Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour, The

1 9 7 8 (USA)
5 x 60 minute episodes

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, famous for such cartoon creations as The Flintstones and Yogi Bear, tried their hands at a prime-time variety hour with this short-lived series in the spring of 1978.

The concept was certainly unusual – It was hosted by two life-sized puppets: Honey, a tall and flashy blonde (voiced by Udana Powers) and an insecure redhead called Sis (Wendy McKenzie).

They were animated by a team of six puppeteers who stood behind them but who could not be seen on screen, due to an electronic blue-screen masking technique called chroma-key.

Honey and Sis participated in skits and songs with their live guests, including Robert Conrad, Tony Randall, Linda Lavin, Tom Bosley, Dan Haggerty, Twiggy, Connie Stevens, Melissa Gilbert, Anson Williams, Gavin MacLeod, Gary Burghoff, Charo, Leif Garrett and The Sylvers.

Regular features were “The Disco of Life,” where puppets and stars swapped gags in a disco club setting, and “The Truth Tub,” where guests could confess their comic problems while relaxing in a hot tub.

There were also parodies of currently popular TV shows (a spoof of Laverne and Shirley called “Lavine and Shrilly” for example), and other costumed Hanna-Barbera characters such as Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss made cameo appearances.

The live comedy-variety hour was slickly produced and Honey and Sis appeared remarkably lifelike. TV viewers apparently preferred human hosts, though, and the series attracted a small audience and was cancelled after just four weeks of a planned five-week run.

Honey (voice)
Udana Power
Sis (voice)
Wendy McKenzie