TV Cartoon Series: Jonny Quest
Dr. Benton Quest, Race Bannon, Hadji, Bandit Starred in 1964-65 Show
Hanna-Barbera's The Adventures of Jonny Quest came to television in 1964. Dr. Benton C. Quest was the world-renowned scientist, with son Jonny, young friend Hadji, bodyguard Race Bannon and family dog Bandit accompanying him on his hair-raising adventures around the globe.
Jonny Quest Created by Doug Wildey
The Adventures of Jonny Quest was created by Doug Wildey (1922-1994). A self-taught artist, Wildey had gotten his start in comic books in 1949 with Buffalo Bill. He also worked on several newspaper cartoon strips, most notably The Saint and Ambler.
Wildey's Jonny Quest was inspired by three of fandom's top cartoonists: Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates), Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) and Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon).
An array of other people contributed to the series, including producers/directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, writers William Hamilton, Joanna Lee, Walter Black and Charles Hoffman, and animators Charles A. Nichols, Edwin Aardal and Hugh Fraser, among many others.
Jonny Quest Cast, Voices
Tim Matheson was the voice of young Jonny Quest. Other characters and their voices were Dr. Benton C. Quest (John Stephenson, Don Messick), Roger T. "Race" Bannon (Mike Road), Hadji (Danny Bravo) and Bandit (Don Messick).
Jonny Quest Theme Song
Creator Wildey wanted a distinctive theme song for Jonny Quest, most notably one with "heavy drums -- jazz drums." He got it, with musical director Hoyt Curtin delivering one of the more memorable TV theme songs of the 1960s.
Jonny Quest Debuts in 1964
The Adventures of Jonny Quest made its prime time debut over ABC-TV on Friday night, September 18, 1964, in the 7:30- 8 PM (ET) slot. The first 30-minute episode, "The Mystery of the Lizard Men," featured Dr. Quest and company investigating the destruction of several fishing vessels in the Sargasso Sea.
Jonny Quest was later moved to Thursday nights on December 24, 1964, occupying the 7:30-8 PM (ET) slot.
More Jonny Quest Episodes
Jonny Quest soon became a Friday (then Thursday) night favorite among the small fry crowd. All of the show's episodes were class acts, with the following often rated as outstanding by JQ fans:
- "The Invisible Monster" (1/28/65). On Cave Island, the Quest party try to stop a rampaging monster that feeds on pure energy.
- "Turu the Terrible" (12/24/64). A crazed recluse in a wheelchair sicks his killer pteranodon on the intruding Quest clan. "Kill, Turu, kill!" the man commands atop his mountain plateau, with his feathered assassin emitting a piercing, primordial scream.
- "Dragons of Ashida" (12/18/64). A scientist friend of Dr. Quest's has gone mad, breeding giant dragons from the local lizard population. Race Bannon engages in a judo duel with the scientist's own version of Oddjob, a heavyweight named Sumi.
- "Shadow of the Condor" (11/20/64). In South America, a mad World War I German ace named Deen tricks Race into a dogfight using vintage biplanes.
- "The Robot Spy" (11/6/64). The evil genius Dr. Zin has crafted a spiderlike robotic spy to acquire the top-secret blueprints for Dr. Quest's new ray gun.
Guest Star Voices
Jonny Quest featured some interesting guest characters, with their real-life voices noted: Dr. Zin (Vic Perrin), Jade (Cathy Lewis), Aku (Henry Corden), Dr. Chu Sing Ling (Will Kuluva) and Deen (Everett Sloane).
Jonny Quest Canceled
Jonny Quest exited the airwaves after only one season. The show was canceled not because of low ratings, but because of costly budget overruns, which were cutting into ABC's profits.
DVD
Jonny Quest: The Complete First Season was released on DVD by Warner Home Video in 2004.
"Blasted goony bird!" the Aussie captain of the Amazon Queen shouts, shaking his fist at the giant killer pteranodon in "Turu the Terrible."
Whatever you do, don't anger the bird...
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