S03E02 The Kwicky Koala Show

In this premiere of THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW, your Saturday Morning preservationist, Christopher Jay, takes a look at the origin of the show. Included, is a look at the talent behind the scenes, a rundown of the pilot segments, and a look at the legacy of THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW after all these years.

It’s not just a look at THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW, but also the legacy of one of animations best known creators: Tex Avery. Explore the life and times of Bob Ogle, Peter Cullen and the rest of the cast.   

Come along with Kwicky, the Bungle Brothers, Crazy Claws, and Dirty Dawg all the way back to September 12, 1981. Take a trip back to the zany and wacky antics that can only be found in the hunter-prey stories of vintage animation! 

Thanks for ‘tooning in.

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Featured Music:

“Nostalgic Happy Music” by AudioJungle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtxSUR6MQhw&t=2s

“Happy Life” by Fredji - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzQiRABVARk

“I Feel You” by Kevin MacLeod” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw8E3jjbUCE

“Nostalgic” by OrangeHead - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wExcRoNNzAc

“Breakfast Club” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Spi22l3m5I

“Horizons” by Atch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-u53MADIag

“80’s Hijack” by Gee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVqzJ9Lk6M&t=26s

“Synthmania” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6r20TKnA6M

“United” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArjGQFCcHxA

“Cool Blue” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp5cxZWP-wc

Transcript

THE SATURDAY MORNING PODCAST

“The Kwicky Koala Show”

0. OPENING (PRE-RECORD)

                   MUSIC: 80s SYNTH

ME:           Wake up, it’s Saturday Morning. Let Mom and Dad sleep in and come with me back to the 80’s. Let’s grab a bowl of Chocolate Donutz Cereal or Honey Bunches of Oats and flip on the tube. I’ve got the TV Guide and hours of nothing to do. 

              My name is Chris and I love all the Saturday Morning cartoons. When I was a kid, I lived for Saturday mornings. Now that I’m an adult, I want to relive all those great shows and see how they came about. 

Let’s take a deep-dive back to the 80’s and see what’s waiting. Rewind!

                   FX: REWIND SOUND

1. INTRO

                   AMBIENT: XXX

ME:           In the world of animation, there are those that would give anything to get their hands on the Road Runner, or even Bugs Bunny. Those people are called Hunters! Even if they’re not wild trackers, there are still plenty of folks who are pissed off at the most unassuming of characters. Droopy seems like he’s going through life paying the bills and looking for thrills, and that old Wolf keeps bothering him. Could it be that something happened off-camera and we just don’t know the wrongs Droopy and others have done. Or maybe those hunters just need a good support group. “You know, I think he’s got something there.” Whatever the case, there was once a Saturday Morning show from a legendary director that brought this format into the 80s. So sit back as we explore the animal filled world of THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW.

                   MUSIC: SHOW THEME SONG

*   *   *

                   AMBIENT: XXX

ME:           In the Fall of 1981, CBS ran an ad to advertise the new Saturday Morning line-up. The ad was a two page spread, white with what looked like Saturn in a pattern and in the colors red, yellow, blue and green. The top of the ad read “Toon Time”, and showcased all the shows for that season. The network boasted eight series, three new ones and five returning favorites. 

              To kick off the new season, CBS chose to air THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW in the 8 AM time slot. They were followed by newcomers “Trollkins”, and then an hour and a half of “The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show”. “The Popeye and Olive Comedy Show” was the lead-in for a new sci-fi series that explored the flipside of a black hole, “Blackstar”. At 11:30, “The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour” brought a sense of nostalgia, resurrecting heroes from yesteryear. The rest of the lineup aired after Noon, really stretching the meaning of Saturday “Morning”. But “The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show” and “Fat Albert” ended the run of cartoons aimed at the kids. 

              Of the new shows, “Blackstar” was up against “Space Stars”, and “Laverne and Shirley in the Army”. “Trollkins” was in a time slot that put it up against “The Smurfs”, a fellow newcomer on NBC. Ironically, both shows were from Hanna-Barbera, and had a similar vibe. Even when they were new, “Trollkins” was described as “The Smurfs” meets “The Dukes of Hazzard”. “The New Adventures of Zorro” joined Tarzan and the Lone Ranger.

              Of all the new shows on CBS that year, the one that kicked off the season, “The Kwicky Koala Show”, seemed out of place in its time slot. The koala from down under was up against “Super Friends” on ABC, and NBC’s “Flintstone Comedy Show”. The shows in the time slot were diverse, but only Kwicky brought something new. The Flintstones had come and gone from prime time and Saturday Morning since the early 1960s. Likewise, “Super Friends” had been a staple since 1973, and was enjoying strong viewership in the shadow of the Superman movies that were topping the box office. 

              Despite the name, THE KWICKY KOALA show was something of a kids variety show, with an assortment of characters that got their six minutes of fame every week.  

              The show was divided into four segments:

              “Kwicky Koala” featured the title character as he tried to avoid natural predator Wilford Wolf. Living up to his name, Kwicky was able to move almost instantaneously out of dangers way. This often left Wilford to get hurt. Kwicky himself speaks with an American accent, despite being a native Australian koala. Kwicky and Wilford often work together in schemes that ensure the koala is the winner. It’s a classic hunter-prey relationship with the prey coming out better. Think Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner, but with a wolf and a koala.

*   *   *

              “Crazy Claws” focused on Rawhide Clyde and his hound, Bristletooth. Crazy Claws, an orange cat, was constantly getting the better of the two. When Rawhide Clyde had a plan to get the cat, Crazy Claws used his sharp nails to foil the plan and win the day. Clyde is a fur trapper with his sights on wildcat Crazy Claws, who is reminiscent of Groucho Marx. With the events of the show taking place in a US National Park, Ranger Rangerfield is close by to break up the squabbles.

*   *   *

              “Dirty Dawg” tells the story of Dirty and Ratso, as they con their way through life. They’re pursued by Officer Bullhorn, but manage to evade getting caught week after week. 

*   *   *

              And finally, “The Bungle Brothers” got three very short segments during an episode, usually for one note gags. Joey and George Bungle were brother beagles who dreamed of fame in vaudeville. But their plans backfired and often got them into trouble. 

                   FX: TV STATIC

2. THE CREATORS & SERIES ORIGIN

                   MUSIC: HAPPY MEMORIES

ME:           THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW came from the mind of an animation legend. It was an attempt by Hanna-Barbera to bring an old school sensibility to Saturday Morning.

              Frederick Bean Avery was born in February 1908 in Taylor, Texas. Born to George and Mary Avery, Frederick grew up just outside of Austin. At a young age, he was saddled with the nickname Tex. He graduated from North Dallas High School in 1926 and had dreams of being an artist, specifically a newspaper cartoonist. He attended the Chicago Art Institute for summer classes, but left after a month. In 1928, he headed West and arrived in California on New Year’s Day 1929. He took any job he could to make ends meet. During his spare time, he worked on sketches and improved as an artist. He shopped his work around Los Angeles, and was hired by the Universal Studios Cartoons. He became an inker, but worked his way up to animator by 1930. The animators were supervised by Walter Lantz, who won the studio in a poker bet against Universal founder Carl Laemmle. 

              During his time under Lantz, Avery worked on the “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” series, a character created by Walt Disney. He also lost sight in his left eye when the animators were playing around with rubber bands and paper clips. The loss of his eye resulted in the loss of his depth perception as well. 

              In 1935, Avery left Lantz to join the Leon Schlesinger Productions. He did so by falsely convincing Schlesinger he was a cartoon director. Avery found he had four animators in his department: Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Virgil Ross and Sid Sutherland. Their first completed project was “Gold Diggers of ‘49”, the third Looney Tunes film to show case the character Beans the Cat.

              During his time at Schlesinger, which would be renamed Warner Bros Animation, he was instrumental in the further creation of the Looney Tunes. He created Daffy Duck, and the zany, insane style the duck had. 

              Chuck Jones worked on a short that centered around a rabbit, and was drawn by Ben “Bugs” Hardaway. The character became known as Bugs’s Bunny, and took on a hunter-prey relationship with Elmer Fudd. Of course, the bunny was always in charge and got the better of the hunter.

              This particular trope would endure through animation of the 30s, right into today.  While looking for a phrase the bunny could utter, Avery suggested asking, “What’s Up, Doc?” It had been a popular expression amongst the students in Avery’s high school. They became the first words out of the rabbit’s mouth and audiences loved it. 

              Avery would leave the studio in 1940, after having a fight with Schlesinger over the ending of a short. He quickly entered into a five year contract with MGM and worked as a director in their animation studio. At MGM, Avery thrived. He developed his own style of screwball comedy. His shorts were known for their zany nature and breakneck pace. His films were one gag on top of another. In his time at MGM, he created Droopy, a risqué version of Little Red Riding Hood, and Screwy Squirrel, among others. 

              By 1953, Avery was exhausted by the pace of the work, and left MGM. He returned, briefly, to Walter Lantz Studios. He only produced four shorts for Lantz, but helped to define the character of Chilly Willy. He left in 1955 over an argument about his pay.

              In the years after, Avery went into advertising animation. He created the bugs who screamed “Raid!” for the pesticide company. He had a hand in creating the controversial Frito Bandito for Frito-Lay. 

              In the 60’s and 70’s, Avery gained more and more respect from his peers who recognized his contribution to animation. In his personal life, he grew depressed after his son committed suicide. In 1972, his marriage of 37 years ended in divorce.

              In the late 1970s, he was approached by Hanna-Barbera to work on a Saturday Morning series. It is possible that Avery was given carte blanche to do as he pleased. His work for HB included a main character that was suspiciously reminiscent of Droopy. The antagonist was very similar to the wolf created for his MGM short “Dumb Hounded”. 

              Avery designed a show that used the hunter-prey framework, with the prey always being the victor. He created four sets of characters, essentially a quartet of shows in each episode. This meant that Avery would work in the framework he had helped to perfect: The six minute short.

              Instead of a Droopy Dog, Avery created a Kwicky Koala who had to get the better of Wilford Wolf. Hanna-Barbera had their Australian studio handle the animation, and the series was off.

              However, Avery didn’t live to see the fruits of his labor at Hanna-Barbera. On August 26, 1980, Tex Avery passed away at the age of 72. His death was caused by lung cancer, and he died while at St. Joseph’s hospital in Burbank, California.

              It is unclear what phase of production THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW was in. The show obviously had his trademark gags and sense of character. His fingers prints are all over the series. Despite the setback of the creator’s death, Hanna-Barbera decided to proceed with the first season of the show.

              Now all they had to do was assemble The Perfect Cast.

                   FX: TV STATIC

3. THE PERFECT CAST

                   MUSIC: HAPPY MEMORIES

ME:           Robert Allen Ogle was a unique actor. He didn’t set out to be an actor, he was an animation writer. He was born in March of 1926, in Sacramento, California. He started his writing career in 1940 on a Tom & Jerry short. At the same time, he was an uncredited assistant director on Disney’s “Fantasia”. Through the 40s, he worked on “Bambi” and was an assistant director on several documentaries. In 1959, he was working on the “Bozo the Clown” show as a sketch writer. The next year, he was a story writer on the “Mr. Magoo” series, starring Jim Backus. In 1961, he was a writer on “The Jim Backus Show”. He worked steadily through the 60s as a writer, and even intersected with Chuck Jones while working on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. His first acting role came in 1969 on “The Pink Panther”. By the time he worked on KWICKY KOALA, he was well established in both acting and writing. It’s only fitting that he did both on the first episode of KWICKY, and he played the title character.

*   *   *

              John Stephenson, a Kenosha, Wisconsin native, was born in 1923 to Ray and Martha. While a high school student at Mary D. Bradford High School, he was part of the student council and participated in forensics, known today as debate. He took second place in a National Forensics League contest, while the Kenosha team took first place in the competition as a whole, beating out 800 others.  After high school, he attended college and was active in drama. Despite that, he attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, with an eye on becoming a lawyer. He was a part of World War II, serving in the Air Force as a gunner and radio operator. In 1948, he graduated from Northwestern University with a Masters in Speech and Drama. Stephenson started his professional career in radio, and then as the commercial announcer for “I Love Lucy” in the early 50s. In 1955, he married Jean Irwin, and the couple would have two children together. In the 50s, his career took him to such shows as “The Lone Ranger” and “Science Fiction Theatre”. The 60s brought his first role in animation on “The Flintstones”, playing Mr. Slate. Stephenson worked steadily through the decades, both in animation and live-action. He became a staple actor at Hanna-Barbera, working on “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” and many others. At the same time he played Wilford Wolf on KWICKY KOALA, he was also providing additional voices on “Richie Rich” and “Trollkins”. 

*   *   *

              Montreal, Quebec, Canada was the birth place of Peter Cullen. Born in 1941 to parents Henry and Muriel,  he was one of four children in the house. He started his career in 1967 as the announcer of the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”, a gig that lasted for two seasons. In 1968, Cullen landed the role of Giles on “L'Anglaise”, a segment about a French-Canadian man with an English-Canadian wife, on the CBC Radio comedy series, “Funny You Should Say That”. To refine his voice talents, Cullen worked overnight and weekend shifts at radio station CKGM. Through the 70s, he worked on iconic shows like “Sonny & Cher” and “Wolfman Jack”. At the end of the decade, he started a career in voice-overs for Hanna-Barbera with “Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo”. By the time the 80s arrived, Cullen was gaining momentum and starting to perform multiple roles. He was on “Richie Rich” and “Trollkins” at the same time. When he was cast as Bristletooth on the “Crazy Claws” segments of KWICKY KOALA, Cullen was just beginning what would become a very long career.

*   *   *

              Jim MacGeorge was born October 15, 1928. He started life as an actor, and found time to write cartoons as well. His first voice role as in the 1952 series, “Thunderbolt the Wondercolt”. He played a Cop in B-movie, get this, “Teenagers From Outer Space”. As a writer, he worked for Jay Ward Productions. Yes, that Jay Ward, the creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and many others. In fact, MacGeorge was even a writer on “George of the Jungle”.  In the early 80s, when he played Crazy Claws, MacGeorge had worked steadily though the 70s in voice work.

*   *   *

              Marshall Efron was born in 1938, starting his career in radio work. He was a frequent guest on the WBAI radio shows of Steve Post & Bob Fass. In fact, he and Paul Krassner once filled in for Post while he was on vacation. As a prank, they identified themselves as Columbia University students who took over the station. Many of the regular listeners were in on the joke. New listeners, however, called the cops, who responded three times to the report that the station was under hostile takeover. Through the 70s, he took a voice role here and there. But the 80s really brought him to the forefront, as he was on “Trollkins” as a regular. His next stop was on KWICKY KOALA as Ratso, companion to Dirty Dawg.

*   *   *

              Allan Melvin was a Kansas City, Missouri native, born in 1923. He spent some of his childhood in New York, living with his paternal grandparents. He attended Columbia University and, upon graduation, served in the Navy during World War II. In 1944, he married Amalia Faustina Sestero, and the couple had two children. During the day, he worked in the sound effects department for NBC radio. At night, he performed a night club act as a comedian and impressionist. Starting in 1955, Melvin was a regular on the “Phil Silvers Show”. He became known for playing bullies. He was the guy who could lean on you and you’d do what he wanted. In the early 60s, he provided voices on the animated “Beetle Bailey”, and wrote several scripts for the show. He appeared in many of the Sheldon Leonard productions, such as “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Danny Thomas Show”. He was Magilla Gorilla for Hanna-Barbera. At the end of the 60s, he was a recurring character on “The Brady Bunch”. Audiences may remember him as Sam the Butcher, Alice’s boyfriend. Through the 70s, Melvin stuck with animation and was a veteran by the time HB cast him as Joey Bungle.

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              Michael Bell hails from Brooklyn, and was born in 1938. He started his acting career at the age of 18, in 1956, with the TV movie, “For the Defense”. He found steady work through the 50s and 60s, usually in guest appearances. He even appeared on “The Monkees” and “Get Smart”. In 1972, he entered into voice-over work with “The Barkleys”, from DePatie-Freleng. The same studio produced “The Houndcats”, where Bell played series regular, Stutz. He performed various voices on “The New Scooby-Doo Movies”, but starred as the title character in the 1974 Hanna-Barbera series “Devlin”. In 1977, he played Zan, one of the Wonder Twins, on “The All New Super Friends Hour”. In 1981, on KWICKY KOALA, Bell voiced Ranger Rangerfield, as well as George Bungle.

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              Don Messick voiced Rawhide Clyde in the “Crazy Claws” segments of the show. Frank Welker played the title character in the “Dirty Dawg” shorts, and did so while channeling his best Howard Cosell. Their careers have been expansive, and their vocal skills have ensured them work in many animated projects. And many of them have been covered by our show. If you’re interested to know more about Messick and Welker, check out our show on “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!”.  

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After these messages, we’ll be right back with the premiere of THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW.

                   VINTAGE COMMERCIALS #1 (1:30)

4. THE PREMIERE

                   MUSIC: XXX

ME:           If you watched the premiere of THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW, the date was September 12, 1981. The Number Three song on the American charts was “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Stevie Nicks, featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The nation was reading “Cujo” by Stephen King, the number one book in the country. Stevie Nicks was on the cover of “Rolling Stone”, with the caption, “Out There With Stevie Nicks: The Reigning Queen of Rock & Roll and Her Magic Kingdom”. The magazine also gave shout-outs to the Moody Blues and actor Lee Marvin. There was also a blurb celebrating the life of singer Harry Chapin, who had died a month and a half earlier.

              On CBS, the other shows that premiered that day were: “Trollkins” and “The New Adventures of Zorro”.

              If you were a kid in 1981, maybe you got up early and got yourself breakfast. Maybe you had a new cereal, like a bowl of Banana Frosted Flakes or Nutri-Grain.

                   AM: XXX

              The show starts with George and Joey, the Bungle Brothers. George urges slow-thinking Joey to climb a diving board and high-dive into a small pool. The whole thing takes place in an undefined space, like it’s out of time. It’s all shadowy and dark, and feels cold like the DMV or the morgue. I take it back. It’s definitely like a morgue. The DMV was never this inviting. 

              After taking a few steps, Joey realizes he’s got a fear of heights and just can’t go through with it. George says he’ll do it, and climbs the towering ladder before he can think about what he’s doing. I once got married like that. Maybe that’s why it’s called taking the plunge.

              George hops off the board and soon realizes he can’t swim. Joey, the ever faithful brother, solves that problem. Joey moves the pool out of the way so Joey won’t drown. Of course this means that George belly flops onto the cold ground, and killed on impact. No, wait. He’s okay, just a little pissed off. Insert rim shot here. The end.

*   *   *

              It’s Kwicky Koala in “Robinson Caruso”. All I can think of is that this episode is about Kwicky being stranded alone on a seemingly deserted island, and then making friends with the natives to survive. He shall call one of them Saturday because of when he aired. Let’s watch and see how right I am. Wink.

              We do find Wilford Wolf on a deserted island and he’s practicing to be the next Paul Lynd. He’s got a parasol that he Frankenstein-ed out of, what? The sail of the ship that brought him here? The pants of a dead guy? A grab-and-go-kiosk on the island? We may never know.

              His delusion of being alone comes to an end when he finds footprints. He think’s it’s savages and he vows not to share the island. Back up. These would be the natives on the island, and he wants to kick them out of their home. Where have I heard that’s story before? Oh no. It’s wolf privilege.

              The one nice touch is that Wilford makes a Friday joke just to tickle all the Daniel Dafoe enthusiasts tuning in. I am sure there are literally dozen on them watching.  

              Cut to Kwicky Koala with a shovel on his shoulder, and a piece of paper in his hand. He’s even holding the paper properly, with his pinky finger extended, so as not to show bad manners in front of the queen. Maybe that’s an Australian thing. I don’t know. Maybe Kwicky, who should be a native of Australia should have an Australian accent. Paul Hogan, where are you? Oh, that’s right. In 1981 he was being a fish out of water in England for his TV show. He probably couldn’t dub this today, he’s been in Santa Barbara too long to still have an accent.

              When Kwicky is in Wilford’s sights, the wolf leaps to get his prey. Except Kwicky practically disaperates like JK Rowling wrote this episode. That’s when Wilford finds Kwicky was working off of a treasure map. He dreams of gold or gems, but the koala snatches the map back. Wilford also claims this is his island. What does he do that he has the cash to own an island? I haven’t seen him working with Tim Burton or playing Jack Sparrow. Oh, that’s right, it’s the 80s. That wolf is a coke dealer.

              When Wilford tries to get Kwicky out of the tree he’s perched upon, the wolf has the realization he can’t climb trees and falls back to the ground. He’s got an idea and jumps in his row boat to boat away. I’d like to say he’s finally getting that date with Red Hot Riding Hood, but he comes back instantly with a hang-gliding kit. 

              Wilford uses the hang-glider to glide towards the tree to forcefully remove Kwicky. When the koala points out that there’s no wind, Wilford falls out of the sky. It’s now the second time in thirty seconds that Wilford’s said, “You know, I think he’s got something there.”

              In his next attempt, Wilford lassos the palm tree and tries to lower Kwicky to the ground. Kwicky gets out of the tree, ties the rope to a stake, and lets the wolf climb into the tree. Homemade catapult, here we come. Kwicky offers Wilford a chance to be his partner in the treasure hunt. When the wolf says no, it’s catapult time.

              Wilford wants whatever the treasure is all for himself. To get it now, he ties balloons around his waist to float up. 

              So far, Wilford has denied being Kwicky’s partner. He’s angry his attempts have failed. And he’s bargained for the map. Once he hits depression and acceptance, he’ll have gone through all five stages of cartoon grief. And then zaniness ensues.

              The balloon attempt fails.

              His attempts to skydive to catch a koala who can move faster than light, and fails.

              Wilford makes a cannon from a hollowed out log and some coconuts to shoot Kwicky out of the tree. I assumed he learned this from the Captain Kirk school of make-shift weapons. The coconut cannon ball knocks down the other coconuts from the tree, and they hit Wilford on the noggin. 

              Depressed that he’s failing so miserably, he accepts Kwicky’s offer to be partners. 

              They set out together to dig up treasure. We find Wilford’s dug a ton of holes, and still no treasure. We all know that Kwicky’s just being a bastard and working this poor wolf to death, but Wilford doesn’t get it. They move the operation and Wilford starts all over again. 

              Wilford’s shovel finally makes a thud, and the two pull out a treasure chest. If only it were that easy on Oak Island.

              When the chest is open, Wilford is pissed to find a collection of eucalyptus leaves. Sure they’re a koala’s best friend, but it’s damned hard to buy a Ferrari with them. Just when Wilford might murder Kwicky to death, all the holes that were dug sprout a leak, and water floods the island. And then the island sinks. Kwicky’s afloat, ready to start the cat and mouse game all over again. The End.

*   *   *

              The Bungle Brothers return! Joey’s up high on a tight-rope platform, holding two umbrellas. How did he get up there? We already know he’s afraid of heights, but the story editor apparently forgot. Oh, well.

              George is walking the high-wire, but loses balance at the end. Joey on the bike goes across the wire, and runs over George’s hands. But Joey falls to the ground, which was only five feet under him. George asks for a hand to get down, and Joey claps. We hit the punch line, insert rim shot here. The end.

              After these messages, we’ll be right back.

                   COMMERCIAL #2 (0:30)

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              Between Garfield and Heathcliff, it wouldn’t be the 80s without having an orange cat on TV. That brings us to Crazy Claws in “The Claws Conspiracy”. Is that the conspiracy where Santa can single-handedly save the world from the Easter Bunny who’s secretly killing leprechauns for their adrenal glands? Or am I confusing that with something else? 

              Anyways… Rawhide Clyde and his hound Bristletooth are hiding in a hollowed-out tree, and jumping around as to not look suspicious. They’re plan is to wait for Crazy Claws to come by, and then nab him. Don’t ask me why, this show is not based on motivation. It’s just hunter-prey stories and good clean fun. Even if the characters are just a phone book away from calling Acme, I know that story’s being told by another studio.

              Clyde and Bristle hide to wait for Crazy Claws. But Ranger Rangerfield posts a “No Hunting” sign and is off. Clyde’s shaken up by the hammering. Wondering where Crazy Claws is, a hole is cut in the tree from the inside, and it turns out that the  wild cat has been in the tree the whole time. A weird three-way fight breaks out in this empty tree trunk, and it hops down the road.

              Ranger Rangerfield gets accosted by the tree, and then ends up in the mud where he proclaims that even the trees put him down. With a last name like Rangerfield, maybe it’s just that he can’t get no respect. That’s the story of his life, you know, he can’t get no respect. 

              Somehow, Crazy Claws is no longer in the tree, but up the road where he trips the trunk and it rolls down a cliff. Roll the credits, Clyde and Bristletooth are dead.

              No, wait. They’re not that lucky. And neither are we.

              At Clyde’s house, the hunter is piling bags of cement on his dog, who is seconds away from collapsing from the weight. The dog won’t move, so Clyde bribes him with a stick of beef jerkey. Bristletooth is so excited for the meat, that he takes it, throws off the bags of cement and does all kinds of silly things, ‘cause… animation!

              Later on a road, Clyde has patched a hole in the ground in an attempt to trap Crazy Claws. Turns out that Clyde wants Crazy Claws for his hide. The cat sashes across the cement and does not get caught. When Clyde and Bristletooth jump out of a bush, they get caught in the cement. And Crazy Claws comes back to deliver a Groucho Marx-like zinger, while Rangerfield appears to give a TED talk about nature. The poor man’s Jed Clampet and his dog are left to get out of their jamb.

              Later later, Clyde and Bristletooth are sulking under a tree, trying to come up with a plan to get Crazy Claws. The orange cat himself pops his head out of the tree with a plan, and the hunter actually listens. If they put glue on the tree, the cat will get stuck when he tries to come down. It makes sense, but it’s the hunter that gets stuck to the tree and the cat has proven again that he’s smarter than the average bear. Wait, different franchise! Crazy Claws gets away… again.

              Back in his cabin, Clyde is trying to hatch a scheme while rocking in his rocking chair. When Bristletooth scratches his fleas, inspiration strikes! To be honest, it’s more likely that Bristletooth would have ticks. And that could work too. Just get ticks on Crazy Claws and let Lyme disease run its course. Once the stroke-like symptoms kick him, he’d be easy pickin’s. I mean for a real hunter, not for whatever Clyde is. 

              Instead, Clyde vacuums the fleas off of Bristletooth with an upright he bought in the 1974 Sears catalog. Standing on a cliff with the vacuum cleaner bag, Clyde explains the plan. When Crazy walks by at the bottom of the cliff, Clyde will signal and the fleas can be unleashed. It can’t miss unless Crazy flees from the fleas, because he does as he please…es.

              As Clyde waits for Crazy, the cat is behind him. With one swipe of a single claw, Crazy splits the cliff Bristletooth is standing on down the middle. The dog himself is in danger of being split down the middle, and drops the fleabag on Clyde. The hunter chases the dog, and Crazy Claws leans against a cliff and cracks wise. The End.

*   *   *

              Back with the Bungle Brothers, Joey is asleep on his feet. George eyes him, annoyed. He’s probably just jealous he can’t sleep as soundly. George wakes up his brother, and says he’s got an idea to get them into a movie career. George will hide under a sombrero with a tape recorder while Joey dances the Mexican hat dance. Joey does the dance, stomping all over the hat and destroying it and George in the process. Insert rim shot here.

              But hold up. How was this one routine going to get them into the movies? Was anyone producing “Mexican Hat Dance: The Movie” at this time? I mean, I know Jerry Bruckheimer could make that work, but he wasn’t in the game back then. The end.

*   *   *

              The final segment is Dirty Dawg in “Dirty’s Debut”. I’m confused by the name. Weren’t they all debuting on this show? Oh, I get it. The writer’s couldn’t think of a better title. Okay show, do your thing.

              Dirty Dawg and Ratso, who are a dirty dog and a rat, proves that naming things in cartoons is just calling it what it is. Good thing that doesn’t apply to real life, because there would be a lot of hurt feelings in my house. Imagine the looks I’d get at the grocery store if I called out for “Nolisten and Sir Craps-a-Lot”.

              The story finds Dirty and Ratso at a French café, and the rat says he hasn’t had a bite in a week. This is so tongue-in-cheek, I’m surprised Dirty didn’t bite him. Instead, Dirty uses a magnet, which steals the metal trays from the café. Under the dome is a steak, and they get to eating. It only takes seconds before Officer Bullhorn and a café patron show up to point fingers.

              Dirty tries to pass as a City Steak Inspector and slinks off. But Officer Bullhorn is wise to the schtick. Also, the officer is obviously Irish and I’m offended. I didn’t know he was Irish until he spoke. His name should have been Officer O’Bullhorn, right? Glad to know that in 1981, I could count on Hanna-Barbera to teach me stereotypes.

              Dirty and Ratso give the officer the slip, and Ratso frets about where their next meal is coming from. It’s timely that a truck advertising a Beautiful Bowser Contest drives by with a couple of bitches hanging off the back. They’re female dogs, it’s not derogatory. 

              With the winner of the contest taking home $500, Dirty Dawg hatches a plan. He puts Ratso under a retro salon hair dryer, and it poofs the rats coat out so he looks like a yappy dog. Posing as a rat terrier, the pair sneak into the contest. But a cat that can smell a rat licks his lips and stalks the duo.

              That cat’s another orange cat. Too bad it wasn’t Crazy Claws, it could have been the crossover that would have made America say… Meh.

              Back stage, the finely groomed dogs act catty with Ratso. His self-esteem is so low he might walk into the cat’s mouth and call it a day. Instead, his anxiety level goes through the roof and he wants to leave. Dirty says to relax, and that’s when Bullhorn crashes the party. Although, the Officer is entering his baby sheepdog Fang in the contest, so this is pleasure and not business. 

              The host of the contest sounds suspiciously like the talent contest host in episode one of “Garfield & Friends”. That guy gets around.

              Ratso’s the first dog up in the talent contest. Not sure of what to do, Dirty shoots spitballs at his feet to make him dance. The audience, all made up of dogs, boos and throws fruit. Dirty, ever the schemer, collects the fruit with plans to open his own fruit stand. At this point in the 80s, he could have opened an elite smoothie bar and made a killing!

              The cat tries to take out Ratso, and the dogs in the audience follow the cat out the door. It was almost a “Circle of Life” moment.

              With all the dogs out the door, that only leaves Dirty as a contestant, and he wins by default. Almost out the door, the bigger dogs return and want to fight Dirty for the prize money. In the middle of the kerfuffle, Dirty manages to slink away.

              Out of breath, Dirty and Ratso lounge near a movie poster advertising “Run Tin Tan Meets Godzila”. I’d watch that movie, but only if Gareth Edwards directed. 

              Dirty’s new plan is to enter Ratso into dog shows and try to take first prize. The end.

*   *   *

After these messages, we’ll look at the impact, aftermath, and explore the legacy of THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW.

                   VINTAGE COMMERCIALS #3 (1:30)

5. AFTERMATH

MUSIC: NOSTALGIC 

ME:           After THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW went off the air, Bob Ogle went back to writing. He wrote for “Richie Rich”, “Trollkins” and “Shirt Tales. It was in the middle of production for “Shirt Tales” that Ogle passed away. His death was chalked up to natural causes, despite only being 57 years old. 

*   *   *

              John Stephenson remained in demand as a voice-over artist into the 21st Century. He may be best remembered today for the work he did on the original “Jonny Quest”, where he played multiple characters, including Dr. Benton Quest. During his lifetime, he rarely made public appearances or, gave interviews. On May 15, 2015, he passed away from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 91. His wife of sixty years survived him, as did two children and a granddaughter.

*   *   *

              At the time he was on KWICKY KOALA, Peter Cullen’s career was just taking off. He’d put in his dues as main characters and providing additional voices in many animated projects. In 1983, he was the first actor to voice Nintendo’s iconic Mario on “Saturday Supercade”. Starting in 1984, Cullen originated the character he is still known for to this day: Optimus Prime on “The Transformers”. No matter what projects he’s done since, Prime has remained his most popular. Funny enough, his projects bring him into orbit with Frank Welker. The duo generally play characters at odds, like Optimus Prime and Megatron. Or Chomp-Chomp and Sourpuss. These are but a few examples, and there are many, many more. It’s said that Welker and Cullen are genuine friends, and not just colleagues. He occasionally performs voice work for movie trailers, and is the father of four children.

*   *   *

              In the 80s, Jim MacGeorge started to stockpile credits in voice work. He worked on “The Mighty Orbots” and “Bionic Six”. He reprised his role as Captain Horatio Huffenpuff on the animated “Beany and Cecil”, a role he had originated years earlier. His last credit was in 1991 for “TailSpin”, when he was in his early 60s. On January 16, 2021, MacGeorge passed away at the age of 92.

*   *   *

              Marshall Efron went on to other Hanna-Barbera classics, like “The Smurfs”, “Shirt Tales” and “The Biskitts”. He was reunited with Frank Welker, his Dirty Dawg partner, when he voiced Hun-grr on “The Transformers”. His last credit was in the 2014 Andy Garcia movie, “Rob the Mob”. Efron passed away in September of 2019 at a retirement home in New Jersey. He was 81.

*   *   *

              After KWICKY, Allan Melvin voiced both Bluto and Wimpy on “Popeye and Son”. He provided voices here and there. He returned to series work with “Yo, Yogi” in 1991, reprising his role as Magilla “Ice” Gorilla. His last role came in 1994 on the TV movie, “Scooby-Doo in Arabian Nights”, where he played Magilla for the final time. This was also the same special where Don Messick would voice Scooby for the last time. Melvin retired in the mid-90s, and lived a quiet life for the next fourteen years. He passed away January 17, 2008, from cancer. He was 84 years old. For those interested, he is buried in the Westwood Memorial Cemetery. He’s a few yards from his friend Carroll O’Connor from “Archie Bunker’s Place”, and right next to the Queen of Pin-Ups, Bettie Page.

*   *   *

              Michael Bell continues to perform as a voice actor. While KWICKY KOALA was in production, Bell found plenty of other jobs. He was part of the main cast for “Trollkins” and “Space Stars”. Not long after, he was a regular on “The Transformers”, voicing Sideswipe, among others. In fact, he’s still a part of the Transformers family to this day. Bell spends his time between voicing TV shows and video games. In 1991 he was granted a patent for the Grayway rotating drain, a system that recycles sink and shower water. In addition to that, Bell is an animal activist and godfather to actor Steve Guttenberg. He’s been married to his wife, Victoria, since 1984, and they have one daughter, Ashley, who is an actress and director. 

                   FX: TV STATIC

6. PHENOMENON/LEGACY

MUSIC: I FEEL YOU 

ME:           Was it a phenomenon? No. THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW never really found an audience at the time. There was no merchandise to promote the show. No stickers, pencil boxes or lunchboxes. As far as I can find, there were no promotional tie-ins. If you went to Toys R Us looking for all your favorite characters as PVC figurines, you’d have been frustrated. There was a Hanna-Barbera themed vending machine that, for a quarter, would spit out a plastic egg with a prize in it. Kids of the 80s might remember that it had a figure of Fred Flintstone in it that bucked like a chicken. For a time, the eggs were imprinted with Captain Caveman, Space Ghost and Kwicky Koala. But that was it.

              So phenomenon? No. It was a one-and-done, and was gone at the end of the season. On the day after Christmas 1981, the 16th and final episode aired of THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW.

                   MUSIC: HORIZONS

              The real legacy of the show is that it was the last product of an animation legend. Tex Avery was one of the early innovators in the artform, and he left his mark in a way that others are still trying to do. He believed in the hunter-prey story. He wanted gags to come as fast as possible. If a gag didn’t land, the audience only had to wait a moment and there would be another. Avery knew that animation could accomplish anything, and he used the medium for that effect. It was a place where people’s eyeballs could pop out when they saw a woman. Where koala bears could move in the blink of an eye. The stories were simple. It was always about the prey getting the better of the hunter and all the gags it took to achieve that.

              THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW is a great curiosity and a time capsule of Avery’s career. Unfortunately, Avery took a tried and true route with Kwicky. He used familiar characters and slightly recast them to turn out a new product. In 1981, it didn’t feel  new. It felt like a re-telling of Droopy and the Red Riding Hood Wolf meeting and still getting on each other’s nerves.  

              With Avery dying more than a year before the show premiered, I am uncertain what his full contribution was. Yes, it was the characters for sure. And likely the concepts of how the stories would be told. Avery is listed as the series creator. He wasn’t the director, and it shows in the pace of the stories.

              Avery was 72 when he passed away. Back in the 1950s, when he was a younger man at MGM, he exhausted himself for his art. This late in his career, it’s likely he settled for what was familiar and what he thought would work. In the hands of the four directors on the show, the end product was more of an homage to his legacy, than something ground-breaking in the 80s.

              It’s possible that Hanna-Barbera spent more time focusing on their new shows that reason. After all, 1981 was the premiere of “The Smurfs” on NBC. The art on “The Smurfs” was detailed and fleshed out. KWICKY KOALA, in contrast was sparse and lacking, but tried to make up for it with gags and humor. Unfortunately, it really comes off as outdated and old fashioned. For me, at least, the KWICKY KOALA and CRAZY CLAWS segments feel tired and uninspired. The BUNGLE BROTHERS is the typical story of two idiots in get-in, get-out gags and they were okay. While watching the show, I enjoyed DIRTY DOG and felt it was the most original part of the series. Maybe I’m biased because I liked Frank Welker’s take on the character and found the voice he used to be fresh. 

              The series is available on DVD for those interested. It may be streaming on Boomerang, as it is a part of the Hanna-Barbera family.

              What do you think? Am I being too hard? Do you have another opinion? Listen until the end for our contact information and let us know. Until next time, thanks for ‘tooning in. 

                   MUSIC: SHOW END THEME 
 

7. FOLLOW & END (PRE-RECORD)

                   MUSIC: HIJACK

ME:           Thank you for joining us at THE SATURDAY MORNING PODCAST. If you like what you hear, please subscribe. If you could do us a favor, leave a Five Star Review wherever you get your episodes from.

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FADE OUT.

THE END