The Ruff and Reddy Show (found early NBC Hanna-Barbera animated series; 1957-1960)
The Ruff and Reddy Show (also titled as Ruff and Reddy) is the first television production by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the creators behind the Tom and Jerry series of theatrical short films.[1] The show features the adventures of Ruff the Cat and Reddy the Dog, each episode was part of a longer thirteen-episode story arc, with each series having four story arcs in total.[2]
It was produced by H-B Enterprises, formed after MGM closed its production studio in 1957.[3] under significantly lower budgetary constraints than the previous MGM productions.[4] It is one of the earliest original animated television programs and pioneered the use of limited animation techniques within television production[5] and although it was only a modest success [6] the show would pave the way for the studios more famous creations, such as The Huckleberry Hound Show which was released a year after Ruff and Reddy's first season.[7]
Broadcast History
The show debuted on December 14th, 1957 on NBC alongside live-action puppetry segments hosted by Jimmy Blaine.[8] Afterwards it was re-run on NBC as part of the Captain Bob Cottle Show until 1964 and then syndicated to local children's television shows across the USA.[9] Later, in the 1980s, it was broadcast as part of the USA cable network's Cartoon Express although only briefly due to audiences at the time not embracing the characters.[10]
The final two broadcasts were briefly on Cartoon Network in the early 1990s and on Boomerang sometime around 2002.
Home Video and Availability
A small selection of episodes was released as Animal Follies on VHS and Laserdisc as part of the Hanna Barbera Personal Favorites Collection,[11][12] and on VHS in the UK as Ruff and Reddy: Crowds in the Clouds. The first episode was announced to be part of the Best of Warner Brothers: Hanna Barbera 25 Cartoon Collection,[13] but was omitted, along with several other cartoons, from the final release.[14].
For many years only clips and select episodes of the show were available through unofficial YouTube, DailyMotion, and Internet Archive uploads. The show has never been officially released on DVD or via streaming platforms.
On June 18th, 2021, Internet Archive user RuffNReady (most likely made to preserve the show) uploaded all 156 episodes to the site via various TV broadcasts from the early 2000s.
External Links
- The full series on Internet Archive.
- Boomerang Wiki page on Ruff and Ready.
- Mega backup of available episodes of the show.
See Also
- Boss Cat (found British opening and ending titles of "Top Cat" animated series; 1962-1989)
- CBS Storybreak "What Happened in Hamelin" (lost episode from animated series; 1987)
- Dastardly & Muttley - Operation: Pigeon Pursuit (lost build of unreleased PlayStation 2 video game; 2007-2008)
- Fender Bender 500 (partially found episodes of "Wacky Races" reboot animated series; 1990s)
- Gotcha (partially found full version of "Jetsons: The Movie" song; 1990)
- Jetsons: The Movie (lost Janet Waldo vocal performance of animated film; 1988-1990)
- Jokebook (partially found Hanna-Barbera animated series; 1982)
- Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone (partially found episodes of syndicated animated series; 1990)
- Return of the Bunjee (lost ABC Weekend special; 1985)
- Rock Odyssey (partially lost Hanna-Barbera animated film; 1987)
- Showbiz Pizza's Yogi Bear and Boo Boo Showtape (found animatronic audio showtape; 1987)
- The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (partially found Hanna Barbera live action-animated TV series; 1968-1969)
- The Flintstones (cancelled Seth MacFarlane reboot of animated series; 2013)
- The Flintstones Movie (partially found Sega Channel exclusive build of 2D movie tie-in platformer; 1995)
- The Funny World of Fred and Bunni (partially found live-action/animated variety show pilot; 1978)
- The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour (partially found NBC comedy variety show; 1978)
- The Moxy Show (partially found episodes of CGI anthology series; 1993-2000)
- The New Teen Titans "Just Say No!" (partially lost Hanna-Barbera anti-drug animated PSA; 1983)
- The Snorks (partially found unaired pilot of Hanna-Barbera animated TV series; 1982)
References
- ↑ Emmys: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera Biography. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ The art of Hanna-Barbera: fifty years of creativity. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Animation Resources page on Ruff and Reddy. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Art of Hanna-Barbera; Fifty Years of Creativity Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ My life in Toons by Joseph Barbera. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Ruff and Reddy: On Record Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Museum of Broadcast Communications: Hanna Barbera. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ TV Party: Ruff and Reddy. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Animation Resources: Ruff And Reddy. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ TV Party: Ruff and Reddy by Kevin S. Butler. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Amazon UK listing of Animal Follies on VHS. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Laserdisc Database: ID6613HA. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ Cartoon Brew: Warner Bros. Anniversary DVD Set salutes Hanna Barbera. Retrieved 01 Jun '21
- ↑ DVD Review: The Best of Warner Bros.: Hanna-Barbera 25 Cartoon Collection. Retrieved 01 Jun '21