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Harlem Globetrotters is a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios and CBS Productions, that features animated versions of players from the famous basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters.

The series was broadcast from September 12, 1970 to September 2, 1972 on CBS, and later re-run on NBC as The Go-Go Globetrotters, the show featured cartoon versions of George "Meadowlark" Lemon, Freddie "Curly" Neal, Hubert "Geese" Ausbie, J.C. "Gip" Gipson, Bobby Joe Mason, and Pablo Robertson, alongside their fictional bus driver and manager, Granny, and their dog mascot, Dribbles.

The series appeared in reruns on Cartoon Network from 1992-2000 and in 2000, the series began airing on Cartoon Network's sister channel Boomerang. Reruns of this show also aired on Nick at Nite's TV Land in 1996, 1997, and 1998.

Overview[]

This series depicts the adventures of the famous basketball/comedy team as they toured around the world. The series followed a formula where the team travels somewhere and typically get involved in a local conflict that leads to one of the Globetrotters proposing a basketball game to settle the issue. To ensure the Globetrotters' defeat, the villains rig the contest; however, before the second half of the contest, the team always finds a way to even the odds and win the game.

Twenty-two episodes of Harlem Globetrotters were eventually produced: 16 for the 1970-71 season, and six more for the 1971-72 season. Harlem Globetrotters has a place in history as being the first Saturday morning cartoon to feature a predominately African-American cast; Filmation's The Hardy Boys had been the first to feature an African-American character the previous year. Another Hanna-Barbera series, Josie and the Pussycats, premiered 30 minutes earlier than Harlem Globetrotters on the same day and network, and was the first Saturday morning cartoon to feature an African-American female character. Like many other Saturday morning cartoons of the era, the first season episodes of the series featured a laugh track.

After the show was canceled, the animated Globetrotters made three appearances on Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972 and 1973. Oddly enough, Dribbles, who didn't appear on the show was in the theme song sequence and several references were made to Granny, who also didn't appear. Hanna-Barbera produced a second animated series starring the Globetrotters in 1979 called The Super Globetrotters, this time featuring the players as superheroes. In spring 1999, TV Land aired repeats of Harlem Globetrotters on Saturday mornings as part of its TV Land Super Retrovision Saturdaze lineup. The series has not been rerun since.

The series was a co-production of Hanna-Barbera Studios and CBS Productions (only one of few animated TV series that CBS directly produced). Syndication rights were originally held by Viacom Enterprises, formerly owned by CBS as its syndication arm. They are now held by CBS Television Distribution. CBS Home Entertainment currently does not plan on releasing the series on DVD (in any event, they would need approval from the Globetrotters themselves).

Cast[]

  • Scatman Crothers - George "Meadowlark" Lemon
  • Stu Gilliam - Freddie "Curly" Neal
  • Johnny Williams - Hubert "Geese" Ausbie
  • Richard Elkins - J.C. "Gip" Gipson
  • Eddie "Rochester" Anderson - Bobby Joe Mason
  • Robert DoQui - Pablo Robertson
  • Nancy Wible - "Granny"
  • Rudy Clark - Additional voices
  • Ken Williams - Additional voices
  • Daws Butler - Additional voices
  • Henry Corden - Additional voices
  • Don Messick - Additional voices
  • John Stephenson - Additional voices

Episodes[]

Season 1[]

1. "The Great Geese Goof-Up"

2. "Football Zeros"

3. "Hold That Hillbilly"

4. "Bad News Cruise"

5. "Rodeo Duds"

6. "Double Dribble Double"

7. "Heir Loons"

8. "From Scoop to Nuts"

9. "What a Day for a Birthday"

10. "It's Snow Vacation"

11. "The Great Ouch Doors"

12. "Hooray for Hollywood"

13. "Shook-Up Sheriff"

14. "Gone to the Dogs"

15. "The Wild Blue Yonder"

Season 2[]

16. "Long Gone Gip"

17. "A Pearl of a Game"

18. "Nothing to Moon About"

19. "Pardon My Magic"

20. "Granny's Royal Ruckus"

21. "Soccer to Me"

22. "Jungle Jitters"

In Other Media[]

  • In April 1972, Gold Key Comics launched a comic adaptation of the Harlem Globetrotters animated series; their first comic book appearance was in issue #8 of Gold Key's Hanna-Barbera Fun-In published in July 1971. Several stories in early issues were based on episodes of the TV show. The comic series lasted for 4 years and 12 issues through January 1975.
  • the animated Globetrotters made three appearances on Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972 and 1973
  • Hanna-Barbera produced a second animated series starring the Globetrotters in 1979 called The Super Globetrotters, this time featuring the players as superheroes.
Hanna-Barbera Series

1970 Where's Huddles?Harlem GlobetrottersJosie and the Pussycats
1971 The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm ShowHelp!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!The Funky Phantom
1972 The Amazing Chan and the Chan ClanWait Till Your Father Gets HomeThe Flintstone Comedy HourThe Roman HolidaysSealab 2020The New Scooby-Doo Movies
Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space
1973 Speed BuggyButch Cassidy and the Sundance KidsYogi's GangSuper Friends
Goober and the Ghost ChasersInch High, Private EyeJeannieThe Addams Family
1974 Hong Kong PhooeyDevlinPartridge Family 2200 A.D.These Are the Days
Valley of the DinosaursWheelie and the Chopper Bunch
1975 The Tom & Jerry ShowThe Great Grape Ape Show
1976 The Mumbly Cartoon ShowThe Scooby-Doo ShowDynomutt, Dog WonderClue ClubJabberjaw
1977 The Robonic StoogesFred Flintstone and FriendsCaptain Caveman and the Teen AngelsLaff-A-LympicsCB BearsThe Skatebirds
1978 The All-New Popeye HourYogi's Space RaceGodzillaJana of the Jungle
1979 The New Fred and Barney ShowFred and Barney Meet The ThingCasper and the AngelsThe New ShmooThe Super GlobetrottersScooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
Fred and Barney Meet the ShmooAmigo and Friends

1980 Drak PackThe Flintstone Comedy ShowThe Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show
1981 Laverne & Shirley in the ArmySpace StarsTeen ForceThe Kwicky Koala ShowTrollkinsThe Smurfs
1982 The Flintstone FunniesMork and Mindy: The Animated SeriesThe Little RascalsPac-ManJokebookShirt TalesThe Gary Coleman Show
1983 The DukesMonchhichisThe New Scooby and Scrappy Doo ShowThe Biskitts
Lucky Luke
1984 SnorksChallenge of the GoBots
1985 Paw PawsYogi's Treasure HuntGaltar and the Golden LanceThe Berenstain Bears
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-DooThe Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible
1986 The New Adventures of Jonny QuestPound PuppiesThe Flintstone KidsFoofurWildfire
1987 Sky CommandersPopeye and Son
1988 A Pup Named Scooby-DooThe Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley
The New Yogi Bear ShowFantastic Max
1989 The Further Adventures of SuperTedPaddington Bear

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