the adventures of jonny quest
The Adventures of Jonny Quest is one of my all time favorite TV shows, and now my second grade son is hooked on this classic cartoon. Jonny Quest ran on ABC in prime time for one season (1964-65) before it was cancelled. I've heard various commentators say over the years that it was cancelled because it was considered to be too violent, but the truth is that the show was just too expensive to produce. ABC couldn't charge enough for advertising to turn a profit. Just look at those original episodes. That was extremely high-tech, detailed animation for that era, and it cost a lot of money to put each episode on the air.
After the show was cancelled, ABC recouped their money by selling syndication rights to the other networks beginning in 1967, and The Adventures of Jonny Quest became a regular part of Saturday morning TV from 1967-1972.
It was during those years in syndication that the show became such a source of controversy. It's a violent cartoon. Gun fights, high-tech weapons of mass destruction, fist fights and murder were all pretty commonplace on each episode, and all of the usual suspects came out in force against the show. Action for Children's Television said that the cartoon was damaging to impressional youngsters, and various Christian organizations petitioned for the show to be cancelled. They succeeded.
You might be curious as to why I, a strong Christian conservative, let my children watch Jonny Quest. The short answer is---because it's a great show! It's got action, it's exciting, it's intelligent and the good guys always win. I look at all of the crapola on TV today and it just makes me sick. The violence that you see on TV today is gratuitous, it's gory and explicit, and it's in your face. It's the same kind of junk you see in video games. That stuff they show on TV today will rot your brain and kill your soul. There's no way I would let my kids watch that stuff.
Jonny Quest is different. Each episode shows you very clearly that there are good guys and there are bad guys, and there is no confusing the two. Good triumphs over evil, and traditional American values like courage and bravery and honesty are celebrated in every episode. I want my kids to experience that. Jonny and his friend Hadji are brave, smart, resourceful and inquisitive. Dr. Quest routinely outsmarts the evil Dr. Zinn, and Race Bannon kicks butt! Besides, how can you not like a cartoon that features such a cool dog like Bandit? Jonny Quest is awesome!
OK, how about some trivia?
---The voice of the original Jonny Quest was done by 17-year old Tim Matheson (think about that the next time you watch Animal House, Fletch, or a West Wing rerun).
---John Stephenson was the original voice of Dr. Quest. Stephenson was also the voice of the TV show Dragnet who always said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." He also played the minister to Fred and Wilma in Viva Rock Vegas.
---The inspiration for Jonny Quest was the old-time radio serial Jack Armstrong.
After the show was cancelled, ABC recouped their money by selling syndication rights to the other networks beginning in 1967, and The Adventures of Jonny Quest became a regular part of Saturday morning TV from 1967-1972.
It was during those years in syndication that the show became such a source of controversy. It's a violent cartoon. Gun fights, high-tech weapons of mass destruction, fist fights and murder were all pretty commonplace on each episode, and all of the usual suspects came out in force against the show. Action for Children's Television said that the cartoon was damaging to impressional youngsters, and various Christian organizations petitioned for the show to be cancelled. They succeeded.
You might be curious as to why I, a strong Christian conservative, let my children watch Jonny Quest. The short answer is---because it's a great show! It's got action, it's exciting, it's intelligent and the good guys always win. I look at all of the crapola on TV today and it just makes me sick. The violence that you see on TV today is gratuitous, it's gory and explicit, and it's in your face. It's the same kind of junk you see in video games. That stuff they show on TV today will rot your brain and kill your soul. There's no way I would let my kids watch that stuff.
Jonny Quest is different. Each episode shows you very clearly that there are good guys and there are bad guys, and there is no confusing the two. Good triumphs over evil, and traditional American values like courage and bravery and honesty are celebrated in every episode. I want my kids to experience that. Jonny and his friend Hadji are brave, smart, resourceful and inquisitive. Dr. Quest routinely outsmarts the evil Dr. Zinn, and Race Bannon kicks butt! Besides, how can you not like a cartoon that features such a cool dog like Bandit? Jonny Quest is awesome!
OK, how about some trivia?
---The voice of the original Jonny Quest was done by 17-year old Tim Matheson (think about that the next time you watch Animal House, Fletch, or a West Wing rerun).
---John Stephenson was the original voice of Dr. Quest. Stephenson was also the voice of the TV show Dragnet who always said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." He also played the minister to Fred and Wilma in Viva Rock Vegas.
---The inspiration for Jonny Quest was the old-time radio serial Jack Armstrong.
posted by hondo at 6:50 PM
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