Here Comes Garfield
Encyclopedia
Here Comes Garfield is a half-hour animated television special based on the Garfield
comic strip. It featured Lorenzo Music
as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast October 25, 1982 on CBS
. It has been released on both VHS
and DVD
home video.
During the night, a depressed Garfield remembers through flashbacks of the all good times he and Odie had playing together and how sad his life would be without him. The next day, Odie is taken down the hall to be euthanized. Later, a girl arrives at the pound for a pet and chooses Garfield. Garfield realizes his plan to escape with this and when the cell opens, Garfield runs out the door instead of the girl. The girl just watches in shock as the rest of the dogs escape the way Garfield did. Garfield leads the dogs on a stampede towards the dogcatcher carrying Odie. Garfield and the dogs eventually rescue Odie and break down the pound door, with the knocked-out dogcatcher on it. As the pets run home, Garfield and Odie knock down the front door down while Jon is attempting to fix it after Garfield and Odie knocked it down from the beginning. In the end, Jon bets that Garfield and Odie did things in the night while he worried about them, and Garfield and Odie agree.
on Epic Records
. It featured songs from and inspired by the television special. Some of these tracks were re-released or re-recorded on the Am I Cool or What?
CD.
"So Long Old Friend" is also referenced in Garfield in the Rough
and Garfield in Paradise
.
, came from the famous Peanuts
cartoon team of Bill Melendez
and Lee Mendelson
, giving them a look similar to the Peanuts cartoons. All future specials and the popular Garfield and Friends
TV series were animated by Film Roman
studios. Also, Jon was voiced by Sandy Kenyon, which his voice would later be taken by Thom Huge.
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 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 25, 1982 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.
Plot
Garfield and Odie are outside harassing a neighbor's dog when the owner Hubert calls the pound to capture Odie. When the dogcatcher arrives, Garfield flees, but Odie is too stupid to run away and is captured. Garfield decides to go home, but when he attempts to warn Jon about Odie, Jon thinks Garfield is just suffering fleas and Garfield gives up telling Jon, but realizes how boring life is without Odie around, so that night, Garfield decides to rescue Odie. However, Garfield is caught and thrown into the pound, and learns from a cellmate that Odie is going to be put to sleep in the morning.During the night, a depressed Garfield remembers through flashbacks of the all good times he and Odie had playing together and how sad his life would be without him. The next day, Odie is taken down the hall to be euthanized. Later, a girl arrives at the pound for a pet and chooses Garfield. Garfield realizes his plan to escape with this and when the cell opens, Garfield runs out the door instead of the girl. The girl just watches in shock as the rest of the dogs escape the way Garfield did. Garfield leads the dogs on a stampede towards the dogcatcher carrying Odie. Garfield and the dogs eventually rescue Odie and break down the pound door, with the knocked-out dogcatcher on it. As the pets run home, Garfield and Odie knock down the front door down while Jon is attempting to fix it after Garfield and Odie knocked it down from the beginning. In the end, Jon bets that Garfield and Odie did things in the night while he worried about them, and Garfield and Odie agree.
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 - Sandy KenyonSandy KenyonSandy Kenyon, born Sanford Klein was an American voice-over artist and character actor, best-known for voicing Jon Arbuckle in the first Garfield animated television special Here Comes Garfield, and other roles in film and television...
- Jon Arbuckle - Henry CordenHenry CordenHenry Corden was a Canadian-born American actor and voice artist best-known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed died in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was on the 1977 syndicated weekday series Fred Flintstone and Friends for which he provided voice-overs on...
- Hubert (uncredited) - Hal SmithHal SmithHal Smith may refer to:* Hal Smith , American actor* Hal Smith , American baseball player * Hal Smith , American baseball player [catcher/third baseman]...
- Reba (uncredited) / Skinny - Hank Garrett - Fast Eddy / Fluffy
- 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 / Salesman - Angela Lee - Little Girl
Soundtrack for Here Comes Garfield
There was a soundtrack for Here Comes Garfield released on LP and cassetteCompact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
on Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. It featured songs from and inspired by the television special. Some of these tracks were re-released or re-recorded on the Am I Cool or What?
Am I Cool or What?
Am I Cool or What? is an album featuring songs inspired by the comic strip cat Garfield. It was released on July 31, 1991 by GRP Records in compact disc and cassette tape format. The genre is primarily R&B and contemporary jazz. The album features appearances by important genre luminaries, such as...
CD.
Track list
- "Here Comes Garfield" - (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"...
) - "Move Me" (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...
) - "Foolin' Around" (Lou Rawls and Desirée Goyette)
- "Long About Midnight" (Lou Rawls)
- "Big Fat Hairy Deal" (Lou Rawls)
- "Up On a Fence" (Desirée Goyette)
- "Life Is Just a Roller Coaster" (Lou Rawls)
- "So Long Old Friend" (Desirée Goyette)
- "Together Again" (Lou Rawls and Desirée Goyette)
- "Here Comes Garfield (Reprise)" (Desirée Goyette)
"So Long Old Friend" is also referenced in Garfield in the Rough
Garfield in the Rough
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...
and Garfield in Paradise
Garfield in Paradise
Garfield in Paradise is a half-hour animated television special based on the Garfield comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield . Wolfman Jack guest starred as the voice of the tribal chief and Frank Nelson guest starred as the voice of the motel manager and rental...
.
Differences from other Garfield cartoons
The animation for this first Garfield special and the second one, Garfield on the TownGarfield on the Town
Garfield on the Town 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 28, 1983 on CBS. It has been released on both VHS and DVD home video.- Plot :Jon becomes very...
, came from the famous Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
cartoon team of Bill Melendez
Bill Melendez
José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez was a Mexican-American character animator, film director, voice artist and producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers, UPA and the Peanuts series...
and Lee Mendelson
Lee Mendelson
Lee Mendelson is an American television producer. He is best known as the executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials....
, giving them a look similar to the Peanuts cartoons. All future specials and the popular Garfield and Friends
Garfield and Friends
Garfield and Friends is an American animated television series based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. The show was produced by Film Roman, in association with United Feature Syndicate and Paws, Inc., and ran on CBS Saturday mornings from September 17, 1988 to December 10, 1994, with...
TV series were animated by Film Roman
Film Roman
Film Roman is an animation studio founded by Phil Roman, best known for producing the animation for The Simpsons, King of the Hill for 20th Century Fox, as well as the Garfield and Peanuts animated TV specials....
studios. Also, Jon was voiced by Sandy Kenyon, which his voice would later be taken by Thom Huge.