RE: [scifinoir2] Underdog - WTF?? Tom Terrific
Here I come to sniff the daisies! [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: oh man, thanks for posting this! I never saw Tom Terrific, but I fondly remember the other 'toons. Sydney the Elephant, the neurotic elephant always getting into trouble, was hilarious. Didn't Carol Channiing voice one of the characters? That 'toon always ended each ep with the lion, who'd grouch Crazy elephant!. I also loved Heckle and Jeckle, Sad Cat, Deputy Dawg, and the character Oil Can Harry. Mighty Mouse was fun too. And Hector Heathcoat and The Mighty Heroes were in the Terrytoons stable--two of my fav cartoons from back in the day! You know, all the Terrytoons work had very unique animation styles. they were crudely animated, but that crudeness actually worked and made them all the more fun to watch. Their sound, voice work--all was very quirky and unique, the kind of stuff it's hard I would love to get my hands on these toons on DVD. I see Bakshi worked for the Terrytoons gang as a young man. Did you ever see his reimaging of Mighty Mouse in '87? That was one of the best 'toons I ever saw. Too bad it was cancelled 'cause of that supposed cocaine-sniffing scene. -- Original message -- From: Reece Jennings [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.toonopedia.com/terrific.htm Tom Terrific was a product of Terrytoons' Deitch Era - a brief period in the studio's history during which its grizzled schlockmeisters were forced to take orders from 31-year-old Gene Deitch. Deitch, who got his start doing Gerald McBoing-Boing http://www.toonopedia.com/gerald.htm at UPA, became the Terrytoons creative director the year after CBS bought the company from founder Paul Terry. The first thing Deitch did was scrap all the ongoing characters, including such stars as Mighty Mouse http://www.toonopedia.com/mightym.htm and Heckle http://www.toonopedia.com/hekljekl.htm Jeckle, and replace them with the likes of Gaston LeCrayon and John Doormat. He also explored new venues. Tom Terrific was produced for the burgeoning television market, and ran from 1957-59 on CBS's Captain Kangaroo show. The daily episodes, replete with heroism, villainy and cliffhangers, added up to a complete five-part story every week. Those old episodes were sporadically re-run, and were seen, on rare occasions, as recently as the early 1970s. Tom's appeal did not lie in the cartoons' production values, which, like most early TV animation (e.g., Clutch http://www.toonopedia.com/clutch.htm Cargo, Col. Bleep http://www.toonopedia.com/bleep.htm ), were nothing short of shoddy. No, it was in the clever writing, the likeable characters, and the fact that the series was just plain fun. The latter quality was considerably enhanced by the talent of voice actor Lionel Wilson, who played all the roles. As chief villain Crabby Appleton (He's rotten to the core!), Wilson would sneer and hiss in the best melodramatic tradition; while as Tom, his breathless enthusiasm made every little plot development seem like a Major Event. Another possible source of the character's appeal was in his basic situation. Besides being a superhero http://www.toonopedia.com/glossary.htm#superhero (he could transform his body into whatever he wanted), Tom was a kid on his own. His headquarters was a tree house, where he lived with his ever-faithful companion, Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog (possibly the world's laziest heroic sidekick), and nobody else. The only adults in Tom's life were guys he could have fun adventures with - villains like Captain Kidneybean the Pirate and weirdos like madcap inventor Isotope Feeny. What kid wouldn't want to identify with a guy like that? Besides his Captain Kangaroo appearances, Tom held down a quarterly comic book for no less than six issues, Summer 1957 through Fall 1958, where some stories were drawn by Ralph Bakshi (later the animation producer who brought Fritz the Cat http://www.toonopedia.com/fritz.htm to the big screen). Sidney the http://www.toonopedia.com/sidney.htm Elephant, another Deitch creation, appeared in it as a back-up feature. Tom also appeared in a few Wonder Books, a knock-off of Little Golden Books. Like the rest of the Deitch Era Terrytoons, the Tom Terrific cartoons haven't been seen in many years. But unlike most, they're very fondly recalled by their Baby Boom audience. Maurice Jennings Have you or someone you know been threatened with foreclosure? KEEP your home and Stop Foreclosure in its Tracks! Get a Free, No Obligation Evaluation = http://www.legacyhomesavers.com http://www.legacyhomesavers.com/ _ From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 4:44 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Underdog - WTF?? Missed the miniseries too...What's Tom Terrific??? KeithBJohnson@ mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net
RE: [scifinoir2] Underdog - WTF?? Tom Terrific
http://www.toonopedia.com/terrific.htm Tom Terrific was a product of Terrytoons' Deitch Era - a brief period in the studio's history during which its grizzled schlockmeisters were forced to take orders from 31-year-old Gene Deitch. Deitch, who got his start doing Gerald McBoing-Boing http://www.toonopedia.com/gerald.htm at UPA, became the Terrytoons creative director the year after CBS bought the company from founder Paul Terry. The first thing Deitch did was scrap all the ongoing characters, including such stars as Mighty Mouse http://www.toonopedia.com/mightym.htm and Heckle http://www.toonopedia.com/hekljekl.htm Jeckle, and replace them with the likes of Gaston LeCrayon and John Doormat. He also explored new venues. Tom Terrific was produced for the burgeoning television market, and ran from 1957-59 on CBS's Captain Kangaroo show. The daily episodes, replete with heroism, villainy and cliffhangers, added up to a complete five-part story every week. Those old episodes were sporadically re-run, and were seen, on rare occasions, as recently as the early 1970s. Tom's appeal did not lie in the cartoons' production values, which, like most early TV animation (e.g., Clutch http://www.toonopedia.com/clutch.htm Cargo, Col. Bleep http://www.toonopedia.com/bleep.htm ), were nothing short of shoddy. No, it was in the clever writing, the likeable characters, and the fact that the series was just plain fun. The latter quality was considerably enhanced by the talent of voice actor Lionel Wilson, who played all the roles. As chief villain Crabby Appleton (He's rotten to the core!), Wilson would sneer and hiss in the best melodramatic tradition; while as Tom, his breathless enthusiasm made every little plot development seem like a Major Event. Another possible source of the character's appeal was in his basic situation. Besides being a superhero http://www.toonopedia.com/glossary.htm#superhero (he could transform his body into whatever he wanted), Tom was a kid on his own. His headquarters was a tree house, where he lived with his ever-faithful companion, Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog (possibly the world's laziest heroic sidekick), and nobody else. The only adults in Tom's life were guys he could have fun adventures with - villains like Captain Kidneybean the Pirate and weirdos like madcap inventor Isotope Feeny. What kid wouldn't want to identify with a guy like that? Besides his Captain Kangaroo appearances, Tom held down a quarterly comic book for no less than six issues, Summer 1957 through Fall 1958, where some stories were drawn by Ralph Bakshi (later the animation producer who brought Fritz the Cat http://www.toonopedia.com/fritz.htm to the big screen). Sidney the http://www.toonopedia.com/sidney.htm Elephant, another Deitch creation, appeared in it as a back-up feature. Tom also appeared in a few Wonder Books, a knock-off of Little Golden Books. Like the rest of the Deitch Era Terrytoons, the Tom Terrific cartoons haven't been seen in many years. But unlike most, they're very fondly recalled by their Baby Boom audience. Maurice Jennings Have you or someone you know been threatened with foreclosure? KEEP your home and Stop Foreclosure in its Tracks! Get a Free, No Obligation Evaluation = http://www.legacyhomesavers.com http://www.legacyhomesavers.com/ _ From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 4:44 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Underdog - WTF?? Missed the miniseries too...What's Tom Terrific??? KeithBJohnson@ mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net comcast.net wrote: never saw that miniseries. Was it good? The last cartoon-cum-comic that I read was the first few issues of the Battle of the Planets comic (might have been called G-Force or Gotchaman). The comic is surprisingly good. -- Original message -- From: Martin truthseeker_ mailto:truthseeker_013%40yahoo.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] SPCE GHOST! Now we're talkin'. The Herculoids, too. Keith, did you by any chance see the Space Ghost miniseries that DC put out a couple of years ago? I think it was DC. It was sort of a reimagining. KeithBJohnson@ mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net comcast.net wrote: Ain't feelin' Tom Terrific either! For the really old 'toons, my faves have to be Mighty Mouse (and the '80s reboot by Ralph Bashki), Mighty Heroes, Wacky Racers, Cool McCool, Herculoids, Space Ghost, Birdman, Hercules (real old one), Felix the Cat, Luno, Hector Heathcoat, anything from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, and just about anything from the Hanna-Barbera early days, from Top Cat to Snagglepuss. -- Original message -- From: Reece Jennings mcjennings124@ mailto:mcjennings124%40yahoo.com yahoo.com LOLLOL Hey, we all have our freaky choices! I used to LOVE Tom Terrific! Maurice Jennings Have you or someone you know been threatened
RE: [scifinoir2] Underdog - WTF?? Tom Terrific
oh man, thanks for posting this! I never saw Tom Terrific, but I fondly remember the other 'toons. Sydney the Elephant, the neurotic elephant always getting into trouble, was hilarious. Didn't Carol Channiing voice one of the characters? That 'toon always ended each ep with the lion, who'd grouch Crazy elephant!. I also loved Heckle and Jeckle, Sad Cat, Deputy Dawg, and the character Oil Can Harry. Mighty Mouse was fun too. And Hector Heathcoat and The Mighty Heroes were in the Terrytoons stable--two of my fav cartoons from back in the day! You know, all the Terrytoons work had very unique animation styles. they were crudely animated, but that crudeness actually worked and made them all the more fun to watch. Their sound, voice work--all was very quirky and unique, the kind of stuff it's hard I would love to get my hands on these toons on DVD. I see Bakshi worked for the Terrytoons gang as a young man. Did you ever see his reimaging of Mighty Mouse in '87? That was one of the best 'toons I ever saw. Too bad it was cancelled 'cause of that supposed cocaine-sniffing scene. -- Original message -- From: Reece Jennings [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.toonopedia.com/terrific.htm Tom Terrific was a product of Terrytoons' Deitch Era - a brief period in the studio's history during which its grizzled schlockmeisters were forced to take orders from 31-year-old Gene Deitch. Deitch, who got his start doing Gerald McBoing-Boing http://www.toonopedia.com/gerald.htm at UPA, became the Terrytoons creative director the year after CBS bought the company from founder Paul Terry. The first thing Deitch did was scrap all the ongoing characters, including such stars as Mighty Mouse http://www.toonopedia.com/mightym.htm and Heckle http://www.toonopedia.com/hekljekl.htm Jeckle, and replace them with the likes of Gaston LeCrayon and John Doormat. He also explored new venues. Tom Terrific was produced for the burgeoning television market, and ran from 1957-59 on CBS's Captain Kangaroo show. The daily episodes, replete with heroism, villainy and cliffhangers, added up to a complete five-part story every week. Those old episodes were sporadically re-run, and were seen, on rare occasions, as recently as the early 1970s. Tom's appeal did not lie in the cartoons' production values, which, like most early TV animation (e.g., Clutch http://www.toonopedia.com/clutch.htm Cargo, Col. Bleep http://www.toonopedia.com/bleep.htm ), were nothing short of shoddy. No, it was in the clever writing, the likeable characters, and the fact that the series was just plain fun. The latter quality was considerably enhanced by the talent of voice actor Lionel Wilson, who played all the roles. As chief villain Crabby Appleton (He's rotten to the core!), Wilson would sneer and hiss in the best melodramatic tradition; while as Tom, his breathless enthusiasm made every little plot development seem like a Major Event. Another possible source of the character's appeal was in his basic situation. Besides being a superhero http://www.toonopedia.com/glossary.htm#superhero (he could transform his body into whatever he wanted), Tom was a kid on his own. His headquarters was a tree house, where he lived with his ever-faithful companion, Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog (possibly the world's laziest heroic sidekick), and nobody else. The only adults in Tom's life were guys he could have fun adventures with - villains like Captain Kidneybean the Pirate and weirdos like madcap inventor Isotope Feeny. What kid wouldn't want to identify with a guy like that? Besides his Captain Kangaroo appearances, Tom held down a quarterly comic book for no less than six issues, Summer 1957 through Fall 1958, where some stories were drawn by Ralph Bakshi (later the animation producer who brought Fritz the Cat http://www.toonopedia.com/fritz.htm to the big screen). Sidney the http://www.toonopedia.com/sidney.htm Elephant, another Deitch creation, appeared in it as a back-up feature. Tom also appeared in a few Wonder Books, a knock-off of Little Golden Books. Like the rest of the Deitch Era Terrytoons, the Tom Terrific cartoons haven't been seen in many years. But unlike most, they're very fondly recalled by their Baby Boom audience. Maurice Jennings Have you or someone you know been threatened with foreclosure? KEEP your home and Stop Foreclosure in its Tracks! Get a Free, No Obligation Evaluation = http://www.legacyhomesavers.com http://www.legacyhomesavers.com/ _ From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Astromancer Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 4:44 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Underdog - WTF?? Missed the miniseries too...What's Tom Terrific??? KeithBJohnson@ mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net comcast.net wrote: never saw that miniseries. Was it good? The last cartoon-cum-comic that I read was the first few issues of the Battle of the Planets comic (might have been
