Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
Kids is a
30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera
Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 8, 1973, to
December 1, 1973. The series title is a play on the name of the unrelated
1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The character's music
group is called the Sun Dance Kids.
Plot
Similar to both Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and Josie
and the Pussycats on CBS, the show depicts the adventures of the
titular teen pop group. The band consists of 4 heartthrobs: Butch Cassidy
(lead vocals and lead guitar); mini-skirted blonde beauty Merilee (tambourine);
sensible Stephanie, nicknamed Steffy (bass guitar); and curly-haired Wally
(drums) voiced by real life superstar and Monkees drummer/singer Micky Dolenz . Accompanied by Wally's dog Elvis, these popular rock stars lead double
lives as government-backed crime-fighters.
The teens are advised by a supercomputer named
Mr. Socrates, who is (somehow) violently allergic to dogs. When the group meets
with Mr. Socrates in his lair for their latest assignment, Elvis is always told
to stay outside. Yet Elvis always ends up inside the lair, by his own ingenuity
and/or by Wally's forgetfulness. Elvis's mere presence causes Mr. Socrates to
sneeze and go haywire; Mr. Socrates then sends the group out of the lair, and
off to their assignment. Butch, designated as "Sundance 1", wears a
special communicator-ring which keeps him in contact with Mr. Socrates.
Cast
·
Lloyd
"Chip" Hand II as Butch Cassidy
·
Micky
Dolenz as Wally
·
Kristina
Holland as Stephanie
·
John
Stephenson as Mr. Socrates
·
Judy
Strangis as Merilee
·
Frank
Welker as Elvis, Wally's dog
Four songs from the show were released as singles on Romar
Records. A full LP was mentioned on the labels as forthcoming, but was never
released.
