When I published a piece about Hanna and Barbera's Jonny Quest in November, I was pleasantly surprised by the response of those who had fond memories of this great cartoon adventure series. First broadcast in 1964, Jonny Quest was created by veteran comic book artist Doug Wildey. According to the imdb, (Jonny Quest) "was originally intended to be a cartoon version of the classic radio serial Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy" However Wildey suggested a more original concept and Jonny Quest was born.
Jonny Quest was voiced by then child actor Tim Matheson, who later became immortalised as sex-obsessed smoothie Otter in the classic frat boy comedy National Lampoon's Animal House from 1978. Matheson himself became the co-owner and chair of National Lampoon magazine from 1989 until 1991.
The great jazzy score for Jonny Quest was of course provided by Hoyt Curtin who sadly passed away in 2000 at the age of 78. Curtin famously said that he wrote the Jonny Quest theme "in a killer key because I know how to play trombone and I know the hardest place to play is all of the unknown, odd positions. There wasn't anything open. Just murder, E-flat minor."
Jonny Quest was syndicated all over the world including Japan as Jonny Quest-O - It's a tribute to the imagination of Hanna and Barbera, Doug Wildey and Hoyt Curtin that this now veteran animation remains as fresh today as it was all those years ago.
3 comments:
I have been waiting for your 2nd post. Thanks Very Much. Vince
Hoyt Curtin did great music for HB. You should get that "Pick-a-Nik Basket" CD box set if you don't have it.
thanks for dropping by my blog a few weeks ago, and thanks for posting these albums! greatly appreciated!
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