The Robonic Stooges
Encyclopedia
The Robonic Stooges was a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series
featuring the characters of The Three Stooges
in new roles as clumsy crime-fighting bionic superheroes. It was developed by Norman Maurer
and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from September 10, 1977 to March 18, 1978 on CBS
and contained two segments, The Robonic Stooges and Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives.
The Robonic Stooges originally aired as a segment on The Skatebirds
from September 10, 1977 to December 24, 1977 on CBS
. When CBS canceled The Skatebirds in early 1978
, the trio was given their own half-hour timeslot which ran for 16 episodes.
Since all of the original Three Stooges
had passed away when production began (Moe Howard
and Larry Fine
had both died in 1975 and Curly Howard
had been deceased since 1952), other voice actors were used to impersonate them, mostly veteran voice actors from other Hanna-Barbera productions. Paul Winchell
voiced Moe, Joe Baker voiced Larry, and Frank Welker
voiced Curly (Welker had previously used his Curly impersonation for the titular character in Jabberjaw
). Unlike cartoon series' produced by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, The Robonic Stooges did not contain a laugh track
.
This was the second animated adaptation of the Three Stooges, the first being Cambria Studios' The New Three Stooges
in 1965, which used the actual Stooges' voices. Norman Maurer
, who was married to Moe Howard's daughter and had acted as the Stooges' agent during their lifetimes, worked on both series'. The Stooges had previously appeared in another Hanna Barbera-created series: The New Scooby-Doo Movies
(1972), this time as Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe. Though all three stooges were alive when this was produced, none were asked to supply the voice of their respective characters (as it was, Larry had suffered a debilitating stroke
in 1970, which left his speech somewhat slurred).
The Robonic Stooges episodes occasionally can be seen between shows as interstitial segments on Boomerang
.
Aired as part of The Three Robonic Stooges (2 shorts aired per 30-minute episode):
featuring two bumbling dogs named Woofer and Wimper who help solve mysteries for the Clue Club, a group of four teenagers: Larry, Pepper, D.D. and Dotty.
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...
featuring the characters of The Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
in new roles as clumsy crime-fighting bionic superheroes. It was developed by Norman Maurer
Norman Maurer
Norman Albert Maurer , a comic book artist and writer, was also a director and producer of films and television shows.-Comic books:...
and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from September 10, 1977 to March 18, 1978 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...
and contained two segments, The Robonic Stooges and Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives.
The Robonic Stooges originally aired as a segment on The Skatebirds
The Skatebirds
The Skatebirds was a 60-minute show on CBS Saturday mornings from 1977-78, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show featured four short segments hosted by live-action wraparounds featuring "The Skatebirds", three large birds played by actors in costumes.The Skatebirds, so-called because they...
from September 10, 1977 to December 24, 1977 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...
. When CBS canceled The Skatebirds in early 1978
1978 in television
The year 1978 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1978.For the American TV schedule, see: 1978-79 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, the trio was given their own half-hour timeslot which ran for 16 episodes.
The Robonic Stooges
The Robonic Stooges —Moe, Larry and Curly — are secret agents who fight crime with their special bionic powers and are given assignments via film projector from their frustrated boss Agent 000 .Since all of the original Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
had passed away when production began (Moe Howard
Moe Howard
Moses Harry Horwitz , known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades...
and Larry Fine
Larry Fine
Louis Feinberg , known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American comedian and actor, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.-Early life:...
had both died in 1975 and Curly Howard
Curly Howard
Jerome Lester "Jerry" Horwitz , better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and vaudevillian. He is best known as a member of the American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges, along with his older brothers Moe Howard and Shemp Howard, and actor Larry Fine...
had been deceased since 1952), other voice actors were used to impersonate them, mostly veteran voice actors from other Hanna-Barbera productions. Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...
voiced Moe, Joe Baker voiced Larry, and Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin 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:...
voiced Curly (Welker had previously used his Curly impersonation for the titular character in Jabberjaw
Jabberjaw
Jabberjaw is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired from September 11, 1976 to September 3, 1978 on ABC.-Premise:...
). Unlike cartoon series' produced by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, The Robonic Stooges did not contain a laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
.
This was the second animated adaptation of the Three Stooges, the first being Cambria Studios' The New Three Stooges
The New Three Stooges
The New Three Stooges is a syndicated television program that ran from 1965-1966 starring the Three Stooges. The show follows the trio's antics both in live-action and animated segments. The cast consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly-Joe DeRita, with actor and close friend Emil Sitka...
in 1965, which used the actual Stooges' voices. Norman Maurer
Norman Maurer
Norman Albert Maurer , a comic book artist and writer, was also a director and producer of films and television shows.-Comic books:...
, who was married to Moe Howard's daughter and had acted as the Stooges' agent during their lifetimes, worked on both series'. The Stooges had previously appeared in another Hanna Barbera-created series: The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies is the second incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS as the only hour-long Scooby-Doo series...
(1972), this time as Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe. Though all three stooges were alive when this was produced, none were asked to supply the voice of their respective characters (as it was, Larry had suffered a debilitating stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1970, which left his speech somewhat slurred).
The Robonic Stooges episodes occasionally can be seen between shows as interstitial segments on Boomerang
Boomerang (TV channel)
Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. Boomerang specializes in reruns of animated programming from Time Warner's extensive archives, including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Network, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
.
Episodes
Aired as part of The Skatebirds:| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invasion of the Incredible Giant Chicken | September 10, 1977 |
| Professor Cluck has invented a super-growth formula which he uses on some chicken Chicken The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird... s in his plan to become President of the World. |
||
| 2 | Dimwits and Dinosaurs | September 17, 1977 |
| Dr. Hansenfoot's time machine is stolen by Ugh the Pug and he uses it to commit crimes using prehistoric times as a hideout. | ||
| 3 | Fish and Drips | September 24, 1977 |
| Shark Yo Yo has defrosted a giant octopus Giant octopus Enteroctopus is an octopus genus, many of whose members are sometimes known as giant octopuses.- Description :Enteroctopus is a genus of generally temperate octopuses. Members of the genus Enteroctopus are characterized by their large size and are often known as the giant octopuses... which he uses to rob ships at sea. |
||
| 4 | Have Saucer Will Travel | October 1, 1977 |
| The Blobobians have approached Earth and have captured the Robonic Stooges to determine if there is intelligent life on Earth. | ||
| 5 | I Want My Mummy | October 8, 1977 |
| A mummy Mummy A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry... with magical talents has stolen the Crown of King Tut-Tut. |
||
| 6 | The Great Brain Drain | October 15, 1977 |
| Dr. Crackula has stolen the brain of Dr. Brainly (the smartest man in the world) and then captures Curly to place Dr. Brainly's intelligence into him. | ||
| 7 | Flea Fi Fo Fum | October 22, 1977 |
| Ludwig Lillyput uses a miniaturizing formula to shrink nations as part of revenge on those that ridiculed his ideas. | ||
| 8 | Frozen Feud | October 29, 1977 |
| Klondike Mike and his Yeti Yeti The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology... are stealing Alaska's oil in order to sell it and make Klondike Mike the wealthiest man in the world. |
||
| 9 | Mother Goose on the Loose | November 5, 1977 |
| A vacuum cleaner-riding witch Witchcraft Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft... named Mother Goose is on the loose and the Robonic Stooges are sent to capture her. |
||
| 10 | Curly of the Apes | November 12, 1977 |
| Tricker Mortis the Ivory Poacher is stealing elephant Elephant Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct... s. |
||
| 11 | Don't Fuel with a Fool | November 19, 1977 |
| Professor Octane has created a Zoom Zoom super-fuel, but doesn't know what he used to make it since he made it by accident. Unfortunately for him, Ethel Methel has kidnapped Professor Octane and the super-fuel. It's up to the Robonic Stooges to save the Professor, recover the super-fuel, and capture Ethel Methel. | ||
| 12 | The Eenie Meanie Genie | November 26, 1977 |
| The Robonic Stooges unknowingly free an evil genie Jinn Jinn are supernatural beings in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings.Jinn may also refer to:* Jinn , a Japanese band* Qui-Gon Jinn, a character in the Star Wars universe... who then goes on a rampage. |
||
| 13 | On Your Knees, Hercules | December 3, 1977 |
| In Ancient Greece, Achilles the Heel uses a special potion to control Hercules Heracles Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus... in a plot to become king of all Greece. |
||
| 14 | Rub A Dub Dub, Three Nuts in a Sub | December 10, 1977 |
| A fish-man from Atlantis has stolen a submarine to add to his collected specimens. | ||
| 15 | There's No Joy In An Evil Toy | December 17, 1977 |
| Mr. Toy Ploy is robbing toy stores in order to force people to buy the stolen toys from him. | ||
| 16 | Three Little Pigheads | December 24, 1977 |
| Coach Roach and his Croakers Football Team are using special shoulderpads to cheat their way to the championships. The Robonic Stooges are sent to keep the game honorable. | ||
Aired as part of The Three Robonic Stooges (2 shorts aired per 30-minute episode):
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Bye Bye Blackbeard | January 28, 1978 |
| Blackbeard Blackbeard Edward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies.... is robbing ships at sea. |
||
| 18 | The Silliest Show on Earth | January 28, 1978 |
| The Amazing Bongo Brothers are abducting the circus people that fired them from the circus. | ||
| 19 | Mutiny on the Mountie | February 4, 1978 |
| After being thrown out of the Mounties for his pranks, Pierre LeSly is discrediting the Mounties and it's up to the Robonic Stooges to stop him. | ||
| 20 | Woo Woo Wolfman | February 4, 1978 |
| In his revenge on the local villagers, Count von Crankenstein plans to transform an ordinary poodle into a wolfman. Unfortunately, an accident merges the two into Poodleman. | ||
| 21 | Burgle Gurgle | February 11, 1978 |
| Professor Hate is robbing millionaires on their yachts. | ||
| 22 | Schoolhouse Mouse | February 11, 1978 |
| Mouse Louse uses his Hypno-Harp to take control of the students at Junior Junior High. | ||
| 23 | Rip Van Wrinkles | February 18, 1978 |
| While making a cake for Moe, Curly mistakes a container of yeast for a container of sleeping powder. This causes them to fall asleep until they wake up in their old age in the year 2070 where Agent 000 the III has them stop Dr. Glueco and his glue monster Gloop. | ||
| 24 | The Three Nutsketeers | February 18, 1978 |
| In 17th-Century France, King Fouie the 14th is a puppet in Cardinal Poreleau's plan to rule France. With the Three Musketeers imprisoned, it's up to the Robonic Stooges to stop Cardinal Poreleau. | ||
| 25 | Pest World Ain't the Best World | February 25, 1978 |
| The robotic outlaw Outlaw In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute... Yulesinner has taken over wild-west-themed park called Pest World. |
||
| 26 | Superkong | February 25, 1978 |
| Aristotle Beastly has stolen a 20-story gorilla Gorilla Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies... and uses it to commit crimes. |
||
| 27 | Dr. Jekyll and Hide Curly | March 4, 1978 |
| In San Francisco at the turn of the century, Dr. Jekyll Hyde uses his Red Hot Atomic Pepper that creates another side of him that plans vengeance on the Robonic Stooges for locking "them" away. | ||
| 28 | Three Stooges and the Seven Dwarfs | March 4, 1978 |
| Once upon a time, an evil queen puts Ebony Black to sleep with a poison baked apple in a plot to keep her from completing a castle next to her castle. When the queen ends up making off with Ebony Black, the Robonic Stooges are sent to find Ebony and wake her. | ||
| 29 | Blooperman | March 11, 1978 |
| Blooperman demands a raise of $1,000 an hour from Agent 000, which he's unable to pay Blooperman. To keep Blooperman from heading to the side of evil, Agent 000 sends the Robonic Stooges to bring him back. | ||
| 30 | Jerk in the Beanstalk | March 11, 1978 |
| Curly accidentally uses a super concentrated fertilizer that causes a beanstalk to grow out throughout the city. They soon use a super vitamin on a caterpillar to eat the beanstalk which also turns into a problem. | ||
| 31 | Star Flaws | March 18, 1978 |
| In the year 3001, Galacto is using his Laser Eraser to erase the Earth's cities in a plan to conquer Earth. | ||
| 32 | Stooges, You're Fired | March 18, 1978 |
| In this clip episode, Agent 111 (Agent 000's superior) has grown tired of the Robonic Stooges' bungling. So Agent 111 holds a trial to determine what to do with them. | ||
Voices
- Joe Baker - Larry
- Ross MartinRoss MartinRoss Martin was a Polish-born American Emmy-nominated actor known for playing Artemus Gordon in the western TV series The Wild Wild West, starring Robert Conrad, and Andamo on Mr...
- Agent 000 - 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:...
- Curly, Narrator - Paul WinchellPaul WinchellPaul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...
- Moe
Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives
A shortened and re-titled version of Clue ClubClue Club
Clue Club is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from August 14, 1976 to September 3, 1977 on CBS....
featuring two bumbling dogs named Woofer and Wimper who help solve mysteries for the Clue Club, a group of four teenagers: Larry, Pepper, D.D. and Dotty.
Voices
- Paul WinchellPaul WinchellPaul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...
- Woofer - Jim MacGeorgeJim MacGeorgeJim MacGeorge is an actor and voice actor.He is probably best known for his voice roles as Beany Boy, Crowy and Uncle Captain Horatio K. Huffenpuff in Beany and Cecil, Oliver Hardy in the Laurel and Hardy cartoon series, Crazy Claws in The Kwicky Koala Show, Bort in The Mighty Orbots, Wimper in...
- Wimper - David Joliffe - Larry
- Bob HastingsBob HastingsRobert "Bob" Hastings is an American film, radio, and television character actor. He has also provided voices for animated cartoons....
- D.D. - Patricia Stitch - Pepper
- Tara Talboy - Dotty
- John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
- Sheriffy Bagley
Production credits
- Executive Producers: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
- Producer: Terry Morse, Jr.
- Creative Producer: Iwao Takamoto
- Associate Producer: Neil Balnaves
- Story: Kathy Colburn, Tom Dagenais, Dill Dailey, Dianne Dixon, Kari Oaurs, Andy Heyward, Chris Jenkyns, Mark Jones, Joan Maurer, Michael Maurer, Norman Maurer, Jack Mendelsohn, Howie Post, Cliff Roberts, Sandy Sandifer
- Story Editors: Norman Maurer, Sid Morse
- Story Directors: Alvaro Arce, Carl Fallberg, Cullen Houhtailing, Mike O'Connor, Don Sheppard, George Singer, Karren Wright
- Voices: Joe Baker, Bob HastingsBob HastingsRobert "Bob" Hastings is an American film, radio, and television character actor. He has also provided voices for animated cartoons....
, David Jolliffe, Jim MacGeorgeJim MacGeorgeJim MacGeorge is an actor and voice actor.He is probably best known for his voice roles as Beany Boy, Crowy and Uncle Captain Horatio K. Huffenpuff in Beany and Cecil, Oliver Hardy in the Laurel and Hardy cartoon series, Crazy Claws in The Kwicky Koala Show, Bort in The Mighty Orbots, Wimper in...
, Ross MartinRoss MartinRoss Martin was a Polish-born American Emmy-nominated actor known for playing Artemus Gordon in the western TV series The Wild Wild West, starring Robert Conrad, and Andamo on Mr...
, John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
, Patricia Stitch, Tara Talboy, 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:...
, Paul WinchellPaul WinchellPaul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s... - Editors: Peter Berger, Warner Leighton, Peter Jennings
- Supervising Film Editor: Dick Elliott
- Assistant Film Editor: Barry Gold
- Music: Hoyt Curtin
- Musical Supervision: Paul DeKorte
- "Robonic Stooges" Created by: Norman MaurerNorman MaurerNorman Albert Maurer , a comic book artist and writer, was also a director and producer of films and television shows.-Comic books:...
- Recording Director: 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...
- Graphics: Iraj Paran
- Character Design: Bob Singer, Norman Maurer, Lew Ott, George Wheeler
- Layout Supervision: Steve Lumley
- Layout: Bob Fosbry, Terry Moesker, Joe Shearer, Mike Trebert
- Backgrounds: Richard Zaloudek, Milan Zahorsky, Jerry Liew, Michael King-Prince, Peter Connell, Ken Wright, Michael Chojecki, Lesley Nicholl
- Animation Checking: Narelle Nixon
- Xerography: Ellen Bayley
- Ink and Paint Supervision: Narelle Derrick
- Production Managers: R.J. Louis, James Cranston
- Production Coordinator: Tobi Singleton
- Production Supervision: Doug Patterson, Mark D'Arcy-Irvine, Adrienne Smith
- Art Director: Kirk Axtell
- Script Supervisors: Mary Jane Ferguson, Lester Hoyle
- Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
- Sound Mixers: Manuel Topoto, James Pilcher
- Animation Photography: Terry Smith, Carole Laird, Mark D'Arcy-Irvine, Kieren Mulgrew, Tom Epperson
- Dubbing Supervision: Pat Foley
- Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
- Post Production Supervision: Joed Eaton
- A Hanna-Barbera Production
- This Picture Made Under the Juridiction of IATSE-IA Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.
- © 1978 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.