Groovie Goolies

Groovie Goolies is an American animated television show that had its original run on network television between 1970 and 1971. Produced by Filmation, Groovie Goolies was a spinoff of The Sabrina the Teenage Witch Show (itself a spinoff of The Archie Show). Like most Saturday morning cartoons of the era, Groovie Goolies utilized an adult laugh track.

Premise

The Goolies were a group of hip monsters residing at Horrible Hall (a haunted boarding house for monsters) on Horrible Drive. Many of the Goolies were (in look and sound) pop-culture echoes of the classic horror-film monsters created in the 1930s and 1940s, mostly by Universal Pictures. The group sang a pop song each episode.

Characters

• Drac – The short-tempered vampire who is the head of Horrible Hall. He plays the pipe organ in the Groovie Goolies that has arms where the music sheets would go. At the beginning of each episode where the viewer is welcomed to Horrible Hall, Drac in his bat form would try to fly into the window only to crash into it. Upon crash-landing, Drac would say "This place is driving me batty."
• Frankie – An easygoing Frankenstein's Monster who headed the Muscle-leum Gymnasium. He plays the bone xylophone/drums in the Groovie Goolies. Often would be zapped by lightning, revealing his inner mechanical workings and then remarking "I needed that!!" Frankie also had a dual identity as the inept superhero "Super Ghoul" (as seen in the song of the same name).
  • Rover – Frankie's pet sauropod-type dinosaur.
• Wolfie – A hippie werewolf that speaks in a combination of beatnik, surfer, and hippie slang. Wolfie plays a lyre-like stringed instrument in the Groovie Goolies and is always seen wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and beach sandals. Wolfie is always out for a good time like running wild, surfing, or driving his Wolf Wagon. He especially gets on Drac's nerves.
  • Fido – Wolfie's pet piranha that eats anything and can fly when necessary.
• Hagatha – A plump witch who served as resident chef. She also has a living broom named Broomhilda and is the aunt of Hauntleroy.
• Bella La Ghostly – A female vampire who works as Horrible Hall's switchboard operator.
• Dr. Jekyll and Hyde – The two-headed resident doctor who often fought as to which one of them was Jekyll and/or Hyde. The right head is a normal "human" doctor while the left head is a green-skinned "monster" doctor. Dr. Jekyll and Hyde have their own second opinion.
• Mummy – A bandaged mummy who dabbles in first aid. Mummy serves as the newsman for "The Mummy's Wrap-Up" newscasts. He would often become unraveled.
• Boneapart – A skittish skeleton in a Napoleon hat who had a tendency to fall apart.
• Ghoulihand – A giant, talking, disembodied glove.
• Batso and Ratso – Two fanged imp-like brats with a penchant for coming up with plans for swiping treats as well playing mean practical jokes that often backfired on them.
• Hauntleroy – A rotund, conniving, selfish and two-faced sissy kid in a sailor suit who was often the primary foil for Batso's and Ratso's tricks. He is the nephew of Hagatha.
• Icky and Goo – Two gargoyle-like creatures that seem to be the main pets of Horrible Hall. Icky is a blue gargoyle-like creature while Goo is a red gargoyle-like creature.
• Tiny – A diminutive, long-haired mummy with a high-pitched voice. He is the cousin of Mummy and the lead singer of the Mummies and the Puppies.
• Missy – An enigmatic mummified spook whose long, pink hair hides her face and body except for one large, blue eye. She is Tiny's wife and a member of the Mummies and the Puppies.
• Mama Casket – A plump green mummy who is a member of The Mummies and the Puppies.
• Orville – A large thing-eating plant.
• The Spookoo Clock - A cuckoo clock that has a vulture coming out of it.
• The Ask-It Casket - A talking casket that answers any questions given to it.
• The Lovesick Loveseat - A living loveseat that especially has a crush on Drac.
• The Skelevator - An elevator shaped like a large human skull.

Show structure

The show was structured very much like the then-popular show Laugh-In, with several short segments of one-liner jokes and riddles. This was most shown by "Weird Windows Time", a take-off on Laugh-In's famous Joke Wall. Every so often one of the Goolies had a special segment in which they instructed the audience about one thing or another, such as:

• Dracula's Schoolhouse – A school that provides the finer points of (mad) science.
• Hagatha's Bedtime Stories – Hagatha reads a popular fairy tale to Frankie at bedtime with the other inhabitants in different parts.
• Home Movies – The inhabitants watch the home movies of their past activities.
• The Mummy's Wrap-Up – A news program hosted by Mummy who delivers news revolving around monsters.
• Wolfie's Theater – Wolfie re-enacts a popular fairy tale with some of the inhabitants while the others watch.

Voice cast

• John Erwin – Rover
• Dallas McKennon
• Larry D. Mann – Dr. Hyde, Boneapart, Batso
• Howard Morris – Frankie, Wolfie, Dr. Jekyll, Mummy, Hauntleroy
• Larry Storch – Drac, Ratso, Ghoulihand
• Jane Webb – Hagatha, Bella La Ghostly

Production

The show originally aired on CBS as Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies, and also featured Archie Comics character Sabrina the Teenage Witch with her aunts Hilda and Zelda. Sabrina had had previous appearances as a supporting character on The Archie Comedy Hour the previous year. In 1971, Sabrina was spun off into her own show.

Never a critical success, the Goolies had appeal, reappearing in 1971 as The Groovie Goolies on their own solo show. After one season with Sabrina, executives decided that the Goolies were strong enough to make it on their own, and thus Sabrina and the Goolies both received their own separate shows. The following year they had a feature entitled Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies (which was part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie), teaming them with the Looney Tunes stars. This movie featured a brief, live-action sequence featuring some of the Goolies, including Frankie, Drac, Wolfie and Hauntleroy. ABC later rebroadcast the original series for one season in 1975. They finally entered syndication in 1978.

The syndicated version became an anthology series, entitled The Groovie Goolies and Friends, featuring over 104 half-hour episodes. The Groovie Goolies were packaged with several other Filmation series in shared rotation. The syndication format featured new opening credits and "bumpers", with the original end credits for each series retained. The series included The New Adventures of Waldo Kitty (minus the live-action sequences) (13 shows), Lassie's Rescue Rangers (17 shows), The New Adventures of Gilligan (24 shows), My Favorite Martians (16 shows), and former Uncle Croc's Block segments M.U.S.H. ("Mangy Unwanted Shabby Heroes"), Fraidy Cat, and Wacky and Packy (combined into 18 shows).

The cartoon aired with the UK version of Hanna-Barbera's Banana Splits in the early 1980s, and as of May 2009, the show can be streamed in the US in minisode form on Crackle.

Episodes

Featured songs

1. "Monster Cookbook" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
2. "When I Grow Up" – Performed by the Mummies and the Puppies.
3. "1, 2, 3, Ghosts" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
4. "Population Party" – Performed by the Bare Bones Band.
5. "Cling Clang" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
6. "Goolie Garden" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
7. "Monsters On Parade" – Performed by the Spirits of '76.
8. "Monster Trio" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
9. "Super Ghoul" – Performed by the Bare Bones Band.
10. "Feed the Ghost Some Garlic" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
11. "Midnight" – Performed by the Rolling Headstones.
12. "Save Your Good Lovin' for Me" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
13. "Lights Out" – Performed by the Rolling Headstones.
14. "Chick-A-Boom" – Performed by the Rolling Headstones.
15. "Bumble Goolie" – Performed by the Bare Bones Band.
16. "Gool School" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
17. "Where Are You Going, Little Ghoul?" – Performed by the Mummies and the Puppies.
18. "Noises" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
19. "Be Kind to Monsters Week" – Performed by the Spirits of '76.
20. "Frankie" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
21. "When the Moon is Full" – Performed by the Mummies and the Puppies.
22. "What's In The Bag" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
23. "Goolie Picnic" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
24. "Little Texas Goolie" – Performed by the Spirits of '76.
25. "Listen for the Bells"/"Goolie Get Together" – Performed by the Spirits of '76.
26. "Goolie Swing" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
27. "Darlin' Darlin'" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
28. "Kings and Queens" – Performed by the Bare Bones Band.
29. "Shadows" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
30. "It's a Lovely Night for Scaring" – Performed by the Mummies and the Puppies.
31. "Witch's Brew" – Performed by the Groovie Goolies.
32. "Creeper Crawler"^[1] – Performed by the Rolling Headstones.

The songs were written by Richard Delvy, Ed Fournier, and Dick Monda, who made a separate hit single recording of "Chick-a-Boom" as Daddy Dewdrop in 1971. The show’s theme song, "Goolie Get-Together", was written by Linda Martin and Janis Gwin.

Home release

The complete series was released on DVD on October 24, 2006 by BCI Eclipse LLC (under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment label) (under license from Entertainment Rights) as Groovie Goolies: The Saturday Mourning Collection, and was presented uncut, restored and digitally remastered. However, the original laugh track was removed from some episodes for this release.

Special features include:

• "Goolians": 45 minute "docu-comedy" created by producer and voice over artist Wally Wingert featuring interviews with Alice Cooper, Forrest J. Ackerman, Ron Chaney, Lou Scheimer, Bill Corso, and head writer Jack Mendelsohn. Includes new original rock song "True Blue Goolian," and a music video with the Sacramento punk band The Groovie Ghoulies.
• Audio commentary from Lou Scheimer for two episodes, "Goolie" head writer Jack Mendelsohn, Filmation historian Darrell McNeil, and Hollywood monster expert Bob Burns. Hosted by Wally Wingert.
• Image gallery featuring original model sheets, animation cels, storyboards, backgrounds and PSAs
• "Goolie Get-Together Sing-a-Long"
• Candid story from producer Lou Scheimer about "The Creation of Filmation"
• Trivia and episode guide
• DVD-ROM extras, including scripts and the original series bible for The Kookie Spookies

References

External links

• The Final Taxi Podcast on Archie Comics' publisher Richard Goldwater
• Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies on IMDb
• Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies at TV.com
• Episode guide at the Big Cartoon DataBase