| The Ruff and Reddy Show | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Ruff and Reddy |
| Genre | |
| Created by | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Written by | Joseph Barbera Charles Shows |
| Directed by | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Bob Hultgren (NBC sequences) |
| Presented by | Jimmy Blaine (original run) Robert Cottle (reruns) |
| Voices of | |
| Narrated by | Don Messick |
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Opening theme | "Here Comes Ruff and Reddy" |
| Composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 156 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Running time | 4 minutes |
| Production company | H-B Enterprises |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | December 14, 1957 – April 2, 1960 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
The Ruff and Reddy Show (also known as Ruff and Reddy) is an American animated television series produced by H-B Enterprises for NBC. It has been referred to as the earliest original color Saturday-morning cartoon, following "Mighty Mouse Playhouse", which was made up of theatrical shorts. This was the first series made by Hanna-Barbera.[1] The series follows the adventures of Ruff (a smart and steadfast cat) and Reddy (a good-natured and brave—but not overly bright—dog). It was presented by Screen Gems, the television arm of Columbia Pictures. It premiered in December 1957 and ran for 156 episodes until April 1960, comprising three seasons total. It was repeated on NBC Saturday mornings from 1962 to 1963. In the late 1950s, it was sponsored by Post Consumer Brands.[2]
Hanna and Barbera created The Ruff and Reddy Show for their cartoon studio, then named H-B Enterprises. The "buddy" theme had previously been explored in their Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts, but unlike Tom and Jerry, Ruff and Reddy aren't foes, but housemates and best friends. The series is notable as one of the earliest original animated television programs as well as a pioneer of the use of limited animation techniques for television (even though it was not the first production to use it).[3]
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 520–521. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. pp. 244–245. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. p. 227. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved April 8, 2020.