Dynomutt, Dog Wonder

''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired on ABC from September 11, 1976, to October 1, 1977. The show centers on a Batman-esque superhero, the Blue Falcon, and his assistant, Dynomutt, a bumbling, yet effective robotic dog who can produce a seemingly infinite number of mechanical devices from his body. As with many other animated superheroes of the era, no origins for the characters are ever provided.

''Dynomutt'' was originally broadcast as a half-hour segment of '' The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour'' (1976–77), and a quarter-hour segment of its later expanded form '' Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'' (1977–78); it would later be rerun and syndicated on its own from 1978 on. The cast of '' The Scooby-Doo Show'' appeared as recurring characters on ''Dynomutt'', assisting the Daring Duo in cracking their crimes. Originally distributed by Hanna-Barbera's then-parent company Taft Broadcasting, Warner Bros. Television currently holds the distribution rights to the series.

Overview

Millionaire socialite art dealer Radley Crown (voiced by Gary Owens) and his mechanical pet dog Dynomutt (voiced by Frank Welker, who got the inspiration for the voice from the Gertrude and Heathcliff characters of Red Skelton) enjoy leisure time in their base of operations in Big City until alerted by the Falcon Flash. They then immediately dash to the Falcon's Lair (situated in Crown's penthouse), where they switch to their secret identities, the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, respectively. The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt receive the report via TV screen from the secret GHQ of secret agent F.O.C.U.S. One (voiced by Ron Feinberg), jumps into the Falconcar and speeds into the fray against assorted evildoers.

In a coup similar to the 1960s ''Batman'' TV series, the first 10 minutes of ''Dynomutt'' ends with a cliffhanger wherein the Daring Duo, in the clutches of their foes, are subjected to a perilous fate which is resolved immediately after the commercial. Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the show contains a laugh track created by the studio.

The metallic dog employs a system of miniaturized transistors that allow him to extend his limbs or neck and use them to perform extraordinary feats; however, none of them ever work properly. "B.F." (as Dynomutt lovingly refers to him) is more Dynomutt's victim than his master, forever being hamstrung by the latter's insufferably clumsy mechanized mishaps, which often results in the Blue Falcon calling Dynomutt "Dog Blunder". Nevertheless, Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon, equipped with their arsenal of super gadgetry, manage to get the situation well in hand.

Three episodes had a crossover with ''Scooby-Doo''.

Episodes

''The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour'' (1976)

''The episode titles given reflect Hanna-Barbera studio records. No on-screen titles were given for this series.''

* ¹ These episodes guest-star Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang.
* ² Episode 1.12, "There's a Demon Shark in the Foggy Dark/The Awful Ordeal with the Head of Steel", was originally broadcast not on a Saturday morning, but on Thanksgiving Day 1976 (November 25), during ABC's ''Thanksgiving Funshine Festival.''
* ³ These episodes, and all first-season repeats, were broadcast as part of '' The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show'', which included an additional half-hour featuring a '' Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' rerun.

''The Blue Falcon & Dynomutt'' (1977)

These four new episodes were also aired under the new title ''The Blue Falcon & Dynomutt''. All in all, ''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' lasted 20 episodes in total, four episodes more than ''Jabberjaw''.

Voice cast

* Frank Welker – Dynomutt, Fred Jones (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze"), Bugsy Busby (in "The Day and Nightcrawler")
* Gary Owens – the Blue Falcon
* Ron Feinberg – F.O.C.U.S. One, Narrator, Mudmouth (in "The Wizard of Ooze"), Worm (in "The Day and Night Crawler," "The Injustice League of America")
* Larry McCormick – the Mayor of Big City

Additional voices

* Henry Corden – Mr. Hyde/Willie the Weasel (in "Everyone Hyde"), the Prophet (in "The Prophet Profits")
* Regis Cordic
* Joan Gerber – Queen Hornet (in "The Queen Hornet," "The Injustice League of America")
* Bob Holt – Manyfaces (in "Sinister Symphony")
* Casey Kasem – Norville "Shaggy" Rogers (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze"), Fishface (in "The Harbor Robber"), Swamp Rat (in "The Wizard of Ooze"), Lowbrow's Henchman (in "What Now, Lowbrow"), Professor Orville (in "Everyone Hyde")
* Julie McWhirter – Prophet's Henchwomen (in "The Prophet Profits")
* Allan Melvin – Superthug (second time), Grub (in "The Day and Nightcrawler")
* Don Messick – Scooby-Doo, Mumbly (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), Gimmick (in "The Injustice League of America"), Lowbrow (in "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Injustice League of America"), Lowbrow's Henchman (in "What Now, Lowbrow"), Gimmick's Henchmen (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), Jeweler (in "Everyone Hyde")
* Heather North – Daphne Blake (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze")
* John Stephenson – Chief Grisby, Chief Wiggins (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), Blimp (in "Lighter Than Air Raid"), Eric von Flick (in "Tin Kong"), Shadowman/Herman Twitch (in "Shadowman"), Red Vulture (in "The Blue Falcon vs. the Red Vulture"), the Glob's Henchmen (in "The Glob"), Fishface's Henchmen (in "The Harbor Robber"), Gimmick's Henchmen (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), Manyfaces' Henchmen (in "Sinister Symphony")
* Pat Stevens – Velma Dinkley (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze")
* Lennie Weinrib – Superthug (first time), Roto-Chopper (in "The Day and Nightcrawler"), Prince (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), Gimmick's Henchmen (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery")

Broadcast history

''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' originally aired in these following formats on ABC and NBC:
* ''The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour'' (September 11, 1976 – November 27, 1976, ABC)
* ''The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show'' (December 4, 1976 – September 3, 1977, ABC)
* ''Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'' (as ''The Blue Falcon & Dynomutt'') (September 10, 1977 – March 11, 1978, ABC)
* ''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' (June 3, 1978 – September 2, 1978, ABC) (rerun)
* ''The Godzilla/Dynomutt Hour'' (September 27, 1980 – November 15, 1980, NBC) (rerun)

''Dynomutt'' also aired on USA Cartoon Express during the 1980s.

Between January 2 and March 9, 2008, repeats of ''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' were shown on Boomerang. On June 4, 2009, ''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' returned to Boomerang and aired Thursdays through Sundays at 10am Eastern. But the show stopped airing on Boomerang due to the re-branding that happened on January 19, 2015, that also removed many other older shows.

Home media

All 16 episodes of the first season were released in a DVD set ''The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour: The Complete Series'' from Warner Home Video.

Blue Falcon

Appearances

Television series

* Gary Owens and Frank Welker reprise their roles of the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt in guest appearances in the '' Dexter's Laboratory'' episode "Dyno-Might". The Blue Falcon comes to Dexter when Dynomutt is heavily damaged during their fight with the supervillain, Buzzord (voiced by Rob Paulsen). Though Dexter obliges, Dynomutt destroys his laboratory, leading to Dexter deactivating Dynomutt and creating Dynomutt X-90 (also voiced by Welker), who becomes a fanatical vigilante using excessive and lethal force to deal with minor crimes such as parking violations, jaywalking, and littering. Dexter tries to help the Blue Falcon stop Dynomutt X-90, but after being cornered, Dexter reveals he built Dynomutt X-90 because he deemed the original a goofy idiot sidekick. The Blue Falcon states Dynomutt was not just a goofy idiot sidekick, he was a go-go dog person. He then reactivates the original Dynomutt, who arrives and distracts Dynomutt X-90 enough for Dexter to deactivate him.
* Dynomutt's picture made a cameo in an episode of the '' 2 Stupid Dogs'' segment, '' Super Secret Secret Squirrel''.
* Owens reprises his role as the Blue Falcon in the '' Johnny Bravo'' episode "Johnny Makeover" wherein he, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Don Knotts redesign Johnny's show in a parody of ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy''.
* The Blue Falcon appears as a recurring character in the '' Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' TV series and once in the video game of the same title as a Spanish lawyer named Antonio de Rivera Garcia Azul Falcón (voiced by Maurice LaMarche). A similarly Spanish-accented Dynomutt also appeared in the two-part episode "Deadomutt", voiced by André Sogliuzzo.
* Blue Falcon and Dynomutt appeared in the ''Robot Chicken'' episode "Ban on the Fun", voiced by Kevin Shinick and Victor Yerrid.
* Blue Falcon and Dynomutt appeared in the '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' episode "Heart of Evil", with the Blue Falcon being voiced by Troy Baker while Welker reprised his role of Dynomutt. This series depicts an origin where Radley and his dog Reggie were security guards at Quest Labs. After a robot dragon attacks and injures Reggie's organic body, Dr. Benton Quest rebuilds him as a cyborg dog. While Dynomutt retains his personality from the original series, the Blue Falcon is depicted as a gritty and violent vigilante reminiscent of Batman in Frank Miller's '' The Dark Knight Returns''.
* Dynomutt and Blue Falcon appear in the '' Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?'' episode "Scooby-Doo, Dog Wonder!", with Blue Falcon voiced by David Kaye impersonating Gary Owens while Frank Welker once again reprising his role as Dynomutt. Velma Dinkley is shown to be a fan of Blue Falcon.
* Dynomutt and Blue Falcon appeared in the '' Jellystone!'' episode "Heroes and Capes", with Blue Falcon voiced by Rob Riggle. Blue Falcon pretends to be buff due to inflations in his superhero outfit. Dynomutt does not talk.

Films

* Blue Falcon and Dynomutt appear in the ''Scooby-Doo'' crossover direct-to-DVD movie, '' Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon'', with Welker reprising his role of Dynomutt once more. The duo was redesigned to be a film-within-a-film with two different iterations of the Blue Falcon. Owen Garrison (voiced by Jeff Bennett) was the star of the original TV series, who became embittered by Hollywood for rebooting his show as a dark and gritty movie with actor Brad Adams (voiced by Diedrich Bader) in the lead role as a technology-based Blue Falcon while Dynomutt was reworked into a destructive robot dog. The film's main antagonist, Jack Rabble, used the identity of the Blue Falcon's arch-enemy, Mr. Hyde, to commit a daring heist. However, he was foiled by Garrison and Scooby-Doo.
* The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt appeared in the animated ''Scooby-Doo'' film '' Scoob!'', with the Blue Falcon voiced by Mark Wahlberg and Dynomutt voiced by Ken Jeong. They were also joined by assistant Dee Dee Skyes and butler Keith. During the movie's credits, it is revealed that the Blue Falcon founded the Falcon Force alongside Atom Ant, Captain Caveman, Jabberjaw, and Grape Ape. In the movie, we learn that Radley, the original Blue Falcon, has retired to Palm Beach, Florida, and his son, Brian, has taken up the mantle of the Blue Falcon. But Brian is struggling in the role. Dynomutt is portrayed in the film as being more mature and far more competent than in the early cartoons as a result of an involuntary upgrade given to him by Brian, resulting in Dynomutt being disdainful and mocking Brian frequently and comparing him poorly to his father. Over time, however, Dynomutt's attitude toward Brian improves, and by the end of the film he's providing Brian with the encouragement that he needs in order to step out of his father's shadow.
* Dynomutt and Blue Falcon's iterations from the ''Scoob!'' film also made cameo appearances in '' Space Jam: A New Legacy''. They are seen as spectators watching the basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Goon Squad.

Comics

* From November 1977 to September 1978, Marvel Comics published a bimonthly ''Dynomutt'' comic book series that lasted for six issues.
* Ongoing series ''Cartoon Network Presents'' #21 (May 1999) featured a story starring Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon. It was written by Dan Slott with art by Manny Galan and Mike DeCarlo.
* As part of a series of crossovers featuring DC and Hanna-Barbera characters together, DC launched ''Super-Sons/Dynomutt Special'' #1 in May 2018. The issue was written by Peter Tomasi with art by Fernando Pasarin.
* In July 2024, it was announced that a ''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'' comic from Dynamite Entertainment is in the works.

See also

* List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
* Inspector Gadget
* Megaman
* Casshan

References

External links

*

THE FALCON'S LAIR: The Unofficial Guide to Dynomutt Dog Wonder



Cartoon Network: Dept. of Cartoons: Dynomutt
– cached copy from Internet Archives
* – Information and details on ''Dynomutt, Dog Wonder'

{{USA Cartoon Express

1970s American animated comedy television series
1970s American children's comedy television series
1970s American superhero television series
1976 American animated television series debuts
1977 American television series endings
American animated television spinoffs
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated comic science fiction television series
American children's animated superhero television series
Animated television series about dogs
Animated television series about robots
Dog superheroes
American English-language television shows
Fictional robotic dogs
Scooby-Doo characters
Hanna-Barbera characters
Hanna-Barbera superheroes
DC Comics superheroes
Robot superheroes
Television shows adapted into comics
Television series by Hanna-Barbera
Television series created by Joe Ruby
Television series created by Ken Spears
Television sidekicks
Male characters in animated films
Male characters in animated television series
American Broadcasting Company animated television series
Science fiction franchises
Animal superheroes
Children's television series about talking animals