Doctor Dolittle (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Doctor Dolittle |
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| Genre | Cartoon series |
| Created by |
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| Developed by | Freleng |
| Directed by | Friz Freleng |
| Voices of |
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| Opening theme | "Talk to the Animals" by Leslie Bricusse Sung by Bob Holt and Lennie Weinrib |
| Ending theme | "Talk to the Animals" (instrumental) |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
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| Running time | 30 min. |
| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 12, 1970 – September 2, 1971 |
Doctor Dolittle is a fun animated TV show from 1970–1971. It was made by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and 20th Century Fox Television. The series is based on the famous books by Hugh Lofting and the 1967 movie of the same name. It's all about Doctor Dolittle, a special animal doctor who can actually talk to animals!
The show was created for TV by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng. It was shown on the NBC network. You might recognize the opening song, "Talk to the Animals," which was a big hit.
What's the Show About?
Doctor Dolittle travels all over the world on his ship, the Flounder. His main goal is to help any sick animal he finds. He's not alone on his adventures! His young first mate, Tommy Stubbins, helps him. They also have a whole crew of animals living on the ship.
But there's always trouble brewing! A sneaky place called Sub-Mar Island is often nearby. This "island" is actually a hidden submarine! It's the secret hideout of Sam Scurvy and his pirate crew. These pirates wear a funny mix of old-time pirate clothes and modern gangster suits. They are also part of a group called the Democratic Order of Pirates International, or "DOPI" for short.
Sam Scurvy has one big dream: to take over the world! He believes that if he can learn Doctor Dolittle's secret to talking to animals, he can create an army of "creepy creatures." These creatures would help him rule the world. Scurvy uses a special listening device called the Sneaky Snorkel. This device helps him find out about Doctor Dolittle's latest missions. Then, he tries to stop the Doctor, Tommy, or their animals. He might try to kidnap them to force Dolittle to share his animal-talking secret. But thanks to Doctor Dolittle's cleverness and the pirates' mistakes, their plans never work!
Meet the Characters
Here are some of the main characters you'll meet in the show:
- Doctor Dolittle (voiced by Bob Holt) - He's the main hero, an animal doctor who can chat with animals.
- Tommy Stubbins (voiced by Hal Smith) - Tommy is a sailor and Doctor Dolittle's loyal first mate. He can also talk to animals!
- Chee-Chee (voiced by Don Messick) - This is the playful cabin monkey on the Flounder.
- Dab-Dab - A helpful duck who is also the ship's cook.
- Polynesia - The Doctor's smart pet parrot. She's the one who taught him how to talk to animals in the first place!
- The Pushmi-Pullyu (voiced by Don Messick) - This is a very unusual llama with two heads, one at each end of its body! It acts as the ship's lookout, often warning everyone about approaching pirates. One head has a blue collar, and the other has an orange collar and wears glasses.
- Too-Too - A very wise owl who offers good advice.
- Jip (voiced by Don Messick) - The Doctor's loyal pet dog.
- George and the Grasshoppers - This is a cool rock band made up of grasshoppers! They live inside Doctor Dolittle's medicine case. George (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) leads the band. In each episode, they perform a rock or pop song. Their medicine case opens up like a stage, with glowing bottles of medicine flashing behind them.
- Sam Scurvy (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) - He's the main bad guy, the leader of the DOPI pirates. He wants to learn how to talk to animals so he can take over the world. Sam Scurvy always wears a fedora hat and a business suit.
- Cyclops - A big, not-so-smart pirate who wears an eyepatch over his good eye.
- Zig-Zag (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) - A French pirate who can be a bit uptight.
- Nico (voiced by Don Messick) - An Italian pirate in Sam Scurvy's crew.
- Miko - A Chinese pirate who works with Sam Scurvy.
Episode Adventures
| Nº | Title | Directed by | Air date | |
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| 1 | "The Grasshoppers Are Coming, Hooray, Hooray!" | Hawley Pratt, Oscar Dufau | September 12, 1970 | |
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The Doctor helps grasshoppers who lost their voices. When he and Tommy are captured, the insects must save them.
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| 2 | "The Bird Who Was Afraid to Fly" | Gerry Chiniquy, Grant Simmons | September 19, 1970 | |
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Montgomery the gooney bird is scared to fly. He becomes a hero when he has to call other animals to rescue the Doctor.
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| 3 | "The Land of the Tiger Moo" | Oscar Dufau, Art Davis | September 26, 1970 | |
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Doctor Dolittle needs milk from a rare Tiger-Moo to help an alligator. But the pirates are after the same unique animal!
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| 4 | "The Great Turkey Race" | Gerry Chiniquy, Grant Simmons | October 3, 1970 | |
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Polynesia's friend, Toots the Turkey, is the prize in a race. Doctor Dolittle must win to save her, even with engine trouble.
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| 5 | "The Peanut Conspiracy" | Lars Calonius, Sid Marcus | October 10, 1970 | |
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An elephant is allergic to peanuts. The Doctor needs special medicine, but a trap awaits Tommy and Chee-Chee in the jungle.
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| 6 | "The Bare Bear" | Sid Marcus, Oscar Dufau | October 17, 1970 | |
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Polar bears are freezing without their fur. The Doctor creates a formula, but pirates try to steal it.
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| 7 | "High Flying Hippo" | Lars Calonius, Art Davis | October 24, 1970 | |
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Hannah the hippo falls down a mountain. The Doctor uses a balloon to rescue her, but Hannah gets scared.
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| 8 | "The Near-Sighted Bull" | Grant Simmons, Gerry Chiniquy | October 31, 1970 | |
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Romeo the bull can't see well. The Doctor gives him glasses, making him a great bull. But Scurvy tries to ruin his big moment.
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| 9 | "The Silver Seals of the Circus" | Grant Simmons, David Detiege | November 7, 1970 | |
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Two circus seals get hurt. The Pushmi-Pullyu tries to save the show while pirates sneak in disguised as performers.
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| 10 | "A Girl for Greco Gorilla" | Art Davis, Gerry Chiniquy | November 14, 1970 | |
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The Doctor helps Greco, a lonely gorilla, find a mate. But the gorilla Greco likes might not be who she seems!
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| 11 | "A Tail of Two Snails" | Oscar Dufau, Lars Calonius | November 21, 1970 | |
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Oil pollution threatens a giant snail. The Doctor tries to move it to safety, but a fake snail hides the pirates.
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| 12 | "A Fox Called... Sherlock?" | Sid Marcus, Grant Simmons | November 28, 1970 | |
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Jip the dog is kidnapped by pirates. The Doctor and his friends get help from Sherlock the fox to find him before time runs out.
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| 13 | "The Tomb of the Phoenix Bird" | Oscar Dufau, Grant Simmons | December 5, 1970 | |
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The group searches for the mythical Phoenix bird in Egypt. Scurvy captures the Doctor, but a magical bird comes to the rescue.
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| 14 | "The Barnyard Rumble" | Gerry Chiniquy, Art Davis | December 12, 1970 | |
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Cogburn the rooster loses his voice. After treatment, he can't stop talking, which helps when motorcyclists cause trouble.
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| 15 | "The Baffled Buffalo" | Lars Calonius, Sid Marcus | December 19, 1970 | |
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The Doctor needs to find a buffalo for a special medallion. He faces a runaway train and suspicious "Indians."
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| 16 | "A Hatful of Rabbit" | Jim Pabian, Gerry Chiniquy | December 26, 1970 | |
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The Doctor treats a hyperactive rabbit for a magician. The pirates take over the magic show, and the Doctor gets picked for a trick.
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| 17 | "The Bird from O.O.P.S." | Art Davis, Sid Marcus | January 9, 1971 | |
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The Doctor tries to save a rare ogle-bird from extinction. Scurvy wants its egg to get diamonds.
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Voice Cast
- Bob Holt – Dr. John Dolittle, and other voices
- Hal Smith – Tommy Stubbins
- Lennie Weinrib – Sam Scurvy, Zig-Zag, George Grasshopper
- Don Messick – Jip the Dog, Pushmi-Pullyu, Chee-Chee, Nico
- Robert Towers – additional voices
