8.4 /10 2 Votes
Original language(s) English First episode date 10 September 1977 Number of seasons 1 | 6.8/10 IMDb Country of origin United States No. of seasons 1 Final episode date 21 January 1978 Number of episodes 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Directed by Sidney MillerHollingsworth MorseCharles A. NicholsChris Cuddington Voices of Scatman CrothersBob HoltDon MessickLennie Weinrib Cast Similar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Skatebirds (on-screen title: Skatebirds) is a 60-minute Saturday morning live-action/animated package program produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on CBS from September 10, 1977 to January 21, 1978.
Contents
- The skatebirds short version
- Overview
- Opening and closing credits
- The Robonic Stooges
- Wonder Wheels
- Woofer Wimper Dog Detectives
- Mystery Island
- Broadcast history
- Production credits
- Other appearances
- Merchandise
- References
The skatebirds short version
Overview
The Skatebirds consisted of three large costumed birds on roller skates: Knock-Knock, a woodpecker (voiced by Lennie Weinrib); Satchel, a pelican (voiced by Bob Holt) and Scooter, a penguin (voiced by Don Messick); their nemesis was a cat named Scat Cat (voiced by Scatman Crothers). The live-action sequences featuring The Skatebirds mostly revolved around the nasty Scat Cat perpetually chasing the roller-staking trio and trying to get the best of them.
The show was divided into four short segments introduced by live action wraparounds with The Skatebirds characters which included three animated segments (The Robonic Stooges, Wonder Wheels and Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives) and a 10-minute live-action segment (Mystery Island). The appearance of the characters and the show's format was similar to The Banana Splits Adventures Hour. Unlike its similar predecessor and most Saturday morning children's shows produced in the 1970s, The Skatebirds did not contain a laugh track.
A total of 16 episodes of The Skatebirds were produced in its original run from September 10, 1977 to January 21, 1978. In the fall of 1979, the show returned to CBS in a shortened half-hour version with Wonder Wheels and Mystery Island segments (The Robonic Stooges and Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives segments had been spun off into a separate half-hour) and broadcast on Sunday mornings from September 9, 1979 until January 25, 1981. In the late 1980s, a different syndicated half-hour version of The Skatebirds with The Robonic Stooges and Wonder Wheels segments was shown on USA Cartoon Express and later resurfaced on Cartoon Network in the 1990s and Boomerang in the 2000s.
Opening and closing credits
The opening credits for the original one-hour version with voice-over narration by Wally Burr:
It's Skatebird time and here come The Skatebirds – Knock-Knock, Scooter, Satchel and Scat Cat. Then, The Robonic Stooges, plus the spine-tingling suspense-filled excitement of Mystery Island, and the doggone it daffy doings of those dog detectives, Woofer & Wimper, and more...the unbelievable adventures of an unbelievable motorcycle, Wonder Wheels. For all-out fun, it's Satch, Knock Knock, Scooter and Scat Cat...and for suspense, mystery and adventure, it's The Skatebirds Show!
The opening credits for the syndicated half-hour version with voice-over narration by Ronnie Schell:
It's Skatebird time starring Knock-Knock, Satchel and Scooter, those featheared clowns of fantasy. Along with Willie the Wheeler and the superhero cycle known as Wonder Wheels, as well as those three mechanical marbles, The Robonic Stooges. One big collection of wild, wacky and wonderful characters...The Skatebirds!
The music featured in the closing credits is the CB Bears theme which was also later used as the ending credits for Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels.
The Robonic Stooges
The characters of The Three Stooges – Moe, Larry and Curly – as clumsy crime-fighting bionic superheroes who are given assignments via film projector from their boss Agent 000 who runs the Superhero Employment Agency.
Wonder Wheels
A high school journalist named Willie Wheeler and his girlfriend Dooley solve crimes with the help of his shape-shifting superhero motorcycle, Wonder Wheels; whenever Willie goes into action, his beat-up motorcycle transforms itself into a pimped out version with a mind of its own.
Woofer & Wimper, Dog Detectives
A shortened and re-titled version of Clue Club featuring two talking bloodhounds – Woofer & Wimper – who help solve mysteries with the Clue Club detectives: Larry, Pepper, D.D. and Dottie. The original half-hour episodes of Clue Club were cut-down to 10 minutes to showcase both dogs as the show's main characters.
Mystery Island
The adventures of a plane crew – Chuck Kelly, Sue Corwin, her younger brother Sandy and their computer robot named P.O.P.S. – stranded on a remote island by the evil scientist Dr. Strange who hopes to capture P.O.P.S. and use it in his quest for world domination.
Broadcast history
Original CBS broadcast:
Broadcast schedules (all EDT):