Heathcliff (1980 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heathcliff |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated series |
| Created by | George Gately (Heathcliff character) Brad Anderson (Marmaduke character) Joe Ruby Ken Spears |
| Story by | Tony Benedict Tom Dagenais Paul Haggis Gordon Kent Michael Maurer Dalton Sandifer Buzz Dixon Elana Lesser Cliff Ruby Jack Enyart Jack Hanrahan Mark Jones Don Jurwich Kayte Kuch Jim McNamara Mark Shiney |
| Directed by | Charles A. Nichols John Kimball |
| Voices of | Mel Blanc Henry Corden June Foray Don Messick Russi Taylor Frank Welker Paul Winchell |
| Opening theme | "Heathcliff and Marmaduke Theme" by Scatman Crothers (season two) |
| Ending theme | "Heathcliff and Marmaduke Theme" (instrumental, season two) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Joe Ruby Ken Spears |
| Producer(s) | Jerry Eisenberg |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Ruby-Spears Productions McNaught Syndicate United Features Syndicate (season 2) |
| Distributor | Filmways (Season 1) Worldvision Enterprises (Season 2) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | October 4, 1980 – September 18, 1982 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Heathcliff (1984) |
Heathcliff is a fun Saturday morning animated series that first aired in 1980. It's based on the popular Heathcliff comic strip, which features a mischievous orange cat. The show was made by Ruby-Spears Productions.
This cartoon series ran on ABC starting October 4, 1980. There were a total of 26 episodes. The show had two different names during its run: Heathcliff and Dingbat and Heathcliff and Marmaduke. Each version featured different cartoon segments alongside Heathcliff's adventures.
Contents
Meet the Voices Behind the Characters
Many talented voice actors brought the characters of Heathcliff to life. These actors used their voices to create the unique personalities of the cats, dogs, and other characters you saw on screen.
Main Voice Actors
- Mel Blanc – Heathcliff, Spike, Milkman
- Henry Corden – Clem, Digby, Dogcatcher
- June Foray – Iggy, Muggsy, Grandma, Sonja, Marcy
- Don Messick – Sparerib, Nobody, Mr. Post, Mr. Snyder
- Russi Taylor – Barbie Winslow
- Frank Welker – Dingbat
- Paul Winchell – Marmaduke, Phil Winslow
More Voice Talents
Other voice actors also helped make the show special. They played many different characters throughout the series.
- Takayo Doran - (Season 1)
- Clare Peck - (Season 1)
- Marilyn Schreffler - (Season 1 & 2)
- Judy Strangis - (Season 1)
- Janet Waldo - (Season 1)
- Alan Dinehart - (Season 2)
- Avery Schreiber - (Season 2)
- Hal Smith - (Season 2)
Exploring the Episodes
The Heathcliff series was divided into two main parts, each with its own set of episodes and cartoon pairings. Let's look at how the episodes were structured.
Heathcliff and Dingbat (1980-81)
In the first season, each 30-minute episode included two short Heathcliff cartoons. These were about 5 minutes long each. The rest of the time was filled with two 5-minute cartoons called "Dingbat and the Creeps." Dingbat was a friendly ghost dog.
| Nº | Heathcliff | Dingbat and the Creeps | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feline Fugitive / Doggone Dogcatcher | Football Flunkies / Lumbering Loonies | October 4, 1980 |
| 2 | The Watchcat / Pumping Irony | It's a Snow Job for a Creep / Knutty Knights | October 11, 1980 |
| 3 | Great Cop 'n Cat Chase / Milk Run Mayhem | Heir Today Gone Tomorrow / U.F. Oafs | October 18, 1980 |
| 4 | Mascot Rumble / Heathcliff of Sherwood Forest | Safari Saps / Prized Pooch | October 25, 1980 |
| 5 | Angling Anglers / Cake Flakes | Health Nutz / Retail Ruckus | November 1, 1980 |
| 6 | The Mouse Trapper / Lion Around the House | Window Washouts / Door to Door Sales Creeps | November 8, 1980 |
| 7 | Robinson Cruise Ho / Heathcliff & the Sleeping Beauty | Creep Crop Crack-ups / Nautical Noodnicks | November 15, 1980 |
| 8 | Gold-Digger Daze / Hives | Batty Boo-ticians / Carnival Cut-ups | November 22, 1980 |
| 9 | Rodeo Dough / Pinocchio Rides Again | Bungling Baby Sitters / Treasure Haunts | November 29, 1980 |
| 10 | Cat In The Beanstalk / The Great Chase | LeMans-ter Rally / Beach Blanket Bozos | December 6, 1980 |
| 11 | Kitty a la Carte / Mystery Loves Company | French Fried Fracas / Showbiz Shenanigans | December 13, 1980 |
| 12 | Red Hot Riding Hooded Heathcliff / The Great Milk Factory Fracas | Service Station Screwballs / No News Is Ghoul News | December 20, 1980 |
| 13 | Star Trick / The Big Fish Story | Detective Ding-a-Lings / High Flying Fools | December 27, 1980 |
Heathcliff and Marmaduke (1981-82)
For the second season, the show changed its name to Heathcliff and Marmaduke. Marmaduke is another famous comic strip dog. In these episodes, you would see two 6-minute Marmaduke cartoons. A 6-minute Heathcliff cartoon was placed in between them. The famous singer Scatman Crothers sang the theme song for this version of the show.
| Nº | Marmaduke | Heathcliff | Marmaduke | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home Run Rover | Gator Go Round | Play Grounded | September 12, 1981 |
| 2 | Missy Miseque | Crazy Daze | Shuttle Off to Buffalo | September 19, 1981 |
| 3 | Wish Bones | Caught Cat Napping | Wondermutt | September 26, 1981 |
| 4 | Gone with the Whim | Dud Boat | Seagoing Watchdog | October 3, 1981 |
| 5 | Beach Brawl | Of Mice and Menace | Tricky Treat | October 10, 1981 |
| 6 | Ghostly Goof Up | A Briefcase of Cloak and Dagger | Fret Vet | October 17, 1981 |
| 7 | Bearly Camping | Tabby and the Pirate | Gold Fever Fracas | October 24, 1981 |
| 8 | Police Pooch | Mush Heathcliff Mush | Bone to Pick with Marmaduke | October 31, 1981 |
| 9 | Surburden Cowboy | A Close Encounter | Marmaduke of the Movies | November 7, 1981 |
| 10 | Baby Sitting Shenanigans | A New Kit on the Block | Kitty Sitter | November 14, 1981 |
| 11 | Leapin' Leprechaun | Clonin' Around | School Daze | November 21, 1981 |
| 12 | Caper Cracker | Cat Kit | Barking for Dollars | November 28, 1981 |
| 13 | The Lemonade Kid | The Great Milk Factory Fracas | Double Trouble Maker | December 5, 1981 |
