Hong Kong Phooey
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Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode (31 shorts) Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from September 7, 1974 to September 4, 1976. The star, Hong Kong Phooey, is the secret alter ego of Penrod Pooch, or Penry, a "mild-mannered" police station janitor.
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[edit] Plot
A somewhat inept super-hero, Hong Kong Phooey was a (supposed) master of kung fu and the martial arts. Always on the alert for crime, he got his tip-offs from the police station where he worked as Penrod "Penry" Pooch, the mild mannered janitor. Usually on duty there were Rosemary the Telephone operator and Sergeant Flint. Whenever Penry heard of a crime taking place, he literally jumped into action, into a filing cabinet as a matter of fact, where he changed into his crime fighting gear. He always got stuck into the cabinet, and needed the help of his loyal cat Spot to get out, though he never noticed.
Hong Kong Phooey would travel from crime scene to crime scene in his ever adapting Kung Fu car. One "bong of the gong" and the Phooeymobile would instantly change into a plane, a boat, a snowmobile, etc.; whatever was needed to save the day. In his battles with supervillains, he was never without his "Hong Kong Book of Kung-Fu". However, this pretty much never helped him solve the case. He was incredibily oblivious to clues and signs and, unknowingly, he relied almost entirely on chance and the intervention of his long-suffering striped cat companion Spot (who never spoke - only sighed) to save the day.
Despite his failings, and thanks to Spot's help, the people thought of Hong Kong Phooey as a great superhero, and they were always praising him, being honoured when they crossed paths with him (even if he just destroyed their day's work accidentaly) and asking him for autographs. According to Rosemary, he was the "idol of all the Telephone Operators". Other characters said the same, just changing the job.
[edit] Overview
Sergeant Flint was very similar both in voice and appearance to Botch, assistant zoo-keeper at the Wonderland Zoo on Help! It's The Hair Bear Bunch. Hong Kong Phooey was voiced by Scatman Crothers, who was also the voice of Scat Cat in Disney's The Aristocats. Sergeant Flint was voiced by Joe E. Ross, best known as Officer Gunther Toody in the 50's TV series Car 54, Where Are You?. As Flint, Ross revived Toody's famous "Oooh! Oooh!" exclamation. Like many Hanna-Barbera shows from this era, Hong Kong Phooey was originally broadcast with a laugh track.
Hong Kong Phooey later appeared in Laff-a-Lympics and in an episode of Duck Dodgers. In addition, he appeared in a Flash cartoon with Mortal Kombat-like overtones on the Cartoon Network website. Modeled on Ryu from Street Fighter, he was depicted as a muscular, serious martial artist who battled villains with the kind of violent skill that his previous series could not show.
The complete series was released on DVD in August, 2006. This and a limited comic book series highlighting an aged Hong Kong Phooey on a last mission, apparently to clear his name from a crime he didn't commit.[citation needed]
He would soon appear in an upcoming episode of Harvey Birdman.[citation needed]
[edit] Cast
- Scatman Crothers — Hong Kong Phooey/Penrod "Penry" Pooch
- Kathy Gori — Rosemary
- Joe E. Ross — Sergeant Flint
- Don Messick — Spot
[edit] Episodes
| Episode Number | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Car Thieves / Zoo Story | September 7, 1974 |
| 02 | Iron Head, the Robot / Cotton Pickin' Pocket Picker | September 14, 1974 |
| 03 | Grandma Goody / Candle Power | September 21, 1974 |
| 04 | The Penthouse Burglaries / Batt Bank Mob | September 28, 1974 |
| 05 | The Voltage Villain / The Giggler | October 5, 1974 |
| 06 | The Gumdrop Kid / Professor Presto | October 12, 1974 |
| 07 | TV or Not TV / Stop Horsing Around | October 19, 1974 |
| 08 | Mirror, Mirror on the Wall / Great Movie Mystery | October 26, 1974 |
| 09 | The Claw / Hong Kong Phooey vs. Hong Kong Phooey | November 2, 1974 |
| 10 | The Abominable Snowman / Professor Crosshatch | November 9, 1974 |
| 11 | Goldfisher / Green Thumb | November 16, 1974 |
| 12 | From Bad to Verse / Kong and the Counterfeiters | November 23, 1974 |
| 13 | The Great Choo Choo Robbery / Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Bakery Man | November 30, 1974 |
| 14 | Mr. Tornado / The Little Crock Who Wasn't There | December 7, 1974 |
| 15 | Dr. Disguiso / The Incredible Mr. Shrink | December 14, 1974 |
| 16 | Comedy Cowboys | December 21, 1974 |
[edit] External links
- Hong Kong Phooey at the Internet Movie Database
- Big Cartoon DataBase: Hong Kong Phooey
- InternationalHero Hong Kong Phooey tribute
- Wingnut Toons episode list
- Interview with Kathy Gori, voice of Rosemary the telephone operator
- Cartoon Network Flash animation (updated version of 70's original)
- Warner Bros. - Hong Kong Phooey on DVD - The Official Site
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | Animated television series | Fictional dogs | Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios series and characters | 1970s TV shows in the United States | ABC network shows | Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios superheroes | Animal superheroes | Superheroes | Animation protagonists | Fictional janitors | Fictional characters with alter-egos | Anthropomorphic martial artists
