I Was Sold On A Gorilla.

And now, my fellow Hanna-Barbera fans, I present my thoughts about "The Magilla Gorilla Show."

There was Magilla, just hanging out in the front window of Peebles' Pet Shop, waiting for someone to buy him. Mr. Peebles wanted to be rid of the simian burden he considered Magilla to be, but I was observant enough to see that beneath the surface, he was concerned for the ape's well-being. Like when he saw him on his way to the moon on TV. He was convinced Magilla would never return, and was visibly upset. Upon his return, he admitted he was glad to have him back.

The opening theme I heard on an Internet radio station had Magilla mentioning the show's sponsor, Ideal Toys. But the opening I remember when I saw the show on WPIX in New York had him showing himself, Mr. Peebles, and the other characters on a TV set. Then the other animals would gather outside the store, along with Ogee, and they'd all walk into the store, and the door would close.

Ah, Ogee, that adorable little moppet who wanted to buy Magilla. I consider the episodes she was in the best of the batch. She'd beg her parents to let her buy him, but they invariably refused. Perhaps they were aware that selling exotic animals was illegal. When she decided to take a cab to Hollywood to become a child star, I thought she had a long ride ahead--until I found out the shorts took place in L. A. So she was closer to Hollywood than I thought.

Magilla was able to get out constantly, however, and did practically everything from becoming a mad scientist's guinea pig to being abducted by aliens. And of course, inadvertently joining the local teenagers in Surf City, and becoming a pro at hanging ten.

So Magilla is definitely one of the great ones. Now for the rest of the story:

Punkin Puss And Mush Mouse. Tom and Jerry in hillbilly mode? Sure, but it clicked. I enjoyed how Mush Mouse would call on a relative or some other ally to deal with Punkin. Especially the pilot episode, "Callin' All Kin." Mush Mouse had hundreds of cousins who looked just like him. But Punkin himself eventually brought in his own kinfolk, including a "Cousin Bo Diddley." I guess the real Bo Diddley liked this one, since, to my knowledge, neither he nor his estate ever filed a lawsuit. Unless, of course, I'm missing something here. And the one with him disguising a kangaroo as a giant version of himself was based on an old Warner Bros gag, but I liked that, too.

Ricochet Rabbit And Droop-A-Long. I always considered these shorts a step up from "Quick Draw McGraw." Ricochet was much more resourceful. And Mel Blanc did a perfect imitation of Chester from "Gunsmoke" for the hapless coyote. He used this same voice for two "Flintstones" episodes. "Deep In The Heart Of Texarock" for the voice of ranch hand Blister, and "Sheriff For A Day," in which Barney spoke that way a couple of times.

I also found the fact that Ricochet used trick bullets amusing. Instead of killing, these would, among other things, open up and konk an outlaw on the old noggin with a mallet. I remember in one episode, a desperado closed his door and window to dodge a bullet. So what happened? The bullet came down the chimney of the hideout, and exploded on impact! The rabbit sheriff also had relatives. When a wolf stole a flock of sheep and drove across the border, the heroes could do nothing, since he was no longer in their jurisdiction. Luckily, Ricochet's Mexican cousin was there at the border to arrest the wolf on arrival. And when a ghost was haunting the town, the ghost of Ricochet's grandpappy showed up to scare him off. A ghost scaring a ghost! Downright hilarious! There was even an episode in which Ricochet was reunited with his childhood sweetheart, until she ran off with... the bad guy! Oh boy!

But not all episodes were about chasing outlaws. In one, the duo helped Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma. And in one that stood out from all others, they went to another planet to save a race of tiny aliens from the Gruesome Grock. All I can say about that one is, "Oh wow!"



So "The Magilla Gorilla Show" is another that I rate high.

Feel free to express your own thoughts.

Trivia Question 58A: Whenever Mr. Peebles accused Magilla of lying, he A. Put him in time out. B. Washed his mouth out with soap. C. Denied him bananas. D. Made him clean the pet shop.

Trivia Question 58B: True Or False: At a masquerade party, Magilla was mistaken for a detective in a gorilla costume.

Answers: 58A. B. 58B. True.

I remember one time at my boyfriend's house, we were watching--well half watching some Hanna Barbara shorts on tv. There was a Magilla Gorilla short on at one point in which Magilla becomes a football player. At the beginning of the short, after the gorilla is taken in, one of our friends in a perfect Magilla voice says "Bye Mr. Peebles! See you in five minutes!" Technically he wasn't wrong. Most of the shorts did revolve around the gorilla being taken in by someone only to have them return him by the end of the short.

I watched one or two of those Punkin Puss and Mush Mouse shorts--kind of weird if you ask me.

Magilla could also be considered a comfort animal of sorts. He cheered up Ogee when she was feeling down, and was also brought to the zoo to cheer up the lonesome, lovesick female gorilla Matidla. Another gag I liked was when Mr. Peebles washed Magilla's mouth out with soap whenever he thought he was lying.