Mumbly
Encyclopedia
The Mumbly Cartoon Show was a Saturday morning cartoon
produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on ABC
from 1976-77.
. Mumbly bears a strong resemblance to Muttley
from the animated series Wacky Races
and Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines
. Like Muttley, Mumbly does not really talk; he mumbles and grumbles unintelligibly, and often uses his trademark snicker. Detective Lieutenant Mumbly's boss is Schnooker (inspired on Telly Savallas's Kojak detective and voiced by John Stephenson
), an aptly named egotistical police chief who tries to take credit for nearly all of Mumbly's heroic deeds.
Mumbly appeared on the animated series Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape
/Mumbly Show (1976) and The Tom and Jerry/Mumbly Show (1976-77). He made a brief cameo appearance in an episode of Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
(1976). Ironically, Mumbly later appeared on the opposite side of the fence as the captain of the villainous Really Rottens on Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics
/ Scooby's All-Stars (1977-79), alongside Dread Baron, who bore a great resemblance to Dick Dastardly
. Mumbly was the only member of the Really Rottens that wasn't created for Laff-A-Lympics
. The good-guy teams, The Scooby Doobies and The Yogi Yahooeys, were composed of characters from previous cartoons. Mumbly would return as a villain alongside the Dread Baron (resembling the team of Muttley and Dick Dastardly) in 1987's TV movie Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose
.
Mumbly may have been inspired by Peter Falk
's TV character Columbo, as the two share a similar sartorial style and speech patterns. A further link is that Muttley
was based on a similar premise to Peter Falk's character Max Meen in The Great Race
, as noted in the Wacky Races
article.
In his villanous appearances, Mumbly's former occupation as a police detective is never referenced and there is no in-universe explanation for his retcon
as a villain. Nor is Mumbly simply Muttley by a different name although one episode of Laff a Lympics accidentally refers to Mumbly as Muttley in a script blooper. While Muttley was consistently depicted as a villain's sidekick and comic foil, Mumbly was depicted as independently clever and cunning in both his heroic and villanous appearances. Additionally, Laff-A-Lympics, Mumbly was the leader of the Rottens team with Dread Baron acting as his right hand man.
The reason for the use of Dread Baron and Mumbly as substitutes for Dastardly and Muttley is not certain. The most commonly suggested reason is that the Wacky Races Characters (including Dastardly and Muttley) were created as a co-production with Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley Productions
, meaning that they were not fully owned by Hanna-Barbera, and thus could only be used with permission.
Since the original run, Mumbly was syndicated with all 16 6-minute episodes repackaged as The Mumbly Cartoon Show in 1977; it was shown as part of USA Network
's Pumpkin Creek in the mid 1980s and The Family Channel
's Toon Toast in summer 1994. A clip from a Mumbly cartoon (episode #85-2, "The Great Hot Car Heist") was heard in the 1979 Peter Sellers
film Being There
.
* Telecast at Noon (EST), Thursday afternoon, November 25, 1976, a Thanksgiving, as part of ABC's Thanksgiving
Funshine Festival.
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from 1976-77.
Bio
Mumbly is a cartoon dog character famous for his wheezy laugh, voiced by Don MessickDon Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
. Mumbly bears a strong resemblance to Muttley
Muttley
Muttley is a Hanna-Barbera animated fictional character created by Iwao Takamoto and originally voiced by Don Messick. In the 2000 Wacky Races videogame he was voiced by Billy West.-Bio:...
from the animated series Wacky Races
Wacky Races
Wacky Races is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series features 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies throughout North America, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer." Wacky Races ran on CBS from September...
and Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines
Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines is a cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for CBS. Originally the series was broadcast as a Saturday morning cartoon, airing from September 13, 1969 to January 3, 1970...
. Like Muttley, Mumbly does not really talk; he mumbles and grumbles unintelligibly, and often uses his trademark snicker. Detective Lieutenant Mumbly's boss is Schnooker (inspired on Telly Savallas's Kojak detective and voiced by John Stephenson
John Stephenson (actor)
John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
), an aptly named egotistical police chief who tries to take credit for nearly all of Mumbly's heroic deeds.
Mumbly appeared on the animated series Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape
The Great Grape Ape Show
The Great Grape Ape Show is a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that was broadcast on ABC from 1975 to 1978.-Summary:...
/Mumbly Show (1976) and The Tom and Jerry/Mumbly Show (1976-77). He made a brief cameo appearance in an episode of Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
Dynomutt, Dog Wonder is an American animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Hanna-Barbera about a Batman-esque super hero, the Blue Falcon and his assistant, a bumbling yet generally effective robot dog Dynomutt, who could produce a seemingly infinite number of mechanical...
(1976). Ironically, Mumbly later appeared on the opposite side of the fence as the captain of the villainous Really Rottens on Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics
Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics
-DVD release:On January 19, 2010, Warner Home Video released Scooby's All-Star Laff-A Lympics - Volume 1 on DVD in Region 1. The single disc release features the first four episodes of the Laff-a-Lympics segment of the package. Target released an exclusive second volume with the next four episodes...
/ Scooby's All-Stars (1977-79), alongside Dread Baron, who bore a great resemblance to Dick Dastardly
Dick Dastardly
Dick Dastardly is a fictional character and antagonist who appeared in various animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Dastardly's most famous appearances are main character in the series Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines...
. Mumbly was the only member of the Really Rottens that wasn't created for Laff-A-Lympics
Laff-A-Lympics
Laff-A-Lympics was the co-headlining segment, with Scooby-Doo, of the package Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show was a spoof of the Olympics and the ABC television series Battle of the Network Stars, which debuted one...
. The good-guy teams, The Scooby Doobies and The Yogi Yahooeys, were composed of characters from previous cartoons. Mumbly would return as a villain alongside the Dread Baron (resembling the team of Muttley and Dick Dastardly) in 1987's TV movie Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose
Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose
Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose is a 1987 animated movie for television produced by Hanna-Barbera as part of the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 series.-Plot:...
.
Mumbly may have been inspired by Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
's TV character Columbo, as the two share a similar sartorial style and speech patterns. A further link is that Muttley
Muttley
Muttley is a Hanna-Barbera animated fictional character created by Iwao Takamoto and originally voiced by Don Messick. In the 2000 Wacky Races videogame he was voiced by Billy West.-Bio:...
was based on a similar premise to Peter Falk's character Max Meen in The Great Race
The Great Race
The Great Race is a 1965 slapstick comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood, directed by Blake Edwards, written by Blake Edwards and Arthur A. Ross, and with music by Henry Mancini and cinematography by Russell Harlan. The supporting cast includes Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn,...
, as noted in the Wacky Races
Wacky Races
Wacky Races is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series features 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies throughout North America, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer." Wacky Races ran on CBS from September...
article.
In his villanous appearances, Mumbly's former occupation as a police detective is never referenced and there is no in-universe explanation for his retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
as a villain. Nor is Mumbly simply Muttley by a different name although one episode of Laff a Lympics accidentally refers to Mumbly as Muttley in a script blooper. While Muttley was consistently depicted as a villain's sidekick and comic foil, Mumbly was depicted as independently clever and cunning in both his heroic and villanous appearances. Additionally, Laff-A-Lympics, Mumbly was the leader of the Rottens team with Dread Baron acting as his right hand man.
The reason for the use of Dread Baron and Mumbly as substitutes for Dastardly and Muttley is not certain. The most commonly suggested reason is that the Wacky Races Characters (including Dastardly and Muttley) were created as a co-production with Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions was an American television production company that was launched in 1960 by two former television writers, Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley....
, meaning that they were not fully owned by Hanna-Barbera, and thus could only be used with permission.
Since the original run, Mumbly was syndicated with all 16 6-minute episodes repackaged as The Mumbly Cartoon Show in 1977; it was shown as part of USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
's Pumpkin Creek in the mid 1980s and The Family Channel
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
's Toon Toast in summer 1994. A clip from a Mumbly cartoon (episode #85-2, "The Great Hot Car Heist") was heard in the 1979 Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
film Being There
Being There
Being There is a 1979 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby. Adapted from the 1971 novella written by Jerzy Kosinski, the screenplay was coauthored by Kosinski and Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A...
.
The Tom & Jerry / Grape Ape / Mumbly Show (1976)
All episodes of The Mumbly Cartoon Show were shown on ABC in original production order.- #85-1: "Fleetfeet Versus Flat Foot" (Sep-11-76)
- #85-2: "The Great Car Heist" (Sep-18-76)
- #85-3: "The Magical Madcap Caper" (Sep-25-76)
- #85-4: "The Big Breakout Bust" (Oct-2-76)
- #85-5: "The Return of Bing Bong" (Oct-9-76)
- #85-6: "The Super-Dooper Super Cop" (Oct-16-76)
- #85-7: "The Big Ox Bust" (Oct-23-76)
- #85-8: "The Great Graffiti Gambit" (Oct-30-76)
- #85-9: "Taking Stock" (Nov-6-76)
- #85-10: "The Littermugg" (Nov-13-76)
- #85-11: "The Perils of the Purple Baron" (Nov-20-76)
- #85-12: "The Fatbeard the Pirate Fracas" (Nov-25-76) *
- #85-13: "The Big Snow Foot Snow Job" (Nov-27-76)
* Telecast at Noon (EST), Thursday afternoon, November 25, 1976, a Thanksgiving, as part of ABC's Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
Funshine Festival.
The Tom & Jerry / Mumbly Show (1976-77)
- #85-14: "Sherlock's Badder Brudder" (Dec-4-76)
- #85-15: "The UFO's a No-No" (Dec-11-76)
- #85-16: "Hyde and Seek" (Dec-18-76)
Production credits
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Joseph BarberaJoseph BarberaJoseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
and William HannaWilliam HannaWilliam Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by... - DIRECTOR: Charles A. Nichols
- CREATIVE PRODUCER: Iwao Takamoto
- ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Alex Lovy
- STORY: Bill Ackerman, Larz Bourne, Tom Dagenais, Alan Dinehart, Don Jurwich, Joel Kane, Dick Kinney, Frank Ridgeway
- RECORDING DIRECTORS: Wally BurrWally BurrWally Burr is an American voice actor and director. He was best known as the voice director for the Generation 1 cartoon and The Transformers: The Movie. Aside from voicing some incidental characters, he has also filled in roles for regular voice actors who were unavailable for taping. He is also...
, Alex LovyAlex LovyAlex Lovy was an American animator, who spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions, later being a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervising the cartoon unit at Warner Bros... - STORYBOARD DIRECTION: Tom Dagenais, Howard Post, Art Scott, Don Sheppard, Paul Sommer
- VOICES: Norman AldenNorman AldenNorman Alden is an American character actor who has performed in television programs and motion pictures since first appearing on The 20th Century Fox Hour in 1957. He provided the voice of Kay in The Sword in the Stone film in 1963 and received Oscar buzz for his role in I Never Promised You a...
, 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...
, Joan GerberJoan GerberJoan Gerber is an American voice actress for a variety of cartoons.- Filmography :* 1959: Matty's Funday Funnies : Additional Voices...
, Kathy GoriKathy GoriKathy Gori is an American voice actress, radio personality and screenwriter.-Biography:She was born in San Francisco, California....
, Virginia GreggVirginia GreggVirginia Gregg Burket was an American actress best known for her many roles in radio dramas.Born in Harrisburg, Illinois, Virginia Gregg was the daughter of musician Dewey Alphaleta and businessman Edward William Gregg.-Radio:Gregg was a prolific radio actor, heard on such programs as The...
, Bob Holt, Allan MelvinAllan MelvinAllan Melvin was an American character actor who appeared in several television shows, including the roles of Corporal Henshaw on The Phil Silvers Show; Alice's boyfriend Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch; and Archie Bunker's friend Barney Hefner on All in the Family and Archie Bunker's...
, Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
, Alan OppenheimerAlan OppenheimerAlan Oppenheimer is an American character actor and voice actor. He has performed numerous roles on live-action television since the 1960s, and has had an active career doing voice work in cartoons since the 1970s.-Early life:...
, Joe E. RossJoe E. RossJoe E. Ross was an American actor known for his trademark "Ooh! Ooh!" exclamation, which he used in many of his roles. He starred in such TV sitcoms as The Phil Silvers Show and Car 54, Where Are You?.-Career:...
, Hal SmithHal Smith (actor)Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...
, John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
, Jean Vander PylJean Vander PylJean Vander Pyl was an American actress on radio, television and movies. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best remembered as the voice of Wilma Flintstone from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Flintstones...
, Janet WaldoJanet WaldoJanet Waldo is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats...
, Lennie WeinribLennie WeinribLennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R...
, Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:... - PRODUCTION DESIGN: Bob Singer
- CHARACTER DESIGN: Marty Murphy
- PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Victor O. Schipek
- GRAPHICS: Iraj Paran
- MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Hoyt Curtin
- MUSICAL SUPERVISOR: Paul DeKorte
- LAYOUT: John Ahern, Ed Benedict, Jamie Diaz, Hak Ficq, Owen Fitzgerald, Mo Gollub, Gary Hoffman, Jack Huber, Larry Huber, Alex Ignatiev, Ray Jacobs, Homer Jonas, Lin Larsen, Warren Marshall, Gregg Nocon, Tony Rivera, Linda Rowley, Bob Singer, Terry Slade, O. Wilson, Donna Zeller
- ANIMATION SUPERVISORS: Ed Barge, Bill Keil
- ANIMATION: Carlos Alfonso, Ed Barge, O.E. Callahan, Lars Calonius, Rudy Cataldi, Olivia Clark, Bob Goe, Bill Hutton, Volus Jones, Ed Love, Tony Love, Ken Muse, Margaret Nichols, Jon Patterson, Juan Picu, Tom Ray, Veve Risto, Jay Sarbry, Ken Southworth, Dave Tendlar, Dick Thompson, Carlo Vinci, Xenia
- BACKGROUNDS: John Currin, Dennis Derrell, Robert Gentle, Al Gmuer, Richard Khim, Fernando Montealegre, Bill Proctor, Dennis Venizelos
- TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR: Frank Paiker
- CHECKING AND SCENE PLANNING: Evelyn Sherwood
- INK AND PAINT SUPERVISOR: Billie Kerns
- XEROGRAPHY: Robert "Tiger" West, Star Wirth
- SOUND DIRECTION: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
- SUPERVISING FILM EDITOR: Chip Yaras
- MUSIC EDITORS: Pat Foley, Greg Watson
- EFFECTS EDITORS: Richard Allen, Terry Moore
- NEGATIVE CONSULTANT: William E. DeBoer
- POST-PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Joed Eaton
- CAMERA: George Epperson, Charles Flekal, John Curtis Hall, Ron Jackson, Jerry Smith, Norman Stainback, Roy Wade, Dennis Weaver
- PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jayne Barbera
- A HANNA-BARBERA PRODUCTION
- © 1976 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.