Sparkling new copies of my book, Hanna-Barbera: The Recorded History are being shipped this week, so as they wend their way to stores and front doors, we present another top ten from H-B’s in-house record label. From 1965 to 1967, an impressive number of memorable animation-related records were produced for the “Cartoon Series” line of albums and singles. In addition, HBR was also a popular music label aimed primarily at teens and adults, much as Disney’s Buena Vista label had been intended.
The Cartoon Series scripts were recorded by H-B’s star-studded voice actors at the studio at 3400 Cahuenga in Hollywood on quarter-inch tape, transferred to magnetic film, and edited just like any other H-B film would be by the same fine editors, only there was no visual. The songs might have been done elsewhere, but that adds to the unique formatting of the Cartoon Series LPs.
THE FLINTSTONES: FLIP FABLES HLP-2021 (1965) Alan Reed as Fred, Mel Blanc as Barney, and Jean Vander Pyl as Pebbles on an album that exemplifies all the elements of HBR records that made them unique and unforgettable: great voice work, the beloved music cues of Hoyt Curtin and Ted Nichols (as well as Jack de Mello), groovy songs, and clever Charles Shows scripts. A joy from beginning to end.
SNAGGLEPUSS TELLS THE STORY OF THE WIZARD OF OZ HLP-2024 (1965) Daws Butler often said that his art was about acting, not just funny voices. Here, he and Janet Waldo play all the roles in a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the Baum book. Narrating as Snagglepuss, Butler is the master of blending brash one-liners with total seriousness and the Snagglepuss voice seems tailor-made for the tonal variations.
ROBIN HOOD STARRING TOP CAT HLP-2031 (1965) Remember when Yogi decided to act like Robin Hood so he could give himself the goods? Combine that with the episode “Naked Town” from the Top Cat series and you have this premise, with Daws Butler standing in for Arnold Stang (who was probably busy as a regular on the series Broadside). Four years after the network series run, original cast members Leo DeLyon, Marvin Kaplan, and even Allen Jenkins are reunited for an amusing story with an action-packed finish.
SUPER SNOOPER AND BLABBERMOUSE: JAMES BOMB HLP-2036 (1965) Speaking of action-packed, this satire of James Bond is well-paced with a deft balance of excitement and laughs from start to finish. Daws Butler plays his original roles of Snooper and Blabber, as well as a chillingly insane Dr. Oh No. Don Messick plays James Bomb and Gold Pinky, whose song is belted by Jean King of The Blossoms (“He’s a Rebel,” “Johnny Angel”).
THE JETSONS: FIRST FAMILY ON THE MOON HLP-2037 (1965) Yes, it’s Don Messick instead of George O’Hanlon, but Messick is suitably neurotic in the role of reluctant astronaut George Jetson, who wins a trip to the moon when Elroy enters their name in a contest. The rest of the TV cast is present, including Penny Singleton, Janet Waldo, and Daws Butler. They don’t spend much time on the moon, but when a meteor shower damages the rocket, George must pilot the craft back to Earth, in the tradition of all those airport movies when the pilots are knocked out and an amateur takes the controls.
PRECIOUS PUPP AND GRANNY SWEET: HOT ROD GRANNY HLP-2045 (1965) This album captures the comic spirit of the cartoon perfectly, with side one devoted to Granny winning a drag race, and side two filled with gags as Precious defends his home against crooks. This is the only record featuring Don Messick doing one of his famous squeaky laughing dog characters. The peppy fun-rock songs are perfect for the “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” that is Granny.
THE NEW ALICE IN WONDERLAND HLP-2051 (1966) The most expensive of H-B’s studio cast albums, this is a dramatization of Hanna-Barbera’s first prime-time animated special, with most of the TV cast including Janet Waldo, Daws Butler, Henry Corden, Mel Blanc, and Bill Dana (whose dialogue is excerpted from the soundtrack). Scatman Crothers made his H-B debut with this record, filling in for Sammy Davis Jr.
Two versions of Crothers’ “What’s A Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This” were released. The one on the LP is performed with a smaller orchestra directed by Al Capps.
The 45 rpm single is a different vocal by Crothers and the soundtrack music bed directed by Marty Paich.
THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE HLP-2055 (1966) Despite the album cover copy, this album does not contain any of the actual music from the soundtrack of H-B’s second feature film. The voice tracks (except for the uncredited “Pensate Amore”) are from the film, however. H-B musical director Ted Nichols created arrangements for a smaller orchestra without strings. Some of Nichols’ cues from the feature are also recreated as full studio tracks, the way that Henry Mancini rescored his music for RCA.
While the Marty Paich arrangements are certainly missed, the Nichols charts are bright and delightful, filled with touches that have a charm of their own. A stereo version of this album was planned but not released.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK STARRING GENE KELLY Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series HLP-8511 (mono) / HST-9511 (stereo) (1967) The final HBR album was also one of its finest. Kelly himself provides the narration and some additional dialogue for this story album with soundtrack music and dialogue. Bobby Riha, Janet Waldo, Marni Nixon, Ted Cassidy, Dick Beals, and Chris Allen are in the cast, as well as Leo DeLyon and Cliff Norton as the Woggle-Birds. Songwriters Sammy Chan and James Van Heusen rewrote this tune, originally planned as the “Woggle Bug Song” for Filmation’s Journey Back to Oz feature.
THE FLINTSTONES MEET THE ORCHESTRA FAMILY Sunset (Liberty) SH-6060 (stereo) / SH-2060 (mono) (1968) After their label folded, Hanna-Barbera signed a contract with Liberty Records, who distributed the remaining Cartoon Series albums (covering the HBR logo with a Sunset Records sticker). Two new albums were produced by H-B musical supervisor Paul DeKorte: Shazzan and the Evil Jester of Masira, and this lavish, fully orchestrated musical spectacular, with Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Vander Pyl, and Don Messick. Original songs by John McCarthy (The Man Called Flintstone, Christmas Flintstone), magnificently arranged and conducted by Ted Nichols.
