Joe Torcivia's The Issue At Hand Blog: Huckleberry Hound Meets J. Evil Scientist!

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Huckleberry Hound Meets J. Evil Scientist!

Over at the YOWP Hanna-Barbera-centric Blog, there was a discussion on the character Hokey Wolf. On the HUCKLEBERRY HOUND SHOW (1958-1962), Hokey replaced now-superstar Yogi Bear, who was spun off into his own series!

Among the various topics, was the notion of a J. Evil Scientist ongoing series becoming the third component of THE HUCKLEBERRY HOUND SHOW, after the departure of Yogi Bear in 1961.

Amid other comments, I contributed the bit you will see below. I liked it so much that I'd "additionally-purpose" it for my own Blog. I hope you enjoy it!

The HUCK SHOW, as with other H-B shows of the time, had interstitial segments for the purpose of introducing the other "component features" of the show - such as Yogi Bear, Pixie and Dixie, and Hokey Wolf.

This is what a Huck/J. Evil Scientist interstitial would be like…

Per thrifty Bill Hanna, Mrs. J. Evil would be absent so as not to pay Jean Van Der Pyl. If Junior’s “GWAAWP!” sound was done by someone other than Daws Butler, Junior would either be silent, or previously recorded “GWAAWPs” would be used.

Huck walks into a ghastly NURSERY SCENE, from left, where J. Evil is reading Junior a bedtime story.

HUCK:

Howdy, J. Evil Scientist. Readin’ Junior some nursery rhymes?

J. EVIL:

Yes, this is one of his favorites.

JUNIOR:

GWAAWP!

Huck is bemused, as J. Evil begins to read.

J. EVIL:

Little Miss Muffet, Sat on a tuffet , Eating her curds and whey…

J. EVIL (continues):

…Along came a SPIDER…

A GIANT SPIDER enters frame from right. Huck leap-exits out of frame left.

HUCK:

YIKES!

J. EVIL (addresses audience):

Too bad. I was hoping he’d stay for the next J. Evil Scientist cartoon… It’s delightfully GRUESOME!

FADE OUT.

So, cast your vote! Hokey Wolf or J. Evil Scientist to play off Huck! The polls are open!

Yes, the show would have been DIFFERENT with J. Evil, but I think little single-digit-age me would have liked it anyway!

"Hey, what's the big idea? I was expecting Hokey Wolf... Loopy De Loop, even!"

…And yes-again, I’d LOVE to be able to write this stuff for comics!

Hey, DC Comics! Write me! Call me! Text me! ...I'll even accommodate Carrier Pigeons! Okay, huh?

12 comments:

top_cat_james said...: In that spirit, may I offer:

HOKEY'S FIRST INTERSTITIAL

HUCK: "And a HOUNNNNNNND-dawg howdy to all you boys an' girls! This is yore ol' pal, Huckleberry Hound, an' ah'm rite pleased t' innerduce th' newest members of our repper-twary comp'ny - Hokey Wolf an' Ding-A-Ling! (DOES SLIGHT TAKE) Ding-A-Ling? (LOOKS OFFSTAGE) Really? Ding-A-Ling? That was approved? It was. Wal, okay, ah guess. (SHRUGS, LOOKS BACK TO AUDIENCE) Hokey Wolf an' Ding-A-Ling, ever'body!"

HOKEY: "Thank you, Huck, for that...polished and professional presentation (GIVES "HOO BOY" LOOK). Now then, on to more important matters...(TURNS TO CAMERA) You, there, camera operator, where's my close-up? And put some Vaseline on that lens - Whatever amount they're using to make Loretta Young look acceptable these days. Come, come, now. This is the face that soon will be gracing the cereal boxes of breakfast tables from sea to shining sea! When do my residuals kick in? Where's the craft service table?"

DING-A-LING (TO AUDIENCE): "My pal Hokey is very media-savvy, ain't he?"

HUCK: "Y'all is replacin' that smart-alecky bear what got his own TV show an' soon a movie! Ah cain't stands some'un stealin' mah thundah like that. You ain't gonna steal mah thundah, are ya, Hokey?"

HOKEY: "Thunder, no. Valuables, yes. Which reminds me...(TURNS TO DING-A-LING) Ding, boy, be sue to look up the address of the nearest pawn shop. I found this possibly valuable gewgaw (HANDS DING-A-LING AN EMMY AWARD) that some careless individual left in their unlocked dressing room. Might bring in a few shekels."

HUCK (OBLIVIOUS): " An' now, ah'd like ya t' meet yore co-stahs, Pixie, Dixie, an' Mistah Jinks!"

PIXIE: "Nice to meet you, Hokey!"

DIXIE: "Hiya, Ding-A-Ling!"

JINKS: "One side, no-talent vermin! (TO HOKEY) So, uh, you're the new fill-ins, huh? Well, lemee remind ya of the peckin' order around here! Next one to get a spin-off is these hanger-on type meeces and yours truly, see? I'm not gettin' punch-suckered again! I'm wise to your, like, machinations and chicanery!"

HOKEY (ANNOYED): "Ding, have you seen my tennis racquet - the one that needs re-stringing? I believe I've just located some available catgut!"

JINKS (FRIGHTENED, TURNS AND RUNS OFF): "Drat these useful innards!"

PIXIE AND DIXIE (GIGGLE AND EXIT): "Tennis, anyone?"

HUCK: (TO AUDIENCE): "Now, makin' thar cartoon de-butt (HOKEY GROANS OFFSTAGE), here's Hokey an' Ding-A- Ling in 'Tricks an' Treats'!"

FADE OUT TO HOKEY WOLF MAIN TITLES; August 5, 2018 at 2:40 PM
Joe Torcivia said...: That is WONDERFUL, TCJ!

Makes me wish it really happened that way!

"Hokey Wolf an' Ding-A-Ling! (DOES SLIGHT TAKE) Ding-A-Ling? (LOOKS OFFSTAGE) Really? Ding-A-Ling? That was approved? It was. Wal, okay, ah guess. (SHRUGS, LOOKS BACK TO AUDIENCE) Hokey Wolf an' Ding-A-Ling, ever'body!"

I guess it's a shorter distance than I realized from "HUCKLE-BERRY" to "CHUCK BERRY"!; August 6, 2018 at 12:03 AM
Achille Talon said...: Wonderful stuff, both of you! I have seen few HB cartoons in their original English… but I've seen enough to know that this is all frighteningly accurate. I'm seriously debating the likelihood of you two having stolen Gyro Gearloose's Alternate Reality Machine and seen it all for yourself… or sumthin'.; August 6, 2018 at 1:00 PM
Joe Torcivia said...: “Frighteningly Accurate” is one of my many middle names, Achille!

Same goes for TCJ and his brilliant contributions to our discussions over the years!

Oh, if only there were such comics to write…; August 6, 2018 at 3:15 PM
scarecrow33 said...: Come to think of it, not too many families were featured in short comedies, especially in short cartoons. All I can think of for theatrical shorts is the Beary Family from Walter Lantz and their precursors Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Junior from the Warners shorts. I may be overlooking something, but the only time I can think of that H-B used a family as the subject of a series of short cartoons was The Hillbilly Bears. Of course, they had the Jetsons, the Flintstones, the Holidays, the Boyles, the Quests, etc, but these were all in half-hour format, not short subjects. So a J. Evil family series would have been something of a novelty, to say nothing of the bizarre nature of the characters themselves.

I must say, Joe, that your projected example of a Huck intro to a J. Evil Scientist cartoon is absolutely spot-on. It captures the tone as well as the brevity--just when one of these little interstitials looks like it's going to deliver something possibly amazing or at least amusing--it ends. You captured that, too--the buildup that seems like it's going to be something bigger than it is, yet manages to be delightful just the same. The dialogue was richly in character all around. And, yes, I notice that Jean Van der Pyl was often NOT employed in places where you might expect her to be heard. (An example is the many Flintstones records that do not include Wilma.)

And TCJ's great introduction of Hokey Wolf is wonderful in a different way, because in those days when continuity was pretty much non-existent in cartoons, this piece is an example of something that "probably never" would have happened as opposed to "possibly might have". Yet the characters are present in full force with their one-liners and barbs that emphasize their personalities.

I can picture BOTH of these bits in the style of the H-B animation of the original show. Thanks for this added entertainment!; August 6, 2018 at 9:11 PM
Sérgio Gonçalves said...: Hey, Joe!

I love your dialogue for the hypothetical "Huckleberry Hound Meets J. Evil Scientist" interstitial. It truly sounds like something that would have been produced by H-B in that era. You capture the spirit beautifully! Reading your script brought back pleasant memories of watching interstitials for "The Pink Panther Show," which — believe it or not — was regularly airing on a digital channel called "THIS TV" as recently as 2011! (I had cable back then, so I managed to catch a few episodes when I was home from college... ah, good times). For some reason, your script reminded me of this bumper in particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ8gAutCO_E
Not at all similar to your script in terms of concept, I know, but the spirit of good clean fun is the same.

TC's script was funny, too, though very different in spirit from yours! I can't imagine H-B or DePatie-Freleng producing a bumper like that. Still, TC's script makes for a fascinating counterfactual: what if H-B were producing the Huck Hound Show, today, in 2018, for Cartoon Network? In that case, I could see them doing something like TC's script!

In terms of casting a vote, I'm gonna have to go with Hokey Wolf. Addams Family-type fare has never been my cup of tea. Hokey, though, has made me laugh. Though I can't recall ever watching a Hokey cartoon in full, I do fondly recall chuckling at this clip, which Boomerang regularly ran as a bumper before it relaunched itself in 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOr0NPehssc; August 6, 2018 at 11:10 PM
Joe Torcivia said...: Scarecrow:

Yeah, come to think of it, cartoon shorts, at least in their “Golden Age” of the 1960s and prior, were largely NOT about families – but, more often than not, wacky, cunning, or hapless characters – or “straight, semi-placid characters” (Porky Pig, Mickey Mouse, Wally Walrus) for the others to play off of – and a “sidekick” for dialogue purposes.

We could possibly stretch “families” to include “Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy” and even “Aesop and Son” …and perhaps stretch it still further to include “The Honeymousers” as a parody/tribute of “families”!

And, of course there was Donald Duck with Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Goofy with “Max” or “Goofy Jr.” (though there was a sometimes-seen “Mrs. Goof” (or “Mrs. Geef”?), Woody Woodpecker with Knothead and Splinter – and Popeye with his three (or FOUR) nephews that I won’t even TRY to name successfully!

Funny how there were a number of single dads, or “single dad types”, but no single moms! No way I’m gonna expand on THAT thought! Sorry! Um, there was NO BUDGET for a regular female voice! Yeah, that’s it! Actually, I’m certain that WAS TRUE for Augie Doggie, but not for most others, I’m afraid.

And, that brings us to my notion of Jean Van der Pyl not being used in interstitials. If they didn’t use Don Messick to voice PIXIE in the “Huck and Meeces” bits (or Doug Young to voice Ding-a-Ling), thrifty Bill Hanna surely wouldn’t have “Mrs. J. Evil” in any of those bits as well! Daws Butler would simply do it all.

As for my bit and TCJ’s…

Mine was conceived to be AS IT ACTUALLY *WOULD* HAVE HAPPENED! TCJ’s (in my view, anyway) was conceived as he (and *I*, to be sure) would *LIKE* TO HAVE SEEN IT HAPPEN! Both are perfectly in character – and both squarely hit the target that was “aimed for”!

I LOVE ‘EM BOTH, and am glad TCJ chose my Blog to share his talents! (…If I keep encouraging him, he might do more!)

Finally, I have always loved the “J. Evil Scientist characters” whenever they’ve appeared – and really would have wanted to see how such a series (presumably written by Michael Maltese) would have played out – especially during that early sixties period where Hanna-Barbera was still at the top of their game!; August 7, 2018 at 5:23 PM
Joe Torcivia said...: Sergio:

Yes, indeed! That’s a great idea for “(what was once) Cartoon Network” to utilize TCJ’s bit as a “more modern take” on the Huck interstitials! …Perfect, even – as a certain “pink mountain lion” might say”!

And, while I know the Charles Addams magazine cartoons were around for quite a while prior, the first I ever saw of the “Monster Family Concept” was the “J. Evil Scientist characters” on Snooper and Blabber, Snagglepuss, etc. Long before THE ADDAMS FAMILY TV show , THE MUNSTERS, H-B’s own answer to that stuff – The Gruesomes… and their 1970s descendants on LAFF-A-LYMPICS, The “Creepy Coupe” on WACKY RACES, Filmation’s “Groovy Ghoulies”, and even H-B’s own animated version of THE ADDAMS FAMILY!

So, J. Evil and his… “boo-d”… er, brood, hold a special place for me.

HERE is Sergio’s PINK PANTHER link. I remember that, too – but from LONG AGO! Why are those not extras on the PINK PANTHER DVDs?

And HERE is his HOKEY WOLF link – which is from one of my favorite Hokey Wolf cartoons, “Chock Full Chuck Wagon”!

…Why is THAT not on DVD, too?; August 7, 2018 at 6:12 PM
Comicbookrehab said...: I had brought the DVD of "Crazylegs Crane" but had to look up the title sequence of the season of "Pink Panther" cartoons that featured him with the Pink Panther just to get the sense that I'd seen the whole works. It's easy to infer they didn't include that because it features a character they don't have rights to include on the DVD, but neither title sequence for any of the Pink Panther Saturday Morning TV seasons were on any DVDs, so it's even.

And NEVER forget the FRANKENSTONES, Joe..no matter how hard many will try...but I wouldn't mind Warner Archive do a MOD DVD of that early-80's Flintstones smorgasbord soon..they're holding out on that behemoth..possibly because they need to get clearance from Greg Evaigan for the number of times his headshot was used in those "Guess That Crazy Mixed-Up Face" puzzle segments of the show...and that Shmoo thing..; August 12, 2018 at 9:13 PM
Joe Torcivia said...: ‘Rehab:

My guess is that many more persons have been introduced to The Pink Panther and the other related series via the Saturday Morning “compilation shows” than via theatrical viewings (and you can count me as one of them, even though I actually saw one Panther cartoon in the movies, about 1974-75)… but the DVDs appear to present them as the theatrical shorts that they originally were.

So much so that the present crop of DVDs have even removed the “laugh tracks” that I always thought were part of the cartoons (as it was on The Flintstones, etc.), before I knew of their true origins.

In the “purist” sense, I’d say it was a good thing, but I wouldn’t mind having as much of the TV theme sequences and bumpers as is possible as “extras” – exactly because so many of us first saw them that way.

I largely avoid Hanna-Barbera product from the particular era that gave us “The Frankenstones”, but I’ve never understood why those characters were even needed, because they already had the (vastly underutilized) Gruesomes – who appeared in the Gold Key comics far more often than their two appearances on the show.

I’d imagine it’s no coincidence that the great Sholly Fisch chose to use The Gruesomes (and even connect them – as I’m sure many of us do – to the corresponding characters in Laff-a-Lympics) in this issue of SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP!; August 13, 2018 at 2:23 AM
Comicbookrehab said...: I think it could've an executive decision on the part of then-NBC network president Fred Silverman, but they created 3 different takes on "Frankenstone" within a short time..and settled on the boring one, but I wonder if Hanna-Barbera might've wanted to capitalize on the success of "Young Frankenstein", even attempting a revival of "Frankenstein Jr."...binge-reading the YOWP blog will inspire that kind of thinking..since Joe Barbera was always constantly pitching different ideas, it's not impossible to imagine what didn't get greenlit..; August 16, 2018 at 12:28 AM
Joe Torcivia said...: ‘Rehab:

If I recall events correctly, Fred Silverman was a key force in the creation of SCOOBY-DOO, a property many of us still enjoy (in various forms, including some great contemporary comic books) 49 years later! And, for that (if true), I’d say we owe him some sort of debt.

But, that’s where his contributions should have ended and, regrettably, they did not.

As for Joe Barbera, it would seem from all accounts, he was SOOO interested in selling new properties, or repackaging successful older ones in bizarre and character-inappropriate ways and settings, that his TRUE creativity was left behind in the ‘40s thru mid-‘60s!

So, yeah… “settling on the boring one, evocative of other properties to exploit” would not only have been LIKELY… it would have been EXPECTED!; August 16, 2018 at 10:58 AM