Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales

Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales is a popular, semi-educational animated cartoon TV series that originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1966. It was produced by Total Television, the same company that produced the earlier King Leonardo and the later Underdog, and primarily sponsored by General Mills. The title is a play on “tuxedo and tails” formal wear.

Plot

The cartoon series revolved around Tennessee Tuxedo the penguin (voiced by Don Adams), and his best friend Chumley the Walrus (voiced by Bradley Bolke). The pair lived (not always willingly) at the Megapolis Zoo, under the control of the ill-tempered zoo director Stanley Livingston (voiced by Mort Marshall), and his zookeeper assistant Flunky (voiced by Kenny Delmar). It was on one of Stanley’s journeys that Tennessee met Stanley. Actually, it was Chumley that Stanley wanted, as Chumley was at the South Pole. Thus Chumley was a one of a kind: a South Pole walrus. Tennessee agreed to accompany Chumley and Stanley back to the zoo.

At the zoo, Tennessee and Chumley had many friends to help them out, such as Yakkety Yak (also voiced by Kenny Delmar) and Baldy the eagle (also voiced by Kenny Delmar) amongst other inhabitants of the zoo. Three episodes also featured Howler, a dog that Tennessee got from his uncle. At first, Stanley was against Tennessee having Howler on zoo grounds until Howler saved Stanley when he fell into a lake upon spying on Tennessee and Chumley's housing project for Howler.

Tennessee and Chumley also had a big rival, in the form of Jerboa Jump the kangaroo rat (also voiced by Bradley Bolke). Jerboa later gains a henchman in a boxing tiger named Tiger Tornado (voiced by Kenny Delmar). Some of the episodes would center around Tennessee trying to outsmart Jerboa at his own game, and succeeding in the end of course.

Tennessee and Chumley were also constantly bedeviled by Rocky Maninoff (voiced by Jackson Beck impersonating Humphrey Bogart and whose name is an obvious pun on the composer and musician Sergei Rachmaninoff), a gangster who often called them “bo-bo's” and ordered them to do his will at the point of his machine gun.

Tennessee and Chumley regularly escaped from the zoo, only to find trouble in the outside world. Whenever Tennessee would propose a hare-brained scheme, Chumley was usually skeptical at first. Typically Tennessee would assure the dim-witted Chumley that his superior intelligence would carry the day, often with his catchphrase "Tennessee Tuxedo will not fail!" Chumley typically would respond with his own catchphrase, "Duh, OK Tennessee." When faced with more trouble than they could bear, the pair would turn to their friend, a college professor named Phineas J. Whoopee (voiced by Larry Storch), the “Man with All the Answers”. Mr. Whoopee, as he was known, was extremely knowledgeable on all subjects, and would frequently lecture the pair on such diverse topics as the physics behind the hot air balloon to how musicians become popular. His lectures were illustrated and animated on the Three Dimensional Blackboard (3DBB for short), that he would retrieve out of an avalanche of junk from his overstuffed hallway closet. Other times the pair would have to overcome a personal problem, such as Chumley requiring treatment for a toothache but expressing his fear of the dentist (a common fear in many children). At the end of each lecture with Mr. Whoopee, Tennessee praised his mentor with the line, “Phineas J. Whoopee, you’re the greatest!”

The pair would then attempt to use their newly gained knowledge to get out of the trouble they had created, but would invariably end up in more trouble with Stanley Livingston who typically punished them in different ways ranging from having the police arrest them to making them scrub pots and pans in the Zoo Cafeteria for six months. Stanley even threatened to skin them alive many times and some episodes just end with Stanley chasing Tennessee and Chumley around the Zoo. There were however a few times when they managed to succeed such as a time where the pair (along with Baldy) formed a musical group and gained so much popularity that they managed to star in Stanley's music show while he was reduced to eating his hat (having said that he would if Tennessee's group got into his show) and the time when they decorated Stanley's Christmas Tree.

On a Boing podcast, Underdog creator Joe Harris explained that after F.C.C. commissioner Newton Minow declared television a "vast wasteland" in terms of educational material, efforts were made to include education in programming. He added that with Tennessee Tuxedo, Tennessee and Chumley were portrayed as the ones who were being educated, so children would feel that they were not being lectured to; even though in the end, they were.

Occasional back segments included The World of Commander McBragg, Klondike Kat, Tooter Turtle, The Hunter, and The King and Odie (the last three were rerun from the earlier King Leonardo show).

For the voice of the “small penguin, who tries but can’t succeed-o,” Don Adams used his already-well-known “clippy” voice characterization, which he said was an exaggeration of actor William Powell’s voice.

Episodes

Season 1

1. Mixed-Up Mechanics - Upon Stanley Livingston bring them to the Megapolis Zoo, Tennessee and Chumley end up trying their first job outside of the zoo as mechanics. Unfortunately for them, their first customer is Rocky Maninoff.
2. Rainmakers* - Tennessee and Chumley get jobs as weathermen where a farmer demands them to make rain for his cauliflower crops or he will use his shotgun on them. Now Tennessee and Chumley must find a way to make rain.
3. The Lamplighters* - Due to the darkness in their quarters, Tennessee and Chumley end up figuring how lights work when the darkness prevents Tennessee from reading his book.
4. Telephone Terrors* - Following a message-delivering to all the animals for Stanley Livingston's piano performance, Tennessee and Chumley try to figure out how a telephone works since Stanley claims that all animals must provide for themselves when Tennessee brings up the idea of having telephones in each animals' quarters.
5. The Giant Clam Caper* - When Stanley Livingston wants to obtain a giant clam for the Megapolis Zoo, Tennessee and Chumley end up sneaking out of the zoo to obtain one for him.
6. Tick Tock* - The Megapolis Zoo receives a clock tower where Chumley accidentally shoots an arrow at the clock and Stanley Livingston orders Tennessee and Chumley to remove the arrow. Tennessee and Chumley end up learning on how clocks work.
7. Scuttled Sculpture* - The Megapolis Zoo receives a statue of Stanley Livingston that will be dedicated to him tomorrow. When Chumley accidentally wrecks it while helping Tennessee spread the message for all animals to attend the event, Tennessee and Chumley turn to Phineas J. Whoopee for info on how to make a statue.
8. Snap That Picture - Tennessee and Chumley get jobs as photographers where their first job is to prepare for when they are to take the picture of the Mayor of Megapolis for his poster advertisement.
9. Zoo's News - When ordered by Stanley Livingston to spread the news to the other animals on an upcoming event, Tennessee and Chumley turn to Phineas J. Whoopee on other ways to spread the news to the animals. Phineas ends up telling them about newspapers.
10. Aztec Antics - When Jerboa Jump arrives at the zoo, Stanley Livingston arranges for some archaeologists to make a trip to Mexico to find some artifacts to go with Jerboa's exhibit. Tennessee and Chumley end up learning about Aztec's from Phineas J. Whoopee.
11. Coal Minors - Due to the coldness in their quarters, Tennessee and Chumley end up assembling a stovepipe oven in their quarters much to the objections of Stanley Livingston. Tennessee and Chumley end up learning about how coal is obtained from Phineas J. Whoopee.
12. Hot Air Heroes - When ordered by Stanley Livingston to spread the news of the town picnic at the Megapolis Zoo, Tennessee and Chumley turn to Phineas J. Whoopee on other ways to spread the news to the animals since they already tried telephone and newspaper. Phineas ends up telling them about hot air balloons.
13. Irrigation Irritation - During a drought, Tennessee tries to figure out how to get water to his watermelon crops. Meanwhile, Stanley Livingston is warned by the Chief of Police to not waste water during this drought or they will end up arresting them.
14. TV Testers - Tennessee and Chumley get jobs as TV Repairmen. Unfortunately for them, their first customer is Rocky Maninoff who wants them to repair his television so that he can watch baseball after his job or else. Meanwhile, the Chief of Police gets word from Stanley Livingston that Tennessee and Chumley have escaped from the zoo.
15. By The Plight Of The Moon - After getting knocked out while trying to shop up newcomer Jerboa Jump, Tennessee dreams he's to be the first astronaut penguin to take a rocket to the moon.
16. Lever Levity -
17. The Bridge Builders* - Tennessee and Chumley get jobs as bridge builders. Unfortunately for them, Rocky Maninoff wants them to build a bridge in an area of his choice to follow his gang's bank robbery or else.
18. Sail On, Sail On* - Tennessee and Chumley go up against Jerboa Jump in a yacht race to determine who will end up leading the Zoo's Yacht Club.
19. Tell-Tale Telegraph* - Tennessee dreams that he, Chumley, Yakkety, and Baldy work at a fort run by Stanley Livingston that keeps suffering Indian attacks. Tennessee and his friends are positioned at an outpost where they must find a way to warn the fort of approaching Indians.
20. Howl, Howl, The Gang's All Here* - Tennessee receives a dog named Howler from his uncle and tries to hide him from Stanley Livingston.
21. Getting Steamed Up - After Stanley has a steam locomotive train put in the zoo to take children for rides, Tennessee tries to prove he can operate it as well—and proceeds to wreck it. Phineas J. Whoopee explains how locomotives work.
22. Rocket Ruckus* - Upon hearing Jerboa Jump stating that he has been in a rocket, Tennessee and Chumley end up going to see Phineas J. Whoopee on how rockets work.
23. Tale Of A Tiger* - The zoo receives a new animal named Tiger Tornado who from the outside appears to be a narcoleptic. But he becomes a fierce fighter at the sound of a boxing ring bell. Jerboa Jump teams up with Tiger and makes the other zoo animals kowtow to their wishes. Tennessee and Chumley see Phineas J. Whoopee on how to defend themselves.
24. Dog Daze - In a follow-up to "Howl, Howl, the Gang's All Here," Stanley has problems with Howler the Dog when he mistakes the Mayor of Megapolis as an attacker. Stanley and the Mayor end up having Tennessee control Howler before his medal awarding event to Stanley or the Mayor will have Howler detained.
25. Brushing Off A Toothache - Chumley has a toothache and Tennessee tries various ways to get rid of the tooth. When one of the attempts ends up breaking Stanley Livingston's motorscooter, Tennessee and Chumley escape from the zoo and see Phineas J. Whoopee about how to deal with a toothache.
26. The Treasure of Jack & The Joker - Tennessee and Chumley hear about the Treasure of Jack & The Joker hidden somewhere in the Megapolis Zoo. Unfortunately, Stanley Livingston does not allow digging on zoo grounds.
27. Funny Honey - Tennessee and Chumley end up having to get honey from the bears of the Bearville section of the Megapolis Zoo. They end up making various attempts to get honey from the local bees.
28. A Wreck Of A Record* - Tennessee, Chumley, and Baldy form their own folk band when it comes to Stanley Livingston's music show. Unfortunately, Stanley does not want them in his show since it is reserved for music stars for hit recordings. Tennessee and Chumley turn to Phineas J. Whoopee on how they can get a recording and become famous singers.
29. Miner Forty-Niner - Tennessee and Chumley find a map that leads to a gold mine and turn to Phineas J. Whoopee on how to get there.
30. Helicopter Hi-Jinks - During a heat wave in Megapolis, Tennessee and Chumley's escape plans from the zoo to get fans for the animals are repeatedly thwarted by Stanley Livingston and Flunky. Tennessee and Chumley recall the time they asked Phineas J. Whoopee about how helicopters work as their latest attempt.
31. Oil's Well -
32. Parachuting Pickle* -
33. Wish Wash* - Tennessee and Chumley start a homemade laundry service in the Megapolis Zoo.
34. The Eyes Have It - Tennessee and Chumley go up against Jerboa Jump and Tiger Tornado in a bowling tournament. Jerboa tricks Tennessee into thinking that something is wrong with his eyes and gives him glasses made from bottlecaps. This ends up being exposed by Phineas J. Whoopee who explains to Tennessee how the eyes work.
35. Madcap Movie Makers - Tennessee and Chumley go into the movie-making business. In order to make a movie, Tennessee and Chumley end up turning to Phineas J. Whoopee on how to make a movie.

Season 2

1. Snow Go -
2. Brain Strain - Due to Chumley looking like a local millionaire, Tennessee has Chumley impersonate him when Chumley gets amnesia and starts to think he's the millionaire.
3. The Big Question -
4. Rocky Road To Diamonds -
5. Hooray X-Ray (AKA X-Ray X-Perts) - When Tennessee and Chumley are ordered by Stanley Livingston to get the rare coin that they accidentally paid the paperboy with, they end up tracing it to a bakery where the coin ended up in one of the cookies that Chumley ate.
6. Food Feud -
7. How Does Your Garden Grow? - Tennessee is tired of eating fish all the time and wants to grow a vegetable garden, much to the objection of Stanley Livingston. Tennessee manages to get the Mayor's wife on his side, followed by Tennessee and Chumley asking Phineas J. Whoopee on how to grow a vegetable garden.
8. Perils Of Platypus - Tennessee and Chumley end up getting a platypus for a roommate and deny him access to the pool. When the platypus leaves the zoo and they are ordered by Stanley Livingston to get the platypus back, Tennessee and Chumley turn to Phineas J. Whoopee for help.
9. Hail To The Chief - Tennessee and Chumley get jobs as police officers.
10. Physical Fatness - Phineas J. Whoopee gives Tennessee and Chumley some advice on fitness when Jerboa Jump challenges Chumley to a boxing match against Tiger Tornado.
11. Playing It Safe -
12. House Painters -
13. Admiral Tennessee - Upon escaping to the docks, Tennessee falls asleep and has a dream where he is the admiral of a ship and is then ordered by the Queen to go after some pirates.
14. Three Ring Circus - Tennessee and Chumley escape from the zoo in order to join the circus.
15. The Big Drip - Tennessee and Chumley get jobs as plumbers. Unfortunately, their first customer is Rocky Maninoff who wants them to fix a leaky pipe in his hideout before he returns from his bank robbery or else.
16. Boning Up On Dinosaurs - Stanley Livingston orders Tennessee and Chumley to guard the new dinosaur exhibit. Unfortunately, Howler gets in and ends up dismantling the dinosaur skeletons.
17. Smilin' Yak's Sky Service - Tennessee and his friends start a flying service. Unfortunately, their first customer is Rocky Maninoff who wants them to fly him to safety after a bank job.
18. Teddy Bear Trouble - When Chumley's teddy bear goes missing, Tennessee ends up turning private eye in order to find it.
19. Sword Play - When ordered by Stanley Livingston to clean the medieval exhibit at the museum, Tennessee ends up knocked unconscious by a fallen suit of armor where he has a dream that he is a knight fighting a dragon.
20. The Romance of Plymouth Rock - Tennessee is putting on a play about the Pilgrims called "The Romance of Plymouth Rock." Unfortunately, Jereboah Jump and Tiger Tornado plan to join the play as Indians so that they can sabotage it. When Jerboa Jump claims that the Indians were not friendly to the Pilgrims, Tennessee ends up calling in Phineas J. Whoopee for help.
21. Phunnie Munnie - Tennessee and Chumley get jobs as printers. Unfortunately for them, their first customer is Rocky Maninoff who wants them to print counterfeit money for him or else.
22. The Zoolympics - Phineas J. Whoopee gives information to Tennessee and Chumley on how to be in shape for the Zoolympics upon Tennessee and Chumley getting challenged by Jerboa Jump and Tiger Tornado.
23. The Tree Trimmers - On Christmas Eve, Stanley Livingston orders Tennessee and Chumley to guide the arriving tree trimmers to the Christmas Tree while he gets the Mayor and his wife. Tennessee and Chumley end up trying to trim the tree and decorate it with the help of Yakkety and Baldy until the ornaments are destroyed causing Tennessee and Chumley to ask Phineas J. Whoopee for help.
24. The Goblins Will Get You - Following a trick-or-treating on Halloween, Tennessee ends up eating too much candy and ends up falling asleep where he dreams that he is in a haunted forest where an evil witch and her goblin servants live.
25. Going Up -
26. The Cheap Skates -
27. Monster From Another Park -
28. Signed And Sealed -
29. The Barbers -
30. Catch A Falling Hammock -
31. Peace And Quiet -
32. There Auto Be A Law -
33. Samantha -
34. Telescope Detectives (AKA Private Eye Detectives) -
35. That is Horse -
36. Ponda the Moose -

* released on DVD

Syndication

Like most cartoon series produced by Total Television, later reruns of Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales are quite different from the original network series. The first 34 Tennessee Tuxedo cartoons would later be incorporated into syndicated prints of The Underdog Show. That syndicated package actually was a revised version of another earlier (mid-1960s) syndicated series, Cartoon Cut-Ups, which initially featured first season segments of Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo and Commander McBragg. In fact, the syndicated Underdog Show includes some artifacts including the Cartoon Cut-Ups closing (combining portions of the original Tennessee Tuxedo and Underdog closings, effectively eliminating the punch line of the visual "Post No Bills" joke in the original Underdog closing) and the final teaser at the end of the show in which announcer George S. Irving says, "Looks like this is the end...but don't miss our next Cartoon Cut-Ups show!" (The line was redubbed to say "Underdog" instead of "Cartoon Cut-Ups.")

In syndication, Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales features different supporting cartoon segments compared to the show's original network run, including some cartoons from the Jay Ward studio. The first 39 syndicated episodes (#901-939) include "Tooter Turtle," "Bullwinkle's Corner" (followed by a vintage Rocky And His Friends commercial bumper) and "Aesop And Son." For syndicated episodes #940-945 and again from #956 through the end of the episode cycle, the supporting segments are all Jay Ward cartoons: "Peabody's Improbable History," "Mr. Know-It-All," and "Fractured Fairy Tales." Syndicated shows #946 through #955 repeat the "Tooter Turtle," "Bullwinkle's Corner" and "Aesop And Son" cartoons already shown in episodes #901-910. The 70 "Tuxedo" cartoons themselves each appear twice over the 140 syndicated shows, in addition to the aforementioned repeats of the first 34 segments as part of the syndicated Underdog Show. (During a recent run on the Black Family Channel cable network, only shows #901-934 were aired.)

In its first season during its original network run, Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales featured segments of "The Hunter" and "The King And Odie." Both segments originated on the 1960 series "King Leonardo And His Short Subjects," but "Tennessee" included 26 newly produced segments of both, which were not seen on the original "King Leonardo" program (and were not syndicated as part of that package either). The following season, "The Hunter" began appearing as a segment on "The Underdog Show," and the "Hunter" spot in "Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales" was filled by repeated segments of "Tooter Turtle" (a character also previously seen on "King Leonardo And His Short Subjects"). The "Tooter" cartoons shown on "Tennessee" were all repeated segments; no new segments were produced. Between 1968 and 1970, "Tooter Turtle" and "The Hunter" were seen as part of ABC-TV's The Dudley Do-Right Show. The 26 "Hunter" and "King & Odie" segments originally produced for "Tennessee Tuxedo" are seen in syndicated reruns as part of the Dudley Do-Right And Friends package (which also is different from the 1968-1970 Dudley Do-Right Show).

DVD

A DVD titled The Best of Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales was released in 2006. It contains 15 "sort of educational" episodes from the series. The series introduction and end credits do not seem to appear on the DVD if an episode is selected, but if "Play All" is selected, the series introduction will appear at the start of the episodes and the end credits will appear after the last episode.

One of the two "extras" on the DVD is a set of about ten audio-only out-takes from the recording of this version of the theme song. During the session the engineer is heard speaking to the musicians and singers. The voice of the engineer was revealed on June 28, 2007, on The Howard Stern Show as the voice of Howard's father Ben Stern.

The other "extra" is a short collection of corny riddles (originally presented as show transitions) posed to Mr. Whoopee and his 3DBB by Chumley and Tennessee. Example: What has four legs and only one foot? A bed.

External links

• Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales at the Internet Movie Database
• Boing Podcast: Joe Harris interview
• Tuxedo and His Tales at TV.com