Dynomutt, Dog Wonder

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder is an American animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show centers on a Batman-esque super hero, the Blue Falcon, and his assistant, bumbling yet generally effective robot dog Dynomutt, who can produce a seemingly infinite number of mechanical devices from his body. As with many other animated super-heroes of the era, no origins for the characters are ever provided.

Dynomutt was originally broadcast as a half-hour segment of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976–77) and its later expanded forms Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics (1977–78) and Scooby's All-Stars (1978-79); it would later be rerun and syndicated on its own from 1978 on. The cast of The Scooby-Doo Show appeared as a recurring characters on Dynomutt, assisting the Daring Duo in cracking their crimes. Originally distributed by Hanna-Barbera's then-parent company Taft Broadcasting, Warner Bros. Television currently holds the television distribution to the series.

Between January 2 and March 9, 2008, repeats of Dynomutt, Dog Wonder were shown on Boomerang. On June 4, 2009, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder returned to Boomerang and airs Thursdays through Sundays at 10am Eastern.

Overview
Millionaire socialite art dealer Radley Crown (voiced by Gary Owens) and his mechanical mongrel, Dynomutt (voiced by Frank Welker who got the inspiration for the voice from the Gertrude and Heathcliff characters of Red Skelton), enjoy leisure time in their base of operations Big City, until alerted by the Falcon Flash. They immediately dash for the Falcon's Lair (situated in Crown's penthouse apartment), where they switch to their secret identities, the Blue Falcon and Dog Wonder, respectively. Blue Falcon and Dynomutt receive the report via TV screen from the secret GHQ of secret agent F.O.C.U.S. One (voiced by Ron Feinberg) and jump into the Falconcar and speed into the fray against assorted evildoers.

In a coup similar to the 1960s Batman TV series, the first 10 minutes of Dynomutt ends with a cliffhanger wherein the Daring Duo, in the clutches of their foes, are subjected to a perilous fate which is resolved immediately after the commercial. Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the show contains a laugh track created by the studio.

The metallic mutt employs a system of miniaturized transistors which allow him to extend his limbs or neck and use them to perform extraordinary feats; however, none of them ever work properly. B.F. (as D.W. lovingly refers to him) is more Dynomutt's victim than his master, forever being hamstrung by the latter's insufferably clumsy mechanized mishaps, which often results in Blue Falcon calling Dynomutt "Dog Blunder". Nevertheless, Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon, who is equipped with his own arsenal of supergadgetry, manage to get the situation well in hand.

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder has the historic significance of casting the first African-American public official in Saturday morning cartoons in the form of Mayor Gaunt (voiced by Larry McCormick).

Season One (1976–1977)
''The episode titles given reflect Hanna-Barbera studio records. No on-screen titles were given for this series.


 * 1 These episodes guest-star Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang.
 * 2 Episode 1.12, "There's a Demon Shark in the Foggy Dark/The Awful Ordeal with the Head of Steel", was originally broadcast not on a Saturday morning, but on Thanksgiving Day 1976 (November 25), during ABC's Thanksgiving Funshine Festival.
 * 3 These episodes, and all first-season repeats, were broadcast as part of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show, which included an additional half-hour featuring a Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! rerun.

Season Two (1977–1978)
These four new episodes were aired under the new title The Blue Falcon & Dynomutt.

Voices

 * Ron Feinberg – Narrator, F.O.C.U.S. One, Mudmouth, Worm
 * Larry McCormick – Mayor Gaunt
 * Gary Owens – Radley Crown/The Blue Falcon
 * Frank Welker – Dynomutt, Fred Jones

Additional voices

 * Henry Corden – Mr. Hyde/Willie the Weasel
 * Regis Cordic –
 * Robert Duvall -
 * Stan Francis -
 * Joan Gerber –
 * Bob Holt – Mr. Cool
 * Ralph James –
 * Casey Kasem – Shaggy Rogers, Fishface (1st time), Swamp Rat
 * David McCallum
 * Julie McWhirter – Queen Hornet
 * Allan Melvin – Grub
 * Don Messick – Scooby-Doo, Gimmick, Lowbrow (1st time), Manyfaces Henchmen, Gimmick's Henchmen
 * Heather North – Daphne Blake
 * John Stephenson – Chief Grimsley/Wiggins, the Blimp, Eric von Flick, Shadowman/Herman Twitch, Red Vulture, Glob's Henchmen, Fishface's Henchmen, Gimmick's Henchmen
 * Pat Stevens – Velma Dinkley
 * Lennie Weinrib – Roto-Chopper, Gimmick's Henchmen

Production Credits

 * Executive Producers: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
 * Dynomutt Dog Wonder Created By: Joe Ruby and Ken Spears
 * Directed by: Charles A. Nichols
 * Creative Producer: Iwao Takamoto
 * Associate Producer: Alex Lovy
 * Storyboard Directors: Jan Green, Dave Hanan, Cullen Houghtaling, Tom Knowles, Michael O'Connor, Don Sheppard, Paul Sommer, Wendell Washer, Kay Wright
 * Recording Directors: Wally Burr, Alex Lovy
 * Story Editors: Norman Maurer, Ray Parker
 * Story: Haskell Barskin, Larz Bourne, Dick Conway, Tom Dagenais, Tony DiMarco, Earle Doud, Willie Gilbert, Donald Glut, Orville Hampton, Dave Ketchum, (The Maurer Brothers Jeff, Michael, and Norman), Lee Orgel, Duane Poole, Dick Robbins, Dalton Sandifer, Deidre Starlight
 * Voices: Daws Butler, Henry Corden, Regis Cordic, Micky Dolenz, Ron Feinberg, Joan Gerber, Virginia Gregg, Bob Holt, Hettie Lynn Hurtes, Lynn Hutson, Ralph James, Casey Kasem, Larry McCormick, Julie McWhirter, Allan Melvin, Don Messick, Shirley Mitchell, Heather North, Alan Oppenheimer, Gary Owens, John Stephenson, Pat Stevens, Janet Waldo, Lennie Weinrib, Frank Welker
 * Production Design: Bob Singer
 * Production Supervisor: Victor O. Schipek
 * Character Designers: Alex Toth, Steve Nakagawa
 * Graphics: Iraj Paran
 * Unit Director: Bill Keil
 * Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
 * Musical Supervisor: Paul DeKorte
 * Layout: Mike Arens, Dale Barnhart, Hak Ficq, Owen Fitzgerald, C.L. Hartman, (The Huber Brothers Jack and Larry), Alex Ignatiev, Ziggy Jablecki, Ray Jacobs, Homer Jonas, Bill Lignante, Warren Marshall, Jim Muller, Steve Nakagawa, Dan Noonan, Tony Rivera, Linda Rowley, Tony Sgroi, Bob Singer, Terry Slade, Adam Szwejkowski, Wendell Washer, George Wheeler, Al Wilson
 * Animators: Ed Barge, Bob Bemiller, Robert Bransford, O.E. Callahan, Lars Calonus, Rudy Cataldi, Steve Clark, Marija Dail, Jim Davis, Marcia Fertig, Hugh Fraser, Mark Glamack, Bob Goe, Terry Harrison, (The Hathcock Brothers Bob and Jerry), Bill Hutten, Volus Jones, Tony Love, Ken Muse, Margaret Nichols, Don Patterson, Morey Reden, Veve Risto, Jay Sarbry, Ed Solomon, Ken Southworth, Dave Tendlar, Dick Thompson, Carlo Vinci, Russ Von Neida, Xenia
 * Backgrounds: Fernando Arce, Dennis Durrell, Bob Gentle, Al Gmuer, Richard Khim, Fernando Montealegre, Marilyn Shimokochi, Dennis Veinzelos
 * Technical Supervisor: Frank Paiker
 * Checking and Scene Planning: Evelyn Sherwood
 * Ink and Paint Supervisor: Billie Kerns
 * Xerography: Star Wirth
 * Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
 * Supervising Film Editor: James C. Yaras
 * Music Editor: Larry Cowan, Pat Foley, Joe Sandusky
 * Effects Editors: Richard Allen, Tom Gleason, Terry Moore
 * Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
 * Post Production Supervisor: Joed Eaton
 * Camera: George Epperson, Curt Hall, Ron Jackson, Norman Stainsback, Roy Wade
 * Production Manager: Jayne Barbera
 * A Hanna Barbera Production
 * Copyright C MCMLXXVI Hanna Barbera Productions Inc
 * RCA Sound Recording
 * This Picture Under The Jurisdiction Of IATSE-IA Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O.

DVD release
All 16 episodes of the first season were released to DVD in the Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour DVD set from Warner Home Video. The 4 episodes from The Blue Falcon & Dynomutt that were broadcast as a part of the Scooby-Doo's All Star Laff-A-Lympics are currently unavailable on DVD.

In popular culture

 * Gary Owens and Frank Welker reprise their roles of Blue Falcon and Dynomutt in guest appearances in the Dexter's Laboratory episode "Dyno-Might" (which was considered to be the darkest of the duo's adventures). Blue Falcon comes to Dexter when Dynomutt is heavily damaged during their fight with Buzzord (voiced by Rob Paulsen). Though Dynomutt is rebuilt by Dexter, Dynomutt ends up trashing his laboratory, causing Dexter to deactivate Dynomutt and create Dynomutt X-90 (also voiced by Frank Welker), who becomes a fanatical vigilante, using excessive and lethal force to deal with minor crimes such as jaywalking and littering. Dexter becomes Dexstar to help Blue Falcon stop Dynomutt X-90. When Dynomutt X-90 ends up trapping Dexter and Blue Falcon, Dexter stated that he created Dynomutt X-90 because the other Dynomutt was a goofy idiot sidekick. This causes Blue Falcon to reactivate the real Dynomutt while telling Dexter that "He wasn't just a goofy idiot sidekick! He was a... go-go dog person!". Dynomutt arrives and distracts Dynomutt X-90 enough for Dexter to deactivate him, with Dexter apologizing for underestimating Dynomutt. Blue Falcon and Dynomutt then thank Dexter for their help, with the former noting to Dexter that "It's a goofy idiot sidekick that's makes a superhero super!".


 * Dynomutt as a picture made a cameo in the "Agent Penny" episode of the Super Secret Secret Squirrel segment of 2 Stupid Dogs.


 * Gary Owens reprises his role of Blue Falcon in the Johnny Bravo episode "Johnny Makeover". He, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Don Knotts redesign Johnny's show in a parody of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.


 * Blue Falcon appears as a recurring character in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law TV series and once in the video game of the same title as a Spanish lawyer named Azul Falcone (voiced by Maurice LaMarche). Dynomutt has also appeared in the two-part episode "Deadomutt" voiced by André Sogliuzzo with a Spanish accent.


 * Dynomutt and Blue Falcon appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Ban on the Fun".with Dynomutt voiced by Victor Yerrid and Blue Falcon voiced by Kevin Shinick.


 * Dynomutt and Blue Falcon appear in the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "Heart of Evil" with Frank Welker reprising his role of Dynomutt while Blue Falcon was voiced by Troy Baker. This depicts an origin where Radley Crown and his guard dog Reggie were security guards at Quest Labs. After a robot dragon attacks and injures Reggie's organic body, Dr. Benton Quest rebuilds him as a cyborg dog. While Dynomutt retains his personality from the original series, the Blue Falcon is depicted as a gritty and violent vigilante (reminiscent of Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" version of Batman). Mystery Incorporated ends up aiding Dynomutt and Blue Falcon when the robot dragon has attacked Crystal Cove City Hall. It then turns out that the dragon robot is a Dragon Battle Suit that was built by Dr. Zin in his plot to obtain the Quest-X Power Source and that his daughter Jenny was in a catatonic state in the Dragon Battle Suit since its last attack on Quest Labs. Dr. Zin wanted the Quest-X Power Source in order to heal Jenny. After Blue Falcon and Mystery Inc.'s fight with Dr. Zin's men, Dynomutt used some of the Quest-X Power Source to heal Jenny. Despite Jenny being healed, Dr. Zin and Jenny managed to get away and set their island base to self-destruct. After Blue Falcon, Dynomutt and Mystery, Inc. escape before the base exploded, Blue Falcon vows to catch Dr. Zin someday.


 * Dynomutt and Blue Falcon appear in another Scooby-Doo crossover, Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon, with Frank Welker reprising his role of Dynomutt. This is the nineteenth film in the Scooby-Doo franchise that is a direct-to-video film. The duo was redesigned in a movie within the film where the second Blue Falcon named Brad Adams (voiced by Diedrich Bader) has a much darker, technologically advanced costume and Dynomutt was stripped down into a destructive, dark-looking robotic dog. The film also featured Owen Garrison (voiced by Jeff Bennett), who was an actor that played Blue Falcon in the original TV series that he starred in and was bitter at the fact that Brad Adams was cast as the new Blue Falcon. Mr. Hyde (voiced by John DiMaggio) was the villain of the film and was the disguise of Jack Rabble (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) in a plot to steal the receipts from an armored car and frame Owen Garrison. By the end of the film, Owen Garrison was signed on to appear as the father of the second Blue Falcon for the film's sequel and Scooby-Doo is cast to play the role of the original Dynomutt.