Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Genre
Created by Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
Developed by
Joe Ruby
Ken Spears
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer David Mook
Ben Raleigh
Opening theme

"Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" performed by

Composer(s) Ted Nichols (1969–1970)
Hoyt Curtin (1978)
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 34 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) William Hanna
Joseph Barbera (1978)
Producer(s)
Running time 21 minutes approx
Production company(s) Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network CBS (1969–1970)
ABC (1978)
Picture format Film, 4:3, 480i
Audio format Monaural
Original release September 13, 1969 (1969-09-13) – November 4, 1978 (1978-11-04)
Chronology
Followed by The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–1973)

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You![4] is the first incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby-Doo. Created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, it premiered on CBS, on September 13, 1969. It ran for two seasons for a total of 25 episodes. Its final first-run episode aired on October 31, 1970.

Nine episodes from Scooby-Doo's 1978-79 season, first run on ABC, were originally broadcast using the 1969 Scooby Doo, Where Are You! opening and closing sequences (in an attempted stand-alone series revival that was pulled and eventually retooled a season later as Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo when Scrappy-Doo was added to the cast).[5] The entire 1978–1979 season (which completed its run as part of Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics and was later syndicated as part of The Scooby-Doo Show) is sometimes marketed as the third season of the original Where Are You! series.

Origin

For more details on this topic, see Scooby-Doo.

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! was the result of CBS and Hanna-Barbera's plans to create a non-violent Saturday morning program that would appease the parent watch groups that had protested the superhero-based programs of the mid-1960s.[6] Originally titled Mysteries Five, and later Who's S-S-Scared?, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! underwent a number of changes from script to screen (the most notable of which was the downplaying of the musical group angle borrowed from The Archie Show). However, the basic concept—four teenagers (Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy) and a cowardly, clumsy Great Dane (Scooby-Doo) solving supernatural-related mysteries—was always in place.[7]

Writing

Scooby-Doo creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears served as the story supervisors on the series.[8] Ruby, Spears, and Bill Lutz wrote all of the scripts for the seventeen first-season episodes, while Lutz, Larz Bourne, and Tom Dagenais wrote the eight second season episodes with Ruby and Spears. The plot varied little from episode to episode. The main concept was as follows:

  1. The Mystery, Inc. gang is driving in the Mystery Machine, returning from or going to a regular teenage function, when their van develops engine trouble or breaks down for any of a variety of reasons (overheating, flat tire, out of gas, etc.), in the immediate vicinity of a large, mostly vacated property (ski lodge, hotel, factory, mansion, cruise ship, etc.).
  2. Their (unintended) destination turns out to be suffering from a monster problem (ghosts, Yetis, vampires, witches, etc.). The gang volunteers to investigate the case.
  3. The gang splits up to cover more ground, with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne finding danger, and Shaggy and Scooby finding food, fun, and the ghost/monster, who chases them. Scooby and Shaggy love to eat, including dog treats called Scooby Snacks which are a favorite of both the dog and the teenage boy.
  4. Eventually, enough clues are found to convince the gang that the ghost/monster is a fake, and a trap is set (usually by Fred) to capture it; or, they may occasionally call the local sheriff, only to get stopped by the villain half-way.
  5. If a trap is used, it may or may not work (more often than not, Scooby-Doo and/or Shaggy falls into the trap and/or they unwittingly catch the monster another way). Invariably, the ghost/monster is apprehended and unmasked. The person in the ghost or monster suit turns out to be an apparently blameless authority figure or otherwise innocuous local who is using the disguise to cover up something such as a crime or a scam.
  6. After giving the parting shot of "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids", the offender is then taken away to jail, and the gang is allowed to continue on the way to their destination.

Episodes

Music

The second season featured "chase scene" songs produced by La La Productions (which had originally been contracted to create the music for Josie and the Pussycats, the first of many shows made from the same mold as Scooby-Doo). These songs were written by Danny Janssen and Austin Roberts, and were performed by Roberts, who also made a new recording of the Scooby Doo, Where Are You! theme song for the second season.

The Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! theme song has been officially covered by several famous bands. Matthew Sweet covered it for the 1995 TV special/album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, Third Eye Blind for the 1998 animated film Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Billy Ray Cyrus for the 1999 animated film Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost, Jennifer Love Hewitt for the 2000 animated film Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, The B-52's (Cindy, Kate and Fred) for the 2001 animated film Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, MxPx for the 2002 live-action film Scooby-Doo, and Krystal Harris for the 2003 animated film Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire.

Episodes contained a laugh track, one of the first Saturday morning cartoon shows to do so. It was removed for syndication in the 1980s. Not long after the Turner networks (TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network) began airing the show in 1994, the laugh track was reinstated in 1997.

Cast

Release and reception

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! was a hit for Hanna-Barbera and CBS, which led Hanna-Barbera to eventually create series with similar concepts on ABC, NBC, and CBS, including, Josie and the Pussycats, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The Pebbles, Dino and Bamm-Bamm segments on The Flintstone Comedy Show, The Funky Phantom, Speed Buggy, Jeannie, Jabberjaw, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Inch High Private Eye, Goober and the Ghost Chasers, Clue Club, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, and The New Shmoo.

In 2005, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! came 49th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons,[9] and was more recently voted the 8th greatest Kids' TV Show by viewers of the same channel.[10] It was ranked the 24th greatest cartoon on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.[11]

Home media releases

Season sets

On July 4, 2002, Warner Home Video released four episodes from the series on a compilation DVD in Region 1 entitled Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers. They later released all 25 episodes on DVD in Region 1 on March 16, 2004 under the title Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete First and Second Seasons.[12] A DVD entitled Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete Third Season was released on April 10, 2007, made up of episodes produced in 1978, added to the Scooby's All-Stars package, and later syndicated as part of The Scooby-Doo Show.[13]

On November 9, 2010, Warner Home Video released Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series. The 8 disc set features all 25 episodes of the series plus the 16 episodes produced in 1978 which aired as part of Scooby's All-Stars. The set is encased in special collectible packaging in the form of a Mystery Machine replica. In addition, it also features a special bonus disc filled with new and archival material.[14] The set was re-released on November 13, 2012.

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Scooby-Doo's Spookiest Tales 3 August 21, 2001
Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers 4 July 4, 2002
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete First and Second Seasons 25 March 16, 2004
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Third Season 16 April 10, 2007
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series 41 November 9, 2010
November 13, 2012 (Re-issue)

Volume releases

Starting on January 27, 2009, Warner Home Video released single disc DVDs with four episodes each plus an episode from Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue. Four volumes have been released through October 19, 2010.[15]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date Bonus Episode
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: Vol. 1, A Monster Catch 4 January 27, 2009 Shags to Riches
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: Vol. 2, Bump In The Night 4 May 5, 2009 More Fondue for Scooby-Doo!
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: Vol. 3, Hello Mummy 4 September 1, 2009 High Society Scooby
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: Vol. 4, Spooky Bayou 4 October 19, 2010 Lightning Strikes Twice

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! [Animated TV Series]". AllMovie. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?". British Film Institute. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Super '70s and '80s: "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!"—Larry Marks, theme song singer, season 1". Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Later iterations of the series would add a hyphen to spell the character's name "Scooby-Doo". However, the initial series as well as such spinoffs as Gold Key Comics' Hanna-Barbera Scooby Doo... Where Are You! and Scooby Doo... Mystery Comics utilized no hyphen.
  5. ↑ Lenberg, Jeff (2006). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. New York: Facts of File. ISBN 0-8160-6599-3. pp. 618–619.
  6. ↑ Cronin, Brian (September 25, 2013). "TV Legends Revealed | Jinkies! The Mysterious Origins of 'Scooby-Doo'". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  7. ↑ Mikkelson, Barbara (May 22, 2006). "Scooby-Doo, What Is You?". Snopes.com. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Shostak, Stu (05-02-2012). "Interview with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears". Stu's Show. Retrieved 03-18-2013.
  9. ↑ Archived September 3, 2005, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ Archived February 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Animated Series—Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!". IGN.com. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  12. ↑ "Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete First and Second Seasons : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. 2004-03-16. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  13. ↑ "Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete Third Season : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  14. ↑ Lacey, Gord. "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Complete Series Announced - Mystery Machine Packaging!". Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  15. ↑ "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! DVD news: Announcement for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - Season 1, Volume 4: Spooked Bayou". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2014-03-10.

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