The Banana Splits

The Banana Splits is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. The costumed hosts of the show are Fleegle (guitar, vocals), Bingo (drums, vocals), Drooper (bass, vocals) and Snorky (keyboards, effects).[1]

For the dessert, see Banana split.
"Snorky" redirects here. For the gangster, see Al Capone.

The Banana Splits
Original title card
Also known asThe Banana Splits Adventure Hour
The Banana Splits and Friends Show
Genre
Developed byHanna-Barbera
Directed by
Presented by
  • Fleegle
  • Bingo
  • Drooper
  • Snorky
Starring
  • Jeff Winkless (as Jeffrey Brock)
  • Ginner Whitcombe (as Fleegle 2008)
  • Terence H. Winkless (as Terence Henry)
  • Dan Winkless (as Daniel Owen)
  • James "Jimmy" Dove
  • Steve Kincannon
Voices of
Theme music composerNelson B. Winkless Jr. (credited to Ritchie Adams & Mark Barkan)
Opening theme"Tra La La (One Banana, Two Banana)"
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes31 + shorts
Production
Executive producers
ProducerEdward J. Rosen (Season 1)
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 7, 1968 (1968-09-07) –
September 5, 1970 (1970-09-05)
Related

The series ran for 36 episodes on NBC Saturday mornings from September 7, 1968, to September 5, 1970, and in syndication from 1970 to 1982. The show features the Banana Splits band as live-action costumed characters, who host both live-action and animated segments within their program. The costumes were constructed by Sid and Marty Krofft based on designs by Hanna-Barbera artists, and the series' sponsor was Kellogg's Cereals.[2]

A feature-length comedy horror film adaptation called The Banana Splits Movie premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 18, 2019, and was released worldwide on August 13, 2019.

History

In 1967, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera approached Sid and Marty Krofft to build the costumes for a television show featuring animated and live-action segments, hosted by a bubblegum rock group of anthropomorphic characters. The show's format was loosely based on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. (The characters later appeared on one episode of that show.[3]) The Banana Splits Adventure Hour premiered on NBC on September 7, 1968.[2] In his autobiography, Barbera said that the show was originally going to be called The Banana Bunch, but permission could not be obtained from the author of a children's book by that same title.

The Krofft brothers credit the series' success for making possible their own entry into television, H.R. Pufnstuf. NBC picked up the Krofft series, which was launched on August 30, 1969, during an hour-long special hosted by the Banana Splits.[2]

The show's live-action segment Danger Island, a cliffhanger serial, as well as the short-lived Micro Ventures, a part-live action, part-animated[4] series consisting of only four episodes, ran alongside the animated segments Arabian Knights and The Three Musketeers.[2] Actors Jan-Michael Vincent (billed as Michael Vincent) and Ronne Troup appeared in the live-action component Danger Island. All the live-action material filmed for the series' first season, including the Banana Splits and Danger Island segments, was directed by Richard Donner.[5]

Jason Ankeny of AllMusic has blamed the show's drastic ratings drop during its second season on the production staff's failure to change backgrounds or set designs, which misled young viewers into thinking that they were watching reruns instead of new episodes.[6]

Synopsis

Each show represented a meeting of the Banana Splits Club, and the wraparounds featured the adventures of the club members, a musical quartet meant to be reminiscent of the Monkees.

The Splits' segments, including songs of the week and comedy skits, served as wraparounds for a number of individual segments.

For the first season, some of the live-action segments—specifically those used during the musical segments—were shot at Six Flags Over Texas, an amusement park in Arlington, Texas.[2] For the second season, filming took place at the Coney Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio. In many episodes, the Banana Splits were seen riding the many rides at Six Flags and Coney Island.

The Banana Buggies, mentioned in the theme song, were customized vehicles driven by each live-action character. The buggies were customized Amphicat six-wheel drive all-terrain vehicles, each decorated to resemble the character who drove it. Plastic 1/25 scale model kits were issued by Aurora Plastics Corporation (catalog number 832) beginning in 1969. They were never reissued by Aurora, but have since been released as high-end resin-based kits.[7]

The Banana Splits was one of the first two Hanna-Barbera series in 1968 for which Hanna and Barbera received executive producer credits, the other being The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Edward Rosen was the producer on both series. It was also one of the first Saturday morning shows to use a laugh track,[8] but only during the live-action comedy segments. In its first year, the cartoons were adventure-based and did not have laugh tracks. (The first Saturday morning cartoon with a laugh track was Filmation's The Archie Show.)

Characters

Main
  • Fleegle – A dog with a lisp and the Splits' self-proclaimed leader. Performed on-screen by Jeff Winkless (1968), Ginner Whitcombe (2008), and Terry Sauls (2019 film); voiced by Paul Winchell (1968–1972), Keith Scott (2008), Eric Bauza (2019 film) and Paul F. Tompkins (in Jellystone!).
  • Bingo – A nasal-voiced orange ape wearing white sunglasses and a yellow vest. Performed on-screen by Terence H. Winkless (1968), Casey Hadfield (2008) and Buntu Plam (2019 film); voiced by Daws Butler (1968–1972), Keith Scott (2008), Eric Bauza (2019 film) and Jim Conroy (in Jellystone!).
  • Drooper – A Southern-accented lion with a long tail wearing yellowish-orange sunglasses. Performed on-screen by Anne W. Withrow (1968), Adam Grubner (2008), and Kori Clarke (2019 film); voiced by Allan Melvin (1968–1972), Karl Wiedergott (2008), Eric Bauza (2019 film) and C.H. Greenblatt (in Jellystone!).
  • Snorky – An elephant wearing pink sunglasses who communicates through honking noises. Originally covered in shaggy fur, he was redesigned for the second season to more resemble a regular elephant. Performed on-screen by James Dove and Robert Towers (1968–2008) and Brandon Vraagom (2019 film).

Secondary
  • Announcer – an unseen narrator who introduced the Banana Splits and certain acts. Voiced by Allan Melvin (1968–1972) and Eric Bauza (2019 film).
  • The Banana Vac – A blue moose-like head with brown hair and light bulbs on his head. He hangs over the entrance of the clubhouse making various comments and often helps the Splits introduce segments. Voiced by Allan Melvin.
  • Cuckoo Clock – A clock with a blue and yellow bird head inside that gave snarky answers when asked "What time is it?", and helped the Splits introduce segments. Voiced by Paul Winchell.
  • Goofy Gopher – A gopher who lived in a flower pot. Voiced by Paul Winchell, it was created for the show's second season.
  • Mildred the Robot - An invention of Fleegle's that could grant wishes, often literally. "Performed" by Robby the Robot
  • The Sour Grapes Bunch – A group of silent human girl characters who were all named Charley (portrayed by Sheri Freeman). The Splits' rivals, they took turns bringing written notes to the Splits. They danced one song with the title characters. In the first season, on October 5, 1968, the song "Doin' the Banana Split" had all five girls appear with the hosts.
  • The Dilly Sisters (Nelly and Miriam) – Two human girls who played acoustic classical guitars and sang two songs: "The Mexican Hat Dance" and "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay".

Segments

The show had four segments:

In the second season, The Three Musketeers segments were replaced with reruns of The Hillbilly Bears, a cartoon segment that previously appeared on The Atom Ant Show (1965–1968). In reruns, episodes of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, The Adventures of Gulliver, and The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were aired on the show.

The Banana Splits was syndicated in 1970 to local stations under the title of The Banana Splits and Friends Show, but with several other series included in a package deal. All the Banana Splits episodes were syndicated in this package alongside The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Atom Ant Show, The Secret Squirrel Show, and The Adventures of Gulliver.

Music
Main article: Banana Splits discography

The show's theme song, "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)", was credited to Ritchie Adams and Mark Barkan, but that was merely contractual. It was written by N. B. Winkless Jr., on the upright piano in his living room—a piano that also spawned the "Snap, Crackle, Pop" jingle, among other successful themes. Adams and Barkan were the show's music directors. The song, a single attributed to The Banana Splits, peaked at #96 on Billboard's Top 100 in February 1969.[9] The version included on the We're The Banana Splits album is the same heard at the beginning of the show, while the single version is an entirely different arrangement and recording, with an additional verse.

The Banana Splits' bubblegum pop rock and roll was provided by studio professionals, including Joey Levine ("I Enjoy Being a Boy", "It's a Good Day for a Parade"); Al Kooper ("You're the Lovin' End"); Barry White ("Doin' the Banana Split"); Gene Pitney ("Two Ton Tessie") and Jimmy Radcliffe, who provided his songs ("I'm Gonna Find a Cave", "Soul", "Don't Go Away Go-Go Girl", "Adam Had 'Em" and "The Show Must Go On") but did not contribute vocals to Splits recordings.

The music director was music publisher Aaron Schroeder; production duties were mainly handled by David Mook. When a heavier R&B vocal was needed, the music producers usually turned to singer Ricky Lancelotti, who was credited under his stage name Rick Lancelot. He went on to record several songs with Frank Zappa.[10] In 1968, The Banana Splits released an album on Decca Records titled We're the Banana Splits.

An unusual claim[11] is that the song may have inspired Bob Marley, with the striking similarity between the song's chorus and the bridge of the Bob Marley and the Wailers song "Buffalo Soldier". A 2010 BBC story examined the claim.[12]

Covers

US punk rock act the Dickies covered the theme song in 1978 as "Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)". It reached #7 on the UK charts[13] and appeared as a bonus on the CD reissue of their 1979 album The Incredible Shrinking Dickies.

Comics

The Banana Splits' adventures continued in comic books. Gold Key began publishing a comic version in 1969, releasing eight issues through 1971.[14] Drawn by Jack Manning, these stories followed the musicians either trying to find work or on the road between gigs.

The Banana Splits had a crossover with the Suicide Squad in Suicide Squad/Banana Splits #1 on March 29, 2017.[15][16][17]

Other projects

Made-for-television film

Hanna-Barbera produced The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park, a televised feature film, for ABC in 1972 that has the group rescuing a girl from an evil witch.

Educational films

2008 revival

In August 2008, Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced a multi-platform release featuring new comedy shorts/series and music videos. It debuted on Cartoon Network on September 2, 2008. Keith Scott voiced Fleegle, Bingo and the announcer, and an unknown actor voiced Drooper.[24][25] It included a live show and a website,[26] as well as a CD and a DVD featuring 13 new songs, released by Universal Records.[25] a child-themed area, Banana Splitsville, was also installed at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina's Hard Rock Park rock-and-roll theme park, which later became Freestyle Music Park before closing permanently in 2009.[27]

2019 comedy horror film
Main article: The Banana Splits Movie

On February 19, 2019, Warner Bros. Television Group's Blue Ribbon Content division announced that it was collaborating with Blue Ice Pictures on producing a film adaptation of The Banana Splits television series collectively named The Banana Splits Movie, which would serve as an R-rated slasher film. Danishka Esterhazy was hired to direct the film, based on a script written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas.[28] On June 13, 2019, Syfy Wire released the official trailer for the film. The film was released worldwide on August 13, 2019.[29][30]

Jellystone!
Main article: Jellystone!

The Banana Splits appear in Jellystone! which was released HBO Max on July 29, 2021[31] with Fleegle voiced by Paul F. Tompkins, Bingo voiced by Jim Conroy, and Drooper voiced by show creator C. H. Greenblatt. They are portrayed as cartoonishly effective criminals and the enemies of El Kabong.

Home media

On September 21, 2009, Warner Home Video released the complete first season on DVD in Region 2.[32] The six-disc set consists of 36 edited half-hour episodes of The Banana Splits and Friends Show as aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. The series was also released on VHS.

See also

References
  1. Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 31–34. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  2. Erickson, Hal (1998). Sid and Marty Krofft. McFarland. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-7864-0518-3. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
  3. "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: Episode #2.9" at IMDb
  4. Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's television, the first thirty-five years, 1946-1981. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-1557-5. OCLC 8451238 – via Internet Archive.
  5. CD liner notes: Saturday Mornings: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records
  6. "The Banana Splits Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  7. "Welcome professorplastik.com - BlueHost.com". www.professorplastik.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  8. Iverson, Paul: "The Advent of the Laugh Track" Hofstra University archives; February 1994
  9. "Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. February 8, 1969. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  10. "ricky lancelotti". Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  11. "Not My Job: Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales". Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  12. "Did the Banana Splits inspire Bob Marley?". BBC News Magazine. August 20, 2008. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  13. British Hit Singles by Pal Gambaccini, Tim Rice, and Jo Rice, published in Great Britain by Guinness Publishing Ltd.
  14. "The Banana Splits". The Big DataBase of Comic Books. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  15. "SUICIDE SQUAD/BANANA SPLITS SPECIAL #1". dccomics.com. December 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  16. "SUICIDE SQUAD Meets THE BANANA SPLITS, More In DC/HANNA-BARBERA Crossover Titles". newsarama.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  17. "Suicide Squad Crossovers With The Banana Splits. Wait, What??!". capedcrusades.com. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  18. The Banana Splits: Healthy and Happy at WorldCat
  19. The Banana Splits: We Have Five Senses at WorldCat
  20. The Banana Splits: Safety First at WorldCat
  21. The Banana Splits: It's a Sens-sational World at WorldCat
  22. The Banana Splits: Meet the Microbes at WorldCat
  23. Learning About Holidays with The Banana Splits at WorldCat
  24. "The Banana Splits". WarnerBrosOnline. August 14, 2008. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  25. "The Banana Splits Are Back! Warner Bros. Consumer Products Serves Up Four Scoops Of Hilarity With Relaunch". Warner Bros. Press Office. August 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  26. "The Banana Splits". Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  27. "Hard Rock Park–Banana Splitsville". Hard Rock Park. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  28. "'The Banana Splits' are getting a horror movie" Archived February 21, 2019, at the Wayback Machine from The Los Angeles Times (February 19, 2019)
  29. "The Banana Splits Movie - Official Trailer | SYFY WIRE" from SYFY WIRE (June 13, 2019)
  30. "Syfy basically turned the kids show Banana Splits into a Five Nights at Freddy's movie" from Polygon (June 13, 2019)
  31. "Jellystone! I Official Trailer I HBO Max Family". YouTube. June 24, 2021. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  32. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Banana-Splits-Complete-Season-DVD/dp/B0027UY87M Archived September 5, 2017, at the Wayback Machine The Banana Splits - Complete Season 1 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV]. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on April 10, 2012.


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