Mark McDermott        
       4937 Stanley Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515
                             Markm    @    MarkMcDermott    .    com

"Jetsons, The" (1962-1963). As every successful television show begets a
spinoff, so it was with the animated show "The Flintstones" (see entry).
Hanna-Barbera followed their first prime-time venture with The Jetsons, another
takeoff on TV situation comedies. This time, it presented a typical sitcom
family in the 21st century. Though "The Jetsons" didn't have the same memorable
sight gags or catch phrases as The Flintstones, the show's ultra-retro-modern
design and its jazzy theme song are well remembered.
     The Jetsons premiered September 23, 1962, on ABC, competing against "Dennis 
the Menace" and "Disney's Wonderful World of Color" on Sundays. The family more
closely resembled the Andersons of "Father Knows Best" than they did the
Flintstones. George Jetson (George O'Hanlon) was chief button-pusher at Spacely
Sprockets, where he was tormented by his boss, Cosmo Spacely (Mel Blanc). Jane
(Penny Singleton,) pushed housekeeping buttons, aided by her robot maid Rosie
(Jean VanderPyl, sounding like Shirley Booth as "Hazel"). Teen-age Judy (Janet
Waldo) mooned over singing idol Jet Screamer, and young Elroy (Daws Butler)
played with their dog Astro (Don Messick).
     The futuristic family lasted only 24 episodes in prime-time,but immediately
jumped to Saturday mornings, bouncing among all three networks until 1983.
     In 1984, Hanna-Barbera offered The Jetsons for local syndication, producing
41 new episodes for a total 65, the minimum needed for weekday "stripping."
Another 10 episodes were produced in 1987. Hanna-Barbera also made ten
feature-length cartoons that year for first-run syndication, including the
team-up "The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones."
     The family's popularity surged through the 80s: a disco mix of the
"Jetsons'" theme was issued, sampling George's catchphrase "Jane, stop this
crazy thing!" The show was spun into a theatrical cartoon feature, "Jetsons: the
Movie," in 1990, with teen singer Tiffany dubbing the voice of Judy.

Bibliography:

Brooks, Tim & Earl Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time TV Shows, 1946 -
     Present. 4th ed. New York: Ballantine, 1988.
Lenburg, Jeff. The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Rev. ed. New York: Facts
     on File, 1991. 
                                                                  Mark McDermott

from: The Guide to United States Popular Culture, Ray B. Brown &
Pat Browne, editors
Copyright 2001 © Bowling Green State University Popular Press, p. 439