968). "Leading Comics and Cartoonists Scheduled on NBC-TV's 'Fabulous Funnies'". The Troy Times Record. p. B-9. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Newton, Dwight (March 8, 1968). "Ernie Signs $2,100,000 NBC-TV Pact". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  7. ↑ Evanier, Mark. "A Lee Mendelson Story (Part I)". News From me. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Gent, George (February 12, 1968). "Fabulous Funnies". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  9. ↑ Kirkley, Donald. "Look and Listen with Donald Kirkley". The Baltimore Sun. No. February 15, 1968. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Du Brow, Rick (Feb 14, 1968). "Television in Review". The Ludington Daily News. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
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.