The Banana Splits

[ChillyDown]

This is spun off of the "Laurel and Hardy" thread. I'll re-post Mark's last comments and then add my own.

Mark-the-Shark:

Channel 32's (WFLD's) rotation was:

Monday: Atom Ant
Tuesday: Secret Squirrel
Wednesday: Banana Splits
Thursday: Huckleberry Finn
Friday: Gulliver
(If the show aired on Sundays, it was Banana Splits.)

What is strange about that is, Channel 32 had that package from September 1973 through August 1982. In all those years, whether Field Communications or Kaiser Broadcasting was running the station, as far as I know or remember, they never once varied from that schedule, and this was through several different management regimes too. That led me to believe it was in their contract, or suggested by the syndicator (which also changed; originally it was Taft-HB Enterprises, which in 1976 was taken over by Worldvision). But in the years since, I have heard that stations in other cities did not air the show like that. When WGN carried it later (on syndex only, not aired in Chicago--so I was fortunate enough to find someone in another area to record the shows for me, finally) they ran all the Secret Squirrels, all the Atom Ants, then all the Huck Finns and then all the Gullivers, and then finally, (sigh of relief) the Banana Splits half-hours.

WFLD yanked the show abruptly in the middle of the week in 1982...the station's license on the show expired at the end of the month and the new fall lineup was starting the following monday, so they ran "Mighty Mouse" for three days.

WPWR picked up the Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel episodes, and yes, you are correct, they never had the rest of the package. Initially, they ran it under the title "Atom Ant and Secret Squirrel" and they made up one of those generic "local station" intros with needle-drop music and clips from some of the cartoons. They then ran the three cartoons only, cutting out the openings, closings and interstitials with the Banana Splits. The show ran a little short, so they filled it in with "The Funny Company" and later "Captain Nemo." Then, that summer, they did run the shows again, under "Banana Splits And Friends," but still just the Ant/Squirrel episodes (plus Larry Harmon's Laurel & Hardy cartoons). Then it went off, and they'd air the cartoons occasionally on other shows alongside other cartoons. They brought the show back again in the spring of 1985, under the Ant/Squirrel title officially, but the shows were aired complete with the Splits material (for one week only). Then the following week, they started airing four cartoons, with no intro or outro and no Banana Splits segments. I called the station and asked about this and they told me that the Worldvision people had called them and asked them not to show the Splits segments...it turned out their contract only covered the cartoons, and not the Splits. They may have even gotten those prints by mistake.

[ChillyDown]

Thanks for all the great info, Mark. It looks like I got a couple of details wrong, so thanks for clearing that up.

I do remember the Ant/Squirrel packages running as a seperate show on WPWR, but never knew until now why the Splits segments weren't included!

Personally, I don't mind the idea of a "package" show with rotating segments. The Splits didn't run long enough to warrant a weekday showing all by itself. What I may never understand, though, is why (if the syndicators were looking for something to fill time on the Splits show) they wouldn't simply run the second season.

My best guess is that it wouldn't fit the package rotation as nicely, i.e., they would have to run some Splits episodes on an additional day, making the rotation Ant, Squirrel, Splits, Huck...and then inexplicably Splits again. Still, I would much rather have watched more Splits than either the Thursday or Friday segments.

I just checked Amazon, and it seems that the Splits haven't been released to DVD at all yet. I guess if the first season hasn't been released yet, there's no chance of seeing the lost second season. Has Warner's announced anything about this?

Also, Amazon says that a couple of VHS tapes were released back in the day. Does anyone know if these collections are worth picking up?

[MarkTheShark]

Thanks for all the great info, Mark. It looks like I got a couple of details wrong, so thanks for clearing that up.

No problem.

I do remember the Ant/Squirrel packages running as a seperate show on WPWR, but never knew until now why the Splits segments weren't included!

Personally, I don't mind the idea of a "package" show with rotating segments. The Splits didn't run long enough to warrant a weekday showing all by itself. What I may never understand, though, is why (if the syndicators were looking for something to fill time on the Splits show) they wouldn't simply run the second season.

That would have padded it out, that's for sure. I wonder if that wasn't their original intention.

My best guess is that it wouldn't fit the package rotation as nicely, i.e., they would have to run some Splits episodes on an additional day, making the rotation Ant, Squirrel, Splits, Huck...and then inexplicably Splits again. Still, I would much rather have watched more Splits than either the Thursday or Friday segments.

At the time, I felt the same way. I do know this: Those half-hour cut-downs were re-edited by Don Sandburg, who produced the Season 2 shows. (Sandburg was not involved in the first season.) That re-editing was done for domestic and foreign syndication, and it was done in 1969, shortly after filming wrapped on the series. From what Don told me, he only re-cut the Season 1 shows (this was before the Season 2 shows even aired, or at least while they were airing in first-run), though it would be a few years before the syndicated show appeared. Now, it may be that after the show's NBC run ended, no one wanted to be bothered with re-cutting the rest of the shows (making sure all the segments fit together, "Danger Island" chapters in sequence, etc.) and another factor may be that the "Danger Island" and "Arabian Knights" segments were all repeats from Season 1. I have heard reports that the song segments may have been repeated from the first season also, but this is unconfirmed. The "Hillbilly Bears" cartoons (which replaced "The Three Musketeers" during the second season) appeared in the "Atom Ant" episodes, so they would have been redundant as well. One thing that might have worked would have been to re-cut the Season 2 shows, and replace the repeated cartoons with Secret Squirrel, Atom Ant, Squiddly Diddly, etc., but they never did this. Or maybe no one even realized they did two seasons with original material. Whatever the case, the second season shows have been unseen since 1970.

I just checked Amazon, and it seems that the Splits haven't been released to DVD at all yet. I guess if the first season hasn't been released yet, there's no chance of seeing the lost second season. Has Warner's announced anything about this?

Warner Bros. has not announced anything to my knowledge, but Earl Kress has said that the show is on a tentative schedule of shows to be released on DVD. But he added that reconstructing the shows will be difficult, and that is one of the factors that affects which shows get chosen to be released first.

Also, Amazon says that a couple of VHS tapes were released back in the day. Does anyone know if these collections are worth picking up?

Actually, in the US, there was only one official VHS release of the show, which was released by Worldvision Home Video in 1983 (re-released by Hanna-Barbera Home Video in 1989). It's worth having, if you have absolutely no footage of the show and are desperate to have something. In the UK, more stuff was released, including at least some "complete" (such as it is) half-hour syndicated shows.

Check out my episode guide at the link below. Also on the site is a rundown of what's on that Worldvision VHS tape.

http://bananasplits.4t.com/EpisodeGuideMain.html

EDIT: I looked at the link above and just realized my rundown of the VHS tape was on the old version of the website, but I evidently have not added it to the updated site (yet), so I cut and pasted it here...


Home Video
In the United States, one video compilation of the Banana Splits series was released: “The Banana Splits And Friends” was released by Worldvision Home Video in 1983 and re-released by Hanna-Barbera Home Video in 1989.

Contents are as follows: (The first number following an item is the original episode number in which it appeared; the second is the syndicated episode number. If there is no second number, then the skit was not included in the syndicated reruns.)

“The Banana Splits And Friends Show” syndicated opening

Introduction (no voice-over) (1/1, 2)

Fleegle asks Bingo to check attendance of all members who are present. Bingo instead suggests checking off members not present, and Drooper suggests members not present not raise their hands. (1/1) (No footage is changed in this version.)

Drooper takes out the trash. The task is more difficult than first appears, since the trash can throws the trash back at him. (1/1)

Cartoon: The Arabian Knights in “Joining Of The Knights.” Prince Turhan vows to rid Baghdad of the Black Sultan. The Prince, possessing amazing agility, joins forces with Raseem and his great strength, Fariik with his wonders of magic, Nida with her mastery of disguise, and Bez, with the gift of beasts. Together, they blend their strengths to form an invincible force.....the Arabian Knights, pledging themselves to bring freedom and justice to the desert lands. (1/1)

Cuckoo/what time is it (13:00) (1/6)

Song: “You’re The Lovin’ End” (1/1)

Cartoon: The Three Musketeers in “The Littlest Musketeer.” Tooly overhears the wicked Duvac’s plot to stop the Spanish envoy from reaching Paris, which would ensure imminent war with Spain. Realizing the boy poses a threat, the villain abducts him, leaving Constance to discover his disappearance later that day. As soon as she apprises the Musketeers of the situation, they hurry to rescue little Tooly and thwart the plot of the wily Duvac. (1/2)

Drooper takes out the trash. With the trash can throwing trash back at him, Drooper tries to defend himself by swatting at it, first with his tail and then with a baseball bat. (1/2)

Song: “Soul” (1/2)

Introduction (2/3, 4)

Fleegle asks for a report from Snorky, chairman of the Secret Code committee, but the other Splits can’t understand the report, since Snorky is talking in secret code. (2/3) (This scene is longer here than in the syndicated or Turner versions of the original episode.)

Charlie, the Sour Grapes Bunch messenger girl, delivers a message: The Sour Grapes want to meet the toughest member of The Banana Splits in the alley. Snorky is nominated, goes out the door, and when he returns, has been smashed flatter than a pancake. (2/3)

Cartoon: Arabian Knights in “The Ransom.” The Arabian Knights promise Prince Raji they will help free his father, the Captain of El Arish, from the evil tyrant, Bakaar. Using their extraordinary powers, the Knights sneak into Bakaar’s palace and free the Caliph, barely escaping imprisonment themselves. Once again, the villain is outwitted, losing both his ransom and his prisoner. (2/3)

Bingo is reading a book (a joke book?) and laughing, but is disturbed by a pesky fly. Bingo slams the book shut on the fly, but then the book starts to fly away. (2/4)

Riddle Time (Looks like a banana) (2/4)

Short clip of Banana Vac saying something, but with canned laughter dubbed over the clip.

Cartoon: The Three Musketeers in “The Jewel Of India.” The King charges the Musketeers with guarding the Jewel of India prior to its presentation to the Queen of Spain. The evil Duke orders Jester, the master of a thousand disguises, to steal the gem, ensuring war between the two countries. The evil plan is averted by the diligence of the Musketeers, and the King’s gift is duly delivered to Spain. (2/4)

Bingo is reading his book. There is a knock at the door. He opens the door and is smacked with a gigantic fly swatter. (2/4) (Because the set-up to this scene, with Bingo chasing the fly out with a fly swatter, isn’t included, viewers only get half the joke here.)

Fleegle, Bingo and Drooper play with a see-saw. Fleegle stands on one end, and after Bingo provides a drum roll, Drooper jumps on the other end. But instead of raising Fleegle up, Drooper’s weight breaks the see-saw. (2/-) (This scene is not included in the syndicated reruns.)

Closing (In their wisdom, the tape’s compilers took the closing credits from an episode of “The Adventures Of Gulliver,” so none of the voice or other credits are correct.)

[ChillyDown]

I do know this: Those half-hour cut-downs were re-edited by Don Sandburg, who produced the Season 2 shows. ... From what Don told me, he only re-cut the Season 1 shows ... and another factor may be that the "Danger Island" and "Arabian Knights" segments were all repeats from Season 1.

Ahh! That makes sense, then, why they wouldn't be syndicated. It would be a logistical pain to re-cut them, and probably wasn't financially sensible. Still, it would be nice to see these in some form.

And it's awesome that you got to talk to Don Sandburg!



Warner Bros. has not announced anything to my knowledge, but Earl Kress has said that the show is on a tentative schedule of shows to be released on DVD. But he added that reconstructing the shows will be difficult, and that is one of the factors that affects which shows get chosen to be released first.


Well, it's cool that it's been talked about, at least.

Earl's a great guy. I got to meet him through a mutual friend a couple of years ago. Very friendly and very knowledgeable about animation.





Actually, in the US, there was only one official VHS release of the show, which was released by Worldvision Home Video in 1983 (re-released by Hanna-Barbera Home Video in 1989). It's worth having, if you have absolutely no footage of the show and are desperate to have something. In the UK, more stuff was released, including at least some "complete" (such as it is) half-hour syndicated shows.



Thank you for that extended summary. Too bad they only put one episode on the tape.

Probably the "second" tape I saw on Amazon's site was the reissue.


Closing (In their wisdom, the tape’s compilers took the closing credits from an episode of “The Adventures Of Gulliver,” so none of the voice or other credits are correct.)

Yipes! Did it have the Splits cavorting around at least, or was it an actual Gulliver theme? I remember that the Huck Finn episodes maintained their original non-Splits credits.

[MarkTheShark]

Ahh! That makes sense, then, why they wouldn't be syndicated. It would be a logistical pain to re-cut them, and probably wasn't financially sensible. Still, it would be nice to see these in some form.

And it's awesome that you got to talk to Don Sandburg!

Yeah, it is awesome...mostly I asked him about his Chicago years with "Bozo's Circus." Great guy.



Well, it's cool that it's been talked about, at least.

Earl's a great guy. I got to meet him through a mutual friend a couple of years ago. Very friendly and very knowledgeable about animation.

Yes...wish he would get back to me, though, about my 16mm footage. I notice on his site he recently posted something to the effect that WB is about to start working on the Splits shows for DVD (the forthcoming release most likely will be a Season 1 set). We'll see, if more details emerge...


Yipes! Did it have the Splits cavorting around at least, or was it an actual Gulliver theme? I remember that the Huck Finn episodes maintained their original non-Splits credits.

Yes, the closing credits are from the syndicated "Banana Splits And Friends," but from a "Gulliver" episode. Weird about those "Huck Finn" episodes...no Banana Splits appearances at all, other than the opening. I think that was for reasons of timing/length.

[ChillyDown]

Yeah, it is awesome...mostly I asked him about his Chicago years with "Bozo's Circus." Great guy.

You wouldn't have a copy of that interview anywhere, would you? That would be fascinating stuff.


Yes...wish he would get back to me, though, about my 16mm footage.

What 16mm footage? Did you let him borrow some rare animation footage or something?


I notice on his site he recently posted something to the effect that WB is about to start working on the Splits shows for DVD (the forthcoming release most likely will be a Season 1 set). We'll see, if more details emerge...

Wow. I sure hope so!! :D