The Beary Family Explained

The Beary Family (also known as The Beary's Family Album) is an American animated and cartoon animal theatrical series created by Jack Hannah for Walter Lantz Productions. Twenty eight shorts were made from 1962 to 1972, when the studio closed.^[1]

History

The series focused on Charlie Beary, the incompetent family man, his nagging wife Bessie, their well-meaning but half-witted teenage son Junior and their younger daughter Suzy, who later got a pet named Goose Beary, who never gets along with Charlie. Jack Hannah initially conceived the series based on a family of five (four family members and a pet), but Hannah would later leave the studio after directing the first two shorts. When Paul J. Smith became the series primary director, the concept would be significantly redeveloped. Suzy and Goose Beary would be phased out to focus more on the dynamic between Charlie and Junior. Bessie would also received a redesign in Rah Rah Ruckus (1964) and portrayed more as a nagging housewife who chastises Charlie over his mistakes. Smith would continue the series until 1972, when the studio closed.

Critics have since called the series dry and witless under Smith's direction. Animation historian Jerry Beck would include series in a list of TV cartoons that should be forgotten on Cartoon Research, claiming it had "ugly art, corny verbal gags and even cornier visuals...The groans from audiences when these cartoons came on in front of Universal features like Airport or Play Misty for Me can still be heard."^[2]

Voice actors

• Paul Frees – Charlie Beary, Junior Beary, and Goose Beary
• Grace Stafford – Bessie and Suzy Beary
• Nancy Wible – Suzy Beary ("Fowled-Up Birthday")

Filmography

• Fowled-Up Birthday (1962)^[3]
• Mother's Little Helper (1962)^[4]
• Charlie's Mother-In-Law (1963)^[5]
• Goose in the Rough (1963)^[6]
• Goose is Wild (1963)^[7]
• Rah Rah Ruckus (1964)^[8]
• Roof Top Razzle-Dazzle (1964)^[9]
• Guest Who? (1965)^[10]
• Davey Cricket (1965)^[11]
• Foot Brawl (1966)^[12]
• Window Pains (1967)^[13]
• Mouse in the House (1967)^[14]
• Jerky Turkey (1968)^[15]
• Paste Makes Waste (1968)^[16]
• Bugged in a Rug (1968)^[17]
• Gopher Broke (1969)^[18]
• Charlie's Campout (1969)^[19]
• Cool it Charlie (1969)^[20]
• Charlie in Hot Water (1970)^[21]
• Charlie's Golf Classic (1970)^[22]
• The Unhandy Man (1970)^[23]
• Charlie the Rain Maker (1971)^[24]
• The Bungling Builder (1971)^[25]
• Moochin Pooch (1971)^[26]
• Let Charlie Do It (1972)^[27]
• A Fish Story (1972)^[28]
• Rain, Rain, Go Away (1972)^[29]
• Unlucky Potluck (1972)^[30]

See also

• Walter Lantz Productions
• List of Walter Lantz cartoon characters

External links

• The Beary Family profile
• The Walter Lantz-o-Pedia
• Walter Lantz Productions cartoons @ BCDB.com

Notes and References

1. Book: Lenburg . Jeff . The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons . 1999 . Checkmark Books . 0-8160-3831-7 . 6 June 2020 . 54.
2. Web site: What TV Cartoons Should Be Forgotten? . 2024-09-18 . cartoonresearch.com.
3. https://archive.today/20120904123649/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2912-Fowled-Up_Birthday.html Fowled-Up Birthday (Fowled Up Birthday) (1962) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
4. https://archive.today/20120719235119/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2788-Mothers_Little_Helper.html Mother's Little Helper (1962) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
5. https://archive.today/20130117222747/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2647-Charlies_Mother-In-Law.html Charlie's Mother-In-Law (1963) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
6. https://archive.today/20120723101433/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2893-Goose_In_The_Rough.html Goose In The Rough (1963) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
7. https://archive.today/20120722230046/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2460-Goose_Is_Wild.html Goose Is Wild (1963) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
8. https://archive.today/20120721235136/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2723-Rah_Rah_Ruckus.html Rah Rah Ruckus (1964) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
9. https://archive.today/20120720153815/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2571-Roof_Top_Razzle-Dazzle.html Roof Top Razzle-Dazzle (1964) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
10. https://archive.today/20120721133337/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2887-Guest_Who.html Guest Who? (1965) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
11. https://archive.today/20120719161028/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2610-Davey_Cricket.html Davey Cricket (1965) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
12. https://archive.today/20130117232206/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2915-Foot_Brawl.html Foot Brawl (1966) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
13. https://archive.today/20120723074239/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5204-Window_Pains.html Window Pains (1967) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
14. https://archive.today/20120724125229/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2786-Mouse_In_The_House.html Mouse In The House (1967) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
15. https://archive.today/20120719200241/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2840-Jerky_Turkey.html Jerky Turkey (1968) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
16. https://archive.today/20120720113031/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2756-Paste_Makes_Waste.html Paste Makes Waste (1968) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
17. https://archive.today/20120720010803/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2669-Bugged_In_A_Rug.html Bugged In A Rug (1968) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
18. https://archive.today/20120720144433/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2892-Gopher_Broke.html Gopher Broke (1969) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
19. https://archive.today/20120719220015/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2649-Charlies_Campout.html Charlie's Campout (1969) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
20. https://archive.today/20120728121814/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2622-Cool_It_Charlie.html Cool It Charlie (1969) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
21. https://archive.today/20120719145237/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2651-Charlie_In_Hot_Water.html Charlie In Hot Water (1970) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
22. https://archive.today/20120720001018/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2648-Charlies_Golf_Classic.html Charlie's Golf Classic (1970) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
23. https://archive.today/20120729112251/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5157-Unhandy_Man.html The Unhandy Man (1970) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
24. https://archive.today/20120721211433/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2650-Charlie_The_Rainmaker.html Charlie The Rainmaker (1971) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
25. https://archive.today/20120722194644/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2479-Bungling_Builder.html The Bungling Builder (The Bunglin' Builder) (1971) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
26. https://archive.today/20120731013845/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2790-Moochin_Pooch.html Moochin Pooch (1971) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
27. https://archive.today/20120720201842/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2822-Let_Charlie_Do_It.html Let Charlie Do It (1972) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
28. https://archive.today/20120720220611/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/4127-Fish_Story.html A Fish Story (1972) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
29. https://archive.today/20120720124011/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/2722-Rain_Rain_Go_Away.html Rain, Rain, Go Away (1972) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series
30. https://archive.today/20120720144958/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5185-Unlucky_Potluck.html Unlucky Potluck (1972) Theatrical Cartoon - from The Beary Family Theatrical Cartoon Series