The Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show

The Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show is an American half-hour animated series of the famous comedy duo that aired in syndication from September 9, 1967, to June 1, 1968. Each of the 39 individual episodes consisted of four five-minute cartoons.[2] The cartoons were created jointly by Hanna-Barbera, RKO General, and Jomar Productions between 1965 and 1967. The series was syndicated by Gold Key Entertainment and King World Productions, with the rights now owned by Warner Bros. Television Distribution (through Turner Entertainment).

The Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show
GenreComedy
Developed byLee Orgel
Written by
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composerHoyt Curtin
ComposersHoyt Curtin[1]
Ted Nichols
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producerLee Orgel[1]
Producers
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSyndication[1]
ReleaseSeptember 9, 1967 (1967-09-09)[citation needed] –
June 1, 1968 (1968-06-01)[citation needed]

Bud Abbott provided the voice for his own character. Stan Irwin provided the voice of Lou Costello, who had died in 1959. The rest of the voice cast was composed of Hanna-Barbera regulars. Canadian cartoonist Lynn Johnston, best known for her comic strip, For Better or For Worse, was an uncredited cel colorist.[3]

Production

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Abbott and Costello is among the animated programs of the 1960s that are based on the decade's nostalgia craze which animated other comedy teams of the past such as Laurel and Hardy and The New 3 Stooges. It was pitched by the duo's manager Eddie Sherman to producer Lee Orgel, who also worked on The New 3 Stooges and further developed the concept.[4][5] Orgel originally planned for the series to be produced at Cambria Productions, however the show's sponsor insisted it be done entirely at Hanna-Barbera instead.[6] The show created work for the ill and impoverished Bud Abbott, who provided the voice of his animated character.[1] Lou Costello had died in 1959, and his voice was supplied by nightclub manager Stan Irwin (1920-2015), who was a close friend of the duo.[1]

Voices

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Additional voices: Mel Blanc, Don Messick, Hal Smith, John Stephenson, Janet Waldo[1]

Episodes

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No. Cartoon 1 Cartoon 2 Cartoon 3 Cartoon 4 Original air date
1 "Cops and Saucers" "Dog Gone Dog" "Go Go Goliath" "In the Soup" September 9, 1967
2 "The Cloud Monster" "The Gravity Grabber" "There Auto Be a Law" "Tiny Terror" September 16, 1967
3 "Big Bird Break Out" "Going Buggy" "Sahara You?" "The Vikings" September 23, 1967
4 "Down in the Dumps" "Eskimo Pie-eyed" "Lube-a-Tuba" "The Forty Thieves" September 30, 1967
5 "Frail Whale" "Sitting Pity" "Tooth or Consequences" "Wizardland" October 7, 1967
6 "Catman on a Hot Tin Roof" "Elephantasy" "Shutter Bugged Sea Serpent" "The Mark of El-Zap" October 14, 1967
7 "Kooks and Spooks" "Mouse Route" "Stand-In Stand-Off" "Super Lou" October 21, 1967
8 "Dinosaur Dilemma" "Frigid Fugitive" "The Astro Nuttys" "The Industructible Space Suit" October 28, 1967
9 "Galoots in Armor Suits" "Mighty Midget Mustang" "The Bouncing Rubber Man" "The Purple Baron" November 4, 1967
10 "Abbott and Costello in Blunderland" "Going to Pot" "Skyscrapper Napper" "The Two Musketeers" November 11, 1967
11 "A Creep in the Deep" "Crying High" "Germ Squirm" "Weird Neighbors" November 18, 1967
12 "Lashed but Leashed" "Pigskin Pickle" "The Moleman Mine" "Two on the Isle" November 25, 1967
13 "Space Toy Tyrants" "The Little Fat Boy Cried Wolf " "Wacky Wax Work" "Werewolf Whim-Wham" December 2, 1967
14 "A Goose Misuse" "Invader Raider" "Monster Muddled" "The Monsterkeet" December 9, 1967
15 "Going, Going, Gun!" "Paddle Boat Pirate" "Road Race Ruckus" "Who Needs Arrest?" December 16, 1967
16 "Baby Buggy" "Drumsticks Along the Mohawk" "Gone Ghosts" "Hey, Abbott!" December 23, 1967
17 "A Car Is Born" "Lumbering Lummoxes" "Professor Uncle's Ants" "Teenie Weenie Genie" December 30, 1967
18 "Fish-Hooked" "High Wire Lion" "Magic Monster" "Planet Plant" January 6, 1968
19 "Baby Shoo" "Marauding Mummy" "Space Beard" "The Long Long Camper" January 13, 1968
20 "Fumbled Fable" "Phantom of the Hoss Opera" "Puppet Enemy Number One" "Rabbit Grabbers" January 20, 1968
21 "Phoney Express" "The Big Cannon Caper" "The Vacuum Villain" "Throne of a Loss" January 27, 1968
22 "A Guest in the Nest" "Concrete Evidence" "Glass Reunion" "The Lava Monster" February 3, 1968
23 "Broom Gloom" "Gadzooka" "Gone Like the Wind" "Merry Misfits" February 10, 1968
24 "Fighting the Clock" "Rescue Miscue" "Sinister Professor Sinister" "The Hound Hounders" February 17, 1968
25 "Bully Billy" "Pigs in a Panic" "Ship Ahooey" "Underworld Whirl" February 24, 1968
26 "Dragon Along" "Mounty-Bounty" "Password to Panic" "Super Terror Strikes Again" March 2, 1968
27 "No Place Like Rome" "Not So Sweet Sioux" "Texas Jack" "Follow the Bouncing Blob" March 9, 1968
28 "Luna Tricks" "Pearl Diving Perils" "Picture Frame-Up" "The Queen of Diamonds" March 16, 1968
29 "Booty Bounty" "Dangerous Buck" "G.I. Jokers" "Tasmanian Terror" March 23, 1968
30 "Gator Baiter" "The Fiendish Farmer" "The Gadget King" "The Ice-Tronauts" March 30, 1968
31 "Rabbit Rouser" "Save a Cave" "Which Witch Is Which?" "Wild Man, Wild" April 6, 1968
32 "Doggies by the Dozen" "Shooting the Works" "Son of Konk" "Super Knight" April 13, 1968
33 "Bully for Lou" "Cherokee Choo-Choo" "Hotel Suite and Sour" "Rhino Riot" April 20, 1968
34 "Carnival of Menace" "Shoo Shoes" "Teensy vs. Weensys" "Tragic Magic" April 27, 1968
35 "Get 'im Tiger" "Hullaba-Lou" "Mountain Mischief" "The Drastic Driller" May 4, 1968
36 "Gorilla Thriller" "The Eighth Dwarf" "Turkish Daffy" "Yankee Doodle Dudes" May 11, 1968
37 "Rodeo Rumpus" "Run of DeMille Pictures" "Super Car" "The Sinister Stinger" May 18, 1968
38 "Bad Day at High Noon" "Magic Mix-Up" "Shock Treatment" "Tom All-Thumbs" May 25, 1968
39 "Pinocchio's Double Trouble" "Private General Nuisance" "Starlight Starfright" "Trigger Tricks" June 1, 1968

Comic book series

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A comic book based on the TV show was produced by Charlton Comics. Starting in February 1968, it ran for 22 issues, ending in August 1971.[7]

Reception

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Hal Erickson, author of Television Cartoon Shows, An Illustrated Encyclopedia gave the program a negative review, stating that Abbott and Costello episodes were difficult to tell apart. Erickson stated that "virtually every one them features the tubby Costello being pursued by some bugeyed monster or giant sized garden pest" and that "None of the classic verbal exchanges which brought the real Abbott and Costello to fame in the first place are evident."[1]

Home media

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An episode of the show, "Gadzooka" was released in May 2013 as part of The Best of Warner Bros.: Hanna Barbera 25 Cartoon Collection DVD set.[8]

See also

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References

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Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 54. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2007. Vol. 1. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  3. ^ Johnston, Lynn (1989). A Look Inside For Better or For Worse: The 10th Anniversary Collection. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 38–9. ISBN 9780836218534.
  4. ^ Korkis, Jim (May 27, 2016). "Animation Anecdotes #264". Cartoon Research.
  5. ^ "Lee Orgel and The New Three Stooges". January 5, 2015.
  6. ^ "Lee Orgel, The Man Behind the Musical, part II". September 12, 2011.
  7. ^ "GCD :: Series :: Abbott & Costello".
  8. ^ "Warner Bros. Anniversary DVD Set salutes Hanna Barbera". 25 January 2013.
Sources
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