{"id":14292,"date":"2014-10-28T00:01:24","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T07:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cartoonresearch.com\/?p=14292"},"modified":"2021-02-11T12:40:19","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T20:40:19","slug":"halloween-magic-hanna-barberas-winsome-witch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cartoonresearch.com\/index.php\/halloween-magic-hanna-barberas-winsome-witch\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween Magic! Hanna-Barbera\u2019s “Winsome Witch”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Check out Jean Vander Pyl\u2019s well-earned lead role as a helpful, huggable harpy in this HBR album based on The Atom Ant<\/del> Secret Squirrel<\/em> Show segment.<\/p>\n\"Winsome-600\"\n

<\/p>\n

Hanna-Barbara Presents
\nWINSOME WITCH in \u201cIt\u2019s Magic\u201d<\/strong>
\nHanna-Barbera Records Cartoon Series HLP-2042 (12\u201d 33 1\/3 RPM \/ Mono \/ 1965) <\/em><\/p>\n

Executive Producers:<\/strong> William Hanna, Joseph Barbera. Producer\/Writer\/Director: Charles Shows. Music:<\/strong> Hoyt Curtin, Ted Nichols. Song Arrangements: Al Capps, Larry Goldberg. Editor: Larry Cowan. Engineer: Richard Olsen. Mastering: Dave Diller, Joe Leahy. Hand Lettering: Robert Schaefer. Cover Art: Fernando Montealegre. Running Time: 29 minutes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Voices:<\/strong> Jean Vander Pyl (Winnie Witch); Daws Butler (Opening Narrator, Sheriff, Schoolboy, Townsperson, Killer Miller, Cactus); Dick Beals (Elmer, Other Schoolchildren).
\nSongs:<\/strong> \u201cWinsome Witch,\u201d \u201cNobody Loves A Witch,\u201d \u201cWinnie\u2019s Magic Broom,\u201d \u201cAbrakadabra\u201d by Lynn Bryson and Charles & Peggy Shows.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Winnie The Winsome Witch, as established at the start of this album, has a Casper-like dilemma (and a Casper-like name). Winnie is looking for acceptance on days other than Halloween. So she takes her broom to the wild western town of Gunsmoke, Arizona and gets a job as the schoolmarm. After taming the classroom with her magic\u2014not to mention her gentle but firm charm\u2014she does the same with the leader of an outlaw gang.<\/p>\n

\"winsom-250\"This album is one of six Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series albums released to tie into the segments from Hanna-Barbera\u2019s latest Saturday morning offerings, The Secret Squirrel Show<\/em> and The Atom Ant Show: Secret Squirrel, Atom Ant, Precious Pupp<\/em> and Granny Sweet, The Hillbilly Bears<\/a><\/em>, Squiddly Diddly and Winsome Witch<\/em>. <\/p>\n

All six cartoons were enjoyable and might have enjoyed longevity\u2014beyond syndication in the Banana Splits & Friends<\/em> package\u2014had changing TV cartoon tastes not dictated otherwise and (though Secret Squirrel<\/em> was later revived in 1993).<\/p>\n

The five HBR LP story records (Squiddly Diddly\u2019s<\/em> disc was a song album) were probably recorded before the cartoons themselves were finished\u2014if Winnie\u2019s magic words on this disc are any clue. She does not use the \u201cBibbidi-Bobbidi\u201d-ish words she spoke constantly on the cartoons: \u201cIppity-Pippity-Pow!\u201d However, the \u201cJet Screamer effect\u201d is still there. <\/p>\n

The Hanna-Barbera Singers\u2019 tunes are a bit unique among HBR records. The opening song has a casual, easy listening vibe; what my siblings and I called \u201ccocktail lounge music.\u201d Skewed to younger listeners, the songs resemble those on HBR\u2019s \u201cGolden Cartoons in Songs\u201d volumes, as well as the \u201cPebbles\u201d song on the earlier \u201cHansel and Gretel\u201d album<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having a 12-inch album cover with art that matched actual title art of the cartoons was overwhelmingly exciting. (I would hold up the album cover as the title came on the TV screen.) The album art details differ slightly from the broadcast version (the background in particular). <\/p>\n