The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole

The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole is an animated television series produced by Beverly Hills Productions and syndicated beginning on September 6, 1958. The show's characters were a boy and a bear who hunted down bad guys. The show was made in three and a half-minute episodes, with ten parts comprising each story. It was most frequently shown one episode a day as part of a local station's afternoon children's programming.[3] The show remained in production until 1961.[4][5]

The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole
GenreComedy
Written byArt Moore
Directed byArt Moore
Voices ofJoan Gardner
Don Messick
Ed Janis
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes150[1]
Production
ProducerEd Janis
Production companyBeverly Hills Productions
Release
Original networkSyndication
Original releaseSeptember 6, 1958 (1958-09-06) –
September 9, 1961 (1961-09-09)[2]

According to Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003:

"Ultra-chintzy both in concept and execution... Spunky and Tadpole was given a big-bucks promotional sendoff in 1958 by its first syndicator, Guild Films. A major TV distributor of the period thanks to such valuable properties as the Liberace Show and the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoons, Guild secured bookings for Spunky and Tadpole in several top markets, promising a series that would appeal equally to grownups and children. Competition from stronger syndies like Huckleberry Hound and the Three Stooges shorts caused Spunky and Tadpole to fall by the wayside, and when Guild disappeared in a merger at the end of the 1950s, the cartoons were shunted around to several minor distributors. Offered at bargain rates to less affluent stations in smaller markets, Spunky and Tadpole continued to play unobtrusively into the mid-1960s."[6]

Actress Corinne Calvet and her husband were originally vice-presidents of Beverly Hills Productions, but withdrew from the company after shady fund-raising practices on the part of president and producer Ed Janis attracted the attention of the Better Business Bureau and were reported on by Variety.

Voices

The voice cast included:[7]

Episodes
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
# Title Original air date
1"Abdul the Boo Boo"September 6, 1958 (1958-09-06)
2"Another Race in Outer Space!"September 13, 1958 (1958-09-13)
3"Doin's in the Ruins"September 20, 1958 (1958-09-20)
4"Prisoner of Zinda"September 27, 1958 (1958-09-27)
5"The Bugle Will Blow"October 4, 1958 (1958-10-04)
6"The Count of San Francisco"October 11, 1958 (1958-10-11)
7"Counterspies in Secret Guise"October 18, 1958 (1958-10-18)
8"A Message to Marcia"October 25, 1958 (1958-10-25)
9"The Mixed-Up Monster"November 1, 1958 (1958-11-01)
10"North Pole Caper"November 8, 1958 (1958-11-08)
11"Buried Treasure"November 15, 1958 (1958-11-15)
12"Circus Craze"November 22, 1958 (1958-11-22)
13"The Smugglers"November 29, 1958 (1958-11-29)
14"Secret of Cactus Corners"December 6, 1958 (1958-12-06)
15"The Frozen Planet"December 13, 1958 (1958-12-13)
16"The Private Eyes"December 20, 1958 (1958-12-20)
17"Moon Trip"December 27, 1958 (1958-12-27)
18"London Mystery"January 3, 1959 (1959-01-03)
19"Casaba Capers"January 10, 1959 (1959-01-10)
20"Out of Place in Outer Space"January 17, 1959 (1959-01-17)
21"The Oozie Wangle Story"January 24, 1959 (1959-01-24)

[8]

References
  1. Terrace, Vincent (July 1979). The complete encyclopedia of television programs, 1947-1979 (2nd ed.). United States: A.S. Barnes. p. 919. ISBN 0498021777.
  2. "NewspaperArchive® | spunky tadpole 1961 historic newspaper articles including obituaries, births, marriages, divorces and arrests". newspaperarchive.com. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  3. Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. pp. 269–270. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  4. "The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  5. "Toontracker". Toontracker.com. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  6. Erickson, Hal. Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003. McFarland & Company; 2nd edition (June 30, 2005), ISBN 978-0786420995
  7. Markstein, Don. "Spunky and Tadpole". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  8. DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole Episode Guide -Beverly Hills Prods". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved 5 October 2019.


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