Beany And Cecil
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''Beany and Cecil'' is an American
animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
created by
Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, film director, director, film producer, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the te ...
for the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...
. The cartoon was based on the television
puppet show Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performan ...
'' Time for Beany'', which Clampett produced for
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
company and its
Paramount Television Network The Paramount Television Network, Inc. was a venture by American film corporation Paramount Pictures to organize a television network in the late 1940s. The company-built television stations KTLA in Los Angeles and WBKB in Chicago; it also in ...
beginning 1949. The series was broadcast first as part of the series ''Matty's Funnies'' during 1962, later renamed ''Beany and Cecil''. A short-lived revival, '' The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil'', was produced in 1988. Although a children's show, it incorporated satirical references to current events and personalities that adults found entertaining, and the show also attracted adult viewers. Some of the plots and remarks were recognizable as lampoons of current political issues. Along with '' The Jetsons'' and ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'', it was one of the first three color television series by the ABC television network (the initial season, though, was originally shown in black and white, as ABC was unable to broadcast color programs until September 1962).


History

''Beany and Cecil'' was created by animator
Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, film director, director, film producer, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the te ...
after he quit
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
, where he had been directing short cartoon movies. Clampett is said to have originated the idea for Cecil when he was a boy after seeing the top half of the dinosaur swimming from the water at the end of the 1925 movie '' The Lost World''. Clampett originally created the idea as a television series named '' Time for Beany'', which was broadcast from February 28, 1949, to 1955. ''Time for Beany'', a puppet show, featured the talents of veteran voice actors Stan Freberg as Cecil and Dishonest John, and Daws Butler as Beany and Uncle Captain. Clampett revived the series in theatrical animated form, though Freberg and Butler did not reprise their roles. On 11 October 1959, the animated series was introduced as '' Matty's Funday Funnies'', named for " Matty Mattel" the animated spokesperson for its primary sponsor
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
Toys company. However, the series at that time featured old Paramount theatrical cartoons. The new Beany and Cecil cartoon series took over Matty's Funnies (sans "Funday") in January 1962 and was broadcast prime time Saturdays during the remainder of the 1961-62 television season, by the ABC Television Network. The newer cartoons replaced the
Famous Studios Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was established as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contr ...
cartoons of ''
Casper the Friendly Ghost Casper the Friendly Ghost is a fictional character who serves as the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. He is a translucent ghost who is pleasant and personable, but often criticized by his thr ...
'' and '' Little Audrey'' among other parts of ''Matty's Funday Funnies''. The program was later retitled ''The Beany and Cecil Show''. After 1962, the 26 shows (including 78 cartoons) were repeated during Saturday mornings for the next two years and on Sunday mornings for three more. The cartoon featured characters Beany, a boy, and Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent embarking on a series of adventures, often to discover ancient civilizations and artifacts. These escapades were rife with cartoon
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
and
pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...
s. Before the animated series, but concurrent with the puppet show, Clampett created a comic-book series of ''Beany and Cecil'' adventures for
Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
. The artwork for this series of comics, published from 1951 to 1954, was drawn by Jack Bradbury. In 1988, the show was revived as '' The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil'' by
DiC Entertainment DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions, sometimes stylized as DİC) was a French American film and television production company that ...
. Only eight episodes were made, and only five episodes broadcast. This version of the show was produced and directed by John Kricfalusi, who would later create ''
The Ren and Stimpy Show ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', commonly referred to as simply ''Ren & Stimpy'', is an American animated Comedy film, comedy television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotion ...
'', and made use of voices from
Billy West William Richard Werstine (born 1952), known professionally as Billy West, is an American voice actor, comedian, radio personality, impressionist and musician. His voice roles include Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film ''Space Jam'', the title characte ...
, who also did voices for the characters Ren (for season 3 and later) and Stimpy.


Characters


Main characters

* Beany Boy – a young,
cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...
-faced boy with a propeller beanie cap that allows him to fly (the "Beanycopter", complete with helmet and propeller, became a popularly marketed novelty). Beany is a good-hearted lad. In most episodes, Beany would be kidnapped by a villain or get caught in a rough situation, crying "Help, Cecil! Help!" to which Cecil would reply "I'm a-comin', Beany-boy!" as he raced to the rescue. This has become something of a
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
. Beany was originally voiced by Jim MacGeorge for the 1960s series and by Mark Hildreth for the 1980s series. * Cecil (or "Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent") – a large green
sea serpent A sea serpent is a type of sea monster described in various mythologies, most notably in Mesopotamian cosmology (Tiamat), Ugaritic cosmology ( Yam, Tannin), biblical cosmology (Leviathan, Rahab), Greek cosmology (Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scy ...
with a slight
lisp Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation. Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...
. He is fiercely loyal to Beany, but he is not very clever. Cecil's trusting good nature invariably results in him being taken advantage of by the bad people, and he often suffers a great amount of physical abuse (getting smashed flat, losing his head, having his skin burned off, being shattered to pieces), examples of cartoon physics. The end of Cecil's tail was never seen in most episodes; it always extended off-screen or was hidden behind an obstacle. This is likely a joking reference to the original Cecil, a hand puppet whose tail was likewise hidden (because it didn't exist). His neck often showed folds and creases like that of a sock puppet as well, another reference to the original Cecil. Cecil's tail did appear in "Beany and the Jackstalk" when his entire body became wound into the tension spring of a giant
cuckoo clock A cuckoo clock is a type of clock, typically pendulum clock, pendulum driven, that striking clock, strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo call and has an automated cuckoo bird that moves with each note. Some move their wings and ope ...
. Cecil also has a
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
alter-ego known as Super-Cecil. In this guise, he wears a modified
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
shirt (complete with
cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...
). It was Cecil who yodels "A Bob Clam-pett car-tooooooo-OOOOOOOOON!" at the end of the opening song of each episode. Cecil was voiced originally by Irv Shoemaker for the 1960s cartoon and by
Billy West William Richard Werstine (born 1952), known professionally as Billy West, is an American voice actor, comedian, radio personality, impressionist and musician. His voice roles include Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film ''Space Jam'', the title characte ...
for the 1980s cartoon. * Captain Horatio Huffenpuff – also called "Uncle Captain", he is Beany's kindly uncle and the captain of the ship ''Leakin' Lena'', which takes the pals from one destination to the other. The Captain is always willing to instruct Beany and Cecil on their latest assignment, but is rather cowardly and refuses to put himself in any personal jeopardy, locking himself below the deck or under a box labeled "Capt. Huffenpuff's Hiding Box" for most of the episodes. Uncle Captain was voiced by Jim MacGeorge for both series. * Crowy – the navigator of the ship Leakin' Lena. He is a
crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...
, and unsurprisingly spends most of his time in the ship's
crow's nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land b ...
. He speaks with a squawky voice and tends to faint whenever the ship encounters some sort of hazard. Crowy was voiced by Jim MacGeorge (though
Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor, known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered voice roles include Scooby-Doo; Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ''The Flintsto ...
did so in one episode). * Dishonest John (or "D.J.") – a mobster villain and the main antagonist of the show. He is dressed formally like a Simon Legree character, and he is constantly scheming to foil Beany and Cecil's adventures. His catchphrase is his sinister laugh, "Nya-ah-ãhh!", and he occasionally refers to Cecil as a "tall toad", "worm" or "big
salami Salami ( ; : ''salame'') is a ''salume'' consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature fo ...
" (referring to his big, limbless body). Whenever Dishonest John's schemes are revealed to the heroes, Cecil tends to respond with an aghast "What the heck! D.J., you dirty guy!". When Dishonest John receives his inevitable defeat, it is usually just as painful as the abuse Cecil has endured during the rest of the episode. Dishonest John also has a
supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
alter-ego known as The Bilious Beetle. In this guise, he can fly by his power and has a painful stinger. "D.J." also appeared disguised on occasion as the mechanical robotic
octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...
"Billy The Squid" usually in haphazard attempts to simulate sea storms to scare away the crew of the Leakin' Lena when on a treasure hunt. Dishonest John carried a business card that read: "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap. Special rates for Sundays and holidays". This was the inspiration for the
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
song " Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". In the 1980s series, one episode revealed that DJ is a member of a club called the Brotherhood of B.L.E.C.H. (short for Bad Guys, Losers, Evildoers, Crooks, and Horrible People). DJ was originally voiced by Irv Shoemaker for the 1960s series and by
Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor. Across a career spanning more than four decades he has voiced Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, Egon Spengler on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', The Brain on ''Animaniacs'' and its spi ...
for the 1980s series.


Minor characters

* Cecilia McCoy - a she-serpent and Cecil's girlfriend. In the two-episode arc, ''Beany Blows His Top'' & ''Beany Flips His Lid'', Dishonest John attempts to sabotage their relationship by disguising himself as another sea serpent named Rex. * Davey Cricket – a
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
with a coonskin cap who lives in the backwoods of Eight-Nine-
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. The character is a parody of
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
's wildly popular segments on the ''Disneyland'' television show based on the life of American frontiersman
Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...
. In Cricket's self-titled episode, Dishonest John tries unsuccessfully to sign Davey to a lucrative Hollywood movie contract. He appeared in the episodes: ''Davey Cricket'' & ''Davey Cricket's Leading Ladybug''. * Go Man Van Gogh – a stereotypical cartoon
beatnik Beatniks were members of a social movement in the mid-20th century, who subscribed to an anti- materialistic lifestyle. They rejected the conformity and consumerism of mainstream American culture and expressed themselves through various forms ...
/wild man who lives in the jungles of Wildsville on the Hungry I-Land. He often paints various things with his paintbrush, including paintings, vines to swing on, and fake backdrops to fool enemies (ala Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner). He also often plays a set of
bongo drum Bongos ( Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' (), which are joined by a wo ...
s, does
scat singing Originating in vocal jazz, scat singing or scatting is vocal Musical improvisation, improvisation with Non-lexical vocables in music, wordless vocables, Pseudoword#Nonsense syllables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, t ...
, and speaks with various
beatnik Beatniks were members of a social movement in the mid-20th century, who subscribed to an anti- materialistic lifestyle. They rejected the conformity and consumerism of mainstream American culture and expressed themselves through various forms ...
stereotype slang. Though he did not appear in many episodes, he was somewhat recurring. He was voiced originally by Lord Buckley in "The Wildman of Wildsville" (a 1959 short movie that was later broadcast as part of the television series) and then by Scatman Crothers after Buckley's death in 1960. * Harecules Hare - a
rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
with superior intelligence. Hare had a computerized Thinking Cap and built a "Guided Muscle", a guided missile with a nose-cone in the form of a giant fist. His name could be a pun on "
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
". He appeared in the episodes ''Ben Hare'' and ''Harecules Hare and the Golden Fleecing''. * Ben Hare - a rabbit and father to Harecules. He was a muscular health nut who believed that brawn was more important than brains and wished that his son would feel the same way. His name could be a pun on " Ben-Hur". He appeared in the episodes ''Ben Hare'' and ''Harecules Hare and the Golden Fleecing''. * Jacques the Knife (or "Jack the Knife") – a friendly, jazz-singing sawfish with a heavy French accent. His name was an obvious spoof of
Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music. Darin started ...
's 1959 hit song "
Mack the Knife "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" () is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama ''The Threepenny Opera'' (). The song tells of a knife-wielding criminal of the London underworld n ...
". His sawlike nose is used as a sword to help Cecil defeat Dishonest John in the episode "Hero by Trade". He spoke only in song, to a rendition of " Oh My Darling, Clementine" done in the styling Bobby Darin's version of the song. He also comes to Cecil's aid in the episode ''The Monstrous Monster''. * Little Ace From Outer Space – an
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
mouse. In his self-titled episode, he was used by the people at Cape Banana Peel to discover "whether or whether there was any weather". Cecil and Dishonest John competed to get Little Ace back to the cape for a cash reward. In the episode "Rat Race From Space", he was sent in a rocket to be the first mouse on the moon only to end up in the ocean. He was voiced by Paul Frees. * The Dreaded Three-Headed Threep * Tear-A-Long the Dotted Lion – a muscle-bound
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
obsessed with exercise and
vitamin Vitamins are Organic compound, organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamer, vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolism, metabolic function. Nutrient#Essential nutrients, ...
s, a possible parody of fitness
guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
Jack La Lanne, who had a popular television exercise show about the same time as ''Beany and Cecil''. His name is a pun of the phrase "Tear along the dotted line", but Tear-A-Long himself wasn't spotted. He spoke with a Southern U.S. accent similar to the
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
animated character Foghorn Leghorn. He was one of the original characters on the ''Time for Beany'' puppet show. * Careless the Mexican Hairless – Cecil's jovial pet Chihuahua, introduced in the episode "Cecil Gets Careless" and so named because of his tendency to knock things over when he happily jumps and dances. He sings to the tune of the Mexican folk song " El Jarabe Tapatio". He is called a Mexican Hairless for comic effect; the actual breed aka Xoloitzcuintli is much larger. * William Shakespeare Wolf – a starving out-of-work
wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
and actor who was a foil for Rin Tin Can (a robot dog whose rise to fame coincided with the demise of his own acting career) as well as Harecules Hare and a duck named Graham Quacker, both of whom he attempted to eat. * Beepin' Tom – a diminutive alien who flew about in an open-top flying saucer. He is named for his habit of making beeping sounds. When he spoke, he would hum the first line of ''The Alphabet Song'' and then sing his phrase to the tune of the next line. A high pitched, accelerated voice similar to
the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in ...
was used for the character and the words he sang/spoke appeared as a
rebus A rebus ( ) is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+ ...
in a word balloon over his head. He appeared in the episodes ''Ain't I a Little Stinger?'' and ''Strange Objects''. * Hopalong Catskill – a frog wearing a cowboy hat who walked with a limp similar to that of
Dennis Weaver Billy Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most ...
's "Chester" on the TV show ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
'' and spoke with a Yiddish accent. His catchphrase was "Hey Shmendrick! Would you like a cup of coffee?" The character was voiced by
Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
comedy singer
Mickey Katz Meyer Myron "Mickey" Katz (June 15, 1909 – April 30, 1985) was an American musician and comedian. He was the father of actor Joel Grey and paternal grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey. Early life Meyer Myron Katz was born on Sawtell Court i ...
. * Peking Tom – a Siamese alley cat who sang about being a "very hungry guy; I've got to get some food 'cause I'm too egg-foo-young to die". * Cora the Clinging Vine (aka Flora) – a voluptuous vine who has a crush on Cecil (who does not reciprocate her advances). She sings "groovy" and Jazz scats to Cecil as he tries to escape from her. She appeared in the episodes ''Wildman From Wildsville'' and ''Capture of the Three-Headed Threep''. * Venus the Meanest and Venice the Menace – two space robots from Venus who at first were reported to be invading Earth but came down for a picnic. Venice the Menace's name is a play on Dennis the Menace (both the British and American versions), and acts like Linus Van Pelt from
Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...
including his thumb sucking and "dirty old" blanket. Venus the Meanest was voiced by Arlene Harris, using her Chatterbox bit, where she speaks on the phone with an unseen Maisey about her troubles with Venice's mother. * The Robot Ants – a group of ants brought by Venus the Meanest to be part of her picnic on Earth. They sing a march based on the children's song " This Old Man" that is shown in a speech bubble. * The Boo Birds – a gang of mischievous ghost birds that haunt an abandoned castle where Cecil stayed. They sing a tune "Filet of Soul (Sole)" based on the song " When the Saints Come Marching In". Their catchphrase was "Whyyyy not?" * Edgar Allen Po's Shadow – a shadow man who owns the Haunted Retreat Mansion in the episode ''Beany and Cecil meets the Invisible Man''. He is based on
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
and speaks with an accent like that of the cartoon character
Elmer Fudd Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antag ...
. * So What and the Seven What-Knots – a dixie jazz band who performed in a jazz club in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
to the tune of " When the Saints Come Marching In". They are based on the fairy tale, ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
''. The names of the 'What-Knots' all spoofed on musicians & actors of the day, such as $tash-do (Satchmo), Elfis (Elvis Presley), Dizzy R. Nez (Desi Arnaz), Harpsie McChord (Harpo Marx), Fred McFurry (Fred MacMurray), Screw-Loose Lautrec (Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec) & Loverachi (Liberace). * Stogie Bear – a detective bear who Beany and Cecil helped to arrest the gangster bears in the episode, ''The Warring 20's''. * Double Trouble Bubble Beast – a weird underwater creature who appeared in ''Ain't That a Cork in the Snorkel'' and ''Make a Sea-Serpent Sore!'' * Dinah Saur, The Singing Dinosaur - a dinosaur named and patterned after Dinah Shore who lived on the island of No Bikini Atoll & sang to the tune of " When the Saints Come Marching In". * Gigi - a French poodle. Featured in the episode ''DJ The DJ'', she repeatedly thought she was being summoned by Cecil each time he would utter the "R-A-G-G" portion of the song "Rag Mop". * Baby Ruthy - Beany's girlfriend, appears in ''Beany Blows His Top'' & ''Beany Flips His Lid''. As he leaves to meet her, Huffenpuff tells him "You dine ashore..." (yet another Dinah Shore reference). * Bridget the Crow - Crowy's girlfriend, she appears in ''Beany Blows His Top''. * U.S. Male - a postal ship, boyfriend of the Leakin' Lena, appears in ''Beany Blows His Top''. * Ida - Sweet as apple cider. Huffenpuff's girlfriend, she appears in just one episode, but is referenced in others. * The Fleastone Kops - they assisted Detective Fido Vance when The Pincher kidnapped actress Bridgette Bow Wow. * Snorky - a mischievous serpent tied to many dubious historical events.


Music

Cecil often sang the Ames Brothers' song "Rag Mop" throughout the series. One episode ("Beanyland") featured
Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
's well-known
celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...
piece, '' Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy'', from ''
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...
''. Other famed pieces of ''The Nutcracker'' were used in the series as musical interludes such as the ''Chinese Dance'' and ''Dance of the Reed-Flutes''. Many other well-known classical music pieces were featured in the show as well, including '' The William Tell Overture'' (in the episodes "Beanyland" and "The Phantom of the Horse Opera"), '' Ride of the Valkyries'' and '' Flight of the Bumblebee''. Some of the background music was also recycled from ''
Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...
'', as well as some early Walter Lantz cartoons and incidental music from '' The Alvin Show''. "The Can Can" was used in the episode ''Harecules Hare & The Golden Fleecing'' as the music for the Guided Muscle. The tune of "When The Saints Come Marching In" was used in several episodes, by the Singing Dinosaur, So What & The Seven What-Knots & the Boo Birds.


Influence

The
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
song " Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is titled after the business cards of character Dishonest John, which read "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap. Holidays, Sundays and special rates".
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
painted Beany in his 2017 Beaten Path painting ''Hamburger Stand, Long Beach'', based on a home movie of Beany's Drive-in Restaurant in 1952.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
has a minor character code-named Warstar who is two separate aliens named "B'nee" and "C'cil". The puppet origins and the form of Cecil inspired the famous
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
author
Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...
to invent an important extraterrestrial race called Pierson's Puppeteer as part of his
Known Space Known Space is the fictional setting of about a dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories by American writer Larry Niven. It has also become a shared universe in the spin-off ''Man-Kzin Wars'' anthologies. The Inter ...
series of novels and short stories (as originally stated in the story " The Soft Weapon".and repeated in other Known Space works. ''Beany and Cecil'' was also an inspiration for Joel Hodgson to create the show ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
''.In Marvel Comics Universe, there is a spacefaring Imperial Guard unit with a member code named Warstar - who consists of two separate aliens, one smaller being riding on top of the other more massive one, named B'nee and C'cil, respectively.


The artists

* Executive Producer: A.C.R. Stone * Producer: Bob Clampett * Animation Directors: Jack Hannah, Dick Kinney * Story Material/Storyboards: Bob Clampett, Eddie Maxwell, Al Bertino, Jack Bonestell, Dale Hale, Lloyd Turner (
Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...
writer) * Layout: Terrell Stapp, Willie Ito, Tony Sgroi, Homer Jonas * Master Animator: Art Scott * Animators: Lou Appet, Harry "Bud" Hester, Bill Nunes, Al Stetter, Frank Gonzales, Bill Southwood, Carl A. Bell * Backgrounds: Curtiss Perkins, Robert Abrams, Marie Reed * Music Underscore: Bob Clampett, Sody Clampett, Hoyt Curtin, Jack Roberts * Music Published by Merrifield Music Co., Inc. (ASCAP) * Production Assistants: Dick Elliott, John Soh, Jeanne Thorpe, Mike Sweeten * Voice Talents of Jim MacGeorge, Irv Shoemaker and
Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, film director, director, film producer, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the te ...
as Cecil. * A Bob Clampett Production, in association with Television Artists and Producers Corporation The credits of the series did not show traditional job titles, but pictorial symbols indicating their jobs. Bob Clampett's writing credit was indicated by a
typewriter A typewriter is a Machine, mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of Button (control), keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an i ...
typing out the words "...by Bob Clampett", for instance. Clampett also made sure to include his name in the lyrics of the often-repeated B&C theme song to gain more recognition with viewers and from the animation industry. Clampett finally got the rights from ABC to market his Beany and Cecil cartoons by video during the 1980s.


Episodes


Home video

The entire series was released on VHS and
Betamax Betamax (also known as Beta, and stylized as the Greek letter Beta, β in its logo) is a discontinued consumer analog Videotape, video cassette recording format developed by Sony. It was one of the main competitors in the videotape format war ag ...
as thirteen volumes (each containing two episodes) by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video in 1984, with the final releases issued by their "Magic Window" children's subsidiary imprint.
Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...
released "Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil the Special Edition"
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
in 2000, with 12 cartoon shorts and various show bumpers remastered from their original 35mm camera negatives. Bonus features included four complete episodes of ''Time for Beany'', audio tracks of original story sessions, backstage footage, lost animated works from Bob Clampett's studio, and a still gallery. After a considerable delay, Volume 2 was released by Hen's Tooth Entertainment during 2009, containing 11 cartoon shorts, plus two more ''Time for Beany'' episodes, archival audio interviews with Bob Clampett, video interviews with celebrity fans of the series as well as animator Bill Melendez, original bumpers from ''Matty's Funday Funnies'' and other special features. To date, the entire cartoon collection has not been released on DVD or Blu-ray disc, nor has it been made available for digital download.


References


External links


Beany and Cecil DVD Website




* {{IMDb title, 0052492, Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil 1960s American animated television series 1960s American children's comedy television series 1962 American animated television series debuts 1962 American television series endings American children's animated comedy television series American English-language television shows Television series by Famous Studios Animated television series about children Animated television series about dragons Television series created by Bob Clampett American Broadcasting Company animated television series Children's television series about talking animals