Harlem Globetrotters (TV series)


 * You may also be looking for the players themselves, Harlem Globetrotters.

Harlem Globetrotters, also known as The Harlem Globetrotters, is an American animated basketball comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS' Saturday morning line-up. Each episode was produced and directed by Hanna-Barbera founders, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It ran from 1970 to 1971, airing 22 episodes that spanned two seasons.

Music
The music was composed by Ted Nichols, with musical supervision from Don Kirshner.

Cast

 * Scatman Crothers as Meadowlark Lemon
 * Stu Gilliam as Curly Neal
 * Johnny Williams as Geese Ausbie
 * Richard Elkins as Gip Gipson
 * Eddie Anderson as Bobby Joe Mason
 * Robert DoQui as Pablo Robertson
 * Nancy Wible as Granny

Legacy
Having an initial one-year run on CBS, Harlem Globetrotters was the first Saturday morning cartoon to feature a predominantly African-American cast. Josie and the Pussycats—another Hanna-Barbera cartoon that aired 30 minutes apart on the same day and network—was the first to feature an African-American female character.

An unrelated sequel, The Super Globetrotters, aired in 1979, with a new set of superpowered Globetrotters. The Globetrotters and Hanna-Barbera association ended in 1980, with the oddball TV special, The Harlem Globetrotters Meet Snow White, with another set of Globetrotters. Among the changes in the team, Curly and Geese were always present.

Reading material
The Harlem Globetrotters was the focus of Hanna-Barbera Fun-In #8, which was published by Gold Key Comics in 1972. A few months later, Gold Key Comics published an ongoing series of Harlem Globetrotters for twelve issues between 1972 to 1975.

In popular culture

 * In the September 8, 1986 episode of Jeopardy! a question in the Kids' TV category was "The Cartoon Featuring This Group Used Scatman Crothers as Voice of Meadowlark Lemon" for $200. Susan responded with the answer, "Who are the Cosby Kids?"
 * In the Family Guy episode "Excellence in Broadcasting," John McCain and Rush Limbaugh, joined by a Scooby-Doo-like dog called Hot Dog, are tipped off by the groundskeeper of a mummy burning the American flag at the swamp, but after investigating they don't find what they're looking for. They set some crazy trap involving a pig, which catches the mummy, who they unmask to be "Old Man" Barney Frank, who yells, "And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling Republicans!" McCain then suddenly turns to celebrity guests, the Harlem Globetrotters, for help. One of them tries to give McCain a high five, but McCain, being the racist he is, turns him down.
 * In "Who the F**k Is Jack McKinney," the fourth episode of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Magic Johnson's cartoon fantasy resembles the look of the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon along with similar-looking gags. Granny also makes a cameo in the audience.