Ali-Baba Looey

Ali-Baba Looey

October 8, 1960 TV Episode Quick Draw McGraw

Studio
Hanna-Barbera Studios
Distributor
Columbia/Screen Gems

Synopsis

The Slinkerton Detective Agency sends for Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey to catch the Shadow Bandit, and they use Snuffles to catch him.

Characters

Quick Draw McGraw, Baba Looey, Snuffles, The Shadow Bandit

Credits

Directing

Director
William Hanna, Joseph Barbera

Producing

Producer
William Hanna, Joseph Barbera

Writing

Writer
Michael Maltese
Story Director
Alex Lovy

Animation

Animator
Dick Lundy

Voices

Voice
Daws Butler (Quick Draw McGraw, Baba Looey, Snuffles), Don Messick

Music

Music
John Seely

Crew

Layouts
Walter Clinton
Backgrounds
Art Lozzi
Titles
Lawrence Goble
Production Supervision
Howard Hanson

Production notes

The Quick Draw McGraw Show was the third cartoon television production created by Hanna-Barbera following their success with The Ruff and Reddy Show and The Huckleberry Hound Show. The show debuted in syndication in the fall of 1959, and was sponsored by Kellogg's Foods. The series was in production for three years, with 45 episodes produced for syndication. The series was re-run on CBS's Saturday morning from 1963-66.

Quick Draw McGraw was created in response to the overwhelming success of The Huckleberry Hound Show a year earlier. In order to appeal to a wide variety of ages, the creators decided to use the show as a means to spoof a variety of genres that were on television at the time.

The main character was a takeoff on the tried and true lawmen who inhabited popular Westerns. Acting as sheriff of a generic Old West town, gun-toting horse Quick Draw McGraw would catch the bad guys, all the while trying to uphold the various codes of behavior in the Wild West. His sidekick, Baba Looey, was a small burro who, luckily, had more common sense than his boss and often lent a hand in apprehending the criminals.

Another popular supporting character was McGraw's hound dog Snuffles. While Snuffles never spoke, he left a lasting impression on viewers. Every time he received a dog biscuit, Snuffles would float up in the air and descend, feather-like, in slow-motion ecstasy.

Sagebrush Sal played the "damsel in distress," always managing to land herself in precarious situations, although she was usually oblivious to the danger. Sal's lack of concern for her own safety and preoccupation with her makeup were characteristics often shared by other female characters of the time.

The character who stands out the most in the Quick Draw cartoons was actually a secret identity of McGraw himself. Donning a black cape and mask, the lawman would become El Kabong, so named because his weapon of choice was an acoustic guitar which would make that distinctive sound when used. While ladies adored Kabong, he usually ended up blowing it by revealing himself to be McGraw.

This episode was a segment that appeared as part of The Quick Draw McGraw Show.

Pictures