Houndcats: Misbehavin' Raven Mission

[@macflod]

I had a video tape with 3 episodes of this on it!! I don’t think it was ever shown on TV when i was a kid but i loved it!!! Brilliant cartoon!! Comedy!! Mystery!! Eccentrics!! Brilliant :)

[@wesleyboyer6843]

This is my second episode I've ever seen love this series

[@turkkiq]

This cartoon was my favorite when I was kid 😊 that was around 1981 .. later on it was translated to Arabic and I liked it more 😚

[@ArttuTheCat]

These old cartoons are so legendary, I could watch them everyday 😺👍. And i'm 39 years old 😹👍.

[@eszus]

37 yrs and I loved this on VHS

[@ArttuTheCat]

@@eszus If there's one cartoon show, I would definitely like to look for on a finnish 🇫🇮 VHS, it's FRAIDY CAT - also known in Finland 🇫🇮 as PELKURI KISSA. And if i ever find it also on DVD, that would be cool, too 😺👍.

[@Krillos]

Ha, same here! xD

[@graemesmith6721]

I had vague memories of this show from my childhood, but I remembered almost nothing about it. I didn't learn until later that it was a parody of the 1971 prime-time adventure show "Bearcats!" with Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole as a pair of mercenaries tooling around the American Southwest in 1914 in a Stutz Bearcat automobile. Apparently, DFE thought Bearcats! was going to be a thing, but unfortunately it lasted only 13 episodes (plus a movie-length pilot). So, after the same number of episodes, Houndcats drove off into the sunset of cancellation. The show also owes a debt to "Mission: Impossible," with the group receiving their missions from some device that then self-destructs, and "Wild Wild West," with Putty Puss clearly being a feline version of WWW's master of disguise, Artemus Gordon. As for the show itself, it's fine, a typical example of Saturday morning TV in 1972. Like Rocky and Bullwinkle, the title characters appear to be the only anthropomorphic animals in a world populated by humans, yet nobody seems to have a problem with this. Interesting to hear veteran character actor Aldo Ray's voice coming out of Mussel Mutt's mouth, former Stooge Joe Besser as Putty Puss, and Arte Johnson from "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" as Rhubarb.

[@michaeljeremyrichards6901]

I wish I could get "The Houndcats:The Complete Series" on DVD. This and The Barkleys are 2 DFE/Ruby-Spears classics that I wish Light TV would air.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Both series were packaged together on DVD in recent years.

[@tvpmark]

"As always, if any of you are captured, it'll be nice knowing you."

[@graemesmith6721]

Yeah, not really sure what the point of that is (other than being a cute homage to Mission: Impossible). The reminder that the Secretary would disavow any member of the IMF who was caught made sense in Mission: Impossible, since they operated in hostile foreign countries, but the Houndcats operate in the U.S.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

That music: that guitar-like bass line, which must remind a few of Lalo Schifrin's theme song for _Mission: Impossible_ (from which this cartoon was partly based on), sounds like it was performed on a Moog synthesizer.

[@brissadlr9939]

I’ve never seen this cartoon before

[@kennardsloan1281]

this still one of my favorite cartoons when.I was a kid now it a lost cartoon.

[@cindydott452]

Houndcats, a Quinn Martin production.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

3:28 - The Chief: "Good afternoon, Houndcats! This is your Chief. Millions of dollars worth of valuable paintings are being stolen by a gang of outlaws using a dirigible to strike and get away undetected at night. The outlaws are led by a man named Bronco. But he is not the real leader, only second-in-command. The real leader is someone named the Raven, who keeps his identity secret from his own gang with only Bronco knowing the whereabouts of his hideout. Your mission is to capture and unmask the Raven and recover the paintings. And, as always, if you or any of your group is captured, it was nice knowing you." 4:13 - "This message will self-destruct in five seconds." 4:15 - Stutz: "Five seconds? Let's get out of here!" 4:18 - Stutz: "Come back here, you scaredy car!" 4:23 - Turtle: "Well, that's one way to get them started on their mission in a hurry!"

[@graemesmith6721]

I guess so, since there's no logical reason why their chief would write them off if they were captured. The point of that reminder in "Mission: Impossible" was because the IMF was going into hostile foreign countries (where everyone inexplicably spoke English), so if they were caught, the U.S. wouldn't be blamed for their actions. But since the Houndcats apparently operate in the American Southwest, there's no need.

[@xsimaster]

This brings back some very vague memories from the glory days of Cartoon Network.

[@codytaylor6839]

I like to see more of this.

[@petreniataylor5128]

Omg can't believe this. I found my childhood cartoon

[@mauromesa78]

to all the fan this show is on dvd today

[@meganconnell6853]

I remember this on the VHS 📼 at Aireville Terrace School 🚸 🏫, Burley Oaks Primary School 🚸 🏫 and home 🏡 in Burley in Wharfedale in Yorkshire in England in the UK.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Putty Puss, Muscle Mutt, Ding Dog, Rhubarb Spark Plug and Stutz Anybody doin' the wrong thing better watch out These cats is rough Yeah, anytime there's a rumble out west Who do you call? You call the best! 'Cause everyone knows it's simple as that The best in the west is the Houndcats! Yeah, anytime there's a rumble out west Who do you call? You call the best! 'Cause everyone knows it's simple as that The best in the west is the Houndcats!

[@theoriginalmr.j1422]

The car reminds me of the Anthill Mobs car Chuggaboom😊

[@Ram.Saketh]

wonderful -- thank you for uploading ! Really appreciated !

[@Riddarjakob]

I think the intro song is funny

[@brogoram]

That cool intro song!!!!

[@2005dave]

Hanna-Barbera voice cast regular John Stephenson worked on this show, with his name misspelled on the credits.

[@TheMikester307]

Wow! I never saw this!

[@ExtremeWreck]

Holy crap... wait a second. This is series about a group of cats solving mysteries & fighting crime being lead by some guy? Is Space Cats possibly a sequel to this show? I mean, they're by the same company, just that they were called Marvel Animation by the time they made Space Cats in 1991. Heck, both were on the same network, NBC! Not to mention the cats in both shows are anthropomorphic, so again there is a similarity there. The actual shows themselves are quite different. Notably the Houndcats are very wild western in experience while the Space Cats are more space themed, with their suits parodying those of the original Star Trek. That would also mean that perhaps Stutz was the stepfather(or perhaps stepgrandfather considering his size) of Tom from Space Cats, being that Tom is the leader of the crew. But Scratch has similar skin to Stutz, so presumably Scratch was an orphan? Maybe there are other space cats that look similar to the Houndcats? I would definitely see that being a possibility! I know there are still some lost episodes of Space Cats, such as Diamonds Are Furrever & Y.I. Auto, perhaps one of those episodes(or even better, BOTH) has some implications of these 2 shows existing in the same universe?

[@MDCSWildcats86]

They are not connected. HOUNDCATS was DePatie-Freling, SPACE CATS was Paul Fusco (post-ALF).

[@graemesmith6721]

Except that three of the Houndcats are dogs, and they seem to be the only anthropomorphic animals in a world populated by humans. As with Rocky and Bullwinkle, nobody seems to have a problem with this. Ding Dog is dressed like a Union soldier (save that he doesn't wear pants), so apparently animals are allowed to serve in the military alongside humans in this world. Except that there's a monkey in this episode who doesn't wear clothes and can't talk, so I guess normal animals exist, too.

[@jaygooese4242]

Who are they?! I never heard of them before

[@JarottM]

Former Three Stooges star Joe Besser is the voice actor for the character Putty Puss

[@xaenon]

... and Baboo from the Jeannie cartoon.

[@JarottM]

so very true! Good memory!

[@graemesmith6721]

And Mussel Mutt is voiced by veteran character actor Aldo Ray, and Rhubarb by Arte Johnson from "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."

[@JarottM]

@@graemesmith6721 Coolness! I love animation trivia like that! Thanks!

[@LilLisiang]

Thanks for your uploads! My brother loves this! Have you got anymore of these that are missing?

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Would you happen to have the episode "The Outta Sight Blight Mission"?

[@marchrabbit85]

You messed with the A-team series

[@renababe1]

WHAT?! No Hot Female Character in this show?

[@sirloinofbeef227]

Someone stolen my stolen paintings the crooks, ha ha epic!!!

[@marchrabbit85]

11:29 wtf? Did he's ain't hide in a picture????

[@thiagoalves3469]

a varios epsodios desse desenho se alguem tiver por favor entre em contato obrigado

[@kurtislueth6696]

WTF CAPTURED AND RECAPTURED KSK KMD KURTIS BABURTIS

[@vawlkee51]

I remember this series. A rather lame animated program loosely based on the live action series "Bearcats" starring the late Rod Taylor. Typical Depatie-Freeling junk, replete with cheesy animation and an incredibly annoying laugh track that was all the rage in the late 60's, early 70's when American TV animation was breathing it's last.

[@Wygruce]

Wow, I bet you're fun to hang out with.

[@robertbear1589]

Actually I am, thank you. I'm in the LA area and have studied film, TV and animation all of my life. I'm also a published cartoonist. Do you do facebook? - if so, you can find me there under this name.. BTW, my taste in animation is unique.//

[@Wygruce]

+Robert Bear OK mate, I'll look you up!

[@Wygruce]

couldn't find you

[@robertbear1589]

facebook.com/robert.hill.1088