I don’t know if we can ever be totally certain how we become haunt and horror fans. I know I always liked monsters and fantasy and things that were a little off center when I was growing up, and I have decided to explore some of those things in a series of articles. If you have ideas of things that you think contributed to your early HorrorBuzz please feel free to write and we will try and write about them as well.
Filmation’s The Groovie Goolies
Now I have to admit that I am too young to have ever seen the original 1970 Saturday morning run of this one season monster Laugh-in clone. But I would watch without fail when it was rerun during afternoon cartoon time. And I wasn’t really a huge fan of Sabrina the Teenage Witch or The Archie Show from which it originated. But if you ever had a chance to see an episode of this really limited animation series you would be introduced to a wide variety of classic Universal monster familiar, yet funny more than creepy characters, who all lived in a wonderfully colorful boarding house for monsters called Horrible Hall.
And before I introduce the cast…I have to warn you they were all a part of a Monkee’s like pop group and performed a song each episode as well.
The principals included:
Drac – The vampire and defacto leader of the group, who played a delightful organ replete with monster arm candelabras that would help keep time and “groove” out to the music the group played.
Wolfie – a cross between wolfman jack and tommy chong who wore surf clothing and talked like a beatnik. He was always wearing birkenstock sandals and played a harp, guitar, and giant bat kind of instrument. He also managed to cause Drac to loose his cool more often than not.
Bella La Ghostly – who seemed to be based on Lilly Tomlins operactor character from Laugh-in and consequently became Horrible Hall’s Vampira like phone board operator.
Hagatha – a green skinned red haired which, who I remember best trying to tame her flying broom named Bromhilda
Frankie – a Frankenstein’s Monster, who of course sounded like Boris Karloff, and long before the time of SNL’s Hans and Franz, was in charge of the in house Muscleleaum. His running gag was always getting hit by a bolt of lightning and ala-Artie Johnson would say his catchphrase “Thanks….I needed that.” He played the bone drums, which always looked like some sort of strange dinosaur.
Mummy – yes he always came unraveled and would try to wrap himself back together again.
Boneapart – a Napoleon hat wearing skeleton whos primary talent was being in the way of some chase taking place in the Hall and falling apart.
Batso and Ratso – two young prank playing fanged creatures. Think Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O but in monster jackass form.
The Episodes also often featured guest musical groups like, The Bare Boned Band, The Mummies and the Puppies, The Rolling Headstones, and The Spirit’s of 76.
And as I stated seemed to be a pretty direct Saturday morning cartoon lift of Laugh-in complete with a wall of doors and windows the monsters would pop out of spouting one-liner jokes.
I’m not sure if this contributed to my lifelong love of horror, but I do know it reinforced my love of the classic movie monster types. Please forgive me if the bright colors and limited animation cause any acid flashbacks, but it was the 70’s after all.
Unfortunately Filmation is long gone and with the passage of time the little nuggets of “cheaper and faster” animation they produced slip further and further into obscurity. Despite the passage of time, the Goolies deserve to be remembered. They had the best of the cartoon’s for joy vibe before cartoons were turned into the toy merchandising machines of the 80’s and 90’s. And who of us wouldn’t have loved to live with them in Horrible Hall?
Opening Theme:
Chick-a-boom
1 2 3
Laugh-in like windows:
Bad gags:
Kings and Queens:
