The Ruff & Reddy Show
Encyclopedia
The Ruff & Reddy Show is a Hanna-Barbera
animated series starring Ruff, a straight and smart cat
voiced by Don Messick
, and Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog
voiced by Daws Butler
. First broadcast in December 1957 on NBC
, it was the first television show produced by Hanna-Barbera and presented by Screen Gems
, the television arm of Columbia Pictures
(now Sony Pictures Television
).
and Joseph Barbera
entered the television field fresh from serving as the heads of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
animation department, which shut down in June 1957. Unlike its successor The Huckleberry Hound Show, Ruff and Reddy featured a live action host, Jimmy Blaine (an announcer at WNBC Radio, New York), and various theatrical cartoons from Columbia Pictures
' Screen Gems
library including The Fox and the Crow
and Li'l Abner
filling up the rest of the half-hour.
Messick's "Ruff" voice characterization was very similar to the one he would later use for Pixie the mouse. Butler used his tried-and-true southern drawl for "Reddy", a voice that would later become mainly identified with Huckleberry Hound
. A supporting character in some episodes was the tiny-sized Professor Gizmo (also voiced by Don Messick
). Villains Ruff and Reddy faced included "Scary" Harry Safari (Daws Butler, a characterization similar to Beany and Cecil
's Dishonest John), Captain Greedy and Salt Water Daffy (Daws Butler and Don Messick) and western outlaws Killer and Diller (Daws Butler and Don Messick).
The show's episodes borrowed from the serialized storytelling format of such shows as Crusader Rabbit
by making extensive use of cliffhanger
storylines. Don Messick was narrator. The episodes were not much longer than four minutes, including an opening song and much repetition of preceding events. There were 13 episodes in each of the 7 stories of the serials. The show was only a moderate success, since it was harder for children to grasp the cliffhangers in the series.
Ruff and Reddy was originally broadcast in black and white until fall 1958, when it went to color, although all of the animated episodes were filmed in color from the start. Actor/singer and Storyteller Jimmy Blaine served as the series' first emcee, with Puppeteers Rufus Rose and Bobby Nicholson providing comedic relief as Rhubarb the Parrot and Jose the Toucan.
NBC initially cancelled the show at the end of the 1959-1960 season, later reviving it in the spring of 1962 (although the Ruff and Reddy segments were repeats) with Captain Bob Cottle
as the second and last live-action host. When NBC finally cancelled the series in September 1964, Screen Gems syndicated the cartoons to local TV stations. Warner Bros. Television
now owns the distribution rights to the series.
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
animated series starring Ruff, a straight and smart cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
voiced by Don Messick
Don 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....
, and Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
voiced by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
. First broadcast in December 1957 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, it was the first television show produced by Hanna-Barbera and presented by Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
, the television arm of Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
(now Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
).
History
William HannaWilliam Hanna
William 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...
and Joseph Barbera
Joseph Barbera
Joseph 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....
entered the television field fresh from serving as the heads of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
animation department, which shut down in June 1957. Unlike its successor The Huckleberry Hound Show, Ruff and Reddy featured a live action host, Jimmy Blaine (an announcer at WNBC Radio, New York), and various theatrical cartoons from Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
' Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
library including The Fox and the Crow
The Fox and the Crow
The Fox and the Crow are a pair of anthropomorphic cartoon characters created by Frank Tashlin for the Screen Gems studio. The characters, the refined but gullible Fauntleroy Fox and the streetwise Crawford Crow, appeared in a series of animated short subjects released by Screen Gems through its...
and Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe, featuring a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished town of Dogpatch, Kentucky. Written and drawn by Al Capp , the strip ran for 43 years, from August 13, 1934 through...
filling up the rest of the half-hour.
Messick's "Ruff" voice characterization was very similar to the one he would later use for Pixie the mouse. Butler used his tried-and-true southern drawl for "Reddy", a voice that would later become mainly identified with Huckleberry Hound
Huckleberry Hound
The Huckleberry Hound Show is a 1958 syndicated animated series and the second from Hanna-Barbera following The Ruff & Reddy Show, sponsored by Kellogg's. Three segments were included in the program: one featuring Huckleberry Hound; another starring Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo; and a third...
. A supporting character in some episodes was the tiny-sized Professor Gizmo (also voiced by Don Messick
Don 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....
). Villains Ruff and Reddy faced included "Scary" Harry Safari (Daws Butler, a characterization similar to Beany and Cecil
Beany and Cecil
Beany and Cecil was an animated cartoon series created by Bob Clampett, who had previously worked for Warner Bros.. As a puppet show entitled Time for Beany, it originally aired in 1949, with the animated series first appearing in Matty's Funday Funnies in 1959, later renamed Matty's Funnies with...
's Dishonest John), Captain Greedy and Salt Water Daffy (Daws Butler and Don Messick) and western outlaws Killer and Diller (Daws Butler and Don Messick).
The show's episodes borrowed from the serialized storytelling format of such shows as Crusader Rabbit
Crusader Rabbit
Crusader Rabbit is the first animated series produced specifically for television. The concept was test marketed in 1948, while the initial episode - Crusader vs. the State of Texas - aired on KNBH in Los Angeles, California on August 1, 1950....
by making extensive use of cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
storylines. Don Messick was narrator. The episodes were not much longer than four minutes, including an opening song and much repetition of preceding events. There were 13 episodes in each of the 7 stories of the serials. The show was only a moderate success, since it was harder for children to grasp the cliffhangers in the series.
Ruff and Reddy was originally broadcast in black and white until fall 1958, when it went to color, although all of the animated episodes were filmed in color from the start. Actor/singer and Storyteller Jimmy Blaine served as the series' first emcee, with Puppeteers Rufus Rose and Bobby Nicholson providing comedic relief as Rhubarb the Parrot and Jose the Toucan.
NBC initially cancelled the show at the end of the 1959-1960 season, later reviving it in the spring of 1962 (although the Ruff and Reddy segments were repeats) with Captain Bob Cottle
Robert Cottle
Robert S. Cottle was the son of Earle W. and Gladys E. Cottle. He grew up and attended local schools in Brockton, Massachusetts. During WWII, Cottle was a B-17 Flying Fortress flight instructor for the USAF at Lackland AFB.-Television career:...
as the second and last live-action host. When NBC finally cancelled the series in September 1964, Screen Gems syndicated the cartoons to local TV stations. Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
now owns the distribution rights to the series.
Season 1
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|
Season 2
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|
Other appearances
- The characters next appeared on The ABC Saturday Superstar MovieThe ABC Saturday Superstar MovieThe ABC Saturday Superstar Movie — renamed The New Saturday Superstar Movie in its second season — is a series of one-hour animated TV-movies , broadcast on the ABC television network on Saturday mornings from September 9, 1972, to November 17, 1973.Intended as a "Movie of the Week" for kids, this...
, in the episode Yogi's Ark LarkYogi's Ark LarkYogi’s Ark Lark is an animated Hanna-Barbera television movie, intended to raise ecological awareness. Broadcast in 1972, it was part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie and served as the pilot for Yogi's Gang.-Plot:...
(which featured almost every Hanna-Barbera animal character that existed at the time). - Ruff made an appearance in the Yogi's Treasure HuntYogi's Treasure HuntYogi's Treasure Hunt is a segment that kicked-off in 1985 as the first of the programming block, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. It also ran as a regular series in syndication from 1985 to 1988.-Plot:...
episode "Goodbye Mr. Chump" as a newspaper vendor. - Episodes of Ruff and Reddy later appeared on one volume of the Hanna-Barbera Personal Favorites home video series called Animal Follies, along with Yippee, Yappee and YahooeyYippee, Yappee and YahooeyYippee, Yappee and Yahooey is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon which premiered September 16, 1964. The show was presented as a segment of Peter Potamus and his Magic Flying Balloon, along with Breezly and Sneezly and Peter Potamus.-Plot:...
, Touché Turtle and Dum DumTouché Turtle and Dum DumTouché Turtle and Dum Dum is one of the segments from The New Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series, produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1962.This show was originally on the The New Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series along with Wally Gator and Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har.-History:Touché Turtle and Dum Dum were a...
, Augie Doggie and Doggie DaddyAugie Doggie and Doggie DaddyAugie Doggie and Doggie Daddy are Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters who debuted on The Quick Draw McGraw Show and appeared in their own segment of that show.-Summary:The segments centered around the misadventures of a dachshund father-and-son team...
and SnagglepussSnagglepussSnagglepuss is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character created in 1959, a pink anthropomorphic mountain lion voiced by Daws Butler. He is best known for his famous catchphrase, "Heavens to Murgatroyd!", along with phrases such as "Exit, stage left!" Snagglepuss was originally known as "Snaggletooth"...
. - A computer game titled Ruff and Reddy in the Space Adventure was released in 1990 for Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPCThe Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, ZX SpectrumZX SpectrumThe ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari 8-bitsAtari 8-bit familyThe Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
and Atari STAtari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
.
The Ruff & Reddy Show in other languages
- Brazilian PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
: Jambo & Ruivão - FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Pouf & Riqui - ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Ruff e Reddy - MacedonianMacedonian languageMacedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
: Жолтко и Лутко (Zoltko i Lutko) - SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Ruff y Reddy - SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
: Ruff och Reddy - JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: つよいぞラフティ
See also
- List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
- List of Hanna-Barbera characters
External links
- The Ruff and Reddy Show at Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....
- List of episodes @ Wingnut
- Toon Tracker: Ruff & Reddy
- Toonopedia's Ruff & Reddy entry