| The Ruff & Reddy Show | |
|---|---|
The show's title card. |
|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Format | Cartoon series Cliffhanger |
| Written by | Joseph Barbera Charles Shows |
| Directed by | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Bob Hultgren (NBC sequences) |
| Presented by | Jimmy Blaine (original run) Robert Cottle (reruns) |
| Voices of | Daws Butler Don Messick |
| Narrated by | Don Messick |
| Theme music composer | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 156 in total. |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Screen Gems |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | Color |
| Original run | December 14, 1957 – April 2, 1960 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958-1962) |
The Ruff & Reddy Show is a Hanna-Barbera animated series starring Ruff, a straight and smart cat voiced by Don Messick, and Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog voiced by Daws Butler. First broadcast in December 1957 on NBC, it was the first television show produced by Hanna-Barbera and presented by Screen Gems, the television arm of Columbia Pictures (now Sony Pictures Television).
Contents |
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera entered the television field fresh from serving as the heads of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation department, which shut down in June 1957. Unlike its successor The Huckleberry Hound Show, Ruff and Reddy featured a live action host, Jimmy Blaine (an announcer at WNBC Radio, New York), and various theatrical cartoons from Columbia Pictures' Screen Gems library including The Fox and the Crow and Li'l Abner filling up the rest of the half-hour.
Messick's "Ruff" voice characterization was very similar to the one he would later use for Pixie the mouse. Butler used his tried-and-true southern drawl for "Reddy", a voice that would later become mainly identified with Huckleberry Hound. A supporting character in some episodes was the tiny-sized Professor Gizmo (also voiced by Don Messick). Villains Ruff and Reddy faced included "Scary" Harry Safari (Daws Butler, a characterization similar to Beany and Cecil's Dishonest John), Captain Greedy and Salt Water Daffy (Daws Butler and Don Messick) and western outlaws Killer and Diller (Daws Butler and Don Messick).
The show's episodes borrowed from the serialized storytelling format of such shows as Crusader Rabbit by making extensive use of cliffhanger storylines. Don Messick was narrator. The episodes were not much longer than four minutes, including an opening song and much repetition of preceding events. There were 13 episodes in each of the 7 stories of the serials. The show was only a moderate success, since it was harder for children to grasp the cliffhangers in the series.
Ruff and Reddy was originally broadcast in black and white until fall 1958, when it went to color, although all of the animated episodes were filmed in color from the start. Actor/singer and Storyteller Jimmy Blaine served as the series' first emcee, with Puppeteers Rufus Rose and Bobby Nicholson providing comedic relief as Rhubarb the Parrot and Jose the Toucan.
NBC initially cancelled the show at the end of the 1959-1960 season, later reviving it in the spring of 1962 (although the Ruff and Reddy segments were repeats) with Captain Bob Cottle as the second and last live-action host. When NBC finally cancelled the series in September 1964, Screen Gems syndicated the cartoons to local TV stations. Warner Bros. Television now owns the distribution rights to the series.
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Planet Pirates" | 12/14/1957 |
| Ruff and Reddy are abducted by some space creatures in a UFO. | ||
| 2 | "Night Flight Fright" | 12/14/1957 |
| On board the flying saucer, Ruff and Reddy avoid the space creatures and commandeer the control room. | ||
| 3 | "Whama Bamma Gamma Gun" | 12/14/1957 |
| Reddy gets hold of the space creatures' gun and ejects them into space but are approaching a planet. | ||
| 4 | "The Mastermind of Muni-Mula" | 12/21/1957 |
| On planet Muni-Mula, Ruff and Reddy are taken to the Mastermind who wants them duplicated as robots. The Mastermind has a spherical metal head with two faces, one with the voice and personality of Phil Silvers's Sgt. Bilko, the other domineering. | ||
| 5 | "The Mad Monster of Muni-Mula" | 12/21/1957 |
| Reddy tries to stop the mass production of robots but gets brainwashed by a machine. | ||
| 6 | "Hocus Pocus Focus" | 12/21/1957 |
| As Ruff tries to rescue Reddy, the Mastermind orders Reddy to capture him. | ||
| 7 | "Muni Mula Mix-Up" | 12/28/1957 |
| Reddy's brainwash wears off. The Hocus Pocus Focus takes Ruff and Reddy to the Mastermind. | ||
| 8 | "Creepy Creature Feature" | 12/28/1957 |
| The Mastermind turns out to be Dr. Gizmo imprisoned by the mechanical brain, so Reddy destroys it. | ||
| 9 | "The Creepy Creature" | 12/28/1957 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo are chased by the Creepy Creature until Reddy deals with it. | ||
| 10 | "Surprise in the Skies" | 1/4/1958 |
| With the Muni-Mula army on their tail, Ruff and Dr. Gizmo escape the planet without Reddy. | ||
| 11 | "Crowds in the Clouds" | 1/4/1958 |
| As Dr. Gizmo and Ruff go back to help Reddy and cover their advance, Reddy gets hold of a flying helmet. | ||
| 12 | "Reddy's Rocket Rescue" | 1/4/1958 |
| Dr. Gizmo rescues Reddy and blows up the Muni-Mula force. | ||
| 13 | "Rocket Ranger Danger" | 1/11/1958 |
| Dr. Gizmo's ship is hit by a mammoth meteor and the ship crash lands on a mountain back on Earth. | ||
| 14 | "Pinky the Pint Sized Pachyderm" | 1/11/1958 |
| A baby elephant escapes from a circus and requests Ruff and Reddy to take him home in Africa. | ||
| 15 | "Last Trip of a Ghost Ship" | 1/11/1958 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Pinky board the Voodoo Queen ghost ship. After meeting a parrot, the ship is in motion. | ||
| 16 | "Irate Pirate" | 1/18/1958 |
| Captain Jones Crossbones forces Ruff, Reddy and Pinky to be his crew, but they start to escape. | ||
| 17 | "Dynamite Fright" | 1/18/1958 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Pinky get stranded at sea trying to escape and then they start to sink. | ||
| 18 | "Marooned in Typhoon Lagoon" | 1/18/1958 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Pinky cruise to an island. Ruff gets captured whilst exploring. | ||
| 19 | "Scarey Harry Safari" | 1/25/1958 |
| A hunter Harry Scary uses Ruff as bait to lure a lion, but the lion and Ruff take off. | ||
| 20 | "Jungle Jitters" | 1/25/1958 |
| Ruff rescues the lion and Harry Scary reveals himself as an elephant hunter. | ||
| 21 | "Bungle in the Jungle" | 1/25/1958 |
| Before Harry Scary can shoot Reddy, the lion comes to his rescue and all three run for it. | ||
| 22 | "Miles of Crocodiles" | 2/1/1958 |
| Harry Scary pursues Ruff, Reddy and Pinky. Then Pinky and Ruff are surrounded by crocodiles. | ||
| 23 | "A Creep in the Deep" | 2/1/1958 |
| Reddy gets trapped with the crocodiles after saving Ruff and Pinky and Harry Scary comes round. | ||
| 24 | "Hot Shot's Plot" | 2/1/1958 |
| Ruff and Reddy follow Harry Scary who took Pinky away. Harry Scary makes Pinky lure his mother into a trap. | ||
| 25 | "The Gloom of Doom" | 2/8/1958 |
| Harry Scary gets all Ruff, Reddy, the lion, Pinky and his mother exactly where he wants. | ||
| 26 | "The Trapped Trap the Trapper" | 2/8/1958 |
| The tables turn because of Harry Scary's empty rifle. Ruff and Reddy stowaway back home. | ||
| 27 | "Westward Ho Ho Ho" | 2/8/1958 |
| Ruff and Reddy win a trailer and a free vacation to the wild west, but enter the ghost town of Gruesome Gulch. | ||
| 28 | "A Slight Fright on a Moonlight Night" | 2/15/1958 |
| A couple of mobsters drive Ruff and Reddy out of Gruesome Gulch into the desert. | ||
| 29 | "Asleep While a Creep Steals Sheep" | 2/15/1958 |
| Ruff and Reddy are met by Woolly sheepdog. Reddy dresses as a sheep to catch some rustlers. | ||
| 30 | "Copped by a Copter" | 2/15/1958 |
| Reddy is taken away by helicopter driving rustlers to their hideout in Gruesome Gulch. | ||
| 31 | "The Two Terrible Twins from Texas" | 2/22/1958 |
| Reddy is discovered and captured by the Texan Twins Killer and Diller. | ||
| 32 | "Killer and Diller in a Chiller of a Thriller" | 2/22/1958 |
| The Texan twins dump Reddy in a speeding railway mine cart. | ||
| 33 | "A Friend to the End" | 2/22/1958 |
| Ruff and Woolly rescue Reddy and proceed to find the sheep back in Gruesome Gulch. | ||
| 34 | "Heels on Wheels" | 3/1/1958 |
| As Ruff, Reddy and Woolly pursue the Texan twins, they get flat tires and take the helicopter for transport. | ||
| 35 | "The Whirly Bird Catches the Worms" | 3/1/1958 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Woolly fly after the Texan twins in their helicopter. | ||
| 36 | "The Boss of Double Cross" | 3/1/1958 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Woolly lose sight of the Texan twins, but the stolen sheep summon the helicopter. | ||
| 37 | "Ship Shape Sheep" | 3/8/1958 |
| The sheep save Ruff, Reddy and Woolly from a nasty fall and the Texan twins capture Reddy and Woolly. | ||
| 38 | "Rootin' Tootin' Shootin'" | 3/8/1958 |
| After Killer catches Ruff, Reddy is challenged to duel him. | ||
| 39 | "Hot Lead for a Hot Head" | 3/8/1958 |
| Using a trick, Ruff and Reddy defeat the Texan twins. Ruff and Reddy then conclude their vacation. | ||
| 40 | "The Treasure of Doubloon" | 3/15/1958 |
| Ruff and Reddy visit an aquarium and a seal follows them out to their house. | ||
| 41 | "Blunder Down Under" | 3/15/1958 |
| Ruff and Reddy pursue the seal for reward money. Then they retrieve a submarine from the sea bed. | ||
| 42 | "The Metal Monster Mystery" | 3/15/1958 |
| Ruff and Reddy are met by Dr. Gizmo, who seeks treasure located in the Blue Lagoon. | ||
| 43 | "The Late, Late Pieces of Eight" | 3/22/1958 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo dive for the treasure, whilst an enemy submarine lingers. | ||
| 44 | "The Goon of Doubloon Lagoon" | 3/22/1958 |
| The enemy sub catches Dr. Gizmo's sub and takes Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo to a secret grotto. | ||
| 45 | "Two Dubs in a Sub" | 3/22/1958 |
| Captain Greedy and Saltwater Daffy imprison Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo. Then the seal arrives to help them. | ||
| 46 | "Big Deal with a Small Seal" | 3/29/1958 |
| The seal releases Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo from their cell and takes care of Greedy and Saltwater. | ||
| 47 | "A Real Keen Submarine" | 3/29/1958 |
| Greedy and Saltwater surround Ruff, Reddy, Dr. Gizmo and the seal, but the slippery seal makes a distraction. | ||
| 48 | "No Hope for a Dope on a Periscope" | 3/29/1958 |
| The seal saves Reddy from drowning but Saltwater catches him. | ||
| 49 | "Rescue in the Deep Blue" | 4/5/1958 |
| The seal and Reddy manage to get away from Saltwater but are tailed by a shark. | ||
| 50 | "A Whale of a Tale of a Tail of a Whale" | 4/5/1958 |
| Reddy and the seal lose the shark as they ride on a whale. When they get close to Doubloon Lagoon, Greedy fires. | ||
| 51 | "Welcome Guest in a Treasure Chest" | 4/5/1958 |
| The seal boards Dr. Gizmo's sub with Ruff inside it and prepares a surprise for Greedy. | ||
| 52 | "Pot Shot Puts Hot Shot on a Hot Spot" | 4/5/1958 |
| Saltwater and Greedy have the ship with gold but all that weight sinks the ship. Ruff, Reddy, Dr. Gizmo and the seal then head home. | ||
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Egg Yeggs" | 12/13/1958 |
| Ruff and Reddy help Dr. Gizmo to protect his valuable Chickasaurus Egg from some thieves. | ||
| 2 | "The Dummy Mummy" | 12/13/1958 |
| Killer and Diller in mummy guises swipe the Chickasaurus Egg, but in their getaway they drop the egg. | ||
| 3 | "Chickasaurus Crack-Up" | 12/20/1958 |
| The Chickasaurus falls down a cliff and cracks. When Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo reach the egg, it begins to hatch. | ||
| 4 | "The Slick Chickasaurus Chick Trick" | 12/20/1958 |
| The Chickasaurus has only managed to partially hatch from the egg. When it does hatch Killer and Diller arrive. | ||
| 5 | "The Chicken Hearted Chickasaurus" | 12/20/1958 |
| As Killer and Diller try to take the Chickasaurus away, but Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo get tangled with the running Chickasaurus. | ||
| 6 | "Chickasaurus Choo Choo" | 12/27/1958 |
| As the Chickasaurus becomes airborne, Killer and Diller follow by helicopter all the way to a secret prehistoric jungle. | ||
| 7 | "Rumble In The Jungle" | 12/27/1958 |
| After a Brontosaurus blows Killer and Diller away, Ruff and Reddy try to flee from the jungle but they run towards a T-Rex. | ||
| 8 | "The Sorehead Tyrannosaurus" | 12/27/1958 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo take shelter in a cave from a T-Rex. In the darkness they see a pair of eyes. | ||
| 9 | "Two Eyes Spy On The Guys" | 1/3/1959 |
| Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo are met by a cave boy called Ubble-Ubble, who knocks out the T-Rex. Killer and Diller kidnap Ubble-Ubble. | ||
| 10 | "Double Trouble For Ubble-Ubble" | 1/3/1959 |
| Ubble-Ubble bats Killer and Diller but they recapture him and Ruff, Reddy and Dr. Gizmo are confronted by a sabre-toothed tiger. | ||
| 11 | "A Chick In Need Is A Chick Indeed" | |
| 12 | "Quick Trick Saves A Slick Chick" | |
| 13 | "Scary Tale On A Canyon Trail" | |
| 14 | "Borrowed Burro In A Burrow" | |
| 15 | "Pint Size Surprise For The Guys" | |
| 16 | "Reddy And Me And Pee-Wee Makes Three" | |
| 17 | "Hoss Thief Grief" | |
| 18 | "Tricked And Trapped By A Tricky Trapper" | |
| 19 | "Harry Safari And The Phoney Pony" | |
| 20 | "Frantic Antics Of Poco Loco" | |
| 21 | "Nag In A Bag" | |
| 22 | "Bungled Bundle Of Boodle" | |
| 23 | "Chump's Jumps Bring Bumps And Lumps" | |
| 24 | "Show Biz Wiz" | |
| 25 | "These Three Set Pee-Wee Free" | |
| 26 | "Fantastic Phantom" | |
| 27 | "Long Gone Leprechaun" | |
| 28 | "The Goon Of Glocca Morra" | |
| 29 | "Bungle In Banshee Castle" | |
| 30 | "Afloat In A Moat With No Boat" | |
| 31 | "Too Soon The Goon" | |
| 32 | "Smitten By A Kitten" | |
| 33 | "Mr. Small Meets Mr. Tall In The Hall - That Is All" | |
| 34 | "Going, Going, Goon" | |
| 35 | "Scary Chase Through A Spooky Place With A Goony Face" | |
| 36 | "Bing Bang Boom In A Real Small Room" | |
| 37 | "Gold Room Doom" | |
| 38 | "Three See The Wee Princess Free" | |
| 39 | "Missile Fizzle" | |
| 40 | "Missing Missile Mystery" | |
| 41 | "Never Land In Never-Neverland" | |
| 42 | "Polar Bear Scare" | |
| 43 | "A Liking For A Striking Viking" | |
| 44 | "Bear Hunting Is For The Birds" | |
| 45 | "Beep-Beep From The Deep-Deep" | |
| 46 | "Two Fiends In A Submarine" | |
| 47 | "Muscle Man Meets Missile Man" | |
| 48 | "Bull Fight Fright" | |
| 49 | "Reddy Clobbers Robbers" | |
| 50 | "Machine Gun Fun" | |
| 51 | "Bad Guys Meet The Good Guys" | |
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