What's your most favorite TV adventure cartoon series, produced by Hanna-Barbera?

[SF4Ever]

The question of this thread with a poll is what's your most favorite TV adventure cartoon series, produced by Hanna-Barbera? Here are your choices:

1. The Superfriends

2. Jonny Quest(all incarnations)

3. The New Adventures of Captain Planet

4. SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron

5. Godzilla(1978)

6. Space Ghost & Dino Boy

7. The Herculoids

8. Galtar & the Golden Lance

9. The Fantastic Four

10. Shazzan

11. Moby Dick & The Mighty Mightor

12. Sky Commanders

13. Other

Remember, we're talking about TV adventure cartoon series, produced by Hanna-Barbera. There'll be one on Ruby-Spears, Rankin-Bass, Filmation, Warner Bros. Animation and MGM, in a later thread.

 

[Rick Jones]

I have too many favorites in different genres/categories that I love at about the same level, and couldn't narrow it down to just one that easily. It feels pretty much impossible for me to choose between Original Jonny Quest and Top Cat, for example.

 

[Red Arrow]

Top Cat isn't really adventurous, is it?

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is definitely my favourite

 

[SF4Ever]

I have too many favorites in different genres/categories that I love at about the same level, and couldn't narrow it down to just one that easily. It feels pretty much impossible for me to choose between Original Jonny Quest and Top Cat, for example.

This is all about adventure cartoons, not the comedic kind, so Jonny Quest definitely fits in to the main topic of this thread.

 

[Rick Jones]

This is all about adventure cartoons, not the comedic kind, so Jonny Quest definitely fits in to the main topic of this thread.

Sorry about that. I definitely misread ( my mind must have been elsewhere). Original Jonny Quest goes right at the top of my list. As much as I love most of the adventure and/or superhero shows they produced in the 60s, 70s, and 90s, there's just something about Quest that has had me locked in since I was a kid first watching it on Cartoon Network. It's similar to how I've always felt about something like the Fleischer Superman series.

 

[SF4Ever]

Sorry about that. I definitely misread ( my mind must have been elsewhere). Original Jonny Quest goes right at the top of my list. As much as I love most of the adventure and/or superhero shows they produced in the 60s, 70s, and 90s, there's just something about Quest that has had me locked in since I was a kid first watching it on Cartoon Network. It's similar to how I've always felt about something like the Fleischer Superman series.

Well, looking at all of the TV adventure cartoon series, produced by Hanna-Barbera, Jonny Quest was the first(in 1964), but clearly, the longest-running of the whole lot of them, even though it was based on established properties, clear as day, was The Superfriends(starting in 1973). Part of the reason that show lasted for 13 years was the combination and variety of mainstream adventure, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, rescue operations, crime fighting and camp. Also, the superheroes were(and still are) identifiable- along with Batman & Robin, Aquaman and Wonder Woman, it also showed Superman as a stalwart and powerful leader and all of their missions are mostly in a cooperative team effort. With team being the operative word, later programs with superhero groups, followed the same mantra. As The Superfriends wrapped up its long 13 year network television run in 1986, Jonny Quest did return with new episodes. Yes, Jonny Quest started the genre of animated adventure at Hanna-Barbera, but The Superfriends carried it for the longest time. The thing about both programs are they were both family shows- Jonny Quest originally aired in prime time, while The Superfriends actually aired at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings for most of its run, very successfully. How many TV adventure cartoon series succeeded at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings, like The Superfriends? That's something to think about, very few, from an overall standpoint. On that note, let's continue the discussion on this topic!!!

 

[Alonso Torrejon]

My favorite H-B action cartoon is The New Adventures of Captain Planet. More colorful than the original.

You should hear Jim Cummings as Sly Sludge. Best villain voice role since Darkwing Duck's evil twin, Negaduck.

 

[SF4Ever]

My favorite H-B action cartoon is The New Adventures of Captain Planet. More colorful than the original.

You should hear Jim Cummings as Sly Sludge. Best villain voice role since Darkwing Duck's evil twin, Negaduck.

Alonso, you can vote for The New Adventures of Captain Planet on the above poll. After all, it was a good show. I remember the episode, when the Planeteers confronted Mame and Stalker Slaughter, who were killing simians for profit. I do know Frank Welker was the pilot, Bailout, who tackled one of the Slaughters' accomplices, as he tried to escape arrest. Unless I miss my guess, Arnold Stang a.k.a. Top Cat, portrayed the police sergeant, who commanded the arrests of the Slaughters and all of their accomplices, Mitzi McCall was Mame Slaughter and Charlie Adler was Stalker Slaughter. That episode aired in early 1994, but they would return, teamed up with the sinister Luton Plunder(Ed Gilbert a.k.a. G.I. Joe's Hawk).

 

[wonderfly]

I love original "Space Ghost" but hate "Dino Boy". If you could've separated those two...

But hey, I see my other favorite series on here: Herculoids! I remember the early 80's revival...so I voted for that.

 

[Eric Brown]

How about the 1974 H-B series "Valley of the Dinosaurs" ?

 

[magicdog]

It's tough to pick a fave since I liked many of those listed!

I guess I'd have to go with the original JQ series. It was treated more like a live action series (the soundtrack/music cues alone bear this out) and if it hadn't been for cost overruns, it could have lasted far longer than it did in its original run.

I loved Space Ghost! Seeing him in that teaser from BTB&TB made me long for a reboot!

Same with The Herculoids! They kicked butt like nobody's business!

Mighty Mightor wasn't bad.

Young Samson was also likeable - I have no clue why it was paired with The Space Kiddetts though.

The Fantastic Four was also decent - the jazzy intro by Hoyt Curtain upped it a bit.

How about the 1974 H-B series "Valley of the Dinosaurs" ?

I liked that show! That could also make for a great reboot.

Jana of the Jungle was also a fun series to watch as a kid. Girl power and all that!

 

[hobbyfan]

Samson was NOT paired with the Space Kiddettes initially. That was strictly for syndication and the subsequent DVD release. Those two shows and Birdman all aired on NBC, and were all unsuccessful. Gee, I wonder why that is...........!

I voted for the Super Friends, especially from 1977-forward. A certain Exorian babe helped me get through my teen years, if ya will.......

 

[magicdog]

Those two shows and Birdman all aired on NBC, and were all unsuccessful. Gee, I wonder why that is...........!

I don't know if they were "unsuccessful" since they all lasted about a season; most HB series lasted about as long.

I voted for the Super Friends, especially from 1977-forward

I definitely agree with the Galactic Guardians version of the SF. It was the first time the show (and Sat AM shows in general) started to get a little bit more serious. I would have loved to have seen what the Batman series would have been like if ABC had bit on the backdoor pilot with him and Scarecrow.

 

[hobbyfan]

I should note that Hoyt Curtin wasn't the musical director at H-B for the 60's adventure line. That was Ted Nichols. Curtin returned a few years later.

 

[Eric B]

Wasn't it both of them? I always wondered who was who.

 

[hobbyfan]

Eric, insofar as I know, there was a period of a few years when Curtin was doing outside work and wasn't with H-B. Ted Nichols took over as musical director, and stayed in that position until Curtin returned, around 1971 or so. The last outside job Curtin took, one that allowed him to remain with H-B, was scoring Battle of the Planets for Sandy Frank.

 

[Eric B]

Wasn't Battle of the Planets in 1978? (that's the period of Curtin that soulds like). It couldn't be '71, because BOTP was Gatchaman, which was 1972, but the adaptation to BOTP was later.

 

[hobbyfan]

Let me clarify.

Just about everything H-B produced from the mid-60's (i.e. Space Ghost, FF, Wacky Races) through around 1970-1-2 had Ted Nichols as musical director. Curtin returned in time to do New Scooby-Doo Movies, and maybe did Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm & Hair Bear Bunch. He definitely didn't do Funky Phantom, which was the first series produced in Australia. Curtin was still at H-B when Sandy Frank signed him in '78 to score Battle of the Planets.

 

[Eric B]

So then Johnny Quest was Nichols, right? Space Ghost and the rest of the Super Adventures reused a lot of score from JQ.
So basically, the comedic score from the early 60's was Curtin, and the more jazzy "adventure" score (And the Gulliver and Scooby stuff) was Nichols? (And I guess that's why Wacky Races, which was comedic sounded so much different from the earlier stuff; while Hair Bear and Pebbles & Bam Bam sound a little more like the earlier stuff--a lot of deeper horns was the signature 60's Curtin).

Making it more confusing was the fact that so much earlier score was reused and it was all mixed in together.

 

[Checkerboard]

Hard to say for me. I really like SWAT Kats. A lot. Also like Jonny Quest and Galtar. From the other shows not mentioned... there's also Pirates of Dark Water and Fish Police. These are my top 5 and imho also the best they produced.

If I had to pick just one, though, I'd probably end up picking SWAT Kats. Too memorable to say otherwise.