Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines (1969)
In 1969 Hanna-Barbara debuted a new cartoon – a spin-off of The Wacky Races show - entitled Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines. Much to the delight of young fans, there were negligible changes in the weekly plot: anti-hero Dick Dastardly devised nefarious schemes, with accomplice Muttley's help, to interdict a World War I carrier pigeon from delivering his message to the enemy. Needless to say, all attempts to stop the pigeon failed, and as a result of their Sisyphusian endeavors (parallels here with Wile. E. Coyote’s doomed attempts to catch Roadrunner), Dastardly and Muttley became one of the most celebrated double acts in cartoon history.
A forerunner of contemporary claymation star Wallace’s longsuffering canine sidekick Gromit, Muttley (voiced by the multi-talented Don Messick) was the butt of Dastardly 's frustrations and the true hero of Dastardly and Muttley. The highlight of each show, Muttley’s trademark laugh - a wheezing snicker usually rendered at Dastardly’s expense and eagerly anticipated by viewers each week - has become iconic.
1 comment:
"Sassa frassum rassum blasssrr Rick Rastardly!"
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