Eddie Mort

The timing, pacing, designs and gags-per-minute are off the charts in this one. One of my most favorite cartoons ever...

From around 1969 and part of the 'George Of The Jungle' half hour, Super Chicken was the middle cartoon between George and Tom Slick.

As a kid growing up in England in the 1960s, we had two TV channels. And they didn't actually go on air until late in the afternoon. So when my family emigrated to Melbourne Australia and I discovered there were FOUR channels that ran ALL DAY LONG, I was a little beside myself in excitement. And because there were a lot of hours to fill, the content was broad and diverse. Every now and then some obscure little gem would pop up, run its course, then never be seen again. Which leads me to Q.T. Hush.

I loved this cartoon. While the storylines were Hanna-Barbera-esque, the background stylings and mood were miles away from Snooper and Blabber. I remember drawing Private Eyes and dreaming of creating my own TV series.

The downbeat, moody organ intro set the tone for the locale...

It was a very dark series in terms of color palette: I've grabbed these from youtube and brightened them considerably. All the more amazing when you realize these seedy New York locations were created in sunny California. I couldn't find any specific info on the BG artists, but a lot of the ink/paint department went on to work for Bakshi on Coonskin and Heavy Traffic, which are very similar to this in mood and seediness.

The UPA-esque designs and limited animation are fun and quirky. Interestingly the brilliant Virgil Ross who animated many a classic Looney Tune, was an animator on this.

Clockwise: Quincy, QT Hush, Shamus and an incidental. Quincy, the cigar chomping, no-face assistant was my favorite.

A great FIVE HOUR interview with the legendary all-round animation great Eddie Fitgerald. Prepare to be intrigued, inspired and entertained!

I made this...