|
 | Groups |  | ||
|
| ||||
| No9BEATLESSITE@www.msnusers.com |
The series premiered on ABC on Saturday, September 25, 1965, at 10:30am, and was an instant ratings hit. It racked up a 13 score (52 share), ratings that were unheard of at that time in daytime television. Each half-hour show consisted of two stories written around one of the Beatles hit songs, and two sing-a-long segments, led by the Beatles. Lyrics were flashed on the screen so viewers could join in.
Besides two weekly stories and sing-a-longs, the Beatles Cartoon Show was also famous for its clever bridges between episodes and commercials. These included dry, comic vignettes, such as Ringo buying a newspaper from a street vendor and getting hit by a car, only to complain afterwards, "There's not a word in here about me accident!" The voices of the Beatles' cartoon lookalikes were supplied by two voice actors, Paul Frees (John and George) and Lance Percival (Paul and Ringo). Animation was sent overseas (TVC of London, which produced the Beatles cult feature, The Yellow Submarine, and Astransa an Australian company, did the bulk of the animation) and scripts were turned out rather easily since episodes were based on popular Beatles songs. It took about four weeks to animate each film and I enjoyed it immensely," recalled Chris Cuddington, a series animator. "The characters were easy to draw, and the stories were simple and uncomplicated."
Following the first season's success, Brodax considered producing four Beatles prime-time animated specials. But plans to produce them and several other musical-based cartoon series--animated versions of Herman's Hermits and Freddie and the Dreamers--never fully materialized. The Beatles remained on ABC for three more years, the final two seasons being reruns of original cartoons. The series lost ground during its second season after it was slated opposite CBS' "Space Ghost," part of a powerful Saturday morning lineup which included "Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles," "Mighty Mouse" and the "Mighty Heroes." In the fall of 1968, the series was moved to Sunday mornings where it stayed until its final broadcast in 1969. Here is a list of all the episodes:
|
|
