Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table

Arthur! And the Square Knights of the Round Table is a 1966-1968 Australian animated series based on the legend of King Arthur of Camelot.[1]

Not to be confused with Arthur (TV series).

Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table
"Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table" (DVD cover)
Also known asArthur (UK)
GenreAnimation
Written byAlexander Buzo
Rod Hull
Directed byZoran Janjic
Voices ofJohn Meillon
Lola Brooks
ComposerClare Bail
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes12 (36 cartoons)
Production
ProducerWalter J. Hucker
Production locationsSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Running time24 minutes
Production companyAir Programs International
Release
Original networkABC
Original release1966 (1966) –
1968 (1968)

The series was produced by Air Programs International and written by Melbourne playwright Alex Buzo and British-born entertainer Rod Hull, with Lyle Martin, Michael Robinson, and John Palmer. The characters included King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, the Jester, the Black Knight, and Morgana le Fay. The actors who voiced the character parts in the series included: John Meillon (as "Arthur"), Lola Brooks (as "Guinevere" and "Morgana le Fay"), John Ewart, Kevin Golsby, and Matthew O'Sullivan.

By 1969, the series had been sold for broadcast in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2] In Australia, where it was made and produced, it was sold also to the Australian Broadcasting Commission, for broadcast on the ABC-TV network. Typically it was broadcast on Saturday mornings and initially also, on Monday evenings. As the Australian television industry did not go to color broadcast until around March 1975, viewers would view the series in black and white for the first six years of its Australian transmission. This was despite all the episodes having been made in colour.

For most of the 1970s, Australia's ABC-TV continued to rerun the series for children's cartoon programming. This was usually on a Saturday morning.

During 1980-81, the French purchased the series. However, the series has been completely redone with a French soundtrack, with the original music also removed. In this format, the series was then broadcast on the French television channel, TF1.

By 1993, the series was also being broadcast on German cable television.

Original episodes
Episode 1
  • Octopus
  • Would You Believe, A Beanstalk?
  • Which Wizard Versus What Witch
Episode 2
  • There's An Elephant at the Drawbridge
  • A Nice Knight for a Wedding
  • Paris Picnic
Episode 3
  • It's the Only Kingdom I've Got
  • Old Moody
  • I'll See If I'm There
Episode 4
  • The Inn
  • Seventeen Going on Seventy
  • Will the Real Arthur Please Stand Up
Episode 5
  • The Genie Who Came to Dinner
  • No Laugh Olaf
  • Some Maidens Just Aren't Fair
Episode 6
  • New Armour for the King
  • Smile, Smile, Smile
  • That's What I Call Music
Episode 7
  • It's the Gift That Counts
  • The King's Champion
  • Undercover Knight
Episode 8
  • How Do You Like Them Apples
  • Pink is In
  • Get Your Wish Here
Episode 9
  • Little Bundle
  • The Crown Jewels
  • Mail-Order Bride
Episode 10
  • The Unicorn of Camelot
  • Belle of the Ball
  • While Camelot Sleeps
Episode 11
  • Play Gypsy Play
  • Be Kind to Dragons
  • The Search For Guinevere
Episode 12
  • Even Knights Have To Eat
  • The Wrecker
  • Assault On Castle Morgana

Home releases

Revelation Films released a DVD titled "Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table" in 2003.[3] This Region "0" DVD has a 200-minute running time and contains the first 8 episodes. Thus containing 24 cartoons of the 36.

Prior to this, Castle Vision had released two VHS video cassettes in 1992. Each of these tapes has 2 episodes, which accordingly have three cartoon stories per episode, making it a total of six stories per 45-minute tape. The Castle Vision tapes were released in the UK, under license from the rights holders in Australia. Both tapes are in the European PAL format.

References
  1. Salda, Michael N. (2013). Arthurian Animation: A Study of Cartoon Camelots on Film and Television. McFarland & Co. p. 70. ISBN 9780786474684. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 96. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. "Arthur And The Square Knights of The Round Table, Revelation, PAR 61178, 2003
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