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Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

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Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
The first-season opening title from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
GenreMystery
Adventure
Comedy horror
Created byJoe Ruby
Ken Spears
Developed byJoe Ruby
Ken Spears
Iwao Takamoto
Fred Silverman
Directed byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Voices ofDon Messick
Casey Kasem
Frank Welker
Nicole Jaffe
Stefanianna Christopherson
Heather North (1970)
George A. Robertson, Jr. (1970)
Theme music composerDavid Mook
Ben Raleigh
Opening theme"Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" performed by
Larry Markes (Season 1 (1969))
George A. Robertson, Jr. (Season 2 (1970))
ComposerTed Nichols
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes41 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Running time21 minutes approx
Production companyHanna-Barbera
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1969 –
October 31, 1970

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is the first (and flagship) incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series, Scooby-Doo. It premiered on September 13, 1969 at 10:30 a.m. EST and ran for two seasons in from 1969-1970.

Part of the third season of The Scooby-Doo Show was originally broadcast with the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! opening and closing sequences, and is sometimes marketed as a third season of the original "Where Are You!" series.

Origin

Further information: Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was the result of CBS and Hanna-Barbera's plans to create a non-violent Saturday morning program which would appease the parent watch groups that had protested the superhero-based programs of the mid-1960s. Originally titled Mysteries Five, and later Who's S-S-Scared?, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! underwent a number of changes from script to screen (the most notable of which was the downplaying of the musical group angle borrowed from The Archie Show). However, the basic concept—four teenagers (Freddie, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy) and a cowardly, clumsy Great Dane dog (Scooby-Doo) solving supernatural-related mysteries—was always in place.

Writing

Scooby-Doo creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears served as the story supervisors on the series. Ruby, Spears, and Bill Lutz wrote all of the scripts for the seventeen first-season Scooby episodes, while Ruby, Spears, Lutz, Larz Bourne, and Tom Dagenais wrote the eight second season episodes. The plot varied little from episode to episode. The main concept was as follows:

  1. The Mystery, Inc. gang turn up in the Mystery Machine, en route to or returning from a regular teenage function, when their van develops engine trouble or breaks down for any of a variety of reasons (overheating, flat tire, out of gas, etc.), in the immediate vicinity of a large, mostly vacated property (ski lodge, hotel, factory, mansion, etc.).
  2. Their (unintended) destination turns out to be suffering from a monster problem (ghosts, Frankenstein, Yeti, etc.). The kids volunteer to investigate the case.
  3. The gang splits up to cover more ground, with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne finding danger, and Shaggy and Scooby finding food, fun, and the ghost/monster, who gives chase. Scooby and Shaggy in particular love to eat, including dog treats called Scooby Snacks which are a favorite of both the dog and the teenage boy.
  4. Eventually, enough clues are found to convince the gang that the ghost/monster is a fake, and a trap is set to capture it. Or they will occasionally just call the local sheriff and get stopped by the villain half-way.
  5. The trap may or may not work (more often than not, Scooby-Doo and/or Shaggy falls into the trap and they accidentally catch the monster another way, usually if the plan is explained in detail beforehand, then the attempted execution fails). Invariably, the ghost/monster is apprehended and unmasked. The person in the ghost or monster suit turns out to be an apparently blameless authority figure or otherwise innocuous local who is using the disguise to cover up something such as a crime or a scam.
  6. After giving the parting shot of "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids" (sometimes adding "...and your stupid dog!"), the offender is then taken away to jail, and the gang is allowed to continue on their way to their destination.

Episodes

Main article: List of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episodes

Voices

Scooby-Doo features an emphasis placed on verbal rather than visual storytelling, and the work of the voice artists was particularly important. Don Messick, the voice of Astro the dog, Dr. Benton Quest, and Boo-Boo Bear—among others—provided the raspy, mumbling voice of Scooby-Doo using a similar (but slightly lower) voice he provided for Astro, the pet dog on The Jetsons. Radio DJ Casey Kasem voiced Shaggy, young actor Frank Welker voiced Fred (which began Welker's long career in voice work), and actress Nicole Jaffe voiced Velma (Frank Welker and Nicole Jaffe also appeared together in the 1969 Elvis Presley film The Trouble with Girls.)

Stefanianna Christopherson voiced Daphne during the first season, but moved to New York City to marry and start a family before production began on the second season. As a result, Nicole Jaffe's roommate, Heather North, took over the role of Daphne.

The second season featured "chase scene" songs produced by La La Productions (which had originally been contracted to create the music for Josie and the Pussycats, the first of many shows made from the same mold as Scooby-Doo). These songs were written by Danny Janssen and Austin Roberts, and were performed by Roberts, who also made a new recording of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! theme song for the second season.

Episodes contained a laugh track, one of the first Saturday morning cartoon shows to do so (a laugh track was even used in the main titles for "A Clue for Scooby-Doo"). It was removed for syndication in the 1980s. Not long after the Turner networks (TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network) began airing the show in 1994, the laugh track was reinstated in 1998.

Cast

Release and reception

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was a breakaway hit for Hanna-Barbera and CBS, who quickly introduced similar cartoons to accompany Scooby-Doo: Josie and the Pussycats, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The Funky Phantom, Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, and Fangface.

In 2005, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! came 49th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons,[1] and was, more recently, voted the 8th greatest Kid's TV Show by viewers of the same channel.[2] It was ranked the 24th greatest cartoon on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.[3]

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! reruns have been a daily fixture on Boomerang channel since the channel's inception, however (as of May 2012), it has not been shown on Cartoon Network since January 2010.

Home media

On July 4, 2002, Warner Home Video released four episodes from the series on a compilation DVD in Region 1 entitled Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers.[4] They later released all 25 episodes on DVD in Region 1 on March 16, 2004 under the title Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete First and Second Seasons. A DVD entitled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete Third Season was released on April 10, 2007, made up of episodes produced in 1978, added to the Scooby's All-Stars package, and later syndicated as part of The Scooby-Doo Show.

On November 9, 2010, Warner Home Video released Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? – The Complete Series. The 8 disc set features all 25 episodes of the series plus the 16 episodes produced in 1978 which aired as part of Scooby's All-Stars. The set is encased in special collectible packaging in the form of a Mystery Machine replica. In addition, it also features a special bonus disc filled with new & archival material.[5]

Starting on January 27, 2009, Warner Home Video released single disc DVDs with 4 episodes each. So far 4 volumes have been released with the newest being released on October 19, 2010 titled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?: Vol. 4, Spooked Bayou.[6]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! – The Complete First and Second Seasons 25 March 16, 2004
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete Third Season 16 April 10, 2007
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! – The Complete Series 41 November 9, 2010
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Vol. 1, A Monster Catch 4 January 27, 2009
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Vol. 2, Bump In The Night 4 May 5, 2009
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Vol. 3, Hello Mummy 4 September 4, 2009
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Vol. 4, Spooky Bayou 4 October 19, 2010
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - 13 Spooky Tales: Holiday Chills and Thrills 13 October 16, 2012[7]
Compilation DVD
DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers 4 July 4, 2002

See also

References

  1. ^ channel4.com
  2. ^ channel4.com
  3. ^ IGN - 24. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
  4. ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000063K1T
  5. ^ Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! DVD news: Complete Series Announced – Mystery Machine Packaging! | TVShowsOnDVD.com
  6. ^ Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: Season One, V.4: Artist Not Provided: Movies & TV
  7. ^ Lambert, David (June 21, 2012). "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - '13 Spooky Tales: Holiday Chills and Thrills' 2-DVD Set". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved June 21, 2012.

Cartoon Network. http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/scoobydoomysteryinc/index.html?atclk_gn=link_shw_Scooby-Doo!-Mystery-Incorporated

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