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Beany and Cecil was an animated cartoon series created by Bob Clampett for the ABC Television Network. The cartoon was based on the television puppet show Time for Beany, which Clampett produced for Paramount Pictures beginning in 1949. The animated series first appeared in Matty's Funday Funnies in 1959, later renamed Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil and finally Beany and Cecil in the USA. Another season was produced in 1988. In its original form with hand puppets, the show conveyed a greater sense of personal communication than did the animated series that followed. The hand puppets were extensively marketed and sold well.
Although a children's show, it incorporated satirical references to current events and personalities which adults found entertaining, and the show also attracted adult viewers. Some of the plots were easily recognisable as thinly veiled lampoons of current political issues. Snarky side remarks by Beany, Cecil and the rest of the cast often alluded to embarrassing public fiascos or personages, on which the adult audience immediately picked up.
Along with The Jetsons and The Flintstones, it was one of the first three color television series on the ABC television network (the initial season, though, was originally shown in black and white, as ABC was unable to telecast color programs until September 1962).
Beany and cecil cartoon opening
History
Beany and Cecil was created by animator Bob Clampett after he left Warner Bros., where he had been directing theatrical cartoon shorts. Clampett originated the idea for Cecil when he was a boy after seeing the top half of the dinosaur swimming from the water at the end of the 1925 film The Lost World.
Clampett originally created the series as a puppet show called Time for Beany, which ran from February 28, 1949 to 1954. Time for Beany featured the talents of veteran voice actors Stan Freberg as Cecil and Dishonest John, and Daws Butler as Beany and Uncle Captain.
Clampett revived the series in animated form, though Freberg and Butler did not reprise their roles. On 11 October 1959, the animated show was introduced as Matty's Funday Funnies. named for "Matty Mattel" the animated spokesperson for its primary sponsor Mattel Toys. The program was later retitled The Beany and Cecil Show, airing prime time on Saturdays during the 1962 TV season, on ABC Television. The newer cartoons replaced the Famous Studios cartoons of Casper the Friendly Ghost and Little Audrey among others packaged under the previous said title of Matty's Funday Funnies.
After 1962, the 26 shows (including 78 cartoons) were repeated on Saturday mornings for the next five years. The cartoon featured Beany, a boy, and Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent embarking on a series of adventures, often to discover ancient civilizations and artifacts. These escapades were rife with cartoon slapstick and puns.
Prior to the animated series, but concurrent with the puppet show, Clampett created a comic-book series of Beany and Cecil adventures for Dell Comics. The artwork for this series of comics, running from 1951–54, was drawn by Jack Bradbury.
In 1988, the show was revived as The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil by DiC Entertainment. Only eight episodes were ever made, and only five episodes ever aired. This incarnation of the show was produced and directed by John Kricfalusi, who would later create The Ren and Stimpy Show, and made use of voices from Billy West, who also did voices for Ren (for season 3 and later) and Stimpy.
Main characters
Beany Boy – A young, cupid-faced boy with a propeller beanie that allows him to fly (the "Beanycopter", complete with helmet and propeller, became a popularly marketed novelty). Beany is a good-hearted, upbeat lad. In most episodes, Beany would be kidnapped by the villain or found in a problem too hard to solve, crying "Help, Cecil! Help!" to which Cecil would reply "I'm a-comin', Beany-boy!" as he raced to the rescue. This has become something of a catchphrase. Beany was originally voiced by Jim MacGeorge in the 60's series and by Mark Hildreth in the 80's series.
Cecil (or "Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent") – A large green sea serpent with a slight lisp. He is fiercely loyal to Beany but not terribly bright. Cecil's trusting good nature invariably winds up with him being taken advantage of by the bad people, and he often ends up absorbing a great amount of physical abuse (getting smashed flat, losing his head, having his skin burned off, being shattered to pieces), all within the laws of cartoon physics. The end of Cecil's tail was never seen in most episodes; it always extended off-screen, or was hidden behind an obstacle. This is likely a joking reference to the original Cecil, a hand puppet whose tail was likewise hidden (because it didn't exist). Cecil's tail did appear in "Beany and the Jackstalk", when his entire body got wound into the tension spring of a giant cuckoo clock. Cecil also has a superhero alter-ego known as Super-Cecil. In this guise, he wears a modified Superman shirt (complete with cape). It was Cecil who cried "A Bob Clam-pett car-tooooooo-OOOOOOOOON!" at the opening of each episode. Cecil was originally voiced by Irv Shoemaker in the 60's cartoon and by Billy West in the 80's cartoon.
Captain Horatio Huffenpuff – Also called "Uncle Captain", he is Beany's kindly uncle and the Captain of the Leakin' Lena, which takes the pals from one destination to the other. The Captain is always willing to instruct Beany and Cecil on their latest assignment, but is rather cowardly and refuses to put himself in any personal jeopardy, locking himself below deck or under a box labeled "Capt. Huffenpuff's Hiding Box" for most of the episodes. Uncle Captain was voiced by Jim MacGeorge in both series.
Mouth-Full-of-Teeth Keith – A cowardly, toothless and Xenophobic old lion that hid in the first jungle arrived at by the crew. Trying desperately to maintain his isolation from the interlopers, Keith would roar threatenly at any passerby or invader of his territory. On first encounter with Keith the crew was terrified of the unknown and imperious jungle beast. However, as the story unfolds, Cecil (who often exhibits psychological insights worthy of Sigmund Freud) begins to suspect that Keith is really a "good guy" and fearful of strangers. After a few minor skirmishes and a lot of trust, they all become good friends. Audience response to the gentle and maned feline giant (albeit he is toothless!) was so great that Keith soon became a regular member of the troupe. On several episodes, he rose to the occasion, rescuing the crew from peril in spite of his shy and reclusive nature.
Crowy – The navigator of the Leakin' Lena. He is a crow, and unsurprisingly spends most of his time in the crow's nest. He speaks in a squawky voice and has a tendency to faint dead away whenever the ship encounters some sort of hazard. Voiced by Jim MacGeorge.
Dishonest John (or "D.J.") – The villain of the piece. He is dressed like a Simon Legree character, and he is constantly scheming to foil Beany and Cecil's adventures. His catch phrase is a sinister "Nya-ah-ãhh!", and he occasionally refers to Cecil as a "tall toad", "worm" or "big salami" (referring to his big, limbless body). Whenever Dishonest John's schemes are revealed to the heroes, Cecil tends to respond with an aghast "What the heck! D.J., you dirty guy!". When Dishonest John receives his inevitable come-uppance, it is usually just as painful as the abuse Cecil has endured in the rest of the episode. Dishonest John also has a supervillain alter-ego known as The Bilious Beetle. In this guise, he can fly under his own power and sports a painful stinger. "D.J." also appeared disguised on occasion as the mechanical robotic octopus "Billy The Squid" usually in haphazard attempts to simulate seastorms to scare away the crew of the Leakin' Lena when on a treasure hunt. Dishonest John carried a business card that read: "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap. Special rates for Sundays and holidays". This was the inspiration for the AC/DC song "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." DJ was originally voiced by Irv Shoemaker in the 60's series and by Maurice LaMarche in the 80's series.
Minor characters
Davey Cricket – A cricket with a coonskin cap who lives in the backwoods of Eight-Nine-Tennessee. A parody of Walt Disney's wildly popular segments on the Disneyland TV show based on the life of American frontiersman Davey Crockett. In Cricket's self-titled episode, Dishonest John tries unsuccessfully to sign Davey to a lucrative Hollywood movie contract. He appeared in the episode: Davey Cricket's Leading Ladybug.
Go Man Van Gogh – A stereotypical cartoon beatnik/wild man who lives in the jungles of Wildsville on the Hungry I-Land. He often paints various things with his paintbrush, including paintings, vines to swing on, and fake backdrops to fool enemies (ala Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner). He also often plays a set of bongo drums, does scat singing, and speaks with various beatnik stereotype slang. Though he did not appear in many episodes, he was somewhat of a recurring character in the bumpers. He was originally voiced by Lord Buckley in "The Wildman of Wildsville" (a 1959 theatrical short that later aired on the TV series) and then by Scatman Crothers after Buckley's death in 1960.
Harecules – A rabbit version of Hercules who accessed super mental powers by wearing a helmet called a Thinking Cap and traveled in the Guided Muscle, a rocket shaped like a muscle man's arm with a clenched fist.
Jack the Knife (or "Jacques the Knife") – A friendly, jazz-singing sawfish with a heavy French accent; a parody of singer Bobby Darin and his 1959 recording of the song "Mack the Knife". His sawlike nose is used like a sword to help Cecil defeat Dishonest John in the episode "Hero by Trade". He usually sang to the tune of a jazzy rendition of My Darling Clementine.
Little Ace From Outer Space – An astronaut mouse. In his self-titled episode, he was used by the people at Cape Banana Peel to see "whither or whether there was any weather." Cecil and Dishonest John competed to get Little Ace back to the cape for a cash reward. In "Rat Race From Space," he was sent in a rocket to be the first mouse on the moon only to end up in the ocean. Voiced by Paul Frees.
Tear-A-Long the Dotted Lion – A muscle-bound lion obsessed with exercise and vitamins, a possible parody of fitness guru Jack La Lanne, who had a popular TV exercise show around the same time as Beany and Cecil. His name is a pun of the phrase "Tear along the dotted line", but Tear-A-Long himself wasn't spotted. He spoke with a Southern U.S. accent similar to the Warner Brothers animated character Foghorn Leghorn. One of the original characters on the Time for Beany puppet show. Voiced by Daws Butler.
Careless the Mexican Hairless – Cecil's jovial pet Chihuahua, introduced in the episode "Cecil Gets Careless" and so named because of his tendency to knock things over when he happily jumps and dances. He sings to the tune of the Mexican folk song "El Jarabe Tapatio". He is called a Mexican Hairless for comic effect; the actual breed aka Xoloitzcuintli is much larger.
William Shakespeare Wolf – an actor wolf who was the foil for Little Quacker, a duckling he desired to eat up, and Rin Tin Can, a robot dog.
Beepin' Tom – A diminutive alien who flew about in an open-top flying saucer. Named for his habit of making beeping sounds. When he spoke, he would hum the first line of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and then sing his phrase to the tune of the next line. A high pitched, sped up voice similar to the Chipmunks was used for the character and the words he sang/spoke appeared as a rebus in a word balloon over his head. Appeared in the episode Ain't I a Little Stinger?.
Shlepalong Catskill (aka Hopalong Catskill) – A frog wearing a cowboy hat who walked with a limp similar to that of Dennis Weaver's "Chester" on the TV show Gunsmoke and spoke with a Yiddish accent. His catchphrase was "Hey Shmendrick! Would you like a cup of coffee? The character was voiced by Yiddish comedy singer Mickey Katz "
Peking Tom – A Siamese alley cat who sang about being a "very hungry guy; I've got to get some food 'cause I'm too egg-foo-young to die."
Cora the Clinging Vine (aka Flora) – A vine who literally has a crush on Cecil while singing "groovy" and Jazz scats to him.
Venus the Meanest and Venice the Menace – Two space robot from Venus who at first were reported to be invading Earth but came down for a picnic. Venice the Menace's name is a play on Dennis the Menace both the British and American versions and acts like Linus Van Pelt from Peanuts right down to his thumb sucking and "dirty old" blanket.
The Robot Ants – A group of ants brought by Venus the Meanest to be part of her picnic on Earth. They sing a march base on the children's song "This Old Man".
The Boo Birds – A gang of mischievous ghost birds that haunt an abandoned castle where Cecil stayed. They sing a tune "Filet of Soul (Sole)" based the song "When the Saints Come Marching In".
Edgar Allen Po's Shadow – A shadow man who lives in a haunted mansion who Beany and Cecil encounter the evil Invisible Man in Beany and Cecil meets the Invisible Man.
So What and the Seven What-Knots – A jazz band who performed in a jazz club in Las Vegas, Nevada. They are based on the fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Stogie Bear – A Detective bear who Beany and Cecil helped to arrest the gangster bears in the episode, The Warring 20's.
Double Trouble Bubble Beast – A weird underwater creature who appeared in Ain't That a Cork in the Snorkel and Make a Sea-Serpent Sore!
Music
One episode ("Beanyland") featured Tchaikovsky's instantly recognizable celesta piece, Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, from The Nutcracker. Other famed pieces of the Nutcracker were used in the series as musical interludes such as the Chinese Dance and Dance of the Reed-Flutes. Many other well-known classical music pieces were featured in the show as well, including The William Tell Overture (in the episodes "Beanyland" and "The Phantom of the Horse Opera"), Ride of the Valkyries and Flight of the Bumblebee. Some of the background music was also recycled from Leave it to Beaver and some early Walter Lantz cartoons and incidental music from The Alvin Show.
Influence
The AC/DC song "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is titled after the business cards of character Dishonest John, which read "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap. Holidays, Sundays and special rates."
In Marvel Comics Universe, there is a spacefaring Imperial Guard unit with a member code named Warstar -who actually consists of two separate aliens, one smaller being riding on top of the other more massive one, named B'nee and C'cil, respectively.
The puppet origins and the form of Cecil inspired the famous science fiction author Larry Niven to invent an important extraterrestrial race called Pierson's Puppeteer within his Known Space series of novels and short stories. Beany and Cecil was also an inspiration for Joel Hodgson to create the show Mystery Science Theater 3000
The artists
Executive Producer: A.C.R. Stone
Producer: Bob Clampett
Animation Directors: Jack Hannah, Dick Kinney
Story Material/Storyboards: Bob Clampett, Eddie Maxwell, Al Bertino, Jack Bonestell, Dale Hale,Lloyd Turner (Get Smart writer)
Layout: Terrell Stapp, Willie Ito, Tony Sgroi, Homer Jonas
Master Animator: Art Scott
Animators: Lou Appet, Harry "Bud" Hester, Bill Nunes, Al Stetter, Frank Gonzales, Bill Southwood, Carl A. Bell
Backgrounds: Curtiss Perkins, Robert Abrams, Marie Reed
Music Underscore: Bob Clampett, Sody Clampett, Hoyt Curtin, Jack Roberts
Music Published by Merrifield Music Co., Inc. (ASCAP)
Production Assistants: Dick Elliott, John Soh, Jeanne Thorpe, Mike Sweeten
Voice Talents of Jim MacGeorge, Irv Shoemaker
A Bob Clampett Production, in association with Television Artists and Producers Corporation
The credits of the show did not show traditional job titles, but pictorial icons indicating their jobs. Bob Clampett's writing credit was indicated by a typewriter typing out the words "...by Bob Clampett", for instance.
Episode list
Oil's Well That Ends Well / No Such Thing / D.J. The Dee Jay 6/30/1962
There Goes A Good Squid / Ben Hare / Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow 6/23/1962
