Don Rickles: NYT. LAT. AV Club.
Joe Harris passed away on March 26th, though the NYT didn’t get around to reporting it until a week later. Mr. Harris was a commercial illustrator who is credited with creating the original Trix rabbit. Later on, he joined Total TeleVison, a company that produced Saturday morning cartoons. There he created Underdog.
Yeah, the animation may not have been great, but it did have one of the best cartoon theme songs ever.
Question for the huddled, wretched masses yearning to breathe free: what are some of the other great cartoon theme songs? Off the top of my head, I love the themes for “SuperChicken” and “George of the Jungle” (I have been known to quote the “SuperChicken” theme at work.) Oddly enough, I also have fond memories of the “Hong Kong Phooey” theme (and when are we going to get a live action “Hong Kong Phooey” movie?). Am I just a sucker for good theme songs wrapped around bad animation?
Jonny Quest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIhEpjnaNlo
And we can’t forget that short-lived Watchmen cartoon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w
I remember when I was little being a fan of “Johnny Quest”.
Now that I’m (mumble mumble) years old, I realize I don’t remember anything about it except the name.
(Should I grow a Dr. Benton Quest beard?)
I thought for a second about “Speed Racer”. But then I thought: what I like may not be the actual “Speed Racer” theme, but the cover of the “Speed Racer” theme by Two Nice Girls. (“He’s popping speed as he guns his car around the track/He’s freaking out so hard it’s like he’s never coming back…”)
Besides, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it !
Gotta like the instrumental theme for that Johnny Quest take off/parody, The Venture Brothers