Ummm... I don't know about anyone else here, but I didn't see it in re-runs. I watched it as an original series. Does that make me old? LOL

Why We Need Jonny Quest!

In 1964, Jonny Quest got it right. Today's movies could learn a thing or two from an old classic. RogerDonEvans - 9/2/2012



Let me take you back in time, 48 years ago to be precise, when the very first episode of Jonny Quest appeared on the ABC network at 7:30 PM, on September 18th, 1964. While the early 60's is often seen as a more innocent time period, it represented an era of isolation when satellite communication did not yet exist, much of the world was still unexplored, the Russians and Red Chinese were certainly not our friends, evil Nazis survived well into the atomic age, and the space program was still in its infancy, incubated in the darkness of the Cold War. In short, the early 1960's provided the PERFECT backdrop for an animated family show dealing with science fiction, espionage and high adventure.

And back when, unbelievably, there were only three networks - three local stations to choose from (NBC, CBS & ABC) - and the competition for viewers was very, very intense. Now, while many only remember Jonny Quest from Saturday morning reruns, most are surprised to find it was originally a prime-time show. Hanna-Barbera had done predictably well with the "Flintstones", their prime time, animated version of the Honeymooners in Bedrock instead of New York City. But Jonny Quest represented something new and, a bit risky: An animated adult action/adventure program. Nothing like it had ever existed at that time or since, really.

For those not familiar, the show chronicled the adventures of the title character, Jonny, his super scientist father, Dr. Benton Quest, their body guard and pilot, Race Bannon, Jonny's pseudo-adopted Indian brother Hadji and, of course, their dog, Bandit. And, by today's formulaic script writing practices, the show's continued appeal is nothing short of mystifying. Because, unlike so many young heroes of modern cinema, Jonny actually did very little to nothing at all in each of the 26 episodes. While he certainly showed spunk when things got tough, Jonny was never expected to save the day.....which, I feel, grounded the show in a rather mundane reality that gave the audience room to suspend their disbelief on the more fantastic elements of each episode. In short, Jonny was just a kid witnessing an adult adventure, which made the character of Jonny Quest more relatable the kid in all of us.

And, let's face it: the show had everything that a kid could possibly want. Nifty gadgets, cool jets, mysterious locations. And, for the adults, Jonny Quest had that terrific Hoyt Curtin jazz music; arguably the best theme song created for any show.....ever. By any measure, Jonny Quest was very, very cool. And, unfortunately... numbingly expensive to produce. Hanna-Barbera had contracted legendary 50's graphic artist Doug Wildey to design the characters in Jonny Quest and, indeed, the entire look of the show for a short sample reel, which the executives at ABC absolutely loved. But after production on the actual series began, there soon developed a very big problem. The animators at Hanna-Barbera were used to drawing rubbery, goofy looking animals like Yogi and Boo-Boo. The clean, controlled lines and high contrast realism that flowed out of Doug Wildey's ink pen were simply too sophisticated for the Hanna-Barbera animators to keep up with on a weekly basis. Production fell behind and, by the end of only 26 episodes, and despite its huge ratings, the show had become economically un-viable to sustain. As a result, season one of Jonny Quest became the ONLY season of one of the hippest shows ever broadcast on classic network television.

But the loss of the show was not the only tragedy. Over the years, other long running shows of the 60's like Lost in Space generated lunch boxes, precision model kits, a variety of board games even trading cards and, most importantly, action figures. But, the early cancellation of Jonny Quest meant that no such action figures were ever produced. Now, I gotta tell ya, as a kid watching TV in the pre-TIVO 60’s, I passed those long, LONG seven days between Jonny Quest broadcasts using every available GI Joe on the block as a pitiful substitute to reenact the previous week's episode, sometimes covertly recruiting my sisters' Ken dolls to flesh out the supporting cast. Even now, as a writer and artist, the influence of Doug Wildey's little sci-fi adventure show is often evident in my own work. Because of all these things, it is my considered opinion that we NEED a show like Jonny Quest now more than ever. A show where kids are treated like kids and danger is real and the idea of hitting the ground running in expectation of adventure supplants sitting on the couch playing video games. We need a show that inspires the imagination and reintroduces kids to the idea of make-believe combined with problem solving. Instead we get shows where magic is the savior of every situation; sorry if you're just a mere mortal with no super powers.

Perhaps this is why I have my own personal distaste for CGI. In older movies with classic stop motion ala Ray Harryhausen or, better yet, the legendary Jim Danforth, the creature effects may not have been perfect but they revealed the artist's hand; the tell-tale touch of a craftsman. CGI very often seems so perfect, so seamless that it comes across not only as magical but, well, kid of boring. If they even made a live action Jonny Quest movie, not only would it have to take place in the early 60's, but the effects would need to follow the practices of that time period. Matte paintings, miniatures and stop motion. In my opinion, trying to "update" the show and/or use CGI would be like shooting a western on video tape.

Not only do we need Jonny Quest, we need the Classic Jonny Quest with all of it 1960's sensibilities and charm. And if you aren't going to do that, then don't bother. Cause any show that doesn't produce action figures isn't worth my time.

Roger Evans

http://www.jonnyquest.tv
Source: Jonny Quest Fan Page
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