Obscure cartoons of the past
 

As I approach the age of 51 and having gone through a history of sorts about Scooby Doo, I visted Earl Kress' blog and noticed a picture he had up of a by-now forgotten Saturday morning cartoon. At the risk of completely baffling you good folks, I now take up waxing profundity as I go through some network Saturday morning shows that even folks my age (and Boomerang) have all but forgotten:

The Oddball Couple (ABC, 1975). This DePatie-Freleng show is loosely based on Neil Simon's play The Odd Couple (the TV show of which had been canceled just weeks before). Felix and Oscar are now Spiffy, an anal rententive neatnik cat, and Fleabag, an unkempt dog.

Bailey's Comets (CBS, 1973) tries to do for roller derby what Wacky Races did for automobiles as ten roller derby teams race cross country in search of clues leading to a treasure prize. This DePatie-Freleng show did so badly audience-wise that at midseason CBS moved it to the low-clearance Sunday morning time of 9:30.

Will The Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down? (ABC, 1970) was created by Jerry Lewis himself but his cartoon voice was furnished by David L. Lander. Characters from Jerry's movies are features as he works for a job agency. Filmation did this one.

The Beagles (CBS, 1966). Leonardo-TTV (Underdog) attempts to capitalize on the success of ABC's cartoon of the Beatles with two musical canines, Stringer and Tubby, who are placed in publicity stunts by their agent. Columbia released an LP of songs from the show.

Around The World In 80 Days (NBC, 1972) is an Australian-made series version of the Jules Verne tale. Two phrases used ad nauseum were Phileas Fogg's "Remember a word to the wise is always be prepared for surprises," and Paspartout's "Fixx tricks! Fixx tricks!"

Uncle Croc's Block (ABC, 1975) was a mercifully short-lived Filmation mix of live action and cartoons. Charles Nelson Reilly was the harried host of a kids' show. The cartoons were "M*U*S*H Puppies" (a cartoon canine M*A*S*H) and "Wacky & Packy."

Mumbly (ABC, 1976). A year before he became Dread Baron's co-hort on Laff-A-Lympics, this blue Muttley lookalike was a detective who turned up at the darndest moments to baffle criminals and befuddle his boss, Lt. Schnooker. Hanna-Barbera created this segment for the second season of the new Tom & Jerry show.

The Roman Holidays (NBC, 1972). This Hanna-Barbera show tries to do to Bread and Circuses what the Flintstones did for the Stone Age. The young Precocia Holiday (voice by wonderful Pamelyn Ferdin) steals the show.

Gilligan's Planet (CBS, 1982). The castaways finally get off the island with a Professor-built rocket--and are stranded on a planet. 'Nuff said.

There's more to entail but not enough bandwidth to discuss it. If there's an under-the-radar show you recall, let's hear about it.

The only one of these that I recall ever seeing was Gilligan's Planet, and I wish I'd missed that one, too. :P

Now that I think about it, I think the only cartoons I considered to be rather obscured would have to Mighty Man and Yukk and Detention.

Both shows were interesting when I was young at the time, and looking back at them, it's hard to believe I actually recall those shows.

I remember an old cartoon from the mid to late 1980's called "Spartakus and The Sun Beneath The Sea" (Their spelling, not mine)

Synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia:

The story concerns a fictional lost city, Arkadia (named after the poetical fantasy land of Arcadia). This ancient civilization escaped a Great Cataclysm by relocating deep within the Earth, and was not aware life continued on the Earth's crust. Hoping to keep them safely away from the surface, their elders sealed all records of their past in the city's Archives. They survive by the light of an artificial sun, the Tehra, but it is dying, and something must be done. With no other options, a few Arkadian children defy the law and enter the Archives. Armed with information about the world above, they create a messenger, Arkana, and send her to find help.

She encounters two siblings from the surface, Matt and Rebecca, and brings them back through the underground strata to save Arkadia. They travel in a living spaceship called Tehrig, along with Spartakus and Bic and Bac (a couple of pangolins).

I don't really know any cartoons of THAT old age but I do know a hand full of toon shows that people either forgot or have no clue even existed. They are as follows:

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars
Mad Jack the pirate
Oggy and the cockroaches
Stickin' Around
Creepy Crawlers
Space Goofs
Road Rovers
The Schnookums and Meat Cartoon show
Bump in the Night
Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House
Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog
Bailey Kipper's P.O.V
Bone Chillers

Okay, admittedly the last 4 shows were LIVE and not toons but I put them in there because I know there old, I know there forgotten, and there apart of my childhood too so I figured, why not?

Those I put in bold I do, in fact, remember. I barely remember Schnookums and Meat, as it wasn't very long running, and I didn't even remember there was a cartoon based around Creepy Crawlers, though I do remember the the toys.

Mainly, I wanted to comment on Bucky O'Hare, because, man alive, was that a large part of my early childhood. I loved that friggin' series more than anything, and it was probably one of my favorite action cartoons alongside Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before the Saturday morning ABC Sonic came out. I've heard there's supposedly eventual work to attempt to do a Bucky movie, but this is probably just a rumor.

I also just remembered having seen Stickin' Around, though I only remember it from it's anthology format in Three Friends & Jerry.

While these probably aren't as obscure as I'm thinking, and only as old as the ones Mr. M placed down, some other found memories I have are

Eek the Cat
Cowboys of Moo-Mesa

um...that sounds AWESOME!

It might even kick a$$ on "The Herculoids" or "Thundarr the Barbarian"

Schnookums and Meat was a sort of a variety cartoon show, it showed up in the Disney afternoon (and eventually "killed it" due to it's bizarre and more adult style humor). It followed an orange cat and a blue dog that beat the crap out of each other Tom and Jerry style, and had 2 other cartoon shows.

The other was the excellent Pith Possum series following a moronic superhero possum which reminded me of Ren and Stimpy, and Tex Avery a LONG running cowboy show loaded with weird jokes and characters. Stickin' Around I actually loved, it was a funny show and clever for a stick figure drawn toon.

It lasted quite a while and it was one of the most inventive shows i think Fox did, Creepy Crawlers WAS a toon. It was about a kid who looked like a teenaged Mighty Max who battled an evil magician with monster sized insects on each side (good and bad). It was on just as Tiny Toons was ending.

I miss the Mystic Knights as it was a very detailed and story driven LIVE show, it was a one of a kind show that featured some amazing costumes and scenery. But of course, back to the point at hand, Bucky. I too LOOOOOOVED this show, it was one of my greatest childhood shows and I still love it today.

It was the most detailed series I had ever seen and it had such a great storyline, it was like Star Wars mixed with Star Fox. I have in fact heard the word about Bucky O'Hare coming back, there are words of it floating around so while it may not be a movie, SOMETHING Bucky related is in the works.

Some people said a new series, some people said a new online series, some a movie, etc. Either way, I think there's a decent chance something for Bucky is coming and I hope so because the series was WAY too short and it deserved more episodes. Plus I'm still pissed the UK are the only ones who got the Bucky DVD pack.

I have to buy the VHS since the UK DVDs have region code 2 in their DVD players so i hope SOON, they decide to sell it in the US. Either way, I hope to see more of Bucky in some format, sooner rather than later.

Secrets Of The Cryptkeeper's Haunted House wasn't a cartoon. It was a kids' game show that ran on CBS during the 1996-97 season.

I know, I cobered that when I said "I know the last 4 shows I listed were LIVE".