John Callahan's Quads!
John Callahan's Quads! (or simply Quads!) is a Canadian-Australian adult cartoon produced by Nelvana.[1] It was created by and based upon the work of John Callahan, who also created another Nelvana-produced cartoon, John Callahan's Pelswick. The show aired on Canada's Teletoon, on Australia's SBS, and in Latin America on Locomotion and Adult Swim.[2] The show never aired in the United States, even though DVD releases show the TV-MA rating. It was one of the first shows animated completely using Macromedia Flash software.
| John Callahan's Quads! | |
|---|---|
 The main cast of John Callahan's Quads!. | |
| Also known as | Quads! |
| Created by | John Callahan |
| Developed by | Andrew Nicholls Darrell Vickers |
| Directed by | Steve French Chris Labonte |
| Starring | James Kee Terri Hawkes Matthew King Cliff Saunders Paul Haddad Hamish Hughes Diane Fabian Marvin Kaye Maurice Dean Wint Linda Kash Corinne Conley |
| Opening theme | "My Life Such as It Is" by John White and the Athletes |
| Ending theme | "My Life Such as It Is" (Instrumental) |
| Composer | John Clifford White |
| Country of origin | Canada Australia |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production companies | SBS independent Animation Works Media World Features Film Victoria ScreenWest Lotteries Commission of Western Australia Nelvana Limited |
| Distributor | Nelvana Limited |
| Release | |
| Original network | Teletoon/SBS |
| Original release | February 2, 2001 – October 19, 2002 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | John Callahan's Pelswick |
It is produced by Animation Works, Nelvana Limited, Media World Features, SBS Independent, and Film Victoria, with support from ScreenWest and the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia. It was first aired on Teletoon on February 2, 2001.[3] It is also viewable on Rogers Kids on Demand and Amazon.
Characters
- Reilly O'Reilly – The show's main protagonist and antihero, he is paralyzed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair after getting run over by his future neighbor, Mort Bromberg. The lawsuit against Mort yields him a luxury home in Forest Hills, which he invites his friends to live with him in. For the most part, he is an apathetic and cynical slacker whose main (and only) incentives in life include fornicating with his girlfriend Franny, drinking, and hatching new get-rich-quick schemes (usually with the assistance of other morally dubious individuals such as Blazer and Griz) that typically end in disaster.
- Franny – Reilly's soulmate, spiritual advisor, lover, and best friend. She is a young and hairy woman who is known for her voluptuous figure, with red wavy hair in a ponytail and a fair complexion. She appears to be a sexualized love-interest and a stereotypical hippie who is into environmental activism, sexuality, New Age spiritualism, and refrains from shaving her bodily hair (except on special occasions as a special gift to Reilly). She also acts as the moral center of an otherwise amoral and chaotic household, as well as a running gag where Franny is a frequent object of lust to perverted men like Blazer who repeatedly attempts (and fails) to hit on her.
- Spalding – One of the more stable members of the group, he is Reilly's personal caregiver. He is a homosexual with a well-built physique and is originally from Australia. Although good-intentioned, he is a drama queen who craves attention and allows his overt sexuality to get the best of him at times.
- Blazer – Having lost his entire body as a result of gambling debts, he has been reduced to a head on a skateboard, which he uses as a means of mobility. He is a crude, ill-mannered, and cantankerous pervert who will go to any length to proposition women for even the most obscene sexual favors (such as asking Deborah if he can watch her go to the bathroom). Blazer is also the most nihilistic and amoral of the group, thus making him extremely manipulative and deceptive. As such, he is not above habitually lying to and exploiting his friends (or anyone, for that matter) for his own personal gain (financial, sexual, or otherwise).
- Lefty – Formerly a professional masseur, he lost his hands after having mistaken a rabid dog's behind for his client's back and were bitten off (an event he still has nightmares about, as shown in one episode). He is an educated and cultured individual that typically finds himself at odds with his housemates, who contrast him personality-wise.
- Fontaine – A blind Black man with a gentle and caring demeanour. Due to his blindness and trusting nature, he is frequently taken advantage of by the others (especially Reilly and Blazer) in their many escapades. In one episode, it is revealed he has an illegitimate son who is also blind.
- Griz – The epitome of unrefined, Griz is a large, disheveled oaf of a man who speaks with an Irish accent and rivals Blazer in his crassness. According to him in one episode, he changes his shirt only once every leap year. He runs a seedy, dilapidated dive bar, infested with rats and cockroaches, that the group frequent for their drinking needs. Griz is perpetually drunk and, as a result, prone to fits of alcoholic rage and extremely poor judgment, the latter of which includes driving severely intoxicated and encouraging the dishonest deeds of others. On the rare occasion Griz is seen sober, he is quick to "fix" this by immediately consuming large quantities of alcohol to return to what he perceives to be his natural state, as he looks upon sobriety with contempt. He also has a sister who is equally repugnant in the way she carries herself.
- Mort Bromberg – The man responsible for running Reilly over with his car, crippling him. Feeling guilty, Mort unwittingly buys Reilly an extravagant mansion next to his own, much to the chagrin of his wife, Liz, who despises Reilly and his friends. Despite caring for his wife and doing anything he can to please her, he is often met with Liz's callous indifference to his efforts and even well-being (such as Liz opting to go shopping for a black dress instead of calling for help when Mort suffered a heart attack, in one episode).
- Liz Bromberg – Mort's cold-blooded wife. Liz detests Reilly and his friends for the mere fact they are disabled and feels their disadvantaged nature does not jell with the environment of their affluent neighborhood. She initially tried to have the group evicted, but subsequent episodes revolved around her finding some way to take advantage of them.
- Deborah – The group's physical therapist who runs a rehabilitation clinic the group frequent for sessions with. She is cheerful and positive, yet addresses the group in a patronizing manner, especially Fontaine, who she speaks to in Ebonics, perhaps assuming he cannot understand standard English.
- Sister Butch – A Catholic nun who resides in the cathedral next door to Reilly's house and frequently spies on him and his activities using a pair of binoculars. A harsh and vindictive disciplinarian who believes she is doing God's work, she is often seen attempting to proselytize and force her views down the throats of others. Like Liz Bromberg, Sister Butch is contemptuous of Reilly and his friends, yet, however, does come to his aid on several occasions and even saves his life twice. This is most likely an ulterior motive to persuade Reilly into attending church more regularly.
Voice cast
- James Kee as Reilly O'Reilly
- Terri Hawkes as Franny
- Matthew King as Spalding
- Cliff Saunders as Blazer
- Paul Haddad as Lefty
- Hamish Hughes as Griz
- Diane Fabian as Liz Bromberg
- Marvin Kaye as Mort Bromberg
- Maurice Dean Wint as Fontaine
- Linda Kash as Deborah
- Corinne Conley as Sister Butch
Episodes
Season 1 (2001)
| No. | Title | Original air date [4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Maimed Manor" | February 2, 2001 |
| 2 | "Bad Manors" | February 9, 2001 |
| 3 | "1-800-GIMP" | February 16, 2001 |
| 4 | "The Fraud Quad" | February 23, 2001 |
| 5 | "Christmas Holidaze" | December 17, 2001 |
| 6 | "Life Wheel 3000" | March 2, 2001 |
| 7 | "Gonad's Faust" | March 9, 2001 |
| 8 | "Monkey in the Middle" | March 16, 2001 |
| 9 | "Son's Also Blinded" | March 23, 2001 |
| 10 | "Guinea Pigs" | March 30, 2001 |
| 11 | "The Unkindest Cut" | April 6, 2001 |
| 12 | "Fatal Distraction" | April 13, 2001 |
| 13 | "Spalding in the Family Way" | April 20, 2001 |
Season 2 (2002)
| No. | Title | Original air date [4] |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | "The Church of Reilly" | September 7, 2002 |
| 15 | "Vacation to Lesbos" | September 8, 2002 |
| 16 | "To Slash or Not to Slash" | September 14, 2002 |
| 17 | "Let the Gimp Games Begin" | September 15, 2002 |
| 18 | "Midnight Cash Bowboy" | September 21, 2002 |
| 19 | "Trial and Error" | September 22, 2002 |
| 20 | "Gray Matter" | September 28, 2002 |
| 21 | "The Gambling Bug" | September 29, 2002 |
| 22 | "The Magnificent Severed" | October 5, 2002 |
| 23 | "Griz Savant" | October 6, 2002 |
| 24 | "Heaven Can Bite Me" | October 12, 2002 |
| 25 | "Cripple Challenge" | October 13, 2002 |
| 26 | "Cain and Enabler" | October 19, 2002 |
References
- http://www.nelvana.com/show/123/quads
- Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 57. ISBN 9781476672939.
- "CANOE - JAM! - Welcome to Maimed Manor". Jam.canoe.ca. 2 February 2001. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- "Television Program Logs". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2 March 2016. Alt URL
External links
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