Dynomutt, Dog Wonder

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1977.[1] The show centers on a Batman-esque superhero, the Blue Falcon, and his assistant, Dynomutt, a bumbling, yet effective robotic dog who can produce a seemingly infinite number of mechanical devices from his body.[2] As with many other animated superheroes of the era, no origins for the characters are ever provided.

"Blue Falcon" redirects here. For other uses, see Blue Falcon (disambiguation).
Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
Title card
Also known asThe Blue Falcon & Dynomutt
Created by
Directed byCharles A. Nichols
Voices of
Narrated byRon Feinberg
ComposerHoyt Curtin
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Running time22 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
DistributorTaft Broadcasting
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 11, 1976 (1976-09-11) –
October 1, 1977 (1977-10-01)
Chronology
Related shows

Dynomutt was originally broadcast as a half-hour segment of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976–77), and a quarter-hour segment of its later expanded form Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977–78); it would later be rerun and syndicated on its own from 1978 on. The cast of The Scooby-Doo Show appeared as 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 distribution rights to the series.

Overview

Millionaire socialite art dealer Radley Crown (voiced by Gary Owens) and his mechanical dog 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 in Big City, until alerted by the Falcon Flash. They then immediately dash to the Falcon's Lair (situated in Crown's penthouse), where they switch to their secret identities, the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, respectively.[3] The 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), 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 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 Dynomutt 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 the 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.

Episode guide

The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976)

The episode titles given reflect Hanna-Barbera studio records. No on-screen titles were given for this series.

Nº Title Original air date
1.1"Everyone Hyde!"1September 11, 1976 (1976-09-11)
Willie the Weasel has created a formula that turns him into Mr. Hyde. While the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt are on the trail of the mysterious Mr. Hyde, they encounter the Mystery, Inc. gang and Scooby-Doo (who are unaware that Mr. Hyde is a supervillain and not one of their typical "spooks"). In The New Scooby-Doo Movies-fashion, they team-up with the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt (who happens to be Scooby's hero) to stop Mr. Hyde, who has threatened to turn the population of the entire city into "Mr. Hydes" unless he is proclaimed mayor. Fred and the others find a clue (which turns out to be Willie the Weasel's glove), and the Blue Falcon deduces that Willie is Mr. Hyde. The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt have Mr. Hyde proclaimed mayor and pretend to turn themselves in so that Mr. Hyde will lead them to his secret lair and trick him into showing them the antidote to the Hyde formula. Willie the Weasel and his canine partner-in-crime "Snitch" manage to escape. The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt head to the Mayor's mansion to stop Hyde from retrieving his stolen loot. The Mystery, Inc. gang set up one of their infamous "Scooby traps" while the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt confront Mr. Hyde and Snitch. Dynomutt captures Snitch while the Blue Falcon and the Mystery, Inc. crew capture Willie the Weasel/Mr. Hyde.
Note: this episode is a crossover between Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and Scooby-Doo.
1.2"What Now, Lowbrow?"1September 18, 1976 (1976-09-18)
A caveman-like criminal named Lowbrow wants to become the King of Crime and steals some books that will help him in his quest. The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt end up assisted by Mystery, Inc. to stop Lowbrow.
Note: this episode is another crossover between Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and Scooby-Doo.
1.3"The Great Brain...Train Robbery"September 25, 1976 (1976-09-25)
The Gimmick is a criminal mastermind who uses his prowess of gadgets to create havoc in the city and dares the police to stop him from stealing a train car with a prince inside.
Note; Mumbly makes a cameo at the end of the episode.
1.4"The Day and Night Crawler"October 2, 1976 (1976-10-02)
A talking worm called the Worm and his henchman Grub use a digging machine called the Wormborer to spring Bugsy Busby and Roto Chopper from prison in a plot to steal a super-computer.
1.5"The Harbor Robber"October 9, 1976 (1976-10-09)
An ocean-themed villain named Fishface plans to steal Big City's oil and hold it for ransom.
1.6"Sinister Symphony"October 16, 1976 (1976-10-16)
Manyfaces uses his talent for disguises to trick Dynomutt into arresting the Blue Falcon, Mayor Gaunt, and the Chief of Police.
1.7"Don't Bug Superthug"October 23, 1976 (1976-10-23)
Superthug and his henchman Zorkon have created a super-dynamic steel skeleton and plan to use it to steal Big City's steel supply to mass-produce an army of steel skeletons.
1.8"Factory Recall"October 30, 1976 (1976-10-30)
The Blue Falcon loses his Falcon Communicator while he and Dynomutt are fighting Mr. Cool. Mr. Cool then makes the Blue Falcon think that he is F.O.C.U.S. One claiming that Dynomutt needs to be recalled to where he was made. With Dynomutt reprogrammed and now under his control, Mr. Cool has Dynomutt dispose of the Blue Falcon while he initiates a plot to freeze Big City.
1.9"The Queen Hornet"November 6, 1976 (1976-11-06)
The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt attempt to get evidence that will put the Queen Hornet in prison.
1.10"The Wizard of Ooze"1November 13, 1976 (1976-11-13)
The Swamp Rat and his henchman Mudmouth plan to flood Big City by using stolen pumps to send half the water in Bogmeyer Swamp into Big City to start a crime spree. The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, team-up once again with Scooby-Doo and Mystery, Inc. to stop the villains before Big City becomes Bog City.
Note: this episode is another crossover between Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and Scooby-Doo.
1.11"Tin Kong"November 20, 1976 (1976-11-20)
A hack movie director named Eric von Flick plans to make a movie called The Total Destruction of Big City starring his robotic creation, Tin Kong.
1.12"The Awful Ordeal with the Head of Steel"2November 25, 1976 (1976-11-25)
A mysterious criminal named Ironface seeks revenge on Big City by capturing the District Attorney, the Warden of Rockatraz, Detective Malloy, Mayor Gaunt, Judge Grater, Chief of Police Grisby, and the Chief Prosecutor, as well as the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt. Now the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt must defeat Ironface and find out his true identity.
1.13"The Blue Falcon vs. the Red Vulture"November 27, 1976 (1976-11-27)
The Red Vulture steals two of the world's most powerful super-jet engines, with plans to use them for his Vulturejet and, in turn, dominate the airways.
1.14"The Injustice League of America"3December 4, 1976 (1976-12-04)
Fishface, the Gimmick, Lowbrow, the Queen Hornet, Superthug, and the Worm have escaped from Big City Prison and formed the Injustice League of America. They plan to commit a major crime spree and dispose of the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt.
Note: the titular villain group has no connection to the DC Comics villain group of the same name.
1.15"Lighter Than Air Raid"3December 11, 1976 (1976-12-11)
An evil genius of the airways named the Blimp is stealing Big City's supply of helium.
1.16"The Prophet Profits"3December 18, 1976 (1976-12-18)
The Prophet sets up his own disasters, which he can predict for Mayor Gaunt and charge him $500,000 for every prediction he wants to know.
  • 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.

Scooby's and Dynomutt Hour season 2 (1977)
Nº Title Original air date
2.1a"Beastwoman Part 1"September 10, 1977 (1977-09-10)
2.1b"Beastwoman Part 2"September 10, 1977 (1977-09-10)
A wild woman-themed villain named Beastwoman uses her multi-frequency Beast Whistle to have the animals at Big City Zoo break out of their cages and drive the people out of Big City. When Dynomutt falls victim to the Beast Whistle, it is up to his master the Blue Falcon to stop her.
2.2a"The Glob Part 1"September 17, 1977 (1977-09-17)
2.2b"The Glob Part 2"September 17, 1977 (1977-09-17)
The Glob (a,k,a, Norbert Prindle) and his gang plan to steal the Baltese Falcon.
2.3a"Madame Ape Face Part 1"September 24, 1977 (1977-09-24)
2.3b"Madame Ape Face Part 2"September 24, 1977 (1977-09-24)
Madame Ape Face is using a device to help her steal the faces of beautiful starlets of Big City.
2.4a"Shadowman Part 1"October 1, 1977 (1977-10-01)
2.4b"Shadowman Part 2"October 1, 1977 (1977-10-01)
Shadowman mysteriously knows all of the plans of the Crime Commission and plans to commit a crime spree where one of them frames Mayor Gaunt.

These four new episodes were also aired under the new title The Blue Falcon & Dynomutt. All in all, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder lasted 20 episodes in total, four episodes more than Jabberjaw.

Voice cast
  • Gary Owens – the Blue Falcon
  • Frank Welker – Dynomutt, Fred Jones (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze"), Bugsy Busby (in "The Day and Nightcrawler")
  • Ron Feinberg - F.O.C.U.S. One, the Narrator, Mudmouth (in "The Wizard of Ooze"), the Worm (in "The Day and Night Crawler," "The Injustice League of America")
  • Larry McCormick as the Mayor of Big City

Additional voices
  • Henry Corden – Mr. Hyde/Willie the Weasel (in "Everyone Hyde"), the Prophet (in "The Prophet Profits")
  • Regis Cordic
  • Joan Gerber
  • Bob Holt
  • Ralph James
  • Casey Kasem – Norville "Shaggy" Rogers (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze"), Fishface (in "The Harbor Raider"), the Swamp Rat (in "The Wizard of Ooze"), Lowbrow's Henchman (in "What Now, Lowbrow"), Professor Orville (in "Everyone Hyde")
  • Julie McWhirter – the Queen Hornet (in "The Queen Hornet," "The Injustice League of America")
  • Allan Melvin – Superthug (second time), Grub (in "The Day and Nightcrawler")
  • Don Messick – Scooby-Doo, Mumbly (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), the Gimmick (in "The Injustice League of America"), Lowbrow (in "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Injustice League of America"), Lowbrow's Henchman (in "What Now, Lowbrow"), Manyfaces (in "Sinister Symphony"), Manyfaces' Henchmen (in "Sinister Symphony"), the Gimmick's Henchmen (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), Jeweler (in "Everyone Hyde")
  • Heather North – Daphne Blake (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze")
  • John Stephenson – Chief Grisby, Chief Wiggins (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery"), the Blimp (in "Lighter Than Air Raid"), Eric von Flick (in "Tin Kong"), Shadowman/Herman Twitch (in "Shadowman"), the Red Vulture (in "The Blue Falcon vs. the Red Vulture"), the Glob's Henchmen (in "The Glob"), Fishface's Henchmen, the Gimmick's Henchmen (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery")
  • Pat Stevens – Velma Dinkley (in "Everyone Hyde," "What Now, Lowbrow," "The Wizard of Ooze")
  • Lennie Weinrib – Superthug (first time), Roto-Chopper (in "The Day and Nightcrawler"), the Gimmick's Henchmen (in "The Great Brain...Train Robbery")

Broadcast history

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder originally aired in these following formats on ABC and NBC:

  • The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (September 11, 1976 – November 27, 1976, ABC)
  • The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Show (December 4, 1976 – September 3, 1977, ABC)
  • Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (as The Blue Falcon & Dynomutt) (September 10, 1977 – March 11, 1978, ABC)
  • Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (June 3, 1978 – September 2, 1978, ABC) (rerun)
  • The Godzilla/Dynomutt Hour (September 27, 1980 – November 15, 1980, NBC) (rerun)

Dynomutt also aired on USA Cartoon Express during the 1980s.

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 aired Thursdays through Sundays at 10am Eastern. But the show stopped airing on Boomerang due to the re-branding that happened on January 19, 2015, that also removed many other older shows.

Home video

All 16 episodes of the first season were released to DVD in the DVD set The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour: The Complete Series from Warner Home Video.

In other media
  • Gary Owens and Frank Welker reprise their roles of the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt in guest appearances in the Dexter's Laboratory episode "Dyno-Might". The Blue Falcon comes to Dexter when Dynomutt is heavily damaged during their fight with the supervillain, Buzzord (voiced by Rob Paulsen). Though Dexter obliges, Dynomutt destroys his laboratory, leading to Dexter deactivating Dynomutt and creating Dynomutt X-90 (also voiced by Welker), who becomes a fanatical vigilante using excessive and lethal force to deal with minor crimes such as parking violations, jaywalking, and littering. Dexter tries to help the Blue Falcon stop Dynomutt X-90, but after being cornered, Dexter reveals he built Dynomutt X-90 because he deemed the original a goofy idiot sidekick. The Blue Falcon states Dynomutt was not just a goofy idiot sidekick, he was a go-go dog person. He then reactivates the original Dynomutt, who arrives and distracts Dynomutt X-90 enough for Dexter to deactivate him.
  • Dynomutt's picture made a cameo in an episode of the 2 Stupid Dogs segment, Super Secret Secret Squirrel.
  • Owens reprises his role as the Blue Falcon in the Johnny Bravo episode "Johnny Makeover" wherein he, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Don Knotts redesign Johnny's show in a parody of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
  • The 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 Antonio de Rivera Garcia Azul Falcón (voiced by Maurice LaMarche). A similarly Spanish-accented Dynomutt also appeared in the two-part episode "Deadomutt", voiced by André Sogliuzzo.
  • Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Ban on the Fun", voiced by Victor Yerrid and Kevin Shinick, respectively.
  • Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon appeared in the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "Heart of Evil", with Welker reprising his role of Dynomutt, while the Blue Falcon was voiced by Troy Baker. This series depicts an origin where Radley and his 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 Batman in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.
  • Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon appear in the Scooby-Doo crossover direct-to-DVD movie, Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon, with Welker reprising his role of Dynomutt once more. The duo was redesigned to be a film-within-a-film with two different iterations of the Blue Falcon. Owen Garrison (voiced by Jeff Bennett) was the star of the original TV series, who became embittered by Hollywood for rebooting his show as a dark and gritty movie with actor Brad Adams (voiced by Diedrich Bader) in the lead role as a technology-based Blue Falcon while Dynomutt was reworked into a destructive robot dog. The film's main antagonist, Jack Rabble, used the identity of the Blue Falcon's arch-enemy, Mr. Hyde, to commit a daring heist and frame Garrison for it. However, he was foiled by Garrison and Scooby-Doo.
  • The Blue Falcon and Dynomutt appear in a second Scooby-Doo crossover theatrical movie, Scoob!, with the Blue Falcon voiced by Mark Wahlberg and Dynomutt voiced by Ken Jeong.[4][5] This Blue Falcon is portrayed as Radley’s son, Brian, who took up the mantle after his father retired to Palm Beach, Florida, and is struggling to become a great hero, and Dynomutt is more mature, intelligent, and competent, which initially made him resentful of Brian. They were also joined by assistant Dee Dee Skyes and butler Keith. During the movie's credits, the Blue Falcon founded the Falcon Force alongside Atom Ant, Captain Caveman, Jabberjaw, and the Grape Ape.
  • Dynomutt and Blue Falcon will appear in Jellystone!

Comics
  • From November 1977 to September 1978, Marvel Comics published a bimonthly Dynomutt comic book series that lasted for six issues.[6]
  • Ongoing series Cartoon Network Presents #21 (May 1999) featured a story starring Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon. It was written by Dan Slott with art by Many Galan and Mike DeCarlo.[7]
  • As part of a series of crossovers featuring DC and Hanna-Barbera characters together, DC launched Super-Sons/Dynomutt Special #1 in May 2018. The issue was written by Peter Tomasi with art by Fernando Pasarin.[8]

See also

References
  1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 88–89. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 173. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. D'Alessandro, Anthony (2019-04-10). "Ken Jeong & Kiersey Clemons Toon Up For Warner Bros.' 'Scoob'". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  5. D'Alessandro, Anthony (2019-05-10). "Mark Wahlberg & Jason Isaacs Board Warner Bros' 'Scoob'". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  6. Marvel's Dynomutt series at Comic Vine
  7. Cartoon Network Presents #21 at the GCD
  8. Tomasi Announces Super Sons Crossover with Dynomutt & Blue Falcon by Jason Cohen on CBR.com, 22 Feb 2018
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