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| The Quick Draw McGraw Show | |
|---|---|
| Show name | The Quick Draw McGraw Show |
| Genre | Animated comedy, Western, Satire |
| Created by | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Starring | Daws Butler, Mel Blanc |
| Country | United States |
| Original language | English language |
| Num episodes | 45 |
| Executive producer | William Hanna, Joseph Barbera |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Channel | ABC (American Broadcasting Company) |
| First aired | 1959 |
| Last aired | 1962 |
The Quick Draw McGraw Show is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that premiered on ABC (American Broadcasting Company) in 1959. The program combines Western pastiche, slapstick comedy, and musical elements, featuring anthropomorphic characters and serialized short-form segments. With voice work mainly by Daws Butler and Mel Blanc, the show became a staple of early television animation and influenced later animated series and merchandising.
The series centers on a mustang sheriff and his sidekick in a frontier setting blending elements from Western (genre), Film noir, American vaudeville, Radio comedy traditions and Silent film slapstick. Produced during the postwar boom in television by Hanna-Barbera Productions, created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, it reflected trends from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., Disney, Fleischer Studios, UPA (United Productions of America), Screen Gems, and Columbia Pictures. The show’s structure of multiple short segments mirrors anthology formats such as The Huckleberry Hound Show and influenced later programs like The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and Jonny Quest.
Primary figures include the title protagonist, a laconic mustang reminiscent of archetypes found in Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne films; his deputy and frequent foil exhibits traits of bumbling sidekicks like those in Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello, Charlie Chaplin shorts and Buster Keaton comedies. Recurring characters and guest archetypes echo personalities from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Andy Griffith, Jack Benny, Ed Wynn, Red Skelton, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Mae West, and Sgt. Bilko-era radio and television. Villainous or supporting stock figures draw on Western staples like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Calamity Jane, Annie Oakley, Geronimo, and Sitting Bull portrayals common to mid-20th-century entertainment.
Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions under executive producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the show debuted as part of ABC’s Saturday morning and syndicated lineups alongside The Huckleberry Hound Show and Yogi Bear. Animators and storyboard artists worked in the tradition of MGM cartoon studio, Warner Bros. Cartoons, and UPA; voice direction drew on talent pools linked to Capitol Records radio talent and CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) radio veterans. The series aired from 1959 to 1962 on ABC (American Broadcasting Company) and subsequently entered syndication, appearing on networks and stations affiliated with NBC, DuMont Television Network reruns, Television Syndication packages, cable channels like Cartoon Network and Toonami, and streaming services in later decades. Distribution involved companies tied to Turner Broadcasting System, Time Warner, Warner Bros. Television, Hanna-Barbera Productions archives and Warner Bros. Discovery libraries.
Episodes typically consisted of multiple seven-minute segments featuring the sheriff, musical interludes, and secondary segments reflecting the style of short-form animation pioneered by studios including Disney, Warner Bros., MGM, Fleischer Studios, and Paramount Pictures. Notable episodes and segments parodied cultural touchstones ranging from silent-era slapstick to contemporary television such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Have Gun — Will Travel, Rawhide, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, Zorro, Hopalong Cassidy, and cinematic Westerns featuring John Ford and Howard Hawks sensibilities. Storytelling techniques and recurring gags owe debt to radio-era programs like The Jack Benny Program, Burns and Allen, The Abbott and Costello Show, and variety influences from The Ed Sullivan Show.
Contemporary reviews in Variety (magazine), The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and trade publications noted the show’s economical animation model and humor appealing to children and adults, comparing its character-driven comedy to Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, and Tom and Jerry shorts. The series’ legacy is evident in homages and references across Saturday morning television history, influencing creators associated with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Genndy Tartakovsky, Don Bluth, John Kricfalusi, Tex Avery-inspired animators, and revival attempts by companies like Hanna-Barbera Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.
Home media releases have been handled by entities in the Warner Bros. corporate family, with VHS, DVD and digital offerings appearing through distributors related to Turner Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and streaming deals involving HBO Max. Merchandise tie-ins have included comic books from publishers influenced by Dell Comics, Gold Key Comics, Western Publishing, and licensed toys echoing products sold by Mattel, Hasbro, Kenner Products, Ideal Toy Company, McFarlane Toys and novelty items retailed through Walmart, Kmart, Toys "R" Us, Sears and specialty outlets.
The show contributed to the mythologizing of Western tropes in mid-20th-century popular culture alongside films and series from Paramount Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Columbia Pictures. Its characters and catchphrases entered broader media via parodies on programs like Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, Robot Chicken, Futurama and comic-book homages in publications from Marvel Comics and DC Comics. Academic scrutiny within media studies and animation studies traces its role in television animation history alongside scholars affiliated with institutions such as University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, New York University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, Stanford University, and museums like The Paley Center for Media and Smithsonian Institution.
Category:American animated television series