Josie and the Pussy Cats is an American animated television series, based upon the Archie Comics comic book series of the same name created by Dan DeCarlo. It was produced for Saturday-morning television by Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Overview[]
Josie and the Pussy Cats featured an all-girl pop music band that toured the world with their entourage, getting mixed up in all kinds of strange adventures, spy capers and mysteries. On the small screen, the group consisted of level-headed lead singer/guitarist Josie McCoy, intelligent tambourinist Valerie Brown and air-headed blond drummer Melody Valentine. Other characters included their shady manager, Alexander Cabot III; his conniving sister, Alexandra; her cat, Sebastian, and hunky roadie Alan Mayberry.
Josie and her friends later appeared in an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies. Melody, Alexander, Alexandra and Sebastian were also intended to join Scooby-Doo's team on Laff-A-Lympics, but licensing difficulties with Archie Comics led Hanna-Barbera to replace them with Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels.
Trivia[]
- It was the first of eleven other mystery cartoons that followed the Scooby-Doo vein, all by the same company.
- This was the first of three of the Scooby clones to feature characters based or partly based on pre-existing properties. The others being The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan and The New Shmoo.
- This was the first of the Scooby clones/mystery shows to feature a band. The others being The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, and Jabberjaw.
- Josie and the Pussy Cats originally aired with a full laugh track. Until recently, re-airings of the show on Cartoon Network and Boomerang retained the laugh track. The VHS and DVD releases and Amazon Video, however, do not feature the laugh track.
Voice Cast[]
Speaking Voices[]
- Sherry Alberoni as Alexandra Cabot
- Barbara Pariot as Valerie Brown
- Jerry Dexter as Alan Mayberry
- Jackie Joseph as Melody Valentine
- Casey Kasem as Alexander Cabot III
- Don Messick as Sebastian
- Janet Waldo as Josie McCoy
Singers[]
- Cathy Dougher as Josie
- Patrice Holloway as Valerie
- Cheryl Ladd as Melody
Episodes[]
September 12,1970-January 2, 1971
- The Nemo's a No No Affair
- A Greenthumb Is Not a Goldfinger
- The Secret Six Secret
- Swap Plot Flop
- The Midas Mix-Up
- X Marks the Spot
- Chili Today and Hot Tamale
- Never Mind a Master Mind
- Plateau of the Apes Plot
- Strangemoon over Miami
- All Wong in Hong Kong
- Melody Memory Mix-Up
- The Great Pussycat Chase
- Spy School Spoof
- The Jumpin' Jupiter Affair
- Don't Count on a Countess
"Josie and the Pussy Cats in Outer Space" Septemer 9,1972-December 23,1972
- Where's Josie?
- "Make Way for the Multi-Men"
- Sleeping Planet"
- Alien Alan"
- The Water Planet"
- The Sun Haters"
- "The Mini-Man Menace"
- The Space Pirates"
- Anything You Can Zoo"
- Now You See Them, Now You Don't'
- The Four-eyed Dragon of Cygnon"
- The Forward Backward People of Xarock"
- The Hollow Planet"
- All Hail Goddess Melody"
- Outer Space Ark"
- Warrior Women of Amazonia"
On September 15, 1973 Joise and the Pussy Cats made a cross-over appearence on The New Scooby-Doo Movies 2/2 The Haunted Showboat in which both the Pussy cats and Scooby Doo gang try to solve a mysterious Showboat.
- In "The Huanted Showboat" voice actor Don Messick voiced both Sebastian cat and Scooby-Doo at the same time in one scene!
- In "The Huanted Showboat" voice actor Casey Kasem voiced both Alexander Cabot III and Shaggy Rogers at the same time in one scene!
In 2001 "Josie and the Pussycats" were made into a live action movie in which the Pssycats are tricked into hide subliminal messages in pop music to indoctrinate teenagers into buying consumer products as part of a new trend each week. Although based on the Archie Comics and classic 1970's cartoon it was a "Box Office Bomb" {i.e. it only recouped about half the cost of making the movie] and was also nominated for a Golden Raspberry award although ironically it became a Cult Film.
DVD Release[]
A two-disc set of Josie and the Pussycats: The Complete Series was released by Warner Home Video as part of the Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection.
Credits[]
- Produced and Directed by: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
- Co-Producer: Alex Lovy
- Story Supervision: Joe Ruby, Ken Spears
- Story: Larz Bourne, Tom Dagenais, Bill Lutz
- Story Direction: Willie Ito, Paul Sommer, Earl Klein, Howard Swift
- Voices: Sherry Alberoni, Daws Butler, Henry Corden, Jerry Dexter, Cathy Douglas, Patricia Holloway, Jackie Joseph, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Cherie Moor, Barbara Pariot, John Stephenson, Judy Waite, Janet Waldo
- Animation Director: Charles A. Nichols
- Production Design: Iwao Takamoto
- Production Supervisor: Victor O. Schipek
- Layout: Willie Ito, Takashi Masunaga, Jim Fletcher, Terry Slade, Gary Hoffman, Pete Alvarado, Grace Stanzell, Floyd Norman, Jerry Eisenberg, Homer Jonas, Lou Appet, Jan Green, John Ahern, Don Jurwich, Stan Green, Roman Arambula
- Animation: Jerry Hathcock, Ed Barge, Dick Lundy, Isadore Ellis, Ed Aardal, Bob Bemiller, Morey Reden, Dick thompson, Shannon Lee Dyer, John Garling, Jack Parr, Bill Keil, Ed Parks, Xenia, George Gopper, Carlos Alfonso, Oliver E. Callahan, Lillian Evans, John Sparey, Joan Orbison, Hugh Fraser, Tom Ray, Hicks Lokey, Jay Sarbry
- Background Styling: F. Montealegre
- Backgrounds: Fernando Arce, Martin Forte, Rene Garcia, Gino Giudice, Richard Khim, Gary Niblett, Iraj Paran, Curtis Perkins, Eric Semones, Peter Van Elk
- Titles: Robert Schaefer
- Music Supervision: La La Productions
- Musical Director: Ted Nichols
- Josie Theme by: Hoyt Curtin
- Musicians: Mike Deasy
- Technical Supervisor: Frank Pakier.
- Ink & Paint Supervisor: Roberta Greutert
- Xerography: Robert "Tiger" West
- Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
- Editorial Supervision: Larry Cowan
- Music Editor: Pat Foley
- Effects Editors: Richard Allen, Milton Krear, Wayne Hughes
- Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
- Post-Production: Joed Eaton
- Camera: Charles Flekal, Roy Wade, Bill Kotler, Dennis Weaver
- Created by: John Goldwater and Richard Goldwater for the "Josie and the Pussycats" comic book originally designed by Dan DeCarlo
- A Hanna-Barbera Production
- in association with: Filmation Associates
- This Picture Made Under the Jurisdiction of IATSE-IA Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.
- RCA Sound Recording
- © 1970 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc./Radio Comics, Inc.