Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Hanna-Barbera gave weekday mornings a cartoon jumpstart with Wake, Rattle & Roll, a live-action/cartoon before-school treat. Syndicated across most of the country in 1990, the show featured the return of Yogi Bear, Top Cat, Huckleberry Hound, and other H-B regulars, along with a few new stars.

The live-action portion of the show starred hip tech-whiz teen Sam Baxter, who hung around his parents’ basement with his robot pal D.E.C.K.S. (who was built from old TV/VCR equipment). Best bud K.C. would sometimes come to visit, as did Sam’s loony magician grandfather, Grandpa Quirk. The only real drawback to Sam’s underground lifestyle was older sister Debbie, a bossy snob whose approach always set off D.E.C.K.S.’ “Debbie Detector.” D.E.C.K.S. also served as the show’s chief educator, illustrating lessons on geography, science, and other informational tidbits. Helping out were famous visitors from history (and not-so-famous visitors from the future), who arrived courtesy of the basement’s time machine.

Wake, Rattle & Roll also contained two cartoon segments, “Fender Bender 500” and “Monster Tails.” The former was Hanna-Barbera’s latest “great race” cartoon. Yogi, Boo Boo, Dastardly and Muttley, Pixie and Dixie, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and a host of other classic characters competed in custom-designed vehicles (Pixie and Dixie’s was shaped like a wedge of cheese), driving everywhere from Scotland to the bottom of the ocean.

“Monster Tails” starred the bizarre pets of a few famous movie monsters. Dracula’s pet Catula, Frankenstein’s Monster dogs Frankenhound and Elsa, Dr. Heckell/Mr. Snide, and a mummified pooch all hung out in a spooky castle with hunchbacked, flat-topped geek Igor Jr.

After a season in syndication, the show moved to the Disney Channel under a new title, Jump, Rattle & Roll (since it was no longer exclusively a morning show). In addition to the regular segments, the Disney version added reruns of classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons like The Flintstones. No new episodes were produced, however, and the show’s run ended soon afterward.

Release History

1990 - 1991 syndicated

TV Sub Categories

live-action
animated

TV Studio

Four Point Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera

Television Cast

Sam Baxter R.J. Williams
K.C.* Ebonie Smith
Debbie Baxter Terri Ivens
Grandpa Quirk Avery Schreiber
D.E.C.K.S.* Tim Lawrence
D.E.C.K.S. (voice) Rob Paulsen
Yogi Bear Greg Burson
Top Cat Arnold Stang
Choo Choo Marvin Kaplan
Dick Dastardly Paul Winchell
Muttley Don Messick
Announcer Shadoe Stevens
Voices Charlie Adler
Voices Tim Curry
Voices Dick Gauthier
Voices Pat Musick
Voices Frank Welker
Voices Jonathan Winters
Voices John Mariano
Voices Allan Melvin
Voices Neil Ross
Voices John Stephenson
Voices Janet Waldo
Voices Patric Zimmerman

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