Wait Till Your Father Gets Home

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home is an American animated comedy-drama television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for NBC. It ran from 1972 to 1974, airing 48 episodes that spanned three seasons. It was the last prime time animated sitcom from Hanna-Barbera, up until Capitol Critters in 1992. Although geared towards adults, its apparent accessibility for the whole family allowed it to be aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in their heydays.

In a small American neigborhood, Harry Boyle—a middle-aged conservative suburbanite—must deal with the problems his family presents him, which includes wife Irma, and their three kids; the outspoken feminist, yet boy-crazy daughter, Alice, long-haired and unemployed first son, Chet, and second younger son, Jamie. Despite his old-fashioned values and wisdom, he also has to deal with his next door neighbor, Ralph Kane; an ultra-right wing, anti-communist conspiracist.

Only the first season is available on DVD, while the second and third seasons are unlikely to be released due to clearance issues.

Development
Following the success of Norman Lear's TV sitcom All in the Family, Hanna-Barbera created the series by using Lear's show as its inspiration. By using it as the basis, the series managed to focus on topics such as the generation gap, sex, and bigotry; topics that were seldomly brought up in TV animation prior. Whereas their two previous sitcoms—The Flintstones and The Jetsons—were set in fantastical time periods, Wait Till Your Father Gets Home set itself apart by taking place in the then-current, modern world. Hanna-Barbera brought in Playboy magazine artist Marty Murphy to design the characters of the show.

Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the show contained a laugh track created by the studio.

The pilot, "Love and the Old-Fashioned Father," made its debut on the TV anthology series Love, American Style, on February 11, 1972. Following the pilot, the first episode of the series aired on September 12 of the same year.

Music
The music was composed by Richard Bowden, who was credited as musical director, with musical supervision from Paul DeKorte.

Cast

 * Tom Bosley as Harry Boyle
 * Joan Gerber as Irma Boyle
 * Kristina Holland as Alice Boyle
 * David Hayward (season 1) and Lennie Weinrib (seasons 1-3) as Chet Boyle
 * Jackie Haley (season 1) and Willie Aames (seasons 1-3) as Jamie Boyle
 * Frank Burns as Ralph Kane

Celebrity guests

 * Don Knotts
 * Casey Kasem
 * Phyllis Diller
 * Rich Little

Everlasting Influence
Wait Till Your Father Gets Home was the first animated prime time sitcom since The Flintstones to air for more than one season, and would remain the only one until The Simpsons seventeen years later.