Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
Created by Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
Directed by Charles A. Nichols
Ray Patterson (1978–80)
Carl Urbano (1978–80)
Voices of Mel Blanc
Laurel Page
Marilyn Schreffler
Vernee Watson
Narrated by Gary Owens
Theme music composer Hoyt Curtin
Composer(s) Hoyt Curtin
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 40
Production
Executive producer(s) William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Producer(s) Iwao Takamoto
Running time 11 minutes per episode
Production company(s) Hanna-Barbera Productions
Release
Original network ABC
Picture format Film
4:3
480i
Audio format Monaural
Original release September 10, 1977 – June 21, 1980

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels is a Saturday morning animated series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on ABC from September 10, 1977 to June 21, 1980.

Summary

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels centers on the mystery-solving adventures of the Teen Angels—Brenda, Dee Dee and Taffy—and their friend Captain Caveman (or Cavey for short), a prehistoric caveman whom the girls discovered and thawed from a block of ice. The concept and general plot for the show was seen as a parody of Charlie's Angels (which also aired on ABC). It also borrowed heavily from other Hanna-Barbera shows such as Scooby-Doo and Josie and the Pussycats, among others. Captain Caveman's powers include super-strength, a variety of useful objects hidden inside his hair, and a club that allows him to fly and from which pops out different tools he uses to fight crime. His trademark is his battle cry of "Captain CAAAAAVEMAAAAAAANNNN!" Captain Caveman's voice was provided by Mel Blanc.

A total of forty 11-minute episodes ran for three seasons from 1977 to 1980: sixteen episodes were produced as segments of Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics in 1977, eight episodes were produced as segments of Scooby's All-Stars in 1978 and sixteen episodes were produced in 1980 when Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels were given their own half-hour show which combined new episodes and reruns from 1977–79. Cavey and the girls also participated in sporting competitions as part of "The Scooby-Doobies" team on the half-hour "Laff-A-Lympics" segment. Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the show contained a laugh track, one of their last productions to do so.

Characters

Captain Caveman

Captain Caveman, or "Cavey" for short (voiced by Mel Blanc), is the main character of the show. He is a caveman who is thousands of years old (his exact age is never disclosed). He can pull various objects from his long body hair that covers his body except for his nose, arms, and legs. He can also fly, but his flying power always seems to fail him at the worst possible moment. Sometimes he would attribute this mishap to an energy shortage ("Uh oh! Bad time for energy crisis." CRASH!), which was a reference to the gasoline rationing shortages of the late 1970s. He speaks in stereotypical "caveman-talk", replacing subject pronouns with their object equivalents and dropping articles such as "the" (for example, "Me know where bad guys are hiding."), and often mumbles the nonsense phrase "unga bunga". He also has a bad habit of occasionally eating large non-food objects in one gulp (i.e. bicycles, TV sets, safes, table lamps), and the Teen Angels occasionally have to stop him from eating potential clues that will help them to solve the mystery.

Dee Dee Skyes

Dee Dee Skyes (voiced by Vernee Watson) is the brains of the Teen Angels, is the group's sole African-American, and acts as their unofficial leader. Dee Dee and the rest of the Teen Angels found the frozen Captain Caveman and defrosted him. She wears her hair in an afro and usually wears a red turtleneck sweater with a blue skirt and red knee high boots. Both her dress style and her knack for solving mysteries make her similar to Velma Dinkley of Scooby-Doo fame, while she also bears a resemblance to Valerie from Josie and the Pussycats.

Brenda Chance

Brenda Chance (voiced by Marilyn Schreffler) is a cowardly brunette who is always scared of the demons, monsters and phantoms that she encounters and always tries to back out of a scary mystery. She usually wears a purple striped tank top and a pair of hot pink flared trousers with a white belt. She also acts as Dee Dee's sergeant of the Teen Angels.

Taffy Dare

Taffy Dare (voiced by Laurel Page) is the blonde member of the group, renowned for her cry of "Zowie!" whenever she comes up with a plan (or "Another Daffy Taffy Plan" as Brenda and Cavey would call it) to catch the culprits and her distinct, childlike and New York-influenced accent. In spite of her usually zany plans, Taffy is actually very capable and clever. She has the ability to sweet-talk Caveman into acting as bait for her plans to capture the culprit. She usually wears a green dress with matching shoes. She also acts as Dee Dee's second-in-command of the Teen Angels. It is revealed that Captain Caveman has a crush on her and vice versa.

Cavey Jr

Cavey Jr (voiced by Charlie Adler) is Cavey's son who appears in The Flintstone Kids. He can fly just like his father, wears a blue hat, and has black dots for eyes. While he isn't quite as powerful as his father, he is a lot smarter. Despite being a child, he has hair all over his body (even his grandmother does). It is unknown what became of Jr when his father got frozen.

Broadcast history

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels was broadcast in these following formats on ABC:

Broadcast schedules (all EDT):

Opening and closing credits

The opening credits for each episode consisted of voice-over narration by Gary Owens:

Set free by the Teen Angels from his prehistoric block of glacier ice, comes the world's first superhero, Captain Caveman! Now the constant companion to the Teen Angels—Brenda, Dee Dee and Taffy—in their hilarious, and sometimes scary mystery missions. Get ready for Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels!

The music heard in the closing credits is the CB Bears theme. After the first three screens, the end credit roll is from the original two-hour version of Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics.

Episodes

Season 1 (1977)

No. Title Original airdate Synopsis
1 "The Kooky Case of the Cryptic Keys" 10 September 1977 While on a road trip, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels are given a mysterious key by a stranger.
2 "The Mixed Up Mystery of Deadman's Reef" 17 September 1977 While at the beach with some friends, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels see a ship mysteriously vanish.
3 "What a Flight for a Fright" 24 September 1977 At the airport, some jewels are stolen by a mysterious figure.
4 "The Creepy Case of the Creaky Charter Boat" 1 October 1977 On a charter boat, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels are chatting with a friend whose father is being honored for his role in a play when suddenly the lights go out and a necklace is stolen.
5 "Big Scare in the Big Top" 8 October 1977 At the circus, tigers are disappearing. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate and discover a phantom has been haunting the circus.
6 "Double Dribble Riddle" 15 October 1977 The Central City Kings have disappeared due to a panther.
7 "The Crazy Case of the Tell-Tale Tape" 22 October 1977 Television trouble, indeed. The television station, KXXX, is taken off the air when a criminal cuts the antenna.
8 "The Creepy Claw Caper" 29 October 1977 A villain named Claw uses an aging gun to turn a rock star into an old man.
9 "Cavey and the Kabuta Clue" 5 November 1977 When a mummy comes to life and kidnaps an archeologist, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
10 "Cavey and the Weirdo Wolfman" 12 November 1977 With their friend, a prince of a small country, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels go skiing. When the scepter is stolen by a Snowwolfman, they investigate.
11 "The Disappearing Elephant Mystery" 19 November 1977 In India, when a Royal White Elephant is stolen by an evil sorcerer, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
12 "The Fur Freight Fright" 26 November 1977 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels are assisting Dee Dee's uncle, Frank Skyes, with a fur delivery. When the furs disappear, it is up to them to find out what happened.
13 "Ride 'em Caveman" 3 December 1977 In Wyoming, rumors of a horse that is possessed by a demon are rampant. And they seem to be true. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels have arrived to investigate. Just as they are investigating, a bank robbery occurs.
14 "The Strange Case of the Creature from Space" 10 December 1977 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels go to a research facility after they spot an alien spacecraft landing there. They discover that an alien robot supposedly stole a top secret energy source.
15 "The Mystery Mansion Mix-Up" 17 December 1977 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels got to Farthington Mansion with Taffy's Aunt Gladys to see a magic show. When some jewels are stolen, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
16 "Playing Footsie with Bigfoot" 24 December 1977 In Oregon, when the star athlete of a sports team is kidnapped, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate. Very soon, they have found Juice Brenner. Or have they? He is acting strangely.

Season 2 (1978)

No. Title Original airdate Synopsis
17 "Disco Cavey" 9 September 1978 When jewels are stolen at a disco on the RMS Queen Mary, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate. The creepy monster seems to have the Teen Angels outfoxed.
18 "Muscle-Bound Cavey" 16 September 1978 When a champion wrestler is kidnapped, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
19 "Cavey's Crazy Car Caper" 23 September 1978 When a new car is stolen, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
20 "Cavey's Mexicali 500" 30 September 1978 when four Aztec calendars are stolen, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels decide to investigate.
21 "Wild West Cavey" 7 October 1978 While at a Wild West show in Dodge City, some money disappears from a saddle bag that two bandits who were really actors pretended to steal from a stagecoach that Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels were riding.
22 "Cavey's Winter Carnival Caper" 14 October 1978 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate when their friend, figure skater Karenia Mikovich, disappears.
23 "Cavey's Fashion Fiasco" 21 October 1978 At a fashion show, three models disappear.
24 "Cavey's Missing Missile Miss-tery" 28 October 1978 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels decide to investigate when a missile launch they have been watching in the Grand Canyon, where they had previously competed in the Laff-A-Lympics, goes awry.

Season 3 (1980)

No. Title Original airdate Synopsis
25 "The Scarifying Seaweed Secret" 8 March 1980 Ms. Snowden is supposed to be the heir to a fortune. But she must stay on the island, or her relatives will inherit the fortune. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels are called in to investigate when the relatives start disappearing thanks to a mysterious sea creature.
26 "The Dummy" 15 March 1980 When some jewels are stolen, a ventriloquist whom Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels had been watching the night before is immediately suspected by a policeman.
27 "Cavey and the Volcanic Villain" 22 March 1980 In Hawaii, a marriage between two lovers from two families who had been enemies for many years is threatened when a sacred pearl disappears. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, who are friends with the bride, investigate.
28 "Prehistoric Panic" 29 March 1980 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels travel back in time to meet Captain Caveman's father, the chief of Cavey's tribe. Cavey soon learns that his father's position is threatened by the Mellog, an evil creature that Captain Caveman's father defeated long ago. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate when the statue of the Mellog comes to life.
29 "Cavey and the Baffling Buffalo Man" 5 April 1980 A Native American park ranger asks Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels for their help in finding his stolen car and the Buffalo Man who stole it.
30 "Dragonhead" 12 April 1980 While on the way to a Chinese New Year festival in San Francisco, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels save a truck driver working for a fortune cookie factory. The CEO, Mr. Chin, has been having problems with his business since a masked criminal named Dragonhead showed up. Captain Caveman finds the truck. They notice that the fortune cookies were stolen but not the fortunes. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
31 "Cavey and the Murky Mississippi Mystery" 19 April 1980 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels go on a cruise on a riverboat on the Mississippi River. While there, some nuclear material disappears in the river. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate and discover a river creature.
32 "Old Cavey in New York" 26 April 1980 In New York City, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels witness a blackout. They soon discover that the gold from the International Gold Exchange has been stolen at the same time.
33 "Cavey and the Albino Rhino" 3 May 1980 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels are the first people to see a rare albino rhino at the wildlife park. A little while later, the albino rhino is stolen.
34 "Kentucky Cavey" 10 May 1980 Taffy Dare wants to help her uncle who is on the verge of a foreclosure unless his horse wins the Kentucky Derby. When the horse is stolen, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
35 "Cavey Goes to College" 17 May 1980 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels watch the first appearance of a special robot which suddenly disappears.
36 "The Haunting of Hog's Hollow" 24 May 1980 At the Hog Hollow Country Fair, something is wrong with country music singer Jasper Joe Jeeter's voice. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate when Jasper disappears on a ferris wheel.
37 "The Legend of Devil's Run" 31 May 1980 Dee Dee's uncle, Winton, invites Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels to see the reopening of the Devil's Run Railway when a freight car full of silver disappears the same way a munitions car disappeared during the Civil War. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate and find out that the legend of the Civil War ghost said to have pulled off the robbery.
38 "The Mystery of the Meandering Mummy" 7 June 1980 When a mummy comes to life and steals an Ancient Egyptian ruby from Brenda's uncle, Jonathan, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
39 "The Old Caveman and the Sea" 14 June 1980 While on vacation in Miami, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels witness a shark attack. They soon discover that a treasure has been stolen. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.
40 "Lights, Camera... Cavey!" 21 June 1980 While on a tour of the movie studio, a Phantom makes two actresses appear old. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels investigate.

Cast

Main voices:

Additional voices:

Later appearances

The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980–82)

In November 1980, Captain Caveman began to star in segments of his own on The Flintstone Comedy Show, one of many spin-offs of Hanna-Barbera's popular prime-time show The Flintstones, often in a role similar to that of Superman. Captain Caveman worked at The Daily Granite newspaper with Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble. His "secret identity" was Chester, the office boy. To disguise himself as Chester, Captain Caveman wore a pair of glasses and a tie. Despite the simplicity of his disguise, he required a coat rack and an elaborate transformation sequence to become Captain Caveman.

The Flintstone Kids (1986–88)

Main article: The Flintstone Kids

In 1986, Captain Caveman appeared in a backup segment of The Flintstone Kids called Captain Caveman and Son with his son, Cavey Jr. (voiced by Charles Adler). In this case he appeared on a show-within-a-show that the younger versions of Fred, Barney, Wilma, and Betty enjoyed watching; the Captain's mumbled "unga bunga" became a catchphrase that the kids would shout before watching each "episode" of the show. The show would involve a lesson the Flintstone kids were trying to learn in the prologue. The whole "secret identity" idea was also ignored or forgotten.

Other appearances

Home media releases

A PAL videocassette of Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (Bumper Edition) containing 13 episodes was released only in Europe on May 11, 1998. On July 23, 2013, Warner Archive released Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[1]

References

  1. ↑ "The Complete Series' is Now Available on DVD: Cost, Box Art, More!".

External links

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