The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour facts for kids
The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour was a fun American TV show that mixed comedy and variety acts. It was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions, a famous animation studio. The show aired on NBC for five weeks in 1978, from April 13 to May 11. It was a unique show because it starred two life-sized puppets named Honey and Sis!
Quick facts for kids The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy Variety show |
| Written by | Stan Hart |
| Directed by | Jim Washburn Joe Layton |
| Voices of | Udana Power Jane Hamilton James Wenndy McKenzie Daws Butler Don Messick |
| Composer(s) | Billy Byers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Joseph Barbera |
| Producer(s) | Ken Welch Mitzie Welch Joe Layton |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hanna-Barbera Productions, in association with Welch/Layton/Welch Productions |
| Distributor | Taft Broadcasting |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | April 13 – May 11, 1978 |
Meet Honey and Sis: The Show's Stars
The main hosts of The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour were two large female puppets, Honey and Sis. Honey was a tall, blonde 19-year-old who thought she was a great performer. Her voice was done by Udana Power. Sis was her 17-year-old sister with red hair, and she was actually the more talented one! Wenndy McKenzie provided Sis's voice.
In each episode, Honey and Sis would sing, dance, and act in funny skits. One skit was "The Disco of Life," which made fun of soap operas. In this part, they would interact with different people at a disco. Another popular skit was "The Truth Tub," where they relaxed in a hot tub and parodied other TV shows like Laverne & Shirley and Three's Company.
Many famous guest stars appeared on the show during its five weeks. These included actors like Melissa Sue Anderson, Tom Bosley, Gary Burghoff, Linda Lavin, Gavin MacLeod, Tony Randall, Betty White, and singers like Charo, Leif Garrett, and The Sylvers. Even supermodel Twiggy made an appearance! The stars would introduce themselves, which was a unique touch.
You might also spot some classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters! Costumed actors pretending to be Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and Snagglepuss would make short appearances. All these cartoon characters were voiced by the famous Daws Butler.
Honey and Sis were designed by Hanna-Barbera animator Iwao Takamoto. Their cool costumes were created by fashion designer Bob Mackie. To make the puppets appear on different backgrounds, six puppeteers would wear full-body blue suits. They worked in front of a blue screen, and then the puppets were added to the scene using a special TV trick called chroma-key.
Show Episodes and Special Guests
The show aired five episodes, each with different guest stars:
- April 20: Guests included Abe Vigoda, Melissa Gilbert, Betty White, Twiggy, Gary Burghoff, and Tony Randall.
- April 23: Featured guests were Gavin MacLeod, Anson Williams, and Charo. Yogi Bear also made a cameo.
- April 30: Guests included Robert Conrad, Melissa Sue Anderson, Linda Lavin, and Peter Lupus. Yogi Bear appeared again.
- May 11: The final episode featured Tom Bosley, Connie Stevens, and the music group The Sylvers. Yogi Bear was also there.
Who Made the Show?
Many talented people worked behind the scenes to bring The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour to life:
- Executive Producer: Joseph Barbera
- Directors: Jim Washburn, Joe Layton
- Producers: Ken Welch, Mitzie Welch, Joe Layton
- Music Director: Billy Byers
- Music Material: Ken Welch, Mitzie Welch
- Puppeteers: Pat Brymer, Van Snowden, Jerry Vogel, J. Paul Higgins, Greg Dendler, Steve Dolainski
- Choreographer: Joe Layton
- Animation Director: Iwao Takamoto
- Segment Director (Honey and Sis): Bob Mackie
