Every so often, a live-action TV series will have strong appeal to children and will find itself transformed into a cartoon to further draw on that audience. Sometimes these animated versions ran concurrently with the live-action inspirations, while others came years after the live-action show had ended. This week’s Saturday Morning Superstars will focus on these animated shows.
This list may not be all-inclusive because I may not remember or have knowledge of every animated adaptation, but this is a healthy sampling. Also, it turns out there were quite a lot of these shows, so this list will be split into two parts, with this week’s column featuring shows from the 1970s and next week’s venturing into the 1980s. I do not recall any cartoons based on live-action shows that aired after that, but if you do, please sound off in the comments section.
Now then… I believe the first animated show to be adapted from a live-action series was The Brady Kids which aired in 1972, concurrently with the live-action show The Brady Bunch which launched in 1969 and ran until 1974. The Brady Kids aired on ABC, the same network that carried The Brady Bunch and was produced by Filmation.
The live-action actors provided the voices of their cartoon counterparts in the first season: Barry Williams as Greg, Maureen McCormick as Marcia, Christopher Knight as Peter, Eve Plumb as Jan, Mike Lookinland as Bobby, and Susan Olsen as Cindy.
The first season consisted of 17 episodes. Filmation wished to continue the series for a second, but the cast refused to return. Filmation threatened to sue. Ultimately, Plumb, Lookinland, and Olsen returned. The children of Filmation president Lou Scheimer took over for Williams with Lane Scheimer voicing Greg, and Erika Scheimer voicing Marcia, replacing McCormick. David E. Smith replaced Knight as the voice of Peter. Filmation wound up only producing five new episodes, bringing the show’s total episode count to 22.
The Brady parents and Alice, the maid, were not included in the cartoon. Instead, the kids were accompanied by Marlon, a magical myna bird, the shaggy dog Mop Top (both voiced by Larry Storch), and Chinese pandas Ping and Pong (both voiced by Janet Webb).
The Brady kids were shown singing on a few episodes of the live-action series and thanks to their teen idol status, they were tapped to record actual albums. These songs were featured in abridged versions on the cartoon, which also depicted the kids as a band with Greg on guitar (he was also shown playing the guitar on the live-action show), Marcia on tambourine, Peter on bass, Jan on keyboards, Bobby on drums, and Cindy on guitar. The musical segments were featured similarly to those on The Archie Show, which was also produced by Filmation.
Check out “Time to Change” below:
The Brady Kids is known for featuring some famous guest appearances from The Lone Ranger and Superman, both of which had been featured on their own cartoons produced by Filmation. In addition, this show marked the first-ever animated appearance of Wonder Woman in the episode “It’s All Greek to Me” in which the cast is transported to ancient Greece.
The entire series of The Brady Kids is available on DVD.
The collie hero Lassie first appeared in a short story by Eric Knight which was later expanded to the novel Lassie Come Home, which was adapted into an MGM film in 1943, leading to a series of films, with six sequels following. In 1954, Lassie was adapted into a TV series that ran for 19 years!
In 1972, Filmation produced the animated TV movie Lassie and the Spirit of Thunder Mountain which aired on ABC, leading into the series Lassie’s Rescue Rangers. Yes, over a decade before Disney’s Chip and Dale formed their Rescue Rangers for an animated series, Lassie did it first.
On the cartoon, Lassie lived with the Turner family — Ranger Ben Turner (Ted Knight), his wife Laura (Jane Webb), and children Susan (Webb), Jackie (Lane Scheimer), and Ben Jr. (Keith Sutherland). She also led the Rescue Rangers, a group of forest animals including Groucho the owl, Toothless the mountain lion, Musty the skunk, and Robbie the raccoon. Another regular character was the Native American Gene Fox.
Lassie’s Rescue Rangers did not go over well. According to Lassie’s longtime trainer, Rudd Weatherwax, “That’s not Lassie. That’s trash.” The National Association of Broadcasters added:
“The manufacturers of this rubbish have incorporated violence, crime, and stupidity into what is probably the worst show for children of the season.”
Not surprisingly, Lassie’s Rescue Rangers only lasted for one 16-episode season.
Also in 1972, The Addams Family was revived by Hanna-Barbera for two guest appearances on The New Scooby-Doo Movies. The black and white live-action Addams Family had aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1964-66, but had proven to be popular in syndicated reruns, particularly with kids.
Following the well-received guest appearances on Scooby-Doo, Hanna-Barbera created an ongoing Addams Family cartoon which launched in 1973 on NBC. While most of the live-action cast returned for the Scooby-Doo episodes, only Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester) and Ted Cassidy (Lurch) were featured on the ongoing cartoon. Lennie Weinrib stepped in as Gomez, with Janet Waldo as Morticia and Grandmama, Cindy Henderson as Wednesday, and John Stephenson as Cousin Itt. Puglsey was voiced by future Academy Award winner Jodie Foster!
This cartoon only lasted for one 16-episode season. But of course, the franchise didn’t die. It was famously revived as a hit film series which led to a newer animated series in the 1990s. Last year, a new animated movie was released with a sequel on the way.
Also making an appearance on The New Scooby-Doo Movies was the cast of Jeannie, an animated tie-in to I Dream of Jeannie. Viewers can be forgiven if they didn’t realize the two shows were connected as the character of Jeannie bears little resemblance to the iteration portrayed by Barbara Eden on the live-action show.
Unlike the famously blonde Eden, the animated Jeannie has red hair. While Eden cast spells by folding her arms and blinking her eyes, the animated version cast spells by flinging her ponytail. This version also seems to be more of a teenager.
The supporting cast was also different. The cartoon didn’t include Major Nelson, Major Healy, or Dr. Bellows. They were replaced by teens Corry Anders and Henry Glopp, as well as the bumbling male genie in training, Babu.
Jeannie’s voice was provided by Julie McWhirter. Babu was voiced by Joe Besser, a famous comedic actor and a one-time member of The Three Stooges. Bob Hastings voiced Henry, but the most notable cast member was Mark Hamill— yes, Luke Skywalker– who voiced Corry AND sang the show’s theme song. This was Hamill’s first voice acting role, but he would later become much more famous for voicing The Joker on Batman: The Animated Series. Most recently, he voiced Skeletor on Netflix’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
Like Scooby-Doo, Jeannie was animated by Hanna-Barbera and aired on CBS. It only lasted for one season, consisting of 16 episodes, which ran from 1973-74. Babu would go on to appear on Scooby’s All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, as part of the Scooby Doobies team.
Jeannie was available recently on Crackle, but I’m not sure if it’s still there.
In 1973, Filmation created My Favorite Martians based on the series My Favorite Martian which had aired on CBS for three seasons from 1963 to 1966. The original show starred Bill Bixby as Tim O’Hara, a newspaper reported, who befriends a stranded Martian played by Ray Walston, whom Tim passes off as his “Uncle Martin.” Like Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie or Samantha on Bewitched, Uncle Martin’s powers can cause trouble for Tim or help solve his problems. He is also an inventor and creates many devices that fuel the plots including a time machine, and a “molecular separator” that can reconfigure matter.
Pamela Britton played Tim and Martin’s landlady Mrs. Lorelei Brown, while Alan Hewitt portrayed the skeptical Detective Bill Brennan, a perpetual thorn in Tim and Martin’s side.
None of the original cast returned for the cartoon, My Favorite Martians. Howard Morris voiced Tim, Jonathan Harris voiced Martin, and Jane Webb voiced Mrs. Brown.
Added to the cartoon were Martin’s Martian nephew, Andromeda, nicknamed Andy, who only had one antenna, and thus half the powers of Martin, and the Martian sheepdog Okey. The cartoon also added Tim’s niece Katie. Brennan was given a teenage son, Brad (Lane Scheimer), and a CHIMPANZEE named Chump.
What’s interesting about My Favorite Martians is that it actually utilized some scripts that had been written for the unproduced fourth season of the live-action series, making this a continuation of the original.
My Favorite Martians only lasted for one 16-episode season.
Speaking of an animated series that served as a continuation of the original live-action program, Star Trek, once again, produced by Filmation, did just that. The original live-action Star Trek aired for four seasons from 1966 to 1969. While the original was never a ratings smash, it proved popular in reruns, particularly with kids, which led to this animated series, which aired on NBC from 1973-75.
Most of the original voice cast returned with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, DeForest Kelley as Doctor “Bones” McCoy, James Doohan as Scotty, Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, George Takei as Sulu, and Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel. Filmation originally didn’t want to shell out the money for Nichols and Takei and planned to replace them with in-house voice actors, but Nimoy refused to participate without them.
Alas, the only other original cast member that didn’t return was Walter Koenig who played Chekov. Koenig did, however, write a script for the animated series, “The Infinite Vulcan,” and wanted to voice a character on that episode, but Filmation used one of their own voice actors. This was a point of contention for Koenig for many years afterward.
In Chekov’s place, the cartoon added Lt. Arex, an Edosian with three arms and three legs, and Lt. M’Ress, a lion-like humanoid. Doohan voiced Arex and many other characters on the show, and Barrett voiced M’Ress.
When the animated series was first conceived, it would have featured a trio of new teenage crew members– a Vulcan named Steve, an African-American named Bob, and a Chinese boy named Stick. Thankfully that concept was ditched.
The first season of the animated Star Trek consisted of 16 episodes. Six additional episodes were created for the second.
It is a subject of debate as to whether the animated Star Trek is canon, although some insist that certain episodes and elements are absolutely canon.
Though it wasn’t syndicated, the animated Star Trek experienced a revival in the 1980s when it aired on Nickelodeon.
The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray multiple times, under the name Star Trek: The Animated Series which is how most people refer to this iteration these days.
The medical action-drama Emergency! launched on NBC in 1972 and went on to air for six seasons (122 episodes) plus six TV movies. In 1973, NBC added Emergency +4 to its Saturday morning lineup.
The cartoon featured the voices of the two stars of the live-action series — Randolph Mantooth as Johnny Roderick Gage and Kevin Tighe as Roy DeSoto.
The “+4″ referred to four teenage sidekicks that were added to the cartoon — Carol Harper (Sarah Kennedy), Matt Harper (David Jolliffe), Jason Phillips (Donald Fullilove), and Randy Alrich (Peter Haas). In addition, they were accompanied by Flash the dog, Charlemagne the myna bird (another myna bird?), and Bananas the monkey.
Emergency +4 lasted for two seasons. The first consisted of 11 episodes, while the second contained 12, bringing the total to 23.
The Brady Bunch was created by Sherwood Schwartz, as was another hit, Gilligan’s Island. And like The Brady Bunch, Gilligan’s Island spawned an animated spinoff from Filmation, The New Adventures of Gilligan.
Gilligan’s Island lasted for three seasons from 1964-67. Most of the original live-action cast returned for The New Adventures… with Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale Jr. as the Skipper, Russell Johnson as the Professor, Jim Backus as Mr. Howell (“the Millionaire”), and Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Howell. Tina Louise, who had played “the Movie Star” Ginger Grant, no longer wanted anything to do with the property and Dawn Wells, who had played farm girl Mary Ann was on tour with a play and was unavailable. Jane Webb voiced both Ginger and Mary Ann on The New Adventures of Gilligan.
Ginger’s hair was changed from Louise’s signature red to platinum blonde to prevent the actor from suing Filmation for using her likeness.
Like the live-action series, the cartoon followed the exploits of the castaways attempting to escape the island on which they had been stranded.
While Gilligan’s Island had aired on CBS, The New Adventures… was presented on ABC. The first season lasted for 16 episodes with eight more added for the second. The series launched in 1974 and lasted until 1976.
The New Adventures of Gilligan is available as a DVD-on-demand from Warner Archive.
The brand was revived in 1982 on another cartoon by Filmation, Gilligan’s Planet. On that series, the cast was rocketed to an alien world and once again, spent every episode trying to escape. Once again, most of the live-action cast returned, this time with Wells, who voiced both Mary Ann and Ginger.
Gilligan’s Planet only lasted for one 13-episode season which is also available from Warner Archive.
One of the strangest live-action to animation transitions occurred with The Partridge Family, 2200 AD. The Partridge Family had been a successful sitcom that ran for four seasons on ABC from 1970-74 and was set in the present. The series focused on a family band, headed up by matriarch Shirley Pattridge (Shirley Jones). Eldest son, Keith, became the show’s breakout star, with the actor that portrayed him, David Cassidy, becoming one of the biggest heartthrobs of the decade. The series is remembered for the psychedelic van that the family travelled around in, and the single “I Think I Love You” which hit #1 on the Billboard charts and remained there for three weeks.
The Partridge Family, 2200 AD transported the family band to the distant future. There was no explanation ever given for that. The truth of the matter is that Hanna-Barbera had been developing an update of The Jetsons which would have focused on “Daughter Judy” who was now a young aspiring journalist. But CBS head Fred Silverman nixed that project, instead requesting an animated series based on The Partridge Family. Hanna-Barbera simply swapped the Partridges out for the Jetsons.
Three members of the live-action cast provided the voices for their cartoon counterparts– Danny Bonaduce as Danny, Suzanne Crough as Tracy, and Brian Forster as Chris. Susan Dey, who portrayed eldest daughter Laurie, provided her character’s voice for just two episodes, before being replaced by Sherry Alberoni. The live-action show’s two biggest stars passed on 2200 AD. Joan Gerber replaced Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge, with Chuck McLenan subbing in for David Cassidy as Keith. In addition, the band’s manager, Reuben Kincaid, had been played by Dave Madden on the live-action show, but John Stephenson voiced the character on the cartoon.
While The Partridge Family was a solid hit for four years and the cast became bonafide teen idols, it seems the excitement had faded by the time 2200 AD arrived on Saturday mornings. The cartoon version lasted for just one 16-episode season, although it was later rerun in syndication.
Like The Brady Kids, Ther Partridge Family, 2200 AD featured musical segments. Here is the song “One More Chance,” although the quality is pretty low:
The majority of this series is not available on home video, but two episodes were included as bonuses on the live-action Partridge FamilyDVD boxed set.
Though not a direct adaptation, 1975’s The Oddball Couple was inspired by the live-action series The Odd Couple (which was itself based on a film of the same name). The Oddball Couple followed the exploits of a slovenly dog named Fleabag (the “Oscar”) and a neat-freak cat named Spiffy (the “Felix”).
This series was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in association with Paramount Television. Paul Winchell voiced Fleabag, while Frank Nelson voiced Spiffy. There were 16 episodes of the only season with each containing two shorts.
That wraps up the 1970s, but the practice of adapting live-action shows into animation continued well into the 1980s, which I will cover next week.
Until then, are you familiar with these animated versions of live-action shows? Are you a fan of any of them? Comment below and come back next week for Part 2!
