I was a fan of Hong Kong Phooey as a kid. what wasn't to like? A dog that led a double life as a masked karate expert fighting crime hit all the right notes for me. The show had a great theme song as well. What really put it over the top was the voice work by Scatman Crothers - so unique amongst saturday morning heroes.
I didn't like Hong Kong Phooey at all. Yes, great voice work, but I didn't like the idea of a complete incompetent being a super hero. I know, I know, it was the conceit of the show, and a lot of people found it funny. I just wasn't one of them. But no doubt, he was a perfect fit for the H-B Saturday morning lineup. Geez, I miss Saturday morning cartoons...
ReplyDeleteYou've done a lot of great "What If" covers and I probably missed it if you'd done a "Avengers vs The Legion of Doom " issue .
ReplyDeleteIt would be a Classic Battle !
I'm another great HKP fan, and I think calling him a "masked karate expert" is a one-for-three. Masked, yes, obviously, but his chosen martial art is kung fu, and to call him an "expert" is stretching things a bit. (I'm also not sure anyone in the show perceived him as a dog.)
ReplyDeleteIn fact, unlike ELS, it was in large part because Penry was an "incompetent," and even oblivious to his own mistakes. He did have at least one impressive superpower: overwhelming luck. Against that, the bad guys didn't stand a chance. If Penry wanted to convince himself that it was his amazing kung fu skills that did it, that was fine.
Oh, and in addition to the immortal Scatman Crothers as Penry, the show also featured the distinctive voice of Joe E. Ross (previously on "Car 54, Where Are You?") as Sgt. Flint.
PS: If you can find anything on Karate Kat, I'd love to see him teamed with HKP. I've actually wanted that since KK was shown in cartoons!
@Bob Greenwade: I'd settle for HKP and Courageous Cat. Or, even Courageous Cat and Darkwing Duck!
ReplyDelete@Ross (re: #1700): one down/ninety-nine to go. Seriously, though; I could be wrong. But, I could swear that glowing creature was from a Superbaby back-up story in SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES. Wherein Little Clark thought a shipwrecked alien was just a weird type of banana-eating gorilla!
"Hong Kong Phooey, number one super-guy, Hong Kong Phooey, quicker than the human eye!" Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteHong Kong Phooey was one of the fun old cartoons we don't see amymore, a good mixture of fun, adventure, and mystery fit for a kid on Saturday mornings. Today we get lots of extra violence or stupidity and mostly infomercials for their merchandise! Good thing shows like HKP are on dvd or digital now!
ReplyDeleteIIRC, HKP's sidekick, a cat named Spot, sometimes saved the day. ^_^
ReplyDeleteIdea: Squirrel Girl and Secret Squirrel.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, it was USUALLY Spot who actually saved the day, and HKP who got all the credit.
ReplyDeleteAh yes... you'll have to forgive me on the specifics it's been decades since I have actually watched an episode. I'll have to try to see if it holds up to my vague memories. That and Top Cat, always liked that one too.
ReplyDeleteInch High Private Eye? Anyone? Anyone? My wish is that he'll show up in Future Quest eventually.
ReplyDeleteHKP gets nostalgia points from me for the theme song alone...but ANY Krypto team-up is a winner in my book!!
ReplyDelete@Sonofjack: I'm hoping for a team-up between Inspector Gadget, Inch High Private Eye; and Agent Tom of T.H.U.M.B. The _real_ Trenchcoat Brigade!
ReplyDeleteCary and sonofjack, there are times when the Phantom leaves the jungle and walks the street dressed in the same way as the Phantom Stranger, Inch High Private Eye and the rest of them.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I'd love to see Inspector Gadget on this blog.
* old jungle saying
Delete@Anonymous:
ReplyDelete"When not in Bengalla, dress as the non-Bengallans do."
Dynomutt, Scooby Doo, and the Space Canine Patrol Agency perhaps?
ReplyDelete@Raphael: Which one? The canine version of the Silver Age LSH; or the H-B Saturday morning version from the 1980's (starring Astro Jetson)?
ReplyDelete