Line #50 Series/TheBananaSplits


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/banana_splits.png]]
2	->''"Tra-la-la, la-la-la-la! (x4)\
3	One banana, two banana, three banana, four!\
4	Four bananas make a bunch, and so do many more!\
5	Over hill and highway the Banana Buggies go,\
6	Coming on to bring you the Banana Splits show!"''
7
8	''The Banana Splits Adventure Hour'' was a Saturday morning series from Creator/HannaBarbera shown on Creator/{{NBC}} in the late 1960s. Live actors in full-body costumes portrayed [[TheLeader Fleegle]] the dog (voiced by Creator/PaulWinchell), [[DeadpanSnarker Drooper]] the lion (voiced by [[WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla Allan Melvin]]), [[MellowFellow Bingo]] the gorilla (voiced by Creator/DawsButler) and [[TheUnintelligible Snorky]] the elephant, [[TheVoiceless who didn't talk]]. Creator/SidAndMartyKrofftProductions designed the Banana Splits' character costumes.
9
10	The foursome did comedy sketches, performed songs and introduced the following action segments:
11	* ''WesternAnimation/ArabianKnights'': A FiveManBand of heroes fought evil in pre-Islamic Arabia.
12	* ''The Three Musketeers'': These short adventures were adapted from [[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers the book]] by Creator/AlexandreDumas ''père''.
13	* ''Micro-Ventures'': A scientist and his two teenage children visited MouseWorld to observe insects up close.
14	* ''Danger Island'': This was the serialized live-action segment, set on and around a Pacific island. Memorable for the phrase, "Uh-oh, Chongo!". Directed by Creator/RichardDonner, who went on to hit films like ''Film/TheOmen1976'', ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'', ''Film/TheGoonies'' and ''Film/LethalWeapon''.[[note]]It also starred [[Series/{{Airwolf}} (Jan-) Michael Vincent]] as Link.[[/note]]
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16	After the Banana Splits became popular, Hanna-Barbera tried to duplicate its success in 1977: ''Skatebirds'' on Creator/{{CBS}}. (Some sources had 1969's ''WesternAnimation/TheCattanoogaCats'' on Creator/{{ABC}} as live/animated with the Cats in live costumes, but it was all animated.) When ''The Banana Splits'' was shown in broadcast syndication, and later on Creator/{{TBS}}, the following series were added to the package:
17	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAtomAntShow'', accompanied by ''WesternAnimation/PreciousPupp'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheHillbillyBears''
18	* ''WesternAnimation/SecretSquirrel'', accompanied by ''WesternAnimation/SquiddlyDiddly'' and ''WesternAnimation/WinsomeWitch''
19	* ''The Adventures of Gulliver''
20	* ''The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''
21
22	Finally, a short-lived revival of the series aired on Creator/CartoonNetwork in 2008, featuring Keith Scott [[TheOtherDarrin as]] Fleegle, Bingo, and Drooper.
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24	The series was revived in 2019... [[GenreShift as a horror film]], ''Film/TheBananaSplitsMovie'', with Creator/EricBauza as Fleagle, Bingo, and Drooper. The Splits also appear in ''WesternAnimation/{{Jellystone}}''.
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26	Interesting trivia: The Banana Splits title song (or rather, a high-speed CoverVersion by The Dickies) puts in an appearance as Hit Girl's theme music in ''Film/KickAss''.
27	----
28	!!''The Banana Splits'' provides examples of:
29	* AnimatedAdaptation: Hardly surprisingly, the band appeared both in live action and in animated form in a full-length feature, ''The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park'' ([[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation 1972]]), on the animated anthology series ''The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie''.
30	** Within the show, "The Three Musketeers" was quite faithful to the original source (especially for Saturday morning kids show standards!).
31	* TheBigGuy: Porthos from "The Three Musketeers"
32	* CannibalTribe: ''Three'' of the them in the ''Danger Island'' segments.
33	* CanonForeigner: For the Three Musketeers segment, Lady Constance's nephew Tooly.
34	* CharacterCatchphrase: "Uh oh, Chongo!" for ''Danger Island'', often said by the Splits before introducing it.
35	* ComicBookAdaptation: Published by Creator/GoldKeyComics. The Splits had a cameo in issue #12 of Marvel Comics' ''WesternAnimation/LaffALympics'' book.
36	* CoolCar: C'mon, admit it--you always wanted one of those six-wheeled Banana Buggies.
37	* CuckooClockGag: The Splits' clubhouse has a clock containing a large bird's head, which usually announces the next segment.
38	* DamselInDistress: Leslie Hayden from ''Danger Island'', who was captured by Captain Mu-Tan's band or native headhunters in practically every episode and [[BoundAndGagged tied up]], although all the main characters get this treatment at one point or another, especially late in the serial.
39	* DogsAreDumb: Inverted, Fleegle's the smartest and most serious of the Banana Splits. He still gets into wacky events like the others, but he's the first to dial it back, and is often weary of the others.
40	* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: Snorky originally started out as something of a wooly mammoth with eye-obscuring sunglasses in Season One, and became a clean-shaven elephant wearing a vest and with visible eyes in Season Two.
41	* EdutainmentShow: ''Micro Ventures.''
42	* FakeBand: Sure, the Splits weren’t real, but you can’t deny they could carry a tune.
43	* {{Fanservice}}: The camera loves [[MrFanservice Link]] [[PrettyBoy (a young Jan-Michael Vincent)]] in ''Danger Island'', especially when his swimming trunks are wet. Morgan (Rockne Tarkington) also spends most of the time [[ShirtlessScene nearly shirtless]] in a way that emphasizes his chest. Oddly enough, averted with the lone female character [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Leslie]].
44	* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: All four Banana Splits.
45	** TheOneWhoWearsShoes: Fleegle.
46	* HollywoodTorches: ''Danger Island'' had these.
47	* IncredibleShrinkingMan: ''Micro Ventures''
48	* IslandOfMystery: ''Danger Island''. Possibly home to the lost city of Tobanya. Contains castaways and comes with three different tribes of cannibalistic natives.
49	* KingOfBeasts: Averted. Drooper the Lion isn't the lead guy, Fleegle the dog is.
50	* LaughTrack: Even the 2008 revival has one, too.
51	* MisplacedWildlife: On ''Danger Island''. Lions and leopards on an island, in the middle of the Pacific? Well, justified as the tribes might brought them to the island.
52	* OpenSesame: on ''The Arabian Knights''.
53	* PeopleInRubberSuits: Wouldn't be a series involving Sid & Marty Krofft without them.
54	* RogerRabbitEffect: In the ''New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' segments. Tom, Huck and Becky are live action and everyone & everything else is animated.
55	* RuthlessModernPirates: Captain Mu-Tan and his rag-tag band of modern day pirates from ''Danger Island''.
56	* ThemeTuneRollCall:
57	-->Flipping like a pancake, popping like a cork,
58	-->Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snork!
59	** In one segment, Fleegle started their regular meeting, and insisted that they had to first call the roll. Cue the other three walking around crying "Here, roll!".
60	* ThreeShorts: When the show was cut down to a half hour for syndication, it would follow a sort of ABC format, with the cartoon segments Arabian Knights and The Three Musketeers rotating each episode for the A, a Banana Splits music video for the B, and Danger Island as the C, all with our hosts engaging in comedy sketches in-between, introducing each segment.
61	** Often times when Micro Ventures was shown the format would always have The Three Musketeers as the A, Danger Island as the B, and Micro Ventures as the C.
62	* ToonTransformation: The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie ''The Banana Splits In Hocus Pocus Park'' has a live action little girl and the normally live action costumed Splits turning into cartoon figures after entering a mysterious billboard.
63	* TheUnintelligible: Snorky spoke entirely in honking noises. Also, Chongo from ''Danger Island''.

Context Series / TheBananaSplits