Beyond The Animated TV Grave is a sub-series of Beyond The TV Grave, and takes a look at short-lived prime time adult animated series that aired on ABC, CBS, or NBC. This edition focuses on CBS’s Where’s Huddles, a Hanna-Barbera cartoon with connections to The Flintstones that aired for only one season on CBS during the summer of 1970.
Background
Hanna-Barbera was the pioneer of adult animation TV series. Their first series, The Flintstones, premiered on ABC in 1960 as the first-ever adult animated prime time series. The Flintstones was widely popular upon its premiere, becoming one of ABC’s top five series in each of its first three seasons. However, its popularity waned in subsequent seasons, eventually leading to its cancelation after six seasons. ABC tried but failed to recapture the success of The Flintstones with three additional Hanna-Barbera adult animated series — 1961’s Top Cat, 1962’s The Jetsons, and 1964’s Johnny Quest. All four series retained strong legacies, yet only the first three seasons of The Flintstones actually performed well from a ratings perspective on ABC.
After a years-long lull, Hanna-Barbera would go on to create Where’s Huddles? for CBS in summer 1970. They scheduled it Wednesdays at 7:30 pm, at the tail end of the era where the half hour belonged to the networks and not their affiliates. Where’s Huddles? would partially replace the hour-long variety comedy program Hee Haw on the schedule, which ranked 20th among all programs in the 1969-70 TV season. Its lead-out would be reruns of the widely popular military comedy and The Andy Griffith Show spinoff Gomer Pyle — USMC, which had concluded its five-season run in 1969.
Synopsis
With both hailing from Hanna-Barbera, several voice actors on Where’s Huddles? also appeared on The Flintstones. Mel Blanc, who voiced Bubba McCoy on Where’s Huddles?, voiced Barney Rubble and Dino on The Flintstones. Alan Reed, who voiced Chicago Bears linebacker “Mad Dog” Madowski on Where’s Huddles?, was first the voice of Fred Flintstone. Ed Huddles’ wife Marge was voiced by Jean Vander Pyl, the same person who voiced Fred Flintstone’s wife Wilma. Finally, the dog Fumbles was played by Don Messick, who voiced Bamm-Bamm Rubble on The Flintstones.
Not only did Where’s Huddles? recycle voice actors from The Flintstones, it also recycled plots. For example, the very first episode of Where’s Huddles?, The Old Swimming Hole, featured plot recycling from The Flintstones’ third episode, The Swimming Pool. Both feature a comedy of errors with the building of a swimming pool. Where’s Huddles? was essentially made to be The Flintstones but set in the modern day and with a football twist.
Cancellation & Aftermath
As a summer series airing in 1970, viewership figures are not readily available for Where’s Huddles?. What is known is that it was canceled after that single ten-episode season. After the previous demises of Top Cat and The Jetsons, that made Where’s Huddles? the fourth consecutive Hanna-Barbera prime time adult animated series to be canceled after a single season. Adult animation took a length hiatus from prime time television after this, no longer being allowed to cling onto the success The Flintstones found in the early 1960s. After the cancelation of Where’s Huddles?, Hanna-Barbera would not produce another prime time adult animated series until 1982.
Despite a short, low-profile run on CBS’s prime time schedule, Where’s Huddles? did get some extra exposure beyond its initial airings. It was rerun on CBS’s Sunday afternoon schedule the following schedule. It also aired in syndication on Cartoon Network from 1995 through 2002, and continued to air on Boomerang until 2007.
Where’s Huddles? was released on DVD in 2016, and is still available for purchase. It is also available for digital purchase via Apple TV, YouTube, and Prime Video. All episodes are also streaming for free on Internet Archive.