Boomerang: Original Cartoon Openings

**Eric B** · 02-10-2003, 05:05 PM

This past couple of weeks, Boomerang has been using the old Porky Pig show opening. (Who animated that? The sound effects, and even the look of it are like Famous Films (Seymour Kneitel)).
When CN first began showing a block of Boom shows, it was used, but then stopped, until last week. They also used to show the old Tom & Jerry opening, but now doesn't.
What I had really been hoping to see was the original Bugs Bunny show restored to its format, but this has never been seen, and on all of the classic theatrical cartoon shows, they just show the same prints (with all the credits, instead of just a title screen) that were used on the CN shows.
Is the original Bugs Bunny show lost or something? Did the networks trash their copies, and WB not keep copies in the vaults somewhere? It's time to restore some of this stuff, and some other things, such as the combination Scooby show openings from 1976-82.
If nothing else, someone who has all this stuff on video tape, donate it, and have them restore it for broadcast with computer enhancement. If it exists anywhere, it can be brought back.
Boomerang did restore the separate Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel show openings and closings (but not the original for both together). I had never seen these because in syndication, they only aired as part of Banana Splits. I also got to see Space Kiddettes, and the "lost Superadventure" (left out of the 1978 package of 1966-7 shows) Young Samson. Recently, Boomerang paired both shows together, showing the opening to both (I never imagined that peppy tune used on Scooby's snow antics in "That's Snow Ghost" was the Space Kiddettes theme!) and the closing to Samson (but not Space Kiddettes). Thankfuly, the openings and closings to Space Ghost & Dino Boy and Moby Dick & Mightor are showing, as well as Shazzan, recently. But gone again are the openings to Birdman & Galaxy Trio, Frankenstein Jr. & the Impossibles and the Herculoids. The Magilla opening/closing comes and goes. I like the new beat they put to the Yogi and Quick Draw Shows, but what about the original Yogi opening? (or at least the new one from the 1988 syndication).

**mbaker** · 02-10-2003, 05:09 PM

You mean that old opening with Bugs & Daffy sing "On With The Show This Is It"?

**Eric B** · 02-10-2003, 05:16 PM

Several shows afterwards used that. I'm talking about the original. (Which I've never seen). Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner would be nice too, as it retained a lot of the segments from the original. And I had always wished WB would have simply picked up ABC's last version of Bugs & Tweety with the new colorful backgrounds and title screens. (Would WB studios have copies of that in adition to the copies ABC had?)

**Jack** · 02-10-2003, 09:00 PM

Originally posted by Eric B
This past couple of weeks, Boomerang has been using the old Porky Pig show opening. (Who animated that? The sound effects, and even the look of it are like Famous Films (Seymour Kneitel)).

Yep, I think paramount indeed did that, since WB had just shut down its animation department. I've never seen anything more than screenshots, but I'm told they used the comic book designs for the characters.

Originally posted by Eric B
What I had really been hoping to see was the original Bugs Bunny show restored to its format, but this has never been seen, and on all of the classic theatrical cartoon shows, they just show the same prints (with all the credits, instead of just a title screen) that were used on the CN shows.
Is the original Bugs Bunny show lost or something? Did the networks trash their copies, and WB not keep copies in the vaults somewhere? It's time to restore some of this stuff, and some other things, such as the combination Scooby show openings from 1976-82.

WB destroyed the color negatives for the original 52 episodes of the Bugs Bunny Show over the years. They never saw the value of the shows after thier original run, so they cut up negatives and used portions of them for later Saturday morning shows (like "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show," etc). However, WB does still have the B&W negatives to the show, they just don't want to use them. It is beleived that color negatives may exist in Europe (from when the show was syndicated there, I suppose), but WB doesn't seem interested in finding them. They also need to restore the "Adventures of the Roadrunner" featurette...

Many color segments from the show exist. The original "This Is It" opening was used for years, and could easily be revived by CN (it'd beat the pants off the current openings, which are irritating). I wouldn't want to see the sloppy ABC version, though.

The original Hanna-Barbera show openings and bridging segments can't really be used. Color versions of some no longer exist, while others (like the Hunckleberry Hound Show opening) plugged Kelloggs.

Jack

**Anthonynotes** · 02-10-2003, 09:43 PM

>>>
WB destroyed the color negatives for the original 52 episodes of the Bugs Bunny Show over the years. They never saw the value of the shows after thier original run, so they cut up negatives and used portions of them for later Saturday morning shows (like "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show," etc). However, WB does still have the B&W negatives to the show, they just don't want to use them.
<<

Guessing because B&W TV shows don't have much syndication value these days (though recall watching B&W cartoons/TV shows in syndication as a kid pretty often...). Still, wonder if producing a "colorized" opening using the B&W negatives would be an option at all (I know, I know, but I'm proposing this technique for a *non-evil* use for its first time ever... :-) ).

>>The original Hanna-Barbera show openings and bridging segments can't really be used. Color versions of some no longer exist, while others (like the Hunckleberry Hound Show opening) plugged Kelloggs.
<<<

Quick-Draw McGraw's opening plugged Kellogg's as well (IIRC, the original "Rocky and His Friends" opening plugged General Mills---thus necessitating a new for-syndication opening, I believe, the "circus wagon train" opening I haven't seen since grade school [they've apparently yanked from distribution the syndicated "Rocky and His Friends" and apparently combined all the R&B shows under "The Bullwinke Show" opening]...). Downloaded the Quick-Draw opening from Cartoon Network's website once (in all its B&W glory)...

-B.

**Jack** · 02-10-2003, 10:02 PM

Originally posted by Brainatra
Guessing because B&W TV shows don't have much syndication value these days (though recall watching B&W cartoons/TV shows in syndication as a kid pretty often...). Still, wonder if producing a "colorized" opening using the B&W negatives would be an option at all (I know, I know, but I'm proposing this technique for a *non-evil* use for its first time ever... :-) ).

Fortunately, the opening for the Bugs Bunny Show wouldn't need to be colorized, it has survied in color all these years (the last time I think it was used was for a terrible "Looney Tunes sing-along" video, but with awful new singing by Billy West dubbed in). It's really just a matter of Cartoon Network asking Warner Bros, for a copy. It's the other segments that would need computer colorization.

Jack

**Gary L Thompson** · 02-10-2003, 10:20 PM

Originally posted by Jack
WB destroyed the color negatives for the original 52 episodes of the Bugs Bunny Show over the years. They never saw the value of the shows after thier original run, so they cut up negatives and used portions of them for later Saturday morning shows (like "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show," etc). However, WB does still have the B&W negatives to the show, they just don't want to use them. It is beleived that color negatives may exist in Europe (from when the show was syndicated there, I suppose), but WB doesn't seem interested in finding them. They also need to restore the "Adventures of the Roadrunner" featurette...

Many color segments from the show exist. The original "This Is It" opening was used for years, and could easily be revived by CN (it'd beat the pants off the current openings, which are irritating). I wouldn't want to see the sloppy ABC version, though.

The original Hanna-Barbera show openings and bridging segments can't really be used. Color versions of some no longer exist, while others (like the Hunckleberry Hound Show opening) plugged Kelloggs.

Jack

I actually saw the Huckleberry Hound opening not too many years ago, the show was being shown on French CBC (now Societe Radio Canada). Frankly, I would love to see the original HB big three, Huck, Yogi and Quick Draw in their original formats.

If the original Bugs Bunny shows exist in black & white, I can't see why they couldn't be easily colorized. Particularly if there are so many surviving color segments to serve as a guide. (Just as an aside, I've been wondering about a certain special Bugs Bunny Show episode, in which bridging segments were done of the devil in hell sending Yosemite Sam out to fetch Bugs Bunny. He failed miserably of course, so the devil warned him he was going to get only one more chance--but Yosemite roared "Oh no, if you want him, get him yourself!" Somehow, the version I've seen of late seems a bit different from the show I originally saw on Saturday morning sometime in the late '60s or early '70s--was that actually a remake?)

**Jack** · 02-10-2003, 10:47 PM

Originally posted by Gary L Thompson
I actually saw the Huckleberry Hound opening not too many years ago, the show was being shown on French CBC (now Societe Radio Canada). Frankly, I would love to see the original HB big three, Huck, Yogi and Quick Draw in their original formats.

I think maybe the openings were all redone for syndication, with Huckleberry hound replacing the kelloggs Rooster in his show opening. CN could use those, they're the next best thing to the originals.

Originally posted by Gary L Thompson
(Just as an aside, I've been wondering about a certain special Bugs Bunny Show episode, in which bridging segments were done of the devil in hell sending Yosemite Sam out to fetch Bugs Bunny. He failed miserably of course, so the devil warned him he was going to get only one more chance--but Yosemite roared "Oh no, if you want him, get him yourself!" Somehow, the version I've seen of late seems a bit different from the show I originally saw on Saturday morning sometime in the late '60s or early '70s--was that actually a remake?)

That was done by Friz Freleng three times. The first time was for an episode in the second season of the Bugs Bunny Show. That episode was then edited down and released as a theatrical short called "Devil's Feud Cake." Freleng remade it for a third time for "The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie."

Jack

**Anthonynotes** · 02-10-2003, 11:07 PM

Originally posted by Gary L Thompson
I actually saw the Huckleberry Hound opening not too many years ago, the show was being shown on French CBC (now Societe Radio Canada). Frankly, I would love to see the original HB big three, Huck, Yogi and Quick Draw in their original formats.

Just curious.... did SRC/French CBC dub over the opening song in French? (Would presume they dubbed the actual cartoons themselves/translated the show's name into French) Also curious: did you live in Canada at some point, or are you just living in/near the US-Canadian border (and thus picked up the CBC/SRC)?

-B.
That was pointless...

**Mister Intensity** · 02-10-2003, 11:14 PM

The fact that a lot of the original openings were left out was one of my biggest gripes with the Cartoon Network.

Speaking of which, something interesting happenned yesterday during the NBA All Star block. They actually showed the syndicated version of the opening of The All-New Super Friends Hour. Although they only showed the Wonder Twins segments, instead of airing the Superman Batman Adventures edits they have been airing for the past several years they were airing The All New Super Friends Hour versions complete with the opening title card music and the "SF" scene transition scenes. The episodes themselves were quite hokey and laughable but the fact that they were airing unedited versions were amazing. Also as of late they have been airing the Space Ghost bumpers, including the one where he meets Dino Boy during airings of Space Ghost on Boomeraction.

Hopefully, what I saw yesterday and what was mentioned in this thread is a sign that Cartoon Network is going to start airing their old shows in all their glory.

Mister Intensity

**Eric B** · 02-11-2003, 04:21 PM

I forgot about the Adventures of the Roadrunner. I never saw that whole, and I always wished it could be brought back along with the Bugs Bunny Show, as a "53rd episode" (and How Bugs Bunny Won the West" and other specials could be added as well. CN did play some of these right after the merger, though.)

Speaking of Scooby, oh, and how on earth could I forget, the bumpers saying "Don;t fly the coop; we'll be right back with the troop", and "don't go away; we'll be right back in a flash". These were among the first things I looked for on "Boomerang on CN". Also, of course, the important scenes edited out of Scooby Doo Movies. Not even the Scooby Meets Batman DVD has these restored.
If CN played the All New Suprefriends opening, I'll have to chech that NBA thing out.

**Gary L Thompson** · 02-11-2003, 10:20 PM

Originally posted by Brainatra
Just curious.... did SRC/French CBC dub over the opening song in French? (Would presume they dubbed the actual cartoons themselves/translated the show's name into French) Also curious: did you live in Canada at some point, or are you just living in/near the US-Canadian border (and thus picked up the CBC/SRC)?

-B.
That was pointless...

Yes, the entire show was in French. (If I remember right, all the Kelloggs' characters were present, right down to the ending credits where one of the junior characters is knocked off by a banner, and Huck runs back on stage to pick him up and exit. I don't remember if they had the bumpers though.)

Am I a Canuck? Nope, but I've pretty much lived next to the border all of my life. SRC has aired on Channel 54, Windsor at least since the 1980s. I've actually taped quite a bit of anime off Canadian stations in my time.

**Anthonynotes** · 02-11-2003, 10:55 PM

Originally posted by Gary L Thompson
Yes, the entire show was in French. (If I remember right, all the Kelloggs' characters were present, right down to the ending credits where one of the junior characters is knocked off by a banner, and Huck runs back on stage to pick him up and exit. I don't remember if they had the bumpers though.)

Am I a Canuck? Nope, but I've pretty much lived next to the border all of my life. SRC has aired on Channel 54, Windsor at least since the 1980s. I've actually taped quite a bit of anime off Canadian stations in my time.

I gather that the SRC isn't too concerned with airing 40-year-old promos for Kellogg's embedded in the opening sequences... :-) (the Kellogg rooster is in the original "Huckleberry Hound" opening; Quick-Draw's opening has him cracking a whip and forming the "Kellogg" logo at one point...).

Ah, Windsor...the town across the border, next to Detroit. From what I saw in "Bowling for Columbine", looked like a pleasant little burg...

Um...was the anime dubbed in French? (Just curious...just the idea of something translated from one unknown-to-me language, Japanese, to another unknown-to-me language, French, and taping it for keeps strikes me as, well, interesting :-) )

BTW: "Histeria!" once made fun of the "Huckleberry Hound" opening as one of its variant H! opening sequences, right down to Loud Kiddington startling the rooster.

-B.

**Gary L Thompson** · 02-12-2003, 02:57 PM

The great majority of it was. You have to keep in mind that back in the 1980s, anime was mostly available through fan showings of untranslated shows and movies (there might be a printed synopsis of the story, if you were lucky). I figured at least I would have a better odds of running into someone who could translate from French, than someone who knew Japanese. The fact is, French CBC once had a very rich selection of anime, a lot which you still can't really get commercially even today: the 1980s Astroboy, Mysterious Cities of Gold, the Little Prince, Anne of Green Gables, Alice in Wonderland, Time Bokan, Sherlock Hound, Nils' Mysterious Journey, Galatic Patrol PJ, and Spoon Obaason (AKA Little Mrs. Pepperpot). But there were only three I truly watched regularly: Candy Candy (that was the first one, I accidentally stumbled on it one Saturday morning, and kept right on watching because I had never seen anything remotely like it on Saturday morning--it was, and still is, about the greatest show I'd ever seen), Monkey Punch's Three Musketeers (this story I could roughly follow, having read the original Dumas novels, though Monkey Punch did take considerable liberties with the original), and Catseyes (if Cartoon Network is airing Lupin, they should air this show too, and one of the burglar sisters actually ended up a prominent character in City Hunter later).

There were exceptions. Can-West Global aired English-dubbed episodes of Astroboy, and English versions of the Little Prince and Alice in Wonderland ended up on TV Ontario (TVO should hang its head in shame and give up all pretensions of high culture for currently airing the PBS version of Anne of Green Gables, that show basically captures the essense of American Saturday morning TV ghetto, while with Akage No Anne, Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki set out to capture the magic of Canada's great literary treasure, and succeeded brilliantly). Global also kept Sailor Moon alive in Canada when its initial syndication was sputtering out in the U.S. Baton Broadcasting System (now defunct, channel 16 Windsor is now an independent channel) also aired Sailor Moon, as well as the Jungle Book (much better than the Disney version). Oddly enough, CBC hasn't aired any anime all these years, though Channel 9 Windsor aired Astroboy, Eight Man and Marine Boy in the late 1960s.

**hobbyfan** · 02-13-2003, 07:30 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mister Intensity
[B]The fact that a lot of the original openings were left out was one of my biggest gripes with the Cartoon Network.

Speaking of which, something interesting happenned yesterday during the NBA All Star block. They actually showed the syndicated version of the opening of The All-New Super Friends Hour. Although they only showed the Wonder Twins segments, instead of airing the Superman Batman Adventures edits they have been airing for the past several years they were airing The All New Super Friends Hour versions complete with the opening title card music and the "SF" scene transition scenes. The episodes themselves were quite hokey and laughable but the fact that they were airing unedited versions were amazing.

Actually, they did use a SBA opening bumper to set up a 1983 Wonder Twins adventure w/Batman & Robin. I'm curious as to who did Jayna's voice, as it didn't sound like BJ Ward, the last actress to essay the part(I meant on Sunday, of course.).

Jason Kidd was the luckiest guy on the planet on Sunday.

Also as of late they have been airing the Space Ghost bumpers, including the one where he meets Dino Boy during airings of Space Ghost on Boomeraction.

Hopefully, what I saw yesterday and what was mentioned in this thread is a sign that Cartoon Network is going to start airing their old shows in all their glory.

Agreed on the last point.

**rodineisilveira** · 07-27-2004, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by Eric B

This past couple of weeks, Boomerang has been using the old Porky Pig show opening. (Who animated that? The sound effects, and even the look of it are like Famous Films (Seymour Kneitel)).
When CN first began showing a block of Boom shows, it was used, but then stopped, until last week. They also used to show the old Tom & Jerry opening, but now doesn't.
What I had really been hoping to see was the original Bugs Bunny show restored to its format, but this has never been seen, and on all of the classic theatrical cartoon shows, they just show the same prints (with all the credits, instead of just a title screen) that were used on the CN shows.
Is the original Bugs Bunny show lost or something? Did the networks trash their copies, and WB not keep copies in the vaults somewhere? It's time to restore some of this stuff, and some other things, such as the combination Scooby show openings from 1976-82.
If nothing else, someone who has all this stuff on video tape, donate it, and have them restore it for broadcast with computer enhancement. If it exists anywhere, it can be brought back.
Boomerang did restore the separate Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel show openings and closings (but not the original for both together). I had never seen these because in syndication, they only aired as part of Banana Splits. I also got to see Space Kiddettes, and the "lost Superadventure" (left out of the 1978 package of 1966-7 shows) Young Samson. Recently, Boomerang paired both shows together, showing the opening to both (I never imagined that peppy tune used on Scooby's snow antics in "That's Snow Ghost" was the Space Kiddettes theme!) and the closing to Samson (but not Space Kiddettes). Thankfuly, the openings and closings to Space Ghost & Dino Boy and Moby Dick & Mightor are showing, as well as Shazzan, recently. But gone again are the openings to Birdman & Galaxy Trio, Frankenstein Jr. & the Impossibles and the Herculoids. The Magilla opening/closing comes and goes. I like the new beat they put to the Yogi and Quick Draw Shows, but what about the original Yogi opening? (or at least the new one from the 1988 syndication).

São Paulo - SP, Brazil, July 27, 2004 (16 days remaining to the Olympic Games, which will be held in Athens, Greece [the olympic torch is now in Greece!]).

Hi, Eric!

Just to refresh your mind, here are some snapshots of the overture from the classical Yogi Bear Show (1960-62):

Well, that's it!
Ciao!

Cheers from this faithful friend who always writes 4 U,

Rodinei Campos da Silveira (from São Paulo, Brazil)
Meet me on my e-mails: mailto:rodinei@starmedia.com, mailto:rodineic@excite.com, mailto:rodineisilveira@bol.com.br or mailto:rcsbrasil@mort.zzn.com. You're always wellcome!

HEY-HEY-HEEEEEEEEEEEY!

HANNA-BARBERA 4 EVER!

Attention, HB-fans! The Hanna-Barbera building is saved from the demolition (http://www.hannabarbera.org)! Let's continue to preserve this wonderful building!

LONG LIFE FOR WILLIAM HANNA & JOSEPH BARBERA!

**Tobias** · 07-27-2004, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Eric B

but what about the original Yogi opening? (or at least the new one from the 1988 syndication).

The 1988 opening was right up with the Alf cartoon theme song, and the later Smurfs opening themes. I wish I could find a WAV file of that version.

**Red** · 07-27-2004, 09:46 PM

You guys realise this is over a year old...

**Jave** · 07-27-2004, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by rodineisilveira

Cheers from this faithful friend who always writes 4 U,

Rodinei Campos da Silveira (from São Paulo, Brazil)
Meet me on my e-mails: mailto:rodinei@starmedia.com, mailto:rodineic@excite.com, mailto:rodineisilveira@bol.com.br or mailto:rcsbrasil@mort.zzn.com. You're always wellcome!

HEY-HEY-HEEEEEEEEEEEY!

HANNA-BARBERA 4 EVER!

Attention, HB-fans! The Hanna-Barbera building is saved from the demolition (http://www.hannabarbera.org)! Let's continue to preserve this wonderful building!

LONG LIFE FOR WILLIAM HANNA & JOSEPH BARBERA!

Why do you put that in every single post? There's something called signature...