''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'' is an hour-long Saturday morning cartoon 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 ...

from 1965 to 1967 for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. In fall 1965, the show aired as two independent half-hour programs. ''The Atom Ant Show'' featured the tiny superhero

Atom Ant Atom Ant is a cartoon ant and superhero, created by Hanna-Barbera in 1965. Atom costarred in ''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'' (sharing top billing with Secret Squirrel). In syndication, Atom Ant aired alongside '' Precious Pupp'' and '' The ...

, with additional segments ''

Precious Pupp ''Precious Pupp'' is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired as a segment on ''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'' from October 2, 1965 to September 7, 1967. Plot The cartoon featured a large mangy dog named ...

'' and '' The Hillbilly Bears''. ''The Secret Squirrel Show'' featured the master spy

Secret Squirrel ''Secret Squirrel'' is a cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera and also the name of his segment in ''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'', which debuted in 1965. He was given his own show in 1966, titled ''The Secret Squirrel Show'', but was ...

, backed up with ''

Squiddly Diddly Squiddly Diddly is an anthropomorphic animated octopus created by Hanna-Barbera, who was featured in his own cartoon segment on '' The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'' beginning in 1965. Fictional character biography The round-headed, sailor-hatt ...

'' and ''

Winsome Witch ''Winsome Witch'' is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired as a segment on '' The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show'' from October 2, 1965 to September 7, 1967. The main character, Winsome "Winnie" W. Witch, ...

''. In the winter, the shows combine into an hour-long format, ''The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show''. For the series' final NBC run under the ''Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel'' title, the show was one half-hour long.

Production

On September 12, 1965, the series had an hour-long primetime preview on NBC called ''The World of Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant or The World of Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel''. ''The Hillbilly Bears'' cartoon segments were later repeated during the second season of '' The Banana Splits Adventure Hour'' (1969–1970), and all 52 ''Atom Ant'' and ''Secret Squirrel'' half-hour episodes were syndicated as part of ''The Banana Splits and Friends Show'', an umbrella title for a package combining episodes of several different Hanna-Barbera series (the other series included ''The Banana Splits Adventure Hour'', '' The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' and ''

The Adventures of Gulliver ''The Adventures of Gulliver'' is a 1968 television cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show is loosely based on the 1726 satirical novel ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift. The show aired Saturday mornings on ABC-TV and las ...

'').

Segments

The program contained six segments: * ''

'': A cartoon about a superheroic ant (voiced by

Howard Morris Howard Jerome Morris (September 4, 1919 – May 21, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, and director. He was best known for his role in ''The Andy Griffith Show'' as Ernest T. Bass, and as "Uncle Goopy" in a celebrated comedy sketch on Sid Ca ...

). When he flew, he used his

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

"Up and at'em, Atom Ant!" * '' The Hillbilly Bears'': A situation comedy (inspired by ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

'') about the Rugg family of hillbilly bears consisting of Paw Rugg (voiced by

Henry Corden Henry Corden (born Henry Cohen; January 6, 1920 – May 19, 2005) was a Canadian-born American actor, best known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed's death in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was in the 1 ...

), Maw Rugg (voiced by

Jean Vander Pyl Jean Thurston Vander Pyl (October 11, 1919 – April 10, 1999) was an American voice actress. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon ''The Flintstones''. In ...

), Floral Rugg (also voiced by Jean Vander Pyl), and Shag Rugg (voiced by Don Messick). * ''

'': A cartoon about a dog (voiced by Don Messick) and his elderly lady mistress Granny Sweet (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 '' B ...

). He is characterized by a sneaky, wheezy laugh, making him a possible precursor to

Muttley Muttley is a fictional dog created in 1968 by Hanna-Barbera Productions; he was originally voiced by Don Messick. He is the foil to the cartoon villain Dick Dastardly, and appeared with him in the 1968 television series '' Wacky Races'' and its ...

from 1968's ''

Wacky Races Eccentricity (also called quirkiness) is an unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive. Eccentricity is contrasted with nor ...

'' and one of its two spin-offs, 1969's ''

Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines ''Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines'' (or simply ''Dastardly and Muttley'' in the UK and Ireland) is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and a spin-off from '' Wacky Races''. The show was ...

''. * ''

'': The adventures of a secret agent squirrel (voiced by Mel Blanc) and his trusty assistant Morocco Mole (voiced by

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

). * ''

'': A cartoon about a friendly anthropomorphic squid (voiced by

) in his quest for stardom while trying to avoid being foiled by Chief Winchley (voiced by John Stephenson). * ''

'': A cartoon about a friendly, yet somewhat inept, witch named Winsome W. Witch (the "W" stood for Wacky) (voiced by

). Winnie's catchphrase when casting a spell was "Ippity - Pippity - Pow!".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atom Ant Secret Squirrel Show, The Television series by Hanna-Barbera Television series by Screen Gems Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios 1960s American animated television series 1960s American anthology television series 1965 American television series debuts 1967 American television series endings NBC original programming Animated television series about insects Animated television series about squirrels American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated anthology television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated superhero television series English-language television shows

Production

Segments

See also

References

External links