Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Thanks for everything, Joe Barbera
Not sure you agree? I can only say Yabba Dabba Do and then point you here for the whole story.
The pair's first collaboration at MGM was entitled "Puss Gets the Boot," which led to the creation of the immortal Tom and Jerry. The duo won tremendous acclaim in the 1940s when their cartoon cat and mouse danced alongside Gene Kelly in the motion pictures "Anchors Aweigh" and "Invitation to Dance," and alongside Esther Williams in "Dangerous When Wet." Over the years, Tom and Jerry have been honored with seven Academy Awards.
Concerned by the advent of television, MGM eliminated the studio's animation department and, suddenly unemployed, Hanna and Barbera decided to make cartoons directly for the small screen. In 1957, twenty years after the birth of Tom and Jerry, Hanna-Barbera Studios opened its doors as one of the first independent animation studios to produce series television.
The fledgling studio's first production was "Ruff and Reddy" followed by "The Huckleberry Hound Show" in 1958. The lovable blue canine became an immediate hit and won Hanna-Barbera its first Emmy Award, marking the first time an animated television series had been honored with an Emmy. The studio's next series, "Quick Draw McGraw," premiered in 1959 and showcased the lanky, Stetson-wearing horse on two legs, ol' Quick Draw McGraw himself. The series also introduced America to Jellystone Park's most famous bears, Yogi and Boo Boo, and the mischievous mice, Pixie and Dixie.
Breaking new ground became a tradition at the Hanna-Barbera Studios. In 1960, the team created television's first animated "family sitcom," "The Flintstones," a series marked by a number of other firsts -- the first animated series to air in primetime, the first animated series to go beyond the six or seven-minute cartoon format, and the first animated series to feature human characters. "The Flintstones" ran for six years and went on to become the top-ranking animated program in syndication history, with all original 166 episodes currently seen in more than 80 countries worldwide. Fred, Wilma, and Pebbles Flintstone, along with Betty and Barney Rubble are some of Hanna-Barbera's most celebrated classic characters and have spawned spin-off television series, specials and feature films. Hanna and Barbera served as executive producers of 1994's "The Flintstones" feature film and even made a cameo appearance. "The Flintstones" soon paved the way for other primetime cartoons including "The Jetsons," "Top Cat" and "The Adventures of Jonny Quest."
Another popular offering from Hanna-Barbera featured a cowardly Great Dane named Scooby-Doo, who eventually made his own place in television history. The popular series "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" remained in production for 17 years and maintains the title as television's longest-running animated series.
Last year I bought my two sons DVD collections of The Jetsons and Jonny Quest, and I can tell you that these great 'toons continue to stand up remarkably well with the passage of time, as does the Flintstones. (Caveat: if you've been bitten by the PC bug you won't think highly of the somewhat stereotypical portrayal of certain foreign peoples in Quest (not to mention the quantity of high calibre firepower on display in each episode) or appreciate the domesticated Jane Jetson).
The list of other notable Hannah-Barbera characters is practically endless, but some other favorites of mine include Josie and the Pusseycats, Touche Turtle, Snagglepuss, Magilla Gorilla, Space Ghost, and perhaps my all time favorite, The Herculoids.
Joe Barbera, rest in peace.
5 Comments:
By 
, at
Wed Dec 20, 12:00:00 AM:
A good man is gone the world will never be the same can you remember TOUCHE TURTLE came before the TMNT and he battle the dragon with the firehose and SPACE GHOST and JONNY QUEAST and BIRDMAN,FRANKENSTEIN Jr AND THE IMPOSIBLES Wow those were the days
By 
Counter Trey, at
Wed Dec 20, 12:35:00 AM:
By , at
Wed Dec 20, 10:44:00 AM:
And what about HUCKLEBERRY HOUND and TOP CAT YOGI BEAR,THE FLINTSTONES,THE JETSONS,THE HURCULOIDS,
By , at
Thu Dec 21, 03:58:00 PM:
"The Herculoids" was always one of my favorites. A huge number of Saturday morning shows were specifically inteneded for boy or girl audiences. Hanna Barabera didn't try to create something that would appeal to everyone. They knew how to create for an audience and did it very well.
By , at
Fri Dec 22, 09:42:00 AM:
RUFF AND REDDY was the cat and dog if you might rememebr? And can you remmber ATOM ANT? and SECRET SQURREL? and what about SPEED BUGGY? and MAGILA GORRILA?
