Who is this super hero?
Sarge? No.
Rosemary, the telephone operator? No.
Penry, the mild-mannered janitor? Could Be!
Hong Kong Phooey, Number One Superguy
Hong Kong Phooey, quicker than the human eye
He’s got style…
He’s got style, a groovy style
And a car that just won’t stop.
When the going gets rough he’s super tough
With the Hong Kong Phooey Chop! Heeyaah!
Hong Kong Phooey, Number-one Super Guy
Hong Kong Phooey
Quicker than the human eye
Hong Kong Phooey, Fanriffic!
Hong Kong Phooey was a 16-episode (31 shorts) Hanna Barbera animated series that aired on ABC Saturday mornings from September 7, 1974 to December 21, 1974.
Hong Kong Phooey was the second Black male superhero character to appear in a Saturday morning cartoon series.
Hong Kong Phooey was the “number one super guy” who travelled about the city in his “Phooeymobile”, fighting crime with the aid of his manual, The Hong Kong Book Of Kung Fu. The stories usually began at the police headquarters, where Hong Kong Phooey’s alter ego, Penrod “Penry” Pooch, worked as a janitor under the glare of Sergeant Flint (“Sarge”).
Also at the police station was Rosemary, the telephone operator, who had a crush on Hong Kong Phooey. After Rosemary received a call and explained the crime, Penry ran into a filing cabinet and (always getting stuck) transformed himself into Hong Kong Phooey. A rather incompetent super-hero, Phooey’s crime solving is done either by fortunate blunder or, most likely, with the help of his faithful companion, Spot the striped police cat.
However, Hong Kong Phooey always got the full credit for Spot’s success!
The Original Cast:
Scatman Crothers – Hong Kong Phooey/Penrod “Penry” Pooch
Kathy Gori – Rosemary
Joe E. Ross – Sergeant Flint
Don Messick – Spot
The Episodes:
- Car Thieves / Zoo Story
- Iron Head The Robot / Cotton Pickin’ Pocket Picker
- Grandma Goody (Cat Burglar) / Candle Power
- The Penthouse Burglaries / Batty Bank Mob
- The Voltage Villain / The Giggler
- The Gumdrop Kid / Professor Presto (The Malevolent Magician)
- TV Or Not TV / Stop Horsing Around
- Mirror, Miror On The Wall / Great Movie Mystery
- The Claw / Hong Kong Phooey Vs. Hong Kong Phooey
- The Abominable Snowman / Professor Crosshatch
- Goldfisher / Green Thumb
- From Bad To Verse (Rotten Rhymer) / Kong And The Counterfeiters
- The Great Choo Choo Robbery / Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Bakery Man
- Mr. Tornado / The Little Crook Who Wasn’t There
- Dr. Disguiso / The Incredible Mr. Shrink
- Comedy Cowboys
The Remake:
Say what you will of Eddie Murphy’s career as of late, but the man continues to find work. Alcon Entertainment is going back in time to the ‘70s and will be developing a live-action/animated adaptation of Hanna-Barbera’s Hong Kong Phooey cartoon. Murphy has been tapped to voice the kung-fu canine, which was originally voiced by Scatman Crothers. For those not old enough to remember the series, it centered on a dog name Penry who gains the ability to walk, talk, and do martial arts after stumbling into a mystic ceremony that grants him powers.
Now, as a part of the human world, Penry works as a janitor at a police station by day, and patrols the streets at night as Hong Kong Phooey. Murphy has proved that he’s still a force to be reckoned with, showcasing impressive voice acting skills. He was memorable as the dragon “Mushu” in Disney’s Mulan, and he was one of the highlights of the Shrek series as the fast-talking Donkey.
The Animation Artwork:
The Original Production Cel, Publicity Cel and Original Production Drawings shown in this post are a part of The Museum Of UnCut Funk Black Animation Collection.
Hong Kong Phooey © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
0 Comments