''Arthur! And the Square Knights of the Round Table'' is a 1966-1968 Australian
animated series
An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...
based on the legend of
King Arthur of
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...
.
The series was produced by Air Programs International and written by
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
playwright
Alex Buzo
Alexander John Buzo (23 July 194416 August 2006) was an Australian playwright and author who wrote 88 works. His literary works recorded Australian culture through wit, humour and extensive use of colloquial Australian English.
Biography
Ear ...
and British-born entertainer
Rod Hull
Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to:
Devices
* Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment
* Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority
* Connecting rod, main, coupling ...
, with Lyle Martin, Michael Robinson, and John Palmer. The characters included
King Arthur,
Guinevere,
Lancelot,
Merlin, the
Jester, the
Black Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...
, and
Morgana le Fay
Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...
. The actors who voiced the character parts in the series included:
John Meillon
John Meillon, ( ; 1 May 1934 – 11 August 1989), was an Australian character actor, known for many straight as well as comedy roles, he became most widely known internationally as Walter Reilly in the films ''Crocodile Dundee'' and ''Crocodil ...
(as "Arthur"), Lola Brooks (as "Guinevere" and "Morgana le Fay"),
John Ewart
Jon Ewart (06th May 1996) is a British television and film actor. Ewart attended the prestigious National Youth Theatre, Identity School of Acting and has appeared in many successful Television shows.
Biography Career
Ewart, who was born in M ...
, Kevin Golsby, and Matthew O'Sullivan.
By 1969, the series had been sold for broadcast in the United Kingdom and the United States. In Australia, where it was made and produced, it was sold also to the
Australian Broadcasting Commission
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...
, for broadcast on the
ABC-TV network. Typically it was broadcast on Saturday mornings and initially also, on Monday evenings. As the Australian television industry did not go to colour broadcast until March 1975, viewers saw the series in black and white for the first six years of its Australian transmission.
ABC-TV continued repeated the series for most of the 1970s; its last appearance as children's programming was March 1985.
The series was broadcast in Italy in the early 1970s. French television purchased it for broadcast in 1980-81, supplying a French soundtrack, without the original music. It was broadcast on the French television channel, TF1. In 1993, the series was also being broadcast on German cable television.
Original episodes
;Episode 1:
*Octopus
*Would You Believe, A Beanstalk?
*Which Wizard Versus What Witch
;Episode 2:
*There's An Elephant at the Drawbridge
*A Nice Knight for a Wedding
*Paris Picnic
;Episode 3:
*It's the Only Kingdom I've Got
*Old Moody
*I'll See If I'm There
;Episode 4:
*The Inn
*Seventeen Going on Seventy
*Will the Real Arthur Please Stand Up
;Episode 5:
*The Genie Who Came to Dinner
*No Laugh Olaf
*Some Maidens Just Aren't Fair
;Episode 6:
*New Armour for the King
*Smile, Smile, Smile
*That's What I Call Music
;Episode 7:
*It's the Gift That Counts
*King's Champion
*Undercover Knight
;Episode 8:
*How Do You Like Them Apples
*Pink is In
*Get Your Wish Here
;Episode 9:
*Little Bundle
*The Crown Jewels
*Mail-Order Bride
;Episode 10:
*The Unicorn of Camelot
*Belle of the Ball
*While Camelot Sleeps
;Episode 11:
*Play Gypsy Play
*Be Kind to Dragons
*The Search For Guinevere
;Episode 12:
*Even Knights Have To Eat
*The Wrecker
*Assault On Castle Morgana
Home releases
Revelation Films
Revelation Films is a British film and television production and distribution company delivering visual entertainment via cinema, television and digital platforms.
Tony Carne founded Revelation Films in 1992 as a video and television production ...
released a
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 kind ...
titled "Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table" in 2003.
["Arthur And The Square Knights of The Round Table", Revelation, PAR 61178, 2003] This Region "0" DVD has a 200-minute running time and contains the first 8 episodes, thus containing 24 cartoons of the 36.
Prior to this, Castle Vision had released two VHS video cassettes in 1992. Each of these tapes has 2 episodes, which accordingly have three cartoon stories per episode, making it a total of six stories per 45-minute tape. The Castle Vision tapes were released in the UK, under licence from the rights holders in Australia. Both tapes are in the European PAL format.
References
External links
*
*
''Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table''at Keyframe - the Animation Resource
''Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Tableat the National Film and Sound Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur! And The Square Knights Of The Round Table
1966 Australian television series debuts
1968 Australian television series endings
1960s animated television series
Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
Television series based on Arthurian legend
Australian children's animated comedy television series
Australian children's animated fantasy television series
Television series by Endemol Australia