George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle | |
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![]() Cover to a George of the Jungle VHS tape | |
Created by | Jay Ward Bill Scott |
Directed by | Frank Braxton Pete Burness Paul Harvey Bill Hurtz Lew Keller John Walker |
Starring | Bill Scott Paul Frees June Foray Daws Butler |
Opening theme | Stan Worth Sheldon Allman |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 17 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Ponsonby Britt, O.B.E. Jay Ward Bill Scott |
Producers | Jay Ward Bill Scott |
Running time | 30 minutes with commercials |
Production company | Jay Ward Productions |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | September 9 December 30, 1967 | –
Chronology | |
Followed by | George of the Jungle (2007 TV series) |
George of the Jungle is an American animated television series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The character George was inspired by the story of Tarzan and a cartoon characterization of George Eiferman (Mr. America, Mr. Universe, IFBB Hall of Famer) drawn by a cook on his mine sweeper in the Navy during World War II. It ran for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the American television network ABC.[1]
Program format[]
Each episode featured three segments in the form of three unrelated cartoons: George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken.[2] Each of the cartoons ended with a strike on the tympani (kettle drum), which changed to an ascending tone, following a bad pun.
Unlike previous Ward series, the animation production was done in Hollywood using veteran animators Phil Duncan, Rod Scribner, and Rudy Zamora, among others. Each segment's theme song was written by the team of Stan Worth and Sheldon Allman, though the cartoons themselves had little or no music scoring, as with Bullwinkle. Ward mainstays Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, and Daws Butler provided most of the character voices over all three segments.
The cartoons are technically more advanced than the rather crude animation in Ward's earlier series, which originated from Gamma Productions, a Mexican studio sponsored by Ward. He was so pleased with George of the Jungle that he allowed production to go over budget, which resulted in considerable financial loss, ultimately limiting the series to 17 episodes.
The complete series is available now on DVD.[3]
Theme song lyrics[]
George of the Jungle is perhaps best remembered for its catchy theme song.
George, George, George of the Jungle,
Strong as he can be.
(Tarzan yell) Watch out for that tree!
George, George, George of the Jungle
Lives a life that's free.
(Tarzan yell) Watch out for that tree!
When he gets in a scrape,
He makes his escape
With the help of his friend,
An ape named Ape.
Then away he'll schlep on his elephant Shep
While Fella and Ursula stay in step...[4]
With George, George, George of the Jungle
Friend to you and me.
(Tarzan yell) Watch out for that tree!
Watch out for that... (Tarzan yell ... "Oooh!") tree!
George, George, George of the Jungle,
Friend to you and me!
Segments[]
George of the Jungle[]
The title segment, George of the Jungle, is a parody of the Tarzan stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs. George (voiced by Bill Scott) is a dim-witted but big-hearted "ape man" who is always called upon by District Commissioner Alistair (voiced by Paul Frees) to save inhabitants of the jungle territory of Mbwebwe Province in Africa from various threats.
In the opening title, George is depicted swinging on vines, repeatedly slamming face-first into trees or other obstacles even as theme-song singers warn him to "watch out for that tree!" Another running gag is that George keeps forgetting that he lives in a treehouse, falling from it to the ground every time he leaves home.
George's "beloved mate" is Ursula (voiced by June Foray), a Jane-like character far brighter than George, whom George refers to as "Fella" (the phrase in the title song "[W]hile Fella and Ursula stay in step..." is meant to show that they are the same person).[5] George's closest friend is an ape named Ape (voiced by Paul Frees impersonating Ronald Colman[citation needed]) who, like Ursula, is far more intelligent than George. George has a pet elephant named Shep, who behaves like a lap dog, or, as George refers to him, a "great big peanut-lovin' poochie," and who George thinks is a dog. Also of note is the Tooky Tooky (or Tookie Tookie) bird, famous for his call: "Ah ah ee ee tooky tooky!"[6]
George's two most frequent foes are a pair of stereotypical hunters named "Tiger" Titheridge (voiced by Daws Butler) and "Weevil" Plumtree (voiced by Paul Frees). Tiger, the taller of the two, wears a pith helmet and khakis, has a pencil moustache, and speaks in a poncy Oxford accent, while Weevil talks like a pirate and wears a white t-shirt and shorts with a bush hat. Another one of George's recurring enemies is a mad scientist named Dr. Chicago (voiced by Daws Butler).
George, though hopelessly unintelligent, possesses substantial strength and jungle instincts that allow him to track down enemies. When trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation, he carries a miniature phrase book with numerous animal calls to summon help—although he usually gives the wrong call.
Tom Slick[]
Tom Slick features the title character (voiced by Bill Scott), a racecar driver who competes in races with his trusty vehicle, the Thunderbolt Greaseslapper. He is accompanied by his girlfriend Marigold (voiced by June Foray), and his elderly mechanic Gertie Growler (also voiced by Bill Scott). Tom's chief antagonists are Baron Otto Matic (voiced by Paul Frees) and his lackey Clutcher (voiced by Daws Butler impersonating Frank Fontaine as "Crazy Guggenheim"), whom the Baron often hits across the head with a monkey wrench when he messes up Otto's plots.
Super Chicken[]
Super Chicken features the title character (voiced by Bill Scott in a Boston Brahmin accent), a superhero (who, in "real life", is wealthy Henry Cabot Henhouse III) with a lion sidekick named Fred (voiced by Paul Frees impersonating Ed Wynn). Super Chicken usually begins their adventures with the battle cry, "To the Super Coop, Fred!", to which Fred replies, "Roger Willcock!" When Fred comments on his latest injury, Super Chicken responds with a variation on the theme, "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred!" Following his own mistakes, Super Chicken remarks, "I'm glad no one was here to see that!"
Episodes[]
Each of the following episodes consists of a George of the Jungle cartoon, a Super Chicken cartoon, and a Tom Slick cartoon.
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "The Sultan's Pearl / The Zipper / The Bigg Race" | September 9, 1967 | |
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2 | "The Malady Lingers On / One of Our States Is Missing / Monster Rally" | September 16, 1967 | |
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3 | "Oo-oo Birds of a Feather / Wild Ralph Hiccup / Send In a Sub" | September 23, 1967 | |
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4 | "Ungawa the Gorilla God / The Oyster / Snow What" | September 30, 1967 | |
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5 | "Little Scissor / The Easter Bunny / The Great Balloon Race" | October 7, 1967 | |
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6 | "Monkey Business / The Elephant Spreader / I Was Railroaded" | October 14, 1967 | |
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7 | "Next Time, Take the Train / The Geezer / Dranko the Dragster" | October 21, 1967 | |
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8 | "The Desperate Showers / Rotten Hood / The Cupp Cup Race" | October 28, 1967 | |
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9 | "Treasure of Sarah Madre / The Laundry Man / Irish Cheapstakes" | November 4, 1967 | |
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10 | "The Trouble I've Seed / The Noodle / Overstocked" | November 11, 1967 | |
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11 | "Dr. Schpritzer, I Presume? / The Fat Man / Double Cross Country Race" | November 18, 1967 | |
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12 | "Rescue Is My Business / Merlin Brando / The Apple-less Indian 500" | November 25, 1967 | |
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13 | "Big Flop at the Big Top / Salvador Rag Dolly / Sneaky Sheik" | December 2, 1967 | |
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14 | "Chi Chi Dog / Briggs Bad Wolf / Cheap Skate Board Derby" | December 9, 1967 | |
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15 | "A Man for All Hunting Seasons / The Muscle / The Badyear Blimp" | December 16, 1967 | |
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16 | "The Forest's Prime Evil / Dr. Gizmo / Swamp Buggy Race" | December 23, 1967 | |
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17 | "Kings Back-to-Back / The Wild Hair / Mack Buster Trophy" | December 30, 1967 | |
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Home media[]
On February 12, 2008, Classic Media released a complete collection of the 1967 series which included, as a bonus feature, the original pilot cartoons for both George of the Jungle and Super Chicken.
Reception[]
In 2002, TV Guide ranked George of the Jungle #30 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.[7]
Spin-offs[]
Comic book[]
Gold Key Comics published two issues of a comic book based on the series in 1969.
Films[]
In 1997, the segment was adapted into a live-action film, titled George of the Jungle. Brendan Fraser played the title role, with Leslie Mann as Ursula, John Cleese as the voice of Ape and Thomas Haden Church as the villain, Lyle Van De Groot. A direct-to-video sequel, George of the Jungle 2, starring Christopher Showerman as George and Julie Benz as Ursula, was released in 2003.
2007 series[]
Classic Media developed a new George of the Jungle Flash animation series 40 years later in 2007. It now utilizes a co-production. The new version of the series is co-produced with Studio B Productions and Teletoon Canada (with other studios also involved), and currently airs on Teletoon in Canada and on Cartoon Network in the United States (starting with a Christmas-themed episode December 21, 2007). The series was scheduled to air on Nicktoons in the United Kingdom and Disney Channel Asia in Southeast Asia.[8][9][10] The series officially premiered on Cartoon Network on January 18. Both seasons are available digitally on iTunes.
The series initially ran 26 episodes, with two George stories per episode for a total of 52 stories. In 2016, 26 additional episodes were made, also with two George stories per episode.
Cultural references[]
"Weird Al" Yankovic did a cover version of the George of the Jungle theme on his 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid, the only straight cover Yankovic ever released on an album, and which later appeared on the soundtrack of the 1997 live-action film. Another cover of the theme by The Presidents of the United States of America also appeared on the soundtrack and was the title theme for the film.
The Rhino Records 1989 release Rerun Rock: Superstars Sing Television Themes included a cover version performed in the style of "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin and sung by Scott Shaw.
References[]
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 237–238. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 117-119. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "Box Art for George of the Jungle – The Complete Series". Archived from the original on 2008-01-24. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ This line was often misheard as "Bella and Ursula," causing puzzlement to viewers as to the non-appearance of "Bella" in the series, as in this quotation from Animation World Update: Strike, Joe (January 18, 2008). "'George of the Jungle': Hey, Watch Out for that Revamp". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
Still, the Riddle of Bella and Ursula remains unsolved. Anyone who's familiar with the original theme song has heard the lyric '... while Bella and Ursula stay in step.' The accompanying sight of identical-twin jungle girls dragging off a dazed George has an entire generation of baby boomers still wondering, 'Who the heck is Bella?'
. The line was meant to reference one of the conventions of the show, that George's massive stupidity led him to mistake Ursula for a "fella" and address her as such. - ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 367–369. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Tooki39 (5 February 2013). "Tookie Tookie Bird - George Of The Jungle" – via YouTube.
- ^ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. pp. 158. ISBN 978-0-7624-3007-9.
- ^ "WGBH & Studio B to Produce Martha Speaks Animated Series For Public TV". Archived from the original on 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "Seven toons likely to draw an animated response from international buyers". Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "George returns to the jungle, with postmodernism in tow". Archived from the original on 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
External links[]
- George of the Jungle at IMDb
- Official Cartoon Network site
- George of the Jungle' at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016.
- George of the Jungle
- 1960s American animated television series
- 1967 American television series debuts
- 1967 American television series endings
- Jay Ward Productions
- DreamWorks Classics
- American Broadcasting Company original programming
- Television shows set in Africa
- Jungles in fiction
- Africa in fiction
- American children's animated comedy television series
- Tarzan parodies