I remember the Beatles cartoon program as a kid during the late 60s...I remember the episodes had music interludes. But that's about all I remember about it...
Anyone else remember this show?
Now here's something that deserves DVD treatment...
I remember watching these as a kid. I don't remember any more than you though. However, here's a couple of resources with more info and some pics:
Beatles at Big Cartoon DBBeatles at Toon TrackerMusic licensing/rights will likely stop this from ever appearing on commercial dvd.
Paul Frees did the voices for John and George. The cartoons are certainly enticing, but if you try watching more than a few in a sitting, they wear out their welcome. Sometimes the moronic interpretations they make of classic songs is offensive, but sometimes there are in-jokes as well (like a nod to producer Al Brodax in a magician's incantation: "Alaka-zoo, alaka-zam, Alaka Brodax - wham, wham, wham!"). Well worth seeing is the very last cartoon of the series, which is based on "Strawberry Fields Forever." It finds the Beatles spreading joy, color, and lots of psychedelic imagery at a monochomatic home for morose orphan children. It's the finest of all the cartoons -- kind of YELLOW SUBMARINE on the cheap -- and indicative of a new direction the show might have taken had it been picked up. I suppose ABC had problems with the burgeoning psychedelia of the group and pulled the plug on the show.
I was going to send you to the
Television Chronicles Web site for more info, as they recently published a lengthy article and episode guide about THE BEATLES, but it looks like they shut down last month.
| QUOTE (Tim Lucas @ Dec 1 2006, 12:17 PM) |
| Well worth seeing is the very last cartoon of the series, which is based on "Strawberry Fields Forever." It finds the Beatles spreading joy, color, and lots of psychedelic imagery at a monochomatic home for morose orphan children. It's the finest of all the cartoons -- kind of YELLOW SUBMARINE on the cheap -- and indicative of a new direction the show might have taken had it been picked up. I suppose ABC had problems with the burgeoning psychedelia of the group and pulled the plug on the show. |
I'd read that the biggest problem was a lull in the ratings for the final season. That last season, however, has lots of trippy visuals, foreshadowing of YELLOW SUBMARINE. The cartoon for 'Tomorrow Never Knows' struck me as pretty surreal, where the fab 4 fall into a bottomless pit and find themselves in a world inhabited by dark skinned natives who speak backwards and worship a stone deity.
I don't know how long this link will remain active, but here's a low res copy online to watch
Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows