Herbie the Robot
Kevin
I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
Thanks,
Kevin
make...@sprintmail.com
----------
don't forget to leave good footprints behind ....
hoping, forgiving and loving, the qualities of life ...
----------
Jerry B. Ray
In article <34BABEA3...@sprintmail.com.spam>,
Kevin <make...@sprintmail.com> wrote:
>I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
>Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
I always heard that the Powers That Be didn't want kids setting themselves
on fire and trying to fly, but that's just decades-old hearsay at this
point.
JRjr
--
%%%%% vap...@prism.gatech.edu %%%%%%%% Jerry B. Ray, Jr. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month.
I am so hip I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis."
-- Zaphod Beeblebrox
Gerry Zaninovich
I heard a different version, and that was that the human torch image was
licensed to someone else at the moment, for which they could not use his
image.
If anyone knows for "real", I would also like to know
Gerry
De Parker
Gerry Zaninovich wrote:
> Jerry B. Ray wrote:
> > Kevin wrote:
> > >I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
> > >Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
> > I always heard that the Powers That Be didn't want kids setting themselves
> > on fire and trying to fly, but that's just decades-old hearsay at this
> > point.
> I heard a different version, and that was that the human torch image was
> licensed to someone else at the moment, for which they could not use his
> image.
> If anyone knows for "real", I would also like to know
I asked this question a few months ago on rac.other-media. The Human
Torch wasn't in the cartoon because his image was licensed for a TV show
that never made it. Herbie was in the cartoon because the idea of a
cute little robot worked in "Star Wars".
dp
Alan D. Earhart
In article <69ehi8$9...@acmez.gatech.edu>, vap...@prism.gatech.edu (Jerry
B. Ray) wrote:
> In article <34BABEA3...@sprintmail.com.spam>,
> Kevin <make...@sprintmail.com> wrote:
>
> >I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
> >Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
>
> I always heard that the Powers That Be didn't want kids setting themselves
> on fire and trying to fly, but that's just decades-old hearsay at this
> point.
Arrrggghhhhh... :)
Others gave the correct answer. Mark Evanier posted it a number of weeks
ago and the kids-fire angle is a comic "legend".
--
alan
aear...@chemistry.ohio-state.edu
Visit the FFWeb Project at-
<http://femtowatt-club.com/FF/>
David Crowe
Kevin <make...@sprintmail.com> wrote:
: I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
: Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
The Torch held out for too much money. :)
--
David "No Nickname" Crowe http://www.primenet.com/~jetman
You only read the manual when there's something you can't figure out. -Skuld
Steven Horton
Kevin (make...@sprintmail.com.spam) wrote:
: I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
: Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
According to the Human Torch himself, "I was out of town the day the
papers were going to be signed." (FF #210??)
-Steve
--
/ /\/\ Steve Horton
\ \ / Student at Purdue University
\ / \ all new fantastic four web page:
\_\/\ \ http://expert.cc.purdue.edu/~shorton/ff.html
\_\/ "could this be the salt of the earth in my tears?"
J. Steven York
Kevin <make...@sprintmail.com.spam> wrote:
>I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
>Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
>
You'll hear various conflicting stories on this, that the network was
worried about kids setting themselves on fire and such, but the bottom
line seems to be that the rights for the character were tied up for a
HUMAN TORCH live-action TV pilot. Some test special effects footage
was shot, but I don't think the pilot was ever produced.
----------------------------------------------------------------
J. Steven York: Science fiction writer, dapper man-about-town
"When in Hollywood, visit..." http://www.sff.net/people/j-steven-york/
news://news.sff.net/sff.people.j-steven-york
Writer, OUTPOST 2 - http:/sierra.com/titles/outpost2
Coming October 1998 - CROSSROADS: A Generation X novel
Mark
Kevin wrote:
> I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
> Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
>
Near as I can remember, Marvel had contractual obligations with another
production company tying the Human Torch to a live-action movie or TV show
that never got off the ground. The rights at the time were exclusive and
were set up before the cartoon became a possibility. Since they couldn't
use the Torch in the cartoon....voila Herbie!
I remember crap like this, but still can't remember where I left my company
security badge...
Mark
Hosun Second Lee
I thought it was a Sub-Mariner show, not a Human Torch show, that was
responsible for tying up Johnny...
--
\\ \\ Hosun S. Lee / Vorpal Bunny (TM)
\\-\\ http://www.primenet.com/~holee/cjpriest/ <-- Not a page about me.
( 0-0) "Tell me where my partner is, or.....I will kick you in the head.
{_^_} "Really?"
"No, no, not really."
J. Steven York
Hosun Second Lee <ho...@primenet.com> wrote:
>
>I thought it was a Sub-Mariner show, not a Human Torch show, that was
>responsible for tying up Johnny...
>
Both properties were licensed as part of the same package, and both
were in development at the same time, but I'm pretty sure they weren't
to be in the SAME program. All I remember about the Sub Mariner pilot
was that they planned to ditch the pointed ears and the ankle wings,
which I think basically leaves you with THE MAN FROM ATLANTIS. <g>
Solomon Grundy
I thought it was some deal where the NBC censors were afraid that little
kids would attempt to imitate ol' Johnny and start setting themselves and
everything else on fire. To compensate, they introduced "their friend"
Herbie the robot (a low point in Frank Welker's career). I grew up with
this version of the FF and because of it, I never heard of the Human Torch
until I was older.
-Brian
Mark Evanier
On Wed, 14 Jan 1998 14:38:04 -0500, Solomon Grundy
<bpe...@rage.gac.peachnet.edu> posted:
>I thought it was some deal where the NBC censors were afraid that little
>kids would attempt to imitate ol' Johnny and start setting themselves and
>everything else on fire. To compensate, they introduced "their friend"
>Herbie the robot (a low point in Frank Welker's career). I grew up with
>this version of the FF and because of it, I never heard of the Human Torch
>until I was older.
ME: For about the eight-zillionth time...
Universal TV licensed a batch of Marvel heroes for TV-movie/pilots.
The HULK TV show (the one with Bill Bixby) came out of this deal.
They also did two CAPTAIN AMERICA and one DR. STRANGE TV-movies which
did not turn into series.
Several other characters were optioned, and scripts were written about
them, but they were not deemed worthy of filming. The Human Torch was
one of these.
The folks at NBC had no problem whatsoever with the concept of a Human
Torch on a cartoon show. The character simply was not available at
that time because Universal still had the TV rights.
By the way, there's a funny story about Frank Welker doing the voice
of Herbie. Frank recorded three or four shows and then he found out
that the producers were speeding up the voice to give it a more unreal
sound. He asked if he could hear a tape of the sped-up version and
then said, "Oh, I can do that." And thereafter, he imitated the sped
version and they didn't have to speed it up anymore.
---------------------------
Mark Evanier - 363 S. Fairfax Ave., #303 - Los Angeles, CA 90036
J. Carlos Panizo
Mark wrote:
>
> Kevin wrote:
>
> > I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
> > Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?
> >
>
> Near as I can remember, Marvel had contractual obligations with another
> production company tying the Human Torch to a live-action movie or TV show
> that never got off the ground. The rights at the time were exclusive and
> were set up before the cartoon became a possibility. Since they couldn't
> use the Torch in the cartoon....voila Herbie!
>
> I remember crap like this, but still can't remember where I left my company
> security badge...
>
> Mark
That's the first time I heard that story but it seems plausible to
me. The way I heard it seemed to be more modern folk-lore than anything
else. I'd heard that a child set himself on fire trying to be like the
Human Torch from the 1960's cartoon so when the 1970's-early 80's
cartoon came into being, it was thought wise to leave the Human Torch
out to avoid any other young viewers making crispy critters of
themselves.
Carlos Panizo
BradW8
>>I've never found out why Herbie the Robot was substituted for the Human
Torch on the second FF cartoon, could someone fill me in?<<
The Torch was out of town when the contracts had to be signed. ;)
Actually they were scared of kids setting themselves on fire.
mutapump
On Wed, 14 Jan 1998, Solomon Grundy wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Jan 1998, Mark wrote:
>
> > Near as I can remember, Marvel had contractual obligations with another
> > production company tying the Human Torch to a live-action movie or TV show
> > that never got off the ground. The rights at the time were exclusive and
> > were set up before the cartoon became a possibility. Since they couldn't
> > use the Torch in the cartoon....voila Herbie!
>
> I thought it was some deal where the NBC censors were afraid that little
> kids would attempt to imitate ol' Johnny and start setting themselves and
> everything else on fire. To compensate, they introduced "their friend"
> Herbie the robot (a low point in Frank Welker's career). I grew up with
> this version of the FF and because of it, I never heard of the Human Torch
> until I was older.
I've heard both of these stories, and I'm not sure which one is true, but
the Marvel book (you know, MARVEL: 50 YEARS blah blah blah) goes with the
first story, so I'd tend to believe that. . .
As a side note, the _original_ FF (crudely) animated series (currently
airing on Cartoon Network) _does_ have the Human Torch.
mutapump
_______________________________________________________________________________
"God does not sin when he kills." - Wiseman, ARMORED TROOPER VOTOMS
Andrew Krieg
In article <34bd1b8f...@nntp.ix.netcom.com>,
Mark Evanier <eva...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Universal TV licensed a batch of Marvel heroes for TV-movie/pilots.
>The HULK TV show (the one with Bill Bixby) came out of this deal.
>They also did two CAPTAIN AMERICA and one DR. STRANGE TV-movies which
>did not turn into series.
>Several other characters were optioned, and scripts were written about
>them, but they were not deemed worthy of filming. The Human Torch was
>one of these.
Isn't this also the reason that Firestar was created for "Spider-Man and His
Amazing Friends"?
I had heard that they wanted the Human Torch to go with Iceman and Spidey,
but it wasn't to be.
--
=__ __ __ _ __ _= Andrew Krieg - Software Engineering Consultant =
=_ __ _ __ _ _ __= E-mail: kr...@execpc.com =
=_ _ _ ___= WWW: http://www.execpc.com/~krieg =
=_ __ _ __ _ __ _= Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Satis Dee - Astoroth =
Mark Evanier
On 28 Jan 1998 14:20:51 -0600, kr...@earth.execpc.com (Andrew Krieg)
posted:
>>Several other characters were optioned, and scripts were written about
>>them, but they were not deemed worthy of filming. The Human Torch was
>>one of these.
>
>Isn't this also the reason that Firestar was created for "Spider-Man and His
>Amazing Friends"?
>
>I had heard that they wanted the Human Torch to go with Iceman and Spidey,
>but it wasn't to be.
ME: I would tend to doubt that. If they tied the Human Torch up in
the Spider-Man property than that would have limited their ability to
sell the Fantastic Four separately.
It's possible...but wasn't Firestar a female? If so, a more likely
reason was that they wanted to put a strong female character in there.
One of the weaknesses that adventure-type cartoons sometimes have in
the marketplace is that they draw an overwhelmingly male audience.
Ideally, you'd like to have some girls tuning in, too. Mattel will
spend a lot of money on Barbie commercials if you do.
David Crowe
Organization: Primenet (602)416-7000
Distribution:
Mark Evanier <eva...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
: On 28 Jan 1998 14:20:51 -0600, kr...@earth.execpc.com (Andrew Krieg)
: posted:
Perhaps Angelica was the Aunt Harriet to Pete & Bobby's Batman & Robin...
John B 821
In article <6ap315$j...@nntp02.primenet.com>, David Crowe <jet...@primenet.com>
writes:
>Perhaps Angelica was the Aunt Harriet to Pete & Bobby's Batman & Robin...
:)
No, she was the Batgirl. Aunt May was the Aunt Harriet.
-
John B. Breckenridge
John...@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/JohnB821/index.html