Garfield in the Rough
Encyclopedia
Garfield in the Rough is a half-hour animated television special based on the Garfield
comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music
as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast October 26, 1984 on CBS
. It has been released on both VHS
and DVD
home video.
, where he imagines himself in places such as Acapulco
, Honolulu and Venice, only to be disappointed to find out that they're just going camping
.
It takes a while for Garfield to adjust to the great outdoors, immediately taking a dislike to the camp rangers for insulting him at the entrance and misbehaving at the campsite by placing a live fish in a pitcher when asked to collect water by Jon. Jon on the other hand is conversely optimistic about their stay, despite finding out his 'super deluxe' tent has barely enough room to house the three for the week. After nightfall, the trio listen to the radio which is interrupted by news of a panther that has escaped from a zoo
lurking in the Lake Woebegone woods area. Right after this news on the radio, the announcer says: "We now return to our regular broadcast of fun music." It then plays very depressing music. Garfield and Odie are terrified and want to leave but Jon assures them that Lake Woebegone is miles from their location. Following the announcement they sing a song (and endure Jon's banjo
playing) then go to bed. After they go into their tent, on the hilltops, the panther comes out and growls as it eyes their campsite.
The next day, Odie causes the tent with Jon and Garfield inside to roll into the lake and he then runs off into the nearby woods, which is revealed to be the Lake Woebegone area that the panther is lurking in. The forest rangers are hunting for the panther, and attempt to warn Jon to evacuate
, but he is away from the campsite when they arrive so they leave a note. This proves unfortunate as a gust of wind blows the message into a recently extinguished campfire
, where it burns up.
After it is revealed that Garfield (and to a lesser extent, Odie) has eaten all the food for the week, he takes a hike to avoid Jon's ranting and starts to appreciate the beauty of nature, until he meets two forest animals named Dicky Beaver and Billy Bunny who warn Garfield about the escaped panther, claiming it has already attacked other forest animals. Odie appears, after scaring all but Garfield away by accident, and the two eavesdrop on the two rangers passing by with a tranquilizer gun, hoping to capture the panther. The two decide now is the time to collect Jon and leave before they are attacked by the beast and run all the way back to the campsite.
Upon their return, Garfield tries to warn Jon of the danger but Jon insists that there is nothing to worry about and refuses to move while Garfield tries desperately to convince Odie to get into the car. However, during the commotion the full moon comes into view and shines down on the camp to reveal that the panther has now entered their campsite and is approaching the three as they look on in horror. Garfield runs up a tree while Jon and Odie hide in the tent, followed by the car as the panther tears it to shreds and then manages to break into the vehicle by smashing through a window. Scared but unable to watch his family being killed, Garfield leaps from the trees and takes on the panther, clawing at its head and neck but is shaken off. Garfield is in serious danger until the park rangers enter the campsite and subdue the beast with a tranquilizer dart. Jon then says he feels they have had enough adventure and recommends they break camp and return to civilization, much to Garfield's joy. They set off for home with Garfield bragging over how he took on the panther.
This special is available on the Garfield: Travel Adventures DVD.
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast October 26, 1984 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. It has been released on both VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
home video.
Storyline
Garfield is living in a boring, black and white world, claiming that all the color has gone out of his life. He is excited to learn that Jon wants to take him and Odie on vacationTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, where he imagines himself in places such as Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Honolulu and Venice, only to be disappointed to find out that they're just going camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
.
It takes a while for Garfield to adjust to the great outdoors, immediately taking a dislike to the camp rangers for insulting him at the entrance and misbehaving at the campsite by placing a live fish in a pitcher when asked to collect water by Jon. Jon on the other hand is conversely optimistic about their stay, despite finding out his 'super deluxe' tent has barely enough room to house the three for the week. After nightfall, the trio listen to the radio which is interrupted by news of a panther that has escaped from a zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
lurking in the Lake Woebegone woods area. Right after this news on the radio, the announcer says: "We now return to our regular broadcast of fun music." It then plays very depressing music. Garfield and Odie are terrified and want to leave but Jon assures them that Lake Woebegone is miles from their location. Following the announcement they sing a song (and endure Jon's banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
playing) then go to bed. After they go into their tent, on the hilltops, the panther comes out and growls as it eyes their campsite.
The next day, Odie causes the tent with Jon and Garfield inside to roll into the lake and he then runs off into the nearby woods, which is revealed to be the Lake Woebegone area that the panther is lurking in. The forest rangers are hunting for the panther, and attempt to warn Jon to evacuate
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
, but he is away from the campsite when they arrive so they leave a note. This proves unfortunate as a gust of wind blows the message into a recently extinguished campfire
Campfire
A campfire is a fire lit at a campsite, to serve the following functions: light, warmth, a beacon, a bug and/or apex predator deterrent, to cook, and for a psychological sense of security. In established campgrounds they are usually in a fire ring for safety. Campfires are a popular feature of...
, where it burns up.
After it is revealed that Garfield (and to a lesser extent, Odie) has eaten all the food for the week, he takes a hike to avoid Jon's ranting and starts to appreciate the beauty of nature, until he meets two forest animals named Dicky Beaver and Billy Bunny who warn Garfield about the escaped panther, claiming it has already attacked other forest animals. Odie appears, after scaring all but Garfield away by accident, and the two eavesdrop on the two rangers passing by with a tranquilizer gun, hoping to capture the panther. The two decide now is the time to collect Jon and leave before they are attacked by the beast and run all the way back to the campsite.
Upon their return, Garfield tries to warn Jon of the danger but Jon insists that there is nothing to worry about and refuses to move while Garfield tries desperately to convince Odie to get into the car. However, during the commotion the full moon comes into view and shines down on the camp to reveal that the panther has now entered their campsite and is approaching the three as they look on in horror. Garfield runs up a tree while Jon and Odie hide in the tent, followed by the car as the panther tears it to shreds and then manages to break into the vehicle by smashing through a window. Scared but unable to watch his family being killed, Garfield leaps from the trees and takes on the panther, clawing at its head and neck but is shaken off. Garfield is in serious danger until the park rangers enter the campsite and subdue the beast with a tranquilizer dart. Jon then says he feels they have had enough adventure and recommends they break camp and return to civilization, much to Garfield's joy. They set off for home with Garfield bragging over how he took on the panther.
Cast
- Lorenzo MusicLorenzo MusicLorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
- Garfield - Thom Huge - Jon Arbuckle
- Gregg BergerGregg BergerGreggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
- Odie / Ranger #1 - George WendtGeorge WendtGeorge Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
- Ranger #2 - Hal SmithHal SmithHal Smith may refer to:* Hal Smith , American actor* Hal Smith , American baseball player * Hal Smith , American baseball player [catcher/third baseman]...
- Dicky Beaver - Orson BeanOrson BeanOrson Bean is an American film, television, and Broadway actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including being a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
- Billy Rabbit - Desiree GoyetteDesirée GoyetteDesirée Goyette is a singer, composer, lyricist and voice-over artist. She has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has voiced such characters as Betty Boop, Barbie, Nermal, Petunia Pig, Honey Bunny and numerous others for radio, television and toys...
- Girl Cats
Trivia
- The radio announcement warns that the escaped panther has been sighted in the Lake WobegonLake WobegonLake Wobegon is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Minnesota, said to have been the boyhood home of Garrison Keillor, who reports the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion....
area and for all people to steer clear. Jon's geographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
skills are off, as he says that Lake Wobegon is miles away. Garfield and Odie later pass a sign which says "Lake Wobegon", indicating they are much closer to the danger area than Jon thought. (The fictional "Lake WobegonLake WobegonLake Wobegon is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Minnesota, said to have been the boyhood home of Garrison Keillor, who reports the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion....
" is best known for its use in the long-running radio series A Prairie Home CompanionA Prairie Home CompanionA Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
, making its reference an apparent breaking of the fifth wall.)
- In the comic adaptation Billy Bunny and Dicky Beaver played bigger parts and just before they leave, Garfield tells them of the panther's capture.
- Also in the comic adaptation, Garfield is still bragging over his fight with the panther a week after they return. Then Jon hears scratching at the door and tells Garfield to answer it. Garfield claims he is no longer afraid of anything and says he'll take care of it. He peers out into the dark and sees a pair of glowing eyes. After Garfield screams and faints, a little black kitten walks into the house. Jon wants to go camping again, but Garfield and Odie threaten to pounce on him every time he suggests it.
- This special replaces Garfield's ThanksgivingGarfield's ThanksgivingGarfield's Thanksgiving is a 1989 animated television special based on the Garfield comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast November 22, 1989 on CBS. It has been released on both VHS and DVD home video...
on non-U.S.A. DVD copies of Garfield's Holiday CelebrationsGarfield's Holiday CelebrationsGarfield's Holiday Celebrations is a DVD compilation of the 3 Garfield holiday specials, Garfield's Halloween Adventure, Garfield's Thanksgiving, and A Garfield Christmas. This DVD was released October 16, 2004.-Garfield's Halloween Adventure:...
.
Songs
- "Get Me Some 'R and 'R" performed by Lou RawlsLou RawlsLouis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
- "When I'm Out in the Rough" performed by Lorenzo MusicLorenzo MusicLorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
and Thom Huge - "Camping is My Life" performed by Thom Huge
- "The Music of Nature" performed by Desirée GoyetteDesirée GoyetteDesirée Goyette is a singer, composer, lyricist and voice-over artist. She has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has voiced such characters as Betty Boop, Barbie, Nermal, Petunia Pig, Honey Bunny and numerous others for radio, television and toys...
- "Run-Run" performed by Thom Huge and Desirée GoyetteDesirée GoyetteDesirée Goyette is a singer, composer, lyricist and voice-over artist. She has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has voiced such characters as Betty Boop, Barbie, Nermal, Petunia Pig, Honey Bunny and numerous others for radio, television and toys...
This special is available on the Garfield: Travel Adventures DVD.
Awards
- 1985 Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy AwardThe Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Outstanding Animated ProgramPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
Quotes adapted from the strips
- Garfield: Ho hum.
- Garfield: Have you ever had a day when you feel like you've eaten it all?
- Originally from March 25, 1979