Classic Cartoons: Hong Kong Phooey
Time to reach into my collection for some more classic cartoons. This time, let’s talk about the Number One Super Guy: Hong Kong Phooey!
Holy shit, I love that tune! And then there’s this cover version by Sublime. Yes, this is one of the all-time great cartoon theme songs.
As the the lyrics indicate, Hong Kong Phooey is a bumbling superhero who “in reality” is Penry, the police department janitor. When Penry catches wind of crime, he jumps into the file cabinet (you know, instead of a phone booth) and becomes Hong Kong Phooey. Aided by his striped cat “Spot”, HKP cruises the streets in his Phooeymobile and figures out how to capture criminals with the aid of his manual, “The Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu”.
It’s fantastic stuff.
Hong Kong Phooey originally aired in the mid-70s, just before I was born, but I was luckily able to catch the show in reruns on the USA Cartoon Express (best cartoon show ever). It’s a Hanna Barbera production from the peak of their run, which means that you’ll recognize voices from other HB productions and the animation has the same (some might argue “shoddy”) style as other HB ‘toons from that period. Either way, I love the show, as does my son. Unfortunately, there were only sixteen episodes of Hong Kong Phooey. The good news is, they can all be purchased in one slick collection right here: Hong Kong Phooey – The Complete Series
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Tags: Cartoons, hong kong phooey, nostalgia
February 16th, 2010 at 10:26 am
@John, don’t forget that Hong Kong Phooey was voiced by the immortal Scatman Crothers! perfact voice casting for the role IMHO!
February 16th, 2010 at 10:57 am
@Ryker, Agreed! Scatman’s voice as HKP was one of the best parts of the show.
I’m old enough to have been able to watch the show during the late 70s when it was on network TV. HKP was one of the many toons I loved during my childhood, and as you pointed out, John, the great theme song was one of the reasons. I also liked it so much because of the humor – HKP always refering to his Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu to find out what to do, only to have it go horribly wrong, but always end up with the bad guys being caught, usually thanks to Spot.
And since my all-time favorite cartoons are (and will always be) Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, I’m going to disagree with your claim that USA Cartoon Express was the best cartoon show ever. For me, that title belongs to The Bugs Bunny Show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdVseljx2UU
February 16th, 2010 at 11:14 am
You know all this cartoon discussion leads me back to just how awesome Saturday Morning cartoons were back then. As a kid I used to get up early, grab a bowl of cereal and watch cartoons all Saturday morning long. I think it was the great American babysitter so our parents could sleep in. Cartoons were great back then, they never tried to SELL me anything, they were just fun. That and like Heathcliff and Hong Kong Phooey, there were subtle adult jokes interspersed throughout, for the occasional parent like my Dad who got wrangled out of bed to watch cartoons as well.
There were live action shows such as “Sigmond and the Seamonsters” and the very HOT “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl” shows that, albeit had atrocious acting, still tried to push some form of kid entertainment on a Saturday morning. They were mostly clean and hey, they had a message to them.
Networks would have special “preview shows” of all the great new cartoons they would be airing this next season. Big time celebrities would be on these things, and it was a blast. These shows aired usually on a Friday evening so kids could get all hyped up to get their cartoon on!
Ok so maybe I’m like uber old (just ask AutoLock), but I really miss those days. Today’s cartoons are mostly rip offs or imports of Japanese cartoons. They all try to SELL me crap I don’t need ot they take a story and cocept and BEAT IT TO DEATH until all I wanna do is turn the TV off. Can anyone say “Power Rangers?” That’s why it’s nice that these classic shows are now out on DVD. First, they are way better than the garbage on TV these days. And secondly, it’s so much fun to revisit them with your own kids.
February 16th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
@MeatMan: What I meant by “Best cartoon show ever” was more like “best cartoon compilation show ever”. What I loved about USA’s Cartoon Express was that it had an amazing variety of shows, from Space Ghost to Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch to Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, etc., etc. Loony Tunes were fucking great, but it was kind of a different animal; at least to me.
I can’t wait to get to some of the other cartoons in my collection. I’m hoping to have one of these articles out about every week and because I have so many fucking cartoons, this series should last a while.
February 16th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
@Ryker: I am also “uber old.” As a kid growing up during the 70s and 80s (before cable TV), Saturdays were BY FAR the best day of the week, thanks in large part to starting the day off with lots of great cartoons. Warner Bros and Hanna Barbera are the pioneers of (good) cartoons IMO.
@John: Indeed, the USA Cartoon Express way a great compilation show. I’m looking forward to your upcoming trips down cartoon memory lane.
Here’s another great cartoon series I really liked… Laff-A-Lympics – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXfkO0afFyM – I like how they made a team of characters no one had ever heard of (Really Rottens) just so we’d have someone to root against.
February 16th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Oh these bring me back as a kid…Saturday mornings flipping between three or four channels seeing what cartoon wasn’t on reruns and which one I preferred. And, if all were reruns, watch the coolest one.
April 3rd, 2010 at 3:54 am
Hong Kong Phooey was my nick name for years.