Hong Kong Pfui

Though Hanna-Barbera Productions went into "trends" in their Saturday morning shows (they were everywhere on NBC or ABC, CBS was mostly Filmation's playground), this superhero Kung Fu beagle was one of the exceptions.

I discovered this "Kung Fu" addict on Laff-A-Lympics, another HB classic where our superhero beagle was part of the "Scooby-Doobies". And French- dubbed (from Paris) here on the TVA Network in the 80s.

Story is a bit like "the sidekick who never gets credits for the hero's goofs". Police station janitor (and naive) Penry Pooch overhears many police complains from phone receptionist Rosemary, and despite the rants of Sergeant Flint, gets into grab from the help of his sidekick cat Spot and gets into the Phooey Mobile (which changes shape with the sound of the gong) to get all the criminals and crooks.

Most of the time, the hero reads a book of "Hong Kong book of Kung Fu" in front of the bandits, however, most of the time, it is Spot which saves the day, but the masked beagle takes credit, to the poor cat's dismay...

At the time, many Hanna-Barbera had shows which missed the mark with all the trends shown (in my book, the best HB shows in the 70s were this one, Scooby Doo, Super Friends, Laff-A-Lympics, Dynomutt, Speed Buggy, and Captain Caveman) and the 50s-60s punch and originality were fading away. Hong Kong Phooey reminded me a bit of Quick Draw McGraw, but on the Kung Fu style...

To watch mostly for its wackiness...

Hong Kong Phooey is another one of my Hanna-Barbera favorites! This series is about a mild mannered janitor Penry who works at a police station commanded by Sergent Flint. When ever there is crime around Penry jumps into a file cabinet and comes out as Hanna-Barbera's number one super guy, Hong Kong Phooey who is a martial arts superhero! This show got 16 episodes in 1 Season. This show deserved more than 1 season and 16 episodes! Plus one thing I thought was cool about this Hong Kong Phooey was his martial arts moves and how he knocks the bad guys. Plus I thought the whole way Penry changes into Hong Kong Phooey was funny when he goes into a file cabinet and then he is Hong Kong Phooey.

User Rating: 7/10

BOTTOM LINE: HONG KONG PHOOEY IS HANNA-BARBERA'S # 1 SUPER GUY!

As a child growing up watching the likes of HKP and other Hanna Barbera classics (yes they were) I cannot remember ever getting bored of them. They were simply animated perhaps but as a kid did I ever stop and think, "hhhmm I think the animation is a bit cheap looking" - NO I DIDN'T and the reason - because I was a child and it was good fun, with funny scripts and characters. OK so they're not as funny perhaps when you watch them again as a 30 something year old (or whatever) but don't forget they were made for kids after all. I look forward to showing the likes of Hong Kong Phooey to my son when he grows up a bit along with a few other classics thrown in for good measure.

The appeal of Hong Kong Phooey can be summed by one name, Scatman Crothers. One of the most talented individuals ever hired by Hanna Barbera to do voice overs. He pretty much carried this cartoon during it's scant 16 episode run. Quirky one liners and his constant talking to the audience seperated Hong Kong Phooey from the rest. Hanna Barbera ruled the seventies TV cartoon market. IF Cartoon Network would get off the anime band wagon(FAT CHANCE)they would have time to show some American classics such as this. Great Theme Song.

It's funny how as a kid you watch some programs on Saturday morning and don't realise how quickly they are repeated. I was amazed to discover HKP only existed for 16 episodes. It felt like I grew up watching him for years.

I absolutely loved this show, more than Flintstones, more than Jetsons, even more than Birdman and that's saying something.

They just don't make funny harmless cartoons for kids anymore (and I should know, I'm the self appointed censor against the drivell that is on TV for my kids these days .... Pokemon? Poke Off I say!) and that's a shame because being a kid should be about growth and fun, not violence and fierce competition. Plenty of time for those life lessons once childhood is behind you