Press Release Warner Archive Collection Press Release: Magilla Gorilla: The Complete Series (1964-1966) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

COMING TO BLU-RAY FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION ON MARCH 25th!
New 2025 1080pHD MASTERS FROM 4K SCAN OF THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVES
THE MAGILLA GORILLA SHOW: The Complete Animated Series (1964-66)

RUNNING TIME: 569 Minutes
COLOR
A 3 BD-50 DISC SET
NOT RATED
Aspect Ratio 16x9 1.33:1 with side mattes
Audio DTS HD-MA 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: ENGLISH SDH

Special features: MAGILLA THEME SONG: Live and un-plugged: Rare footage of Hoyt Curtin and Bill Hanna at the piano. Introduced by series animator Jerry Eisenberg, MR. PEEBLES PET SHOP: Interview gallery with Magilla Gorilla’s voice Allan Melvin, series animator Jerry Eisenberg, and Animation Historian Jerry Beck, HERE COMES A STAR: VintageTV Special which goes inside the Hanna-Barbera studios to introduce this New Simian Character, and the process which brought him to television stardom.

Direct from his Peebles Pet Shop habitat, Magilla Gorilla swings into the Blu-ray™ jungle, his inimitable goofiness and penchant for stumbling into trouble still intact to delight new generations of cartoon fans. As the naïve ape demonstrates, primates and humans share similar situations. Magilla gets to be an Army draftee (Private Magilla, featuring famous news anchor Walter Crancake), a football player (Gridiron Gorilla), an astronaut (Planet Zero) and more, ever silly situation an occasion for laughs. You can also relish the frisky feuding of Punkin’ Puss and Mushmouse in a rootin’-tootin’ shooting gallery of hillbilly hilarity. Lightning-fast sheriff Ricochet Rabbit and his coyote deputy Droop-a-long round out the animated animal antics. All 23 original, uncut episodes of this Hanna-Barbera classic series have been newly remastered from 4K scans of the original negatives (including the original Ideal Toys opening theme song, long-unseen bridges, the ‘curtain call’ and end credits) for pristine quality, along with eight bonus Magilla cartoons that are sure to please!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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https://www.amazon.com/Magilla-Gorilla-Show-Complete/dp/B0DYPLZ9SX?crid=2IC1AH2AJHNLT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Qn9nO-xZ3x62J6x9LZsrfkR7P_s1o0ZeDRv8PvIyqpjGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.4thh8a04scNvrC_2bTgRkN3q0bx2AJ_vikYx0LL_7No&dib_tag=se&keywords=UPC%3A+840418324424&qid=1740789880&sprefix=upc+840418324424%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1-fkmr0&linkCode=sl1&tag=theextrasstor-20&linkId=4adeb856a1a0f1cc19f105d8a61a922f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

 

[[email protected]]

Woo-hoo! Plus, the original Ideal Toy opening and closings!!!!!

 

[Greg Chenoweth]

How much is that gorilla for the Blu-ray player?

 

[LeoA]

I'm a bit confused by this.

"All 23 original, uncut episodes of this Hanna-Barbera classic series have been newly remastered from 4K scans of the original negatives (including the original Ideal Toys opening theme song, long-unseen bridges, the ‘curtain call’ and end credits) for pristine quality, along with eight bonus Magilla cartoons"

Since the series had 31 episodes, does that mean that those eight episodes don't have surviving negatives and that's why they're going to just be presented as bonus content?

 

[darkrock17]

I'm a bit confused by this.

"All 23 original, uncut episodes of this Hanna-Barbera classic series have been newly remastered from 4K scans of the original negatives (including the original Ideal Toys opening theme song, long-unseen bridges, the ‘curtain call’ and end credits) for pristine quality, along with eight bonus Magilla cartoons"

Since the series had 31 episodes, does that mean that those eight episodes don't have surviving negatives and that's why they're going to just be presented as bonus content?

I came to ask the the same thing, according to Wikipedia, The Magilla Gorilla Show ran from Jan 1964 to Dec 1965; the first season had 15 episodes and the second had 16 which makes 31 episodes.

Math isn't one of my strong areas, but I do know how to add though and either WB doesn't know how to do math or they're only counting the first 23 episodes for one reason or another.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Unfortunately, initial press releases are often wrong. George Feltenstein will clarify information on the next The Extras podcast which should be posted in the coming days.

 

[[email protected]]

There is a total of 31 Magilla Gorilla cartoons, and 24 Punkin' Puss / Mushmouse & Ricochet Rabbit / Droop-a-Long cartoons.

 

[darkrock17]

There is a total of 31 Magilla Gorilla cartoons, and 24 Punkin' Puss / Mushmouse & Ricochet Rabbit / Droop-a-Long cartoons.

The Magilla Gorilla Show was structured with Magilla first, Pumpkin Puss & Mushmouse and Ricochet Rabbit alternating each episode and then another Magilla carrtoon at the end.

 

[B-ROLL]

I'm a bit confused by this.

"All 23 original, uncut episodes of this Hanna-Barbera classic series have been newly remastered from 4K scans of the original negatives (including the original Ideal Toys opening theme song, long-unseen bridges, the ‘curtain call’ and end credits) for pristine quality, along with eight bonus Magilla cartoons"

Since the series had 31 episodes, does that mean that those eight episodes don't have surviving negatives and that's why they're going to just be presented as bonus content?

...So we may not be getting the whole Magilla ...

 

[Greg Chenoweth]

Relax. Magilla Gorilla and Peter Potamus went on the air at the same time. The four other cartoons that aired were used on both shows: Ricochet Rabbit, Punkin’ Puss & Mush Mouse, Breezly & Snezly, and Yippee, Yappy and Yahooey. The eight additional Magilla cartoons were made, as well as Peter Potamus, but the other cartoons only had 23 cartoons made for all four of them. The 2 that will not be on this set, Breezly and Sneezly and Yippee Yappy and Yahooey will be included on the Peter Potamus Blu-ray whenever it is released. Warner Archive did a DVD set of Mr. Potamus several years ago and they did the same configuration on that set: 23 episodes of all cartoons and then the other 8 Peter Potamus as extras.

This way there are no duplicates on both sets.

 

[darkrock17]

Why did Hanna-Barbera series have odd episode orders?

The Flintstones, Top Cat, The Jetsons, and Jonny Quest were the only series that had normal episode runs where everything else H-B made through the 1960's had anywhere from 17 to 23 episodes for it's entire run.

Then in the 1970's just about every series of theirs's was 16 episodes exactly.

 

[Greg Chenoweth]

Why did Hanna-Barbera series have odd episode orders?

The Flintstones, Top Cat, The Jetsons, and Jonny Quest were the only series that had normal episode runs where everything else H-B made through the 1960's had anywhere from 17 to 23 episodes for it's entire run.

Then in the 1970's just about every series of theirs's was 16 episodes exactly.

The first four you mentioned were prime time series and the others were Saturday or Sunday morning series. The weekend A.M. shows usually had 16 or 17 episodes so the networks could show every episode 3 or 4 times in a season to curtail costs and make more money off of advertising. A big hit like “Scooby-Doo Where Are You” would add a minimal amount of episodes (6 or 7) in the second season to add to the first season shows and to continue make more money off of repeats. Every new Scooby series got a fresh run of 16 or 17 episodes because it was technically a new series.

Most shows lasted one season of original episodes but then the networks would air the same episodes for a second year and keep showing them again beyond that if it was popular. Top Cat, Jetsons and Jonny Quest showed up on Saturday mornings for years after their prime time runs but it was always the same episodes.

The only exception was The Smurfs which NBC kept ordering more seasons of original episodes.

 

[Randy Korstick]

As Gegg pointed out the extra 8 cartoons were originally mixed in with repeats of the 2 supporting cartoons. They are being released as extras so there are no duplicates. Peter Potamus did the same thing.

 

[justarandomstan]

Absolutely brilliant news! Magilla Gorilla was in desperate need of an upgrade. The DVD was barely acceptable, but we still got it to support Warner's efforts.

The fine folks at WA have been absolutely killing it and it's still February. Can't wait to see what they have in store for us the rest of the year.

 

[oldtvshowbuff]

Maybe we'll see the uncut episodes of The Space Kidettes and the totally complete Young Samson series on BD!

 

[Mark Y]

Maybe we'll see the uncut episodes of The Space Kidettes and the totally complete Young Samson series on BD!

Far as I know, the Space Kidettes cartoons themselves are uncut. They weren't show-length. The rest of the half-hour was filled with the Hunter and Go Go Gophers (Total TV, not Hanna-Barbera) and some short bumper skits with the Space Kidettes. Same with Young Samson, but with Fractured Fairy Tales and Tennessee Tuxedo. Then later there was another version which combined the Space Kidettes and Young Samson together, so it was all Hanna-Barbera. The mixing of cartoons from different studios was the work of the sponsor, General Mills.

The cartoons weren't cut to half their original length or anything. They had other elements in the shows.

 

[Mark Y]

...So we may not be getting the whole Magilla ...

Yes we are. There are 31 Magilla Gorilla cartoons, and 23 each of Punkin Puss and Ricochet Rabbit. It's a similar arrangement with Magilla's "twin show," Peter Potamus, where there are 27 Peter Potamus cartoons and 23 each of Breezly & Sneezly, and Yippee, Yappee & Yahooey. In the last season, Ricochet and Breezly switched shows, then in 1970 both shows were combined into one new syndication package of 150 cartoons. That was enough to assemble 50 half-hour shows (for both series together).

The "extra" Magilla and Potamus cartoons would have originally aired with repeat cartoons of the other characters in the show.

 

[Mark Y]

It might be too much to wish for -- but I would love to have the alternate versions of the opening, closing and curtain calls when they switched Ricochet Rabbit with Breezly & Sneezly. They would make good extras.

 

[Broomy]

Very much looking forward to this release. As others have said WAC are knocking these releases out of the park so far in 2025. I hope we get Wacky Races, The Yogi Bear Show, The Peter Potomus Show, Hanna Barbera’s New Series, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Atom Ant Show, The Secret Squirrel Show and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop for the rest of the year.