Pop culture and all that

Monday, April 10, 2006

Hanna-Barbera Productions

As a child growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, there was always a Hanna-Barbera cartoon tv show in every Saturday AM program line-up. Of course, Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, The Smurfs, and The Super Friends were H-B's top shows in one form or another. Their "one season wonders" such as "The Chan Clan", "Wildfire", "Speed Buggy", "Hong Kong Phooey", and others had great entertainment value.

The familiar sound effects, familiar voice actors (Don Messick, John Stephenson, Janet Waldo, Daws Butler, Michael Bell, Frank Welker, BJ Ward), and familiar animation style (not costly Disney full animation, but limited animation with no shadows and re-used animated body movements for mass production) made things comfortable to watch. Visual "comfort food".

Thank you Bill and Joe.