''The Great Grape Ape Show'' is an American
animated television series
An animated series is a set of Animation, 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 ...
produced by
Hanna-Barbera Productions
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
and broadcast on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
from September 6 to December 13, 1975.
ABC continued to air it in reruns until 1978.
Premise
The title character is The Great Grape Ape (voiced by
Bob Holt), who is a 40-foot purple
gorilla
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
with the mind of a child. His catch phrase is saying his name twice ("Grape Ape, Grape Ape") after anything anyone says, usually as a form of agreement or acknowledgement of what was said. He travels the countryside with his canine pal Beegle Beagle (voiced by
Marty Ingels
Marty may refer to:
Names
* Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names
* Marty (surname), a list of people
Places in the United States
* Marty, California, a former settlement
* Marty, Min ...
), whom he calls "Beegly Beagly".
Grape Ape's immense size tends to initially shock and frighten those unfamiliar with him, and his presence alone has often terrified people and animals, causing them to run off screaming invariably: "YEOW! A gorill-ill-ill-ill-la!". The only exception to this was the character Rosie O'Lady (voiced by
Janet Waldo
Janet Waldo (born Jeanette Marie Waldo; February 4, 1919 – June 12, 2016) was an American radio and voice actress. In animation, she voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in ''Shazzan'', Penelope Pitstop, Princess from ''Batt ...
), who appeared in Episode 11, "The Indian Grape Call". When asked by Beagle why she did not yell in fear like everyone else did upon seeing Grape Ape, she simply said, "You've seen one 40-foot purple ape, you've seen them all". In "Ali Beagle and the Forty Grapes", a wooden city limits sign reacted to Grape Ape's presence (after "overhearing" that no one else had) by progressively displaying the "YEOW!" phrase, with Beegle reading aloud as the sign changed, unfolding additional segments for the several "ill
syllables (after which it folded itself up and hopped away in fear).
Grape Ape and his friend Beegle Beagle usually ride around in a small yellow van driven by Beegle Beagle with Grape Ape sitting on the roof which can somehow support his weight. A recurring bit of business would be for him to "rev up" the tiny vehicle like a child with a friction toy, then hop aboard as the van would start on its way. Also, Grape Ape's steps would often bounce Beegle into the air, where his legs would keep walking without breaking stride.
Given his size, Grape Ape's sneezes were equivalent to a hurricane and when he cried which was sometimes when he was homesick for his family, his tears could cause flooding in areas. When he does wrong, he also famously says, "I'm sorry!", which is done so often Beegle Beagle knows when it is coming and sometimes says it along with him, though often in a playful way.
Cast
*
Bob Holt as The Great Grape Ape
*
Marty Ingels
Marty may refer to:
Names
* Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names
* Marty (surname), a list of people
Places in the United States
* Marty, California, a former settlement
* Marty, Min ...
as Beegle Beagle
Additional
*
Joan Gerber
Joan Gerber (July 29, 1935 – August 22, 2011) was an American voice actress who provided voices for a variety of cartoons.
Her most challenging voice role was "all the children in a Japanese train wreck" for a ''Godzilla'' television episode. ...
*
Virginia Gregg
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
*
Bob Hastings
Robert Francis Hastings (April 18, 1925 – June 30, 2014) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Lt. Elroy Carpenter on ''McHale's Navy'' and voicing Commissioner James Gordon in the DC Animated Universe.
Early life
Hast ...
*
Allan Melvin
Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of th ...
*
Don Messick
Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...
*
Alan Oppenheimer
Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s, and he has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s.
Early life
Oppenheimer was born in New Yor ...
*
Hal Smith
*
John Stephenson
*
Lurene Tuttle
Lurene Tuttle (August 29, 1907 – May 28, 1986) was an American actress and acting coach, who made the transition from vaudeville to radio, and later films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's more versatile a ...
*
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show ''H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
*
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell (''né'' Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, humanitarian, inventor and ventriloquist whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted ''The Paul Winchell S ...
Broadcast history
''The Great Grape Ape Show'' was broadcast in these following formats on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
:
* ''Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show'' (September 6, 1975 – September 4, 1976, ABC Saturday 8:30-9:30 AM)
* ''Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show'' (September 11, 1976 – November 27, 1976, ABC Saturday 8:00-9:00 AM) (reruns of ''Tom and Jerry and Grape Ape'')
* ''The Great Grape Ape Show'' (September 11, 1977 – September 3, 1978, ABC Sunday 11:00-11:30 AM) (reruns)
The show was originally broadcast as a segment of ''
Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show'' during the 1975–76 season; for the 1976–77 season, the show became ''Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape/
Mumbly Show'', and in 1977–78, ''The Great Grape Ape Show'' became its own half-hour show on Sunday mornings. Thirty-two 10-minute installments of ''Grape Ape'' were made; two were aired per 30-minute episode.
Grape Ape also appeared as a member of "
The Yogi Yahooeys" team on ''
Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics / Scooby's All-Stars'' from 1977 to 1979 and would often team up with
Yakky Doodle
Yakky Doodle is a cartoon duck created by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the 1961 series ''The Yogi Bear Show''. Yakky's name is a spoof of "Yankee Doodle".
History
Yakky Doodle (voiced by Jimmy Weldon using the same buccal speech technique used ...
in sporting competitions. In Britain, the BBC ran ''The Great Grape Ape'' with the cartoon series ''
Bailey's Comets
''Bailey's Comets'' is an animated cartoon series that aired on CBS. The second season consisted entirely of reruns. The series was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and was created by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng in association with ...
'' during 1977–78. ''The Tom & Jerry Show'' also appeared elsewhere in the BBC schedules, whereas the other part of the U.S. Saturday fare, ''Mumbly'' was shown by ITV.
Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the show contained
a laugh track created by the studio.
Episodes
* Telecast at Noon (EST), Thursday afternoon, November 27, 1975, as part of ABC's
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
Funshine Festival.
Home media
The episodes "That Was No Idol, That Was My Ape" and "The All-American Ape" are available on the DVD ''Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970's Vol. 2''.
Media adaptations
Norbert Fersen adapted the TV show into a comic strip in the 1970s, under its French translated name ''Momo et Ursul''.
Other appearances
* Grape Ape had his own short-lived comic book series called ''The Great Grape Ape'' that ran 2 issues in September and November 1976 published by
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...
. He also appeared in ''Laff-A-Lympics'' #1 to #11 and #13 as well as ''Hanna-Barbera TV Stars'' #1. Both titles were published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
in 1978–79. He also appeared in ''Hanna-Barbera Presents'' #6 published by
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.[Laff-A-Lympics
''Laff-A-Lympics'' is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block ''Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'', on ABC in 1977. The show is a spoof of ...]
'' segment as part of "The Yogi Yahooeys" team on ''
Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics / Scooby's All-Stars'' (1977–79). His size varies on the show, sometimes being his normal 40 ft. and other times about 6–10 feet depending on the scene.
* Grape Ape made a cameo appearance in the ''
Yogi's Space Race
''Yogi's Space Race'' is a 90-minute American animated television series and the third entry in the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise. Thirteen episodes were broadcast on NBC from September 9, 1978, to December 2, 1978, and featured the following four segm ...
'' (1978) episode "Nebuloc–The Prehistoric Planet".
* In the ''
Dexter's Laboratory
''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hid ...
'' episode "Chubby Cheese", Grape Ape (voiced by
Jeff Bennett
Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the Johnny Bravo, eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in ''Gargoyles (TV series), Gargoyles'' and List o ...
) was among the animatronic Hanna-Barbera characters in the animatronic show as he closes out Chubby's song.
* Grape Ape also made a cameo in an episode of ''
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
''The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy'' is an American animated television series created by Maxwell Atoms for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. It follows Billy, an extremely dimwitted, happy-go-lucky boy, an ...
'' called "Giant Billy and Mandy All Out Attack".
* Grape Ape was featured in the episode "Grape Juiced" of ''
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' is an American adult animation, adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of '' ...
'' with Grape Ape voiced by
John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins (born February 12, 1963) is an American actor and comedian whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's '' The Late Shift'', and a starring role in the American versio ...
and Beegle Beagle voiced by
Doug Preis
Doug Preis is an American voice actor, best known for his role as Phil Funnie, Chalky Studebaker, Willie White, Walter "Skunky" Beaumont, Bill Bluff and Vice Principal Lamarr Bone on ''Doug''.
Roles
* ''Doug'' - Mr. Phil Funnie, Chalky, Willie, ...
.
* In Episode 539 of ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' that was hosted by
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...
, the ''
TV Funhouse ''Saturday TV Funhouse'' is a segment on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' featuring cartoons created by ''SNL'' writer Robert Smigel. 101 "TV Funhouse" segments aired on ''SNL'' between 1996 and 2008, with one further segment airing in 2011. It also ...
'' segment ''
The X-Presidents
''The X-Presidents'' is an NBC/''Saturday Night Live'' '' Saturday TV Funhouse'' cartoon created by Robert Smigel and animated by J. J. Sedelmaier Productions.
Plot
This cartoon features the four former American Presidents who were still alive ...
'' featured Grape Ape (voiced by
Jeff Bergman
Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera.
Bergman was the first to repla ...
). In a Pro-War propaganda cartoon that
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
shows to
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
,
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
, and
George H.W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; p ...
, Grape Ape was shown taking part in the
Invasion of Grenada
The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...
where he scares the big-toothed Grenada soldier into hiding in a log as a
skunk
Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...
(which was previously seen in a
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
cartoon about the Korean War) says "P.U." When Gerald Ford asks "Who's Grape Ape", Ronald Reagan quotes "He had a show. We were saving ''
The Smurfs
''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...
'' for
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
."
* In the ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...
'' episode "I'm Trapped", Grape Ape is seen dead and a crowd of policemen are around his body where they realize that they did not hear the G in his name, which would explain why they shot him.
* Grape Ape made a cameo in the ''
Mad'' segment "Demise of the Planet of the Apes", where he is one of the occupants of the Super Ape Motel.
* Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle make a cameo in a 2012 ''
MetLife
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...
'' commercial entitled "Everyone".
* Grape Ape was mentioned on the October 1, 2014 episode of ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'', during his "Audience Suggestion Box" segment. Bystanders were asked in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
to name as many animals as possible in a few seconds, and one mustachioed man answered "grape." When asked why, he stated "I was thinking about Grape Ape."
* Grape Ape appeared in ''
Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak
''Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak'' is a two-part live-action/animated musical comedy television special that aired on Cartoon Network on February 20, 2000. The special was given a TV-Y7 rating.
History
On July 2, 1999, at the Cartoon ...
'', voiced by
Dave Willis
Dave Willis (born May 1, 1970) is an American voice actor, writer, animator, producer and musician. He is best known as the co-creator of the Adult Swim animated series ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' and '' Squidbillies'', the former of which he ...
.
* Grape Ape had a cameo on ''
Cartoon Planet
''Cartoon Planet'' is an American animated variety show that originally ran from 1995 to 1998 and 2012 to 2014 on Cartoon Network. A spin-off of ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'', the series centered on Space Ghost recruiting his imprisoned evil neme ...
'' episode 10 "Tom Foolery".
* Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle appeared in
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
''Nightwing/Magilla Gorilla Special'' #1.
* Grape Ape appears in the end credits of ''
Scoob!
''SCOOB!'' is a 2020 American computer-animated mystery comedy film produced by the Warner Animation Group, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a reboot (fiction), reboot of the Scooby-Doo in film, theatrical'' Scooby-Doo'' film se ...
''. He appears as a new recruit of the Falcon Force, a new team made by the
Blue Falcon
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical sp ...
.
* Grape Ape appeared in ''
Jellystone!
''Jellystone!'' is an American animated streaming television comedy series developed by C. H. Greenblatt for HBO Max. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and features reimagined versions of various characters by Hanna-Barbera. It p ...
'' voiced by
C.H. Greenblatt
Carl Harvey Greenblatt (born June 17, 1972) is an American animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, writer, producer and director. He has worked on Nickelodeon's ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and on Cartoon Network's ''The Grim Adventures of Bill ...
. In "Gorilla in Our Midst", Grape Ape falls asleep in the middle of the town causing its citizens to find a way to wake him up.
* Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle appeared in the 2021 special ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now!''
In other languages
* french: Momo et Ursul
* it, Gorilla Lilla
* fa, Gouril Angouri گوریل انگوری
* pt, João Grandão
* es, Simiolón y Listolín
See also
*
List of fictional primates
This list of fictional primates is a subsidiary to the list of fictional animals. The list is restricted to notable non-human primate characters from the world of fiction including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, gibbons, monkeys, lemu ...
References
External links
*
The Great Grape Apeat
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archivedfrom the original on August 29, 2016.
at Aaron's New Tom and Jerry Information Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Grape Ape Show
1975 American television series debuts
1978 American television series endings
1970s American animated television series
American children's animated comedy television series
American Broadcasting Company original programming
Animated television series about apes
English-language television shows
Television series by Hanna-Barbera
Television shows adapted into comics