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Gravedale High facts for kids

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Gravedale High
Genre Comedy
Created by David Kirschner
Developed by Ernie Contreras
Glenn Leopold
Written by Ernie Contreras
Ted Himmel
Glenn Leopold
Bruce Reid Shaifer
Starring Rick Moranis as Max Schneider
Voices of Shari Belafonte
Eileen Brennan
Georgia Brown
Tim Curry
Barry Gordon
Sandra Gould
Jackie Earle Haley
Ricki Lake
Maurice LaMarche
Brock Peters
Kimmy Robertson
Roger Rose
Frank Welker
Jonathan Winters
Theme music composer Tyrell Music Group
Country of origin USA
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive producer(s) David Kirschner
Paul Sabella
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) H-B Production Co.
NBC Productions
Distributor NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network NBC
Original release September 8 (1990-09-08) – December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01)

Gravedale High (also called Rick Moranis in Gravedale High) is a fun animated TV show. It was made by Hanna-Barbera and first aired on NBC in the fall of 1990. The show had 13 episodes. It was created to feature the actor Rick Moranis, who was famous for movies like Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

About Gravedale High

The show is about a human teacher named Max Schneider. He accidentally gets a job at Gravedale High, which is a school just for monsters! The school is near a city called Midtown. Max is the only human there.

He teaches a class of monster teenagers. These students are like modern versions of classic movie monsters. Many of them are noisy, not interested in school, or only think about themselves. This class is known for being hard to control. It seems Max was hired because no monster teacher wanted the job.

The town of Gravedale itself is mostly made up of cemeteries. It's like a secret part of Midtown. Not many humans know it exists. Besides the students' homes, there's a doctor's office run by a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type. There's also a "body shop" where monsters can buy parts to build new monsters. The show even mentions a group called the United Monster Fund. This suggests that Gravedale is part of a bigger monster world.

Meet the Characters

Main Students

  • Maxwell Schneider (voiced by Rick Moranis) - Max is a human teacher, probably in his late 30s or early 40s. He's thin and proud to be a teacher who can make a difference. He wears a suit, a polka-dotted bow tie, and thick glasses. Max has wavy red-brown hair and warm brown eyes. He's a bit quirky but very steady, which he needs to be with his wild class! He's friendly, fun, and open-minded. Max is one of the hardest-working teachers at Gravedale High. He truly cares about each of his students.
  • Vinnie Stoker (voiced by Roger Rose) - Vinnie is a vampire who acts like a cool greaser from the 1950s. His name is a nod to Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula. Vinnie often comes to class late. This is more because he doesn't care much for school than because he's a night creature. Max often has to tell Vinnie to take his boots off the desk. Vinnie is usually lazy, but he will work hard if it helps him.
  • Frankentyke (voiced by Frank Welker) - Frankentyke is a small monster, like a mix of Frankenstein's Monster and Bart Simpson. He often calls everyone "man." Even though he's small, he's a monster! In one episode, we learn his dad is a human scientist who created him.
  • Reggie Moonshroud (voiced by Barry Gordon) - Reggie is a red-haired, nerdy werewolf. He sheds a lot of fur when he's nervous and sometimes howls. But overall, he controls his emotions well. This is different from how werewolves are usually shown. He and Vinnie are best friends, which is a fun twist because werewolves and vampires are often enemies in stories.
  • J.P. Ghastly III (voiced by Frank Welker impersonating Peter Lorre) - J.P. is a rich, blue-skinned monster who looks a bit like a gnome. We don't know exactly what kind of monster he is. He and Vinnie have a bit of a rivalry.
  • Gill Waterman (voiced by Jackie Earle Haley) - Gill is a lagoon creature who loves to surf. His name is a play on words, combining "gill" and "waterman." He uses a lot of surfer slang. Gill is best friends with Frankentyke. He loves to surf, looks up to a famous surfer named Kahuna Bob, and eats a lot! His parents dress fancy, but his dad also likes surfer talk.
  • Cleofatra (voiced by Ricki Lake) - Cleofatra is a large and somewhat nerdy mummy. This is different from the skinny mummies you usually see. Her name is often shortened to "Cleo." She's best friends with Duzer. Cleo has a big crush on a TV monster star named Billy Headstone. He's on a soap opera called "Trudy and the Beast."
  • Sid (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) - Sid is a student based on the Invisible Man. He's the class clown and loves to do different voices. This is funny because an "invisible" person usually isn't noticed. Sid's parents are also good at doing impressions.
  • Blanche (voiced by Shari Belafonte) - Blanche is a zombie Southern belle who loves to shop. She's like a "mall zombie" who loves clothes. Blanche often dates J.P., but it seems she mostly likes his money. She's a shopaholic and her classmates tease her about maxing out her credit cards. She can sew and cook, but she doesn't like housework. Her goal is to marry the richest monster in the world.
  • Duzer (voiced by Kimmy Robertson) - Duzer has snake hair, like Medusa, but she can't turn people to stone. She's a Valley girl type. When someone annoys her, she says, "Get a life!" which is funny since many monsters are already dead. She's very pretty, likes to win, is bossy, and wants to be the center of attention. She especially likes Vinnie, even though he doesn't seem to like her back.

Other Students at Gravedale High

There are many other interesting students at the school:

  • Alpha-Mae Centauri - A centaur (half-human, half-horse).
  • Blobby - A student who looks like The Blob.
  • Busby - A human fly.
  • Elephant Boy (voiced by Frank Welker) - A student who looks like an elephant and speaks with a fancy British accent. He's a parody of the Elephant Man.
  • Iggy - A student with a hunchback, like the classic "Igor" assistant. He has a zipper on his head, suggesting he might be a Frankenstein-type monster too. He sometimes forgets his brain!
  • Moorehead - A monster like the Metaluna Mutant.
  • Nardo - A gargoyle who is good at sports and is Vinnie's rival.
  • Natasha Neckinski - A vampire girl with a European accent.
  • Rover (voiced by Frank Welker) - A dog-boy who talks a bit like Scooby-Doo.
  • Seymour (voiced by Barry Gordon) - A cyclops (a monster with one eye).
  • Suey - A pig-girl. She and Elephant Boy ran for Class President. They also performed together in a talent show, suggesting they might be dating.

Gravedale High Teachers

Mr. Schneider has his hands full with his students, but he also has the spooky staff of Gravedale High to help him. Some teachers don't trust Max at first because he's human, but they become friends over time. Each teacher leads a specific class.

  • Headmistress Crone (voiced by Georgia Brown) - She's the strict principal who runs the school. As her name suggests, she's like a witch. Her family founded the school. She can be tough on troublemakers, but she's a good leader. She took a risk hiring Max, but she knew it was the right choice when he disciplined his unruly class.
    • Clawford (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker) - Headmistress Crone's undead cat. He's often seen trying to catch a hunchbacked rat named Bella.
  • Boneyard (voiced by Brock Peters) - A tall, white-haired staff member who looks like an undertaker. He does many jobs, like driving the bus, teaching driver's ed, and running the school newspaper's printing press.
  • Coach Cadaver (voiced by Jonathan Winters) - A strict, hot-headed zombie gym teacher. His head is stitched together, so his brain can be removed! He doesn't like Max's students, calling them "misfits," and he didn't want Max hired. Most of the other teachers don't like his attitude.
  • Miss Dirge (voiced by Eileen Brennan) - A teacher who looks like the Bride of Frankenstein. She seems to like Max a little, saying some monster women find human men attractive. Her name "Dirge" means a sad funeral song.
  • Chef Sal Monella (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) - A monster chef who works in the school cafeteria. Sal is proud of his messy kitchen. His name is a funny play on the word "salmonella" (a type of food poisoning).
  • Mr. Tutner (voiced by Tim Curry) - A 5,000-year-old mummy history teacher with bad breath. He wears sunglasses, a coat, and a tie. Like Cleofatra, he's a bit chubby, which is different from how mummies are usually shown. He gets along well with Max.
  • Miss Webner (voiced by Sandra Gould) - As her name suggests, she's a spider-woman with six arms and two legs.

Episode Guide

No. Title Original air date
1 "Long Day's Gurney Into Night" September 8, 1990 (1990-09-08)
When Sid gets sick, Max has to take him to the human hospital because Gravedale High doesn't have a doctor. Sid gets chased by doctors who want to remove his tonsils. The other students don't want to go to the human world to visit Sid. But when Max falls into the moat, the class begs Boneyard to drive the bus to get him to the hospital.
2 "Do the Rad Thing" September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15)
Gill teaches Frankentyke how to surf and then meets a pro surfer named Kahuna Bob. Gill starts training with Bob, but his schoolwork and friendship with Frankentyke suffer. Things get serious when Gill decides to quit school to become a pro surfer.
3 "Cleo's Pen Pal" September 22, 1990 (1990-09-22)
Cleofatra sends a fan letter to monster actor Billy Headstone, who stars in "Trudy and the Beast." He writes back, wanting to meet her. Cleo admits she sent him a picture of Duzer instead of herself because she felt insecure.
4 "Monster Gumbo" September 29, 1990 (1990-09-29)
Blanche's secret family recipe for Monster Gumbo is needed for Max's class to win a charity competition against Coach Cadaver's class. They are raising money for the United Monster Fund. But a gumbo chef named Big Daddy tries to steal the recipe.
5 "The Dress-Up Mess-Up" October 6, 1990 (1990-10-06)
The students chip in to buy Mr. Schneider a birthday dinner at a fancy restaurant. But Duzer convinces Cleofatra to lend her the money to buy an expensive dress for the Gravedale Fashion Show. Duzer plans to return the dress to get the money back. When Natasha Neckinski's "mongoose stole" turns out to be a real, stolen mongoose, Duzer's snake hair gets scared and ruins the dress. Duzer has to get a job at a burger place to pay back the money.
6 "The Grave Intruder" October 13, 1990 (1990-10-13)
Duzer takes over the Gravedale Gazette newspaper and renames it the Gravedale Intruder. She starts making up fake stories about the students and staff.
7 "Fear of Flying" October 20, 1990 (1990-10-20)
Reggie's science project messes up Nardo's game in Footbomb. Nardo then challenges Vinnie to "Fly or Splat," a flying game like "Chicken." Vinnie gets struck by lightning and loses his ability to fly. The other students help him get it back before his big showdown with Nardo.
8 "He Ain't Scary, He's My Brother" October 27, 1990 (1990-10-27)
Frankentyke's older brother, Big Frank, visits from his job at the funeral parlor. He wants to spend time with his "little 'bro." But Blanche, Cleofatra, and Duzer all get crushes on Big Frankie. Their dates cut into Frankentyke's plans. When Frankentyke and Mr. Schneider run into trouble with human bullies, Big Frank might be able to help.
9 "Frankenjockey" November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)
A horse named Hoover, who has never won a race, escapes from his owners. He meets Frankentyke and likes him. Frankentyke is hired as Hoover's jockey. Max wants Hoover to retire peacefully. But other people are trying to cheat in the upcoming horse race.
10 "Save Our School" November 10, 1990 (1990-11-10)
Vinnie is failing civics class. Mr. Schneider tells him to run for student body president to learn about government. At the same time, a hotel owner wants to tear down Gravedale High to build a new hotel. Vinnie wins the election, but he learns that being a leader is more than just being popular. He has to make sure the school passes inspection and then convince the city leaders not to let the hotel owner take Gravedale's land.
11 "Night of the Living Dad" November 17, 1990 (1990-11-17)
Gravedale High's talent show is coming up, and all the parents will be there. With Gill's help, Frankentyke builds a fake dad for himself to hide that his real father is human. When they accidentally break the "genius brain" for the fake dad, they end up using the brain of a Hollywood agent instead.
12 "Goodbye Gravedale" November 24, 1990 (1990-11-24)
As Max's class makes a movie, Mr. Schneider gets a letter accepting him for a teaching job at Midtown Prep School. He applied for it before Gravedale. He's happy at Gravedale and throws the letter away, but his students find it. They think he's leaving and will use their movie to make fun of them. The students turn against him, making him leave for Midtown Prep. Headmistress Crone has to bring in many substitute teachers. Eventually, the students miss Max, and he misses them too. He pretends to be a substitute teacher named Mr. Creepers. When everyone learns the truth, Max reveals himself, and things go back to normal at Gravedale.
13 "Monster on Trial" December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01)
Reggie Moonshroud's bad driving in Driver's Ed makes Boneyard quit teaching it, so Max takes over. Reggie's bad driving leads to Max being sued for $1,000,000! An old lady named Ms. Fresno claims Reggie and Max crashed into her car badly. Ms. Fresno wins the case, and the judge sends Max and his students to prison. Reggie and Frankentyke must find a way to free them and show that Ms. Fresno lied.

Voice Cast

Here are the talented actors who gave voices to the characters:

Additional Voices

Many other actors lent their voices to the show:

Production Team

  • Gordon Hunt - Recording Director
  • Jamie Thomason - Talent Coordinator
  • Kris Zimmerman - Animation Casting Director

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gravedale High para niños

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