''Milton the Monster,'' also called ''The Milton the Monster Show,'' is an American Saturday morning

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

TV series that ran on ABC from October 9, 1965, to September 8, 1968. It was produced and directed by Hal Seeger.

Overview

The series starred Milton the Monster, a

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

-looking monster with a flat-topped, seemingly hollow head which emitted various quantities of white steam or smoke based on his mood or situation. He was created by

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly am ...

Professor Montgomery Weirdo and his assistant Count Kook, who lived in a haunted house on Horror Hill. Milton is a smiling, good-natured fellow, thanks to the Professor having used too much "tincture of tenderness" as explained in the opening theme of each individual Milton the Monster segment. Milton was created not of individual body parts, but rather in a mold from such liquids as "essence of terror" and "sinister sauce." Out of fear of his creation destroying him, Professor Weirdo intended to add just a touch of the aforementioned tincture of tenderness to the mold, but Count Kook bumped the Professor's elbow, resulting in too much of the tincture being added to the mix. Milton's voice, which was based on the southern accent used by

Jim Nabors James Thurston Nabors (June 12, 1930 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle. Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith while working at a Santa Monica nightclub, an ...

in his television role as

Gomer Pyle Gomer Pyle is a fictional character played by Jim Nabors and introduced in the middle of the third season of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. A naïve and gentle auto mechanic, he became a character in the January 1963 episode, ''Man in a Hurry''. ...

, was provided by

Bob McFadden Robert McFadden (January 19, 1923 – January 7, 2000) was an American singer, impressionist, and voice-over actor perhaps best known for his many contributions to animated cartoons. His most popular television cartoon characters included Mil ...

who also provided voices for Professor Weirdo's resident monsters: *Heebie - a skull-faced,

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...

-wearing

ghoul A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a cert ...

with a

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

voice *Jeebie - a slow-witted, cyclopian, hairy green creature with a single sharp tooth that was often used to open soda cans Professor Weirdo's nemesis was Professor Fruitcake, another mad scientist who lived in a castle on an opposite hill. Professor Fruitcake's major creation was Zelda the

Zombie A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...

. Other characters in the series included Fangenstein, a biker monster apparently inspired by

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, his sidekick Abercrombie the Zombie, and Professor Weirdo's aunt, the witchy Aunt Hagatha.

Other features

Other features on the show included: * ''Fearless Fly'', starring an insect superhero similar to

Hanna-Barbera 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 ...

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 ...

. One of the most popular segments of the ''Milton the Monster Show'', Fearless Fly was, in reality, Hiram, an ordinary

housefly The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It is believed to have evolved in the Cenozoic Era, possibly in the Middle East, and has spread all over the world as a commensal of humans. It is the most common fl ...

. When danger threatens, he ducks into a nearby matchbox, dons a red sweater and changes into the superhero Fearless Fly by, in a reversal of

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

, putting on a pair of super high-powered

glasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples ...

. Fearless Fly, according to the opening, is more powerful than a speeding rocket and faster than a beam of light. No flyswatter can harm him, no flypaper can hold him and no insecticide can stop him. Fearless Fly's sole weakness is losing his glasses, which happens in most of the episodes. His chief nemesis is the 900-year-old

Dr. Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, com ...

-inspired Dr. Goo Fee and his assistant, Gung Ho. Occasionally, ''Milton the Monsters Professor Weirdo makes an appearance to threaten Fearless Fly. Usually, Bob McFadden does the voices, such as the seductive Lady Deflyah. * ''Flukey Luke'', with a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

, his

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-accented Native American companion, Two Feathers and his

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

, Pronto. Flukey Luke was so named because of his dumb luck that allowed him to get the upper hand, despite being incredibly inept. * ''Stuffy Durma the Millionaire Hobo'', starring a nouveau-riche hobo who resisted the attempts of valet Bradley Brinkley to get some culture and breeding. * ''

Muggy-Doo Muggy-Doo is a talking animal character created by Hal Seeger. Originally appearing in comic books, this character soon went on to animated cartoons as part of the 1965 '' Milton the Monster Show'', but did not last long in either venue. History ...

Boy Fox'', featuring a sly boy fox who often gets into trouble with his

get-rich-quick scheme A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that parti ...

s. * ''Penny Penguin'', starring a bratty

penguin Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adap ...

girl and her parents.

Voice cast

Principal characters and voices: *

: Milton the Monster *

Dayton Allen Dayton Allen (born Dayton Allen Bolke; September 24, 1919 – November 11, 2004) was an American comedian and voice actor. He was one of the "men in the street" on ''The Steve Allen Show''. His catchphrase was "Why not, Bubbe?" (pronounced "whooo ...

: Professor Weirdo, Fearless Fly, Flukey Luke, Stuffy Durma, Bradley Brinkley, Chester Penguin * Larry Best: Count Kook, Muggy Doo, Two Feathers * Beverly Arnold: Penny Penguin, Flora Fly * Hettie Galen: Beulah Penguin

Episode list

Episode 1 *Fearless Fly: Trick or Treatment *Flukey Luke: Loot Pursuit *Milton the Monster: Zelda the Zombie Episode 2 *Fearless Fly: Horse Shoo Fly *Muggy Doo: Gogh Van Gogh *Milton the Monster: Boy Meets Ghoul Episode 3 *Fearless Fly: Fatty Karate *Muggy Doo: You Auto Be in Pictures *Milton the Monster: Monsters for Hire Episode 4 *Fearless Fly: Captain Fligh *Muggy Doo: Muggy Doo or Die *Milton the Monster: Who Do Voodoo? Episode 5 *Fearless Fly: The Goofy Dr. Goo Fee *Muggy Doo: From Riches to Rags *Milton the Monster: The Pot Thickens Episode 6 *Fearless Fly: Sly Fly *Stuffy Durma: From Wrecks to Riches *Milton the Monster: Medium Undone Episode 7 *Fearless Fly: Throne for a Loss *Flukey Luke: Missin' Masters *Milton the Monster: Monster Mutiny Episode 8 *Fearless Fly: The Bomb's Rush *Penny Penguin: There Auto Be a Law *Milton the Monster: Ghoul School Episode 9 *Fearless Fly: Fly Hijack *Flukey Luke: Tired Gun *Milton the Monster: Hector the Protector Episode 10 *Fearless Fly: Si Si Fly *Flukey Luke: Palace Malice *Milton the Monster: Horrorbaloo Episode 11 *Fearless Fly: The House-Fly Guest *Muggy Doo: Fortune Kooky *Milton the Monster: Goon Platoon Episode 12 *Fearless Fly: Invincible vs. Invisible *Stuffy Durma: Suit Yourself *Milton the Monster: The Dummy Talks Episode 13 *Fearless Fly: Fly by Might *Snuffy Durma: Hobo Hootenanny *Milton the Monster: A Pie in the Sky Episode 14 *Fearless Fly: The Sphinx Jinx *Penny Penguin: Penny Ante *Milton the Monster: Monstrous Escape Episode 15 *Fearless Fly: The Spider Spitter *Penny Penguin: Sickened Honeymoon *Milton the Monster: Abercrombie the Zombie Episode 16 *Fearless Fly: Fearless Fly Meets the Monsters (pilot) *Muggy Doo: Crumb-Bumming *Milton the Monster: V for Vampire Episode 17 *Milton the Monster: Monster vs. Mobster *Fearless Fly: Martians Meet their Match (pilot) *Milton the Monster: Witch Crafty Episode 18 *Milton the Monster: Camp Gitchy Gloomy *Fearless Fly: Let's Phase It *Milton the Monster: The Hearse Thief Episode 19 *Milton the Monster: Boo to You *Fearless Fly: Under Waterloo *Milton the Monster: Kid Stuff Episode 20 *Milton the Monster: Horror Scope *Fearless Fly: Lady Deflyah *Milton the Monster: The Flying Cup & Saucer Episode 21 *Milton the Monster: Monster-Sitter *Fearless Fly: Robinson Shoesole *Milton the Monster: The Moon Goons Episode 22 *Milton the Monster: Think Shrink *Fearless Fly: Private Fly *Milton the Monster: Skullgaria Forever! Episode 23 *Milton the Monster: Crumby Mummy *Fearless Fly: Stage Plight *Milton the Monster: Fort Fangenstein Episode 24 *Fearless Fly: Safari Harry *Stuffy Durma: Nuggets to You *Milton the Monster: Batnap Episode 25 *Milton the Monster: Dunkin' Treasure *Fearless Fly: Ferocious Fly *Milton the Monster: Monstrous Monster Episode 26 *Fearless Fly: Napoleon Bonafly *Flukey Luke: Violin Violence *Milton the Monster: The Mummy's Thumb

DVD release

On March 20, 2007,

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

released the complete series on a 4-

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 ...

set.

References

External links

*
Cartoon-O-Rama Spotlight on: ''The Milton the Monster Show''
at Nostalgia Central
''Milton the Monster''
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milton The Monster 1960s American animated television series 1965 American television series debuts 1968 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated horror television series Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television Animated television series about monsters