In 1980, Hanna-Barbera got back into producing animated fare for primetime consumption. Naturally, it started with a new set of Flintstones cartoons produced specifically for primetime, this time on NBC, which was home to the Bedrock gang at the time.
The next attempt came as a late-season entry in 1982, but it's one that most of you probably haven't heard of. To tell you the truth, I never saw this show, because it was running during baseball season, and the Mets took precedence at my house. Still, Jokebook lasted about a month, didn't get much fanfare, and the material was such that it could probably pass as time filler today on [adult swim], provided of course the nimrods in charge even bother to find it in the vault.
Muttley16 uploaded the open. The title song is sung by the inimitable Scatman Crothers (ex-Hong Kong Phooey, Chico & The Man), who'd done the same thing for Heathcliff & Marmaduke a year earlier over on ABC.
No rating.
Believe it or not I DO remember this show - but I can only remember one skit that was somewhat amusing:
ReplyDeleteTwo gunslingers about to duel it out in the old west. You see the POV from the back of one of the gun fighters - the other gunfighter appearing from the distance as the viewer looks through the other gunfighter's legs.
They get closer and closer - the tension mounts.. Finally, they meet - and we find out the other gunfighter really was a tiny little guy and not at a distance at all!
Yeah.
That puts you one up on me.
ReplyDeleteI think what went wrong with this show was it was a decade too late in many respects. The character design and animation seemed more like from the "Wait Till You Father Gets Home" era, and the skits also seemed outdated.
ReplyDeleteI know HB was usually on the ball when it came to pop culture spoofs and knockoffs, but by the early 80s (dare I say, as early as the mid to late 70s) they were pretty far off the mark.
Both "Father" & Jokebook had designs done, according to someone on YouTube, by an artist from--get this--Playboy. Go figure.
ReplyDelete