Diver Dan facts for kids

Cover from Alpha Video's 2006 DVD release of Diver Dan.

Diver Dan was a popular children's TV show from the 1960s. It featured 104 short episodes, each about seven minutes long. The show was made by Brian Cartoons and shown across the country, mostly on NBC channels. Sometimes, local TV stations would combine several short episodes to make a longer, half-hour program.

The series followed the exciting adventures of Diver Dan. He was a brave diver who wore an old-fashioned diving suit. He could even talk to all the different fish he met underwater! The show was filmed using real actors and puppet fish. To make it look like they were deep in the ocean, they filmed everything through a large aquarium.

Making the Show: How Diver Dan Began

Diver Dan first appeared in 1960. It was the idea of J. Anthony Ferlaine, a cartoonist from Philadelphia. He had a comic strip called Fish Tales, and Diver Dan was a spin-off from that.

Ferlaine worked at a TV station in Philadelphia. He made two pilot episodes for a Fish Tales show using marionette puppets. When CBS didn't pick up his show, he teamed up with a producer named Louis W. Kellman. Together, they created the Diver Dan shorts. They filmed all the episodes over nine months. Then, they sold the show to different TV stations across the country, which is called syndication.

Where Diver Dan Was Shown

In New York City, Diver Dan episodes were part of a show called Felix & Diver Dan. This show also included cartoons of Felix the Cat. In Chicago, kids could watch Diver Dan on the Ray Rayner and His Friends show. Even though some kids asked for other cartoons, Diver Dan was a regular part of the program.

Meet the Characters

The show had a small but memorable cast.

• Allen Swift was a talented voice actor. He voiced many of the puppet fish characters. He also played the voice of Captain Murphy, who was never seen, and was the show's narrator.
• Frank D Freda played Diver Dan himself. Frank was also a playwright and acted in many TV commercials. He was even one of the first people to play Ronald McDonald! Frank lived from 1936 to 2016. Before Diver Dan, he performed in plays in Philadelphia and on Broadway.
• Suzanne Turner played Miss Minerva. She was a beautiful mermaid. Miss Minerva always called Diver Dan "the Diver" and was a bit shy around him.

The Songs of Diver Dan

The catchy opening and closing songs for Diver Dan were written and sung by Jack Sky. He was the show's sound engineer. He even recorded his voice twice to make it sound fuller!

Here are some of the lyrics:

• Opening Theme

Below in the deep there's adventure and danger;
That's where you'll find Diver Dan!
The sights that he sees are surprising and stranger
Than ever you'll see on the land!

After these words, the narrator would quickly tell what was happening in the story.

• Closing Theme

He moves among creatures
Of frightening features:
Flashing teeth, slashing jaws,
Flapping fins, snapping claws!
He protects and he saves
His friends under the waves;
That's where you'll find Diver Dan!

List of Episodes

Diver Dan had 104 episodes in total. Here are some of the first few episodes:

The show continued with many more adventures, including "The Volcano," "Savage Seaweed," and "The Magnet."

Who Made Diver Dan?

Many talented people worked behind the scenes to bring Diver Dan to life.

• Producer: Louis W. Kellman
• Created by: J. Anthony Ferlaine
• Writers: Joseph Bonaduce, Ron Ronszel
• Puppeteers: Martin Kreiner, John Caracciolo, Harold Taylor, Alfred Sandstrom
• Directors: Leon Rhodes, Mort Heilig
• Sound: Jack Sky

Diver Dan on DVD

You can still watch Diver Dan today! Several companies have released episodes on DVD. Alpha Video released two collections of the black and white episodes. East West Entertainment LLC also released three volumes of the show.

Alpha Video DVD Collections

Diver Dan (Volume 1)

Diver Dan Volume 2

Diver Dan in Other Media

Diver Dan wasn't just a TV show. It also appeared in other forms!

Comic Books

Dell Publishing made a Diver Dan comic book series. The first issue came out in 1962. A second issue followed, but then the comic book series was stopped.

Music Album

In 1964, a record producer named Tony Piano created a children's album based on the series. It was called Diver Dan and the Bermuda Onion. Tony Piano wrote the story, music, and lyrics for the album. He was inspired because his own children loved the Diver Dan TV show. On the album, Tony Piano voiced three characters himself. The famous comedian Del Close played Baron Barracuda. Kay Lande, a star from children's albums, played Minerva the Mermaid.

Diver Dan's Lasting Impact

Some people believe that the popular Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants might have been influenced by Diver Dan. In one SpongeBob SquarePants episode called "One Krabs Trash," there's a funny nod to the old show. When Mr. Krabs visits a graveyard, one of the gravestones reads "Diver Dan." This shows how Diver Dan left a mark on children's entertainment!