The Mumbly Cartoon Show

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The Mumbly Cartoon Show
TMCS title card.png
On-screen title card.
Network ABC
Production company Hanna-Barbera
Original release September 11December 18, 1976
Run time 30 minutes
Starring Don Messick
John Stephenson
Executive producer(s) Joseph Barbera
William Hanna
Producer(s) Iwao Takamoto (creative)
Alex Lovy (associate)
Music composed by Hoyt Curtin
Paul De Korte (supervising)
Writer(s) Bill Ackerman
Don Jurwich
Larz Bourne
Joel Kane
Tom Dagenais
Dick Kinney
Alan Dinehart
Frank Ridgeway
Director(s) Charles A. Nichols

The Mumbly Cartoon Show is an animated American television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC's Saturday morning children's programming. It ran in 1976, airing 16 episodes that spanned one season.

The show was featured as a segment of The Tom & Jerry/Grape Ape Show, specifically featured during the second season of the show, when it was eventually retitled as The Tom & Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show, unlike its costars however, the series only featured one segment per episode.

The show centered around lieutenant Mumbly, who works at the police station as a "dog detective" tracking down bad guys and either putting them behind bars or causing them to redeem themselves. Mumbly's hotheaded boss, Chief Shnooker, often tells Mumbly to do the mission of bringing in the crook(s), but would later take credit for Mumbly's work.

The series never saw a home media release, and neither Warner Home Video nor Warner Archive have made any sort of announcements about its release. At this point in time, it is unlikely that the series will be released in any form anytime soon.

Production

Development

Hanna-Barbera borrowed the design of the title character of Mumbly from the similarly named Wacky Races character Muttley, with Mumbly even using Muttley's voice actor, Don Messick for the series. It's unknown if the original intention of the character was that he was originally going to be Muttley for the series, and if Hanna-Barbera borrowed the character's design from Muttley in response to the then-ongoing copyright dispute with Heatter Quigley Inc. for the Wacky Races IP, since history of the show is scarce.

Mumbly was likely inspired by Columbo, the title character played by Peter Falk in the TV series of the same name, as the two share similar clothing and personality traits. His ability to track down criminals may have also been similar to the Droopy cartoons; specifically Dumb-Hounded and Northwest Hounded Police, both of which involve Droopy ceaselessly hounding a crook across the world. Chief Shnooker is likely inspired by Kojak from the series of the same name, even barring similarities between personality and appearance.

Music

The music and opening intro were composed by Hoyt Curtin.

Opening theme song lyrics

Set your dial for a while!
Have a laugh, wear a smile!
It's The Mumbly Cartoon Show!
You'll begin with a grin
When you first tune us in
On The Mumbly Cartoon Show!

Introducing that super-duper detective, lieutenant Mumbly!

He's the greatest!
He's the latest!

Lots of zing, lots to sing!
Everything's gonna swing!
So, get ready - here we go!
Big or small, short or tall,
You will all have a ball
On The Mumbly Cartoon Show!

Episodes

Episode Original air date
1x01 September 11, 1976
1x02 September 18, 1976
1x03 September 25, 1976
1x04 October 2, 1976
1x05 October 9, 1976
1x06 October 16, 1976
1x07 October 23, 1976
1x08 October 30, 1976
1x09 November 6, 1976
1x10 November 13, 1976
1x11 November 20, 1976
1x12 November 25, 1976
1x13 November 27, 1976
1x14 December 4, 1976
1x15 December 11, 1976
1x16 December 18, 1976

Cast

Credits

These identical credits appeared at the end of every episode.

Legacy

Despite the series being a ratings flop, Mumbly and Shnooker would still show up every now and then, such as when Mumbly would later most notably be featured in the Laff-A-Lympics TV series. Mumbly served as a replacement for Muttley, who was originally featured as the captain of the Really Rottens, though he in this series divides from his original show since he is depicted as villainous instead of lawful. Mumbly also appears in the Marvel Comics series of the same name, still with an antagonistic role. The character description for Mumbly featured in the comics reveals that he is the cousin of Muttley.

In the same year the series was going, Mumbly made a surprise guest appearance in the Dynomutt, Dog Wonder episode, "The Great Brain...Train Robbery." Mumbly also appeared for the Super Secret Secret Squirrel episode, "Agent Penny," and his name appears under Daphne's list for private eyes in the Velma episode, "Velma Makes a List." Mumbly also appeared back in 1987, for the TV movie, Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose, again carrying his villainous nature from the Laff-A-Lympics cartoon, and is paired up with the Dread Baron as main antagonists of the film.

Shnooker makes non-speaking guest cameo appearances in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episodes, "SPF" and "Juror in Court." in "SPF" specifically, he is a victim of cybersquatting.

In popular culture

In other languages

Language Name
Brazilian Rabugento, o Cão Detetive

References