Wally Gator
Wally Gator | |
---|---|
Genre |
Animated Comedy |
Directed by |
William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
Voices of |
Daws Butler Don Messick |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 52 |
Production | |
Producer(s) |
William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
Running time | 24 minutes |
Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
Distributor |
Screen Gems (original) Warner Bros. Television Distribution (current) |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | September 3, 1962 – August 30, 1963 |
Wally Gator is one of the segments from The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series. The other segments that compose this trilogy are Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum. The segment consisted of 52 episodes over two seasons.
Plot
Wally Gator (voiced by Daws Butler impersonating Ed Wynn) is an anthropomorphic Cajun alligator. He is more comfortable when he is at home in the city zoo. Mr. Twiddle (voiced by Don Messick) is the zookeeper who keeps a close watch on Wally because sometimes he escapes to check out what things are like outside of the zoo.
Analysis
Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman notes that Wally Gator follows the formula that Hanna-Barbera established in previous series, particularly the Yogi Bear series. The formula of these shows placed an animal character within a human-controlled environment and had these characters deal with the social boundaries placed and enforced by the humans.[1] In Yogi's case, he lives in a park and is under the care of a park ranger. In Wally's case, he lives in a zoo and is under the supervision of a zookeeper.[1]
The theme that drives the series is Wally's desire to escape the zoo and get to the outside world. This is derivative of the Top Cat series, where the titular character keeps trying to escape life in the alley.[1] Wally successfully escapes in each episode, but by the end of the episode he returns to the zoo. In some cases someone returns him there, in others he voluntarily returns. The end result is the same.[1]
Lehman notes an underlying theme in the series which is rather depressing. The zoo and life in captivity seems to be the proper place for Wally. No matter how much he struggles to fit in the society of the outside world, Wally remains an "Other" and is doomed to fail. The status quo is preserved following every unsuccessful attempt at change.[1]
Episodes
Cast
- Daws Butler as Wally Gator
- Don Messick as Mr. Twiddle
- Mel Blanc as additional voices, such as Colonel Zachary Gator (ep. "Carpet Bragger")
DVD release
A DVD set release of the series was originally announced for 2006 from Warner Bros. for the H-B classics collection but was later canceled due to the poor condition of the masters. In 2006, a Warner spokesperson said of the DVDs: "They were pulled because significant remastering work needed to be researched. We are exploring adding them back to the schedule next year." There has been no news since, but fans all over the world hope they do. The first episode is available on the DVD set Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960's Vol. 2.[2]
Wally Gator in other languages
- Brazilian Portuguese: similar to English
- Spanish: El Lagarto Juancho
- French: similar to English
- Portuguese: Wally, o Jacaré
- Italian: similar to English
- Macedonian: Vali Gator (Вали Гатор)
- Japanese: "ワニのワリーh (Wani no Wally)"
- Serbian: Lale Gator (Лале Гатор)
- Finnish: Allu Alligaattori, later Walligaattori
- Polish: similar to English
- Romanian: similar to English
Later appearances
Hanna-Barbera
- Wally Gator appeared in Yogi's Ark Lark and its spin-off series Yogi's Gang.
- Wally Gator was a member of the Yogi Yahooeys on Laff-A-Lympics (1977–1978).
- In Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper, Wally Gator (alongside Magilla Gorilla and Yakky Doodle) was unable to help Yogi and his friends locate J. Wellington Jones.
- Wally Gator made a cameo in one episode of Yogi's Treasure Hunt.
- In Yogi's Great Escape, Yogi Bear encounters Wally Gator in the bayou where he was seen hiding out in an abandoned boat from zookeepers.
- In Wake, Rattle, and Roll, Wally Gator (voiced by John Mariano) is partnered with Magilla Gorilla in the "Fender Bender 500" segment.
- Wally Gator appeared as a teenager in Yo Yogi! voiced by Greg Burson.
- Wally Gator appeared in The Powerpuff Girls episode, "Knock It Off", where he was giant-sized and nearly fell on top of New York City, but was saved by the first of Professor Dick Hardly's Powerpuff Girls X-Treme from nearly injuring his toe.
- Wally Gator (voiced by Phill LaMarr) and the rest of Hanna-Barbera characters will appear in the upcoming Scooby-Doo direct-to-video Scooby-Doo! Mission Yogi's Gang
Other appearances/references
- In the Enfants Directeurs episode "A Crocodile Day", a cool 3D plastic doll-like version of Wally Gator is "liberated" from the confines of the city zoo by a group of concerned citizens.
- In The A-Team episode "The Island", H. M. Murdock names a baby crocodile he found from a deserted World War II tank Wally Gator.
- In the Animaniacs episode "Hercule Yakko," Yakko asks Slappy Squirrel if she's seen anything strange and she said, "I saw Wally Gator slam dance with a Smurf. Is that strange enough for you?".
- Wally Gator made a cameo appearance in the Team Umizoomi episode "The Aquarium Fix-It".
- In the Aaahh!!! Real Monsters episode "Simon Strikes Back", Wally Gator was among the poached monsters on Simon the Monster hunter's truck.
- In the Pinky and the Brain episode "Sea Mice", Wally Gator was briefly seen fishing.
- Wally made a cameo appearance in Sealab 2021 episode, "Fusebox".
- As with many classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Wally Gator was the subject of an episode of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, voiced by Maurice LaMarche. He is characterized as a backwoods hick railing against the establishment.
- Wally Gator appeared as the announcer on Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak in 2000.
- In The Brady Bunch episode "Garage Sale", a Wally Gator plush doll is seen amongst the toys in the box.
- In The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Zoobotik", there is an alligator bearing a resemblance to Wally Gator. Also in the episode "Magnificent Sonic", Wally's name is seen amongst the list of criminals Sonic has to turn in.
- In an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos, a clip shows a man pushing a Wally Gator plush doll in a baby swing.
- Wally Gator also made a cameo appearance in a 2012 MetLife commercial entitled, "Everyone".
- In T.U.F.F. Puppy, D.O.O.M. member Francisco wears a hat resembling Wally Gator's and is an alligator as well.
International broadcast
- Chile
- TVN (1975–1977, 1984–1987)
- Canal 13 (1978–1983, 1988–1990)
- Megavision (1990–1993)
- Latin America
- Cartoon Network (1993–2000)
- Boomerang (2001–2008)
- Tooncast (2009–present) (in HB Hour)
Production credits
- Produced and Directed by: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
- Story: Warren Foster, Michael Maltese, Dalton Sandifer, Kin Platt, Harvey Bullock, R. S. Allen, Tony Benedict
- Story Direction: Alex Lovy, Lew Marshall, Paul Sommer, John Freeman
- Associate Producer: Alex Lovy
- Voice Characterization: Mel Blanc, Daws Butler, Bill Thompson, Don Messick, Alan Reed
- Story Supervision: Arthur Pierson
- Other Voices: Julie Bennett, Joe Besser, June Foray, Paul Frees, J. Pat O'Malley, Red Coffee, George O'Hanlon, Howard Morris, Penny Singleton, Arnold Stang, Hal Smith, John Stephenson, Jean Vander Pyl, Janet Waldo, Nancy Wible, Doug Young, Ginny Tyler
- Musical Direction: Hoyt Curtin
- Animation: Ed Aardal, Robert Bentley, John Boersema, Bob Carr, Hugh Fraser, George Goepper, Jerry Hathcock, Harry Holt, William Keil, Ed Love, Dick Lundy, Kenneth Muse, George Nicholas, Jack Ozarks, Ed Parks, Don Patterson, Irven Spence, Carlo Vinci, Don Williams, Allen Wilzbach
- Animation Direction: Charles A. Nichols
- Layout: Dick Bickenbach, Lance Nolley, Iwao Takamoto, Dan Noonan, Willie Ito, Jerry Eisenberg, Jack Huber, Bill Perez, Walter Clinton, Tony Sgroi, Al Wilson, Alex Ignatiev, Noel Tucker, C. L. Hartman
- Background: Robert Gentle, Art Lozzi, Richard H. Thomas, Montealegre, Anthony Rizzo, Neenah Maxwell, Bob Abrams, Lee Branscombe, Joseph Montell, Ron Dias, Paul Julian, Tom O'Laughlin, Harvard Pennington,
- Production Supervision: Howard Hanson
- Camera: Roy Wade, Charles Frekal, Frank Paiker, Frank Parrish
- Film Editing: Greg Watson, Kenneth Spears, Joseph Ruby, Don Douglas, Warner Leighton
- A Hanna Barbera Production
- Approved MPAA No 19876 Certification
- RCA Sound Recording
- This Production Made under the Jurisdiction of IATSE-IA Affiricated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.
- Copyright C MCMLXII Hanna Barbera Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved
See also
- List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera
- List of Hanna-Barbera characters
- The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series
- Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har
- Touché Turtle and Dum Dum
Sources
- Lehman, Christopher P. (2007), "The Cartoons of 1961-1962", American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961-1973, McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0786451425
References
External links
- Big Cartoon DataBase: Wally Gator
- Toonopedia
- Wally Gator at the Internet Movie Database
- Wally Gator at TV.com