Josie and the Pussycats
Series, 1970, The '60s and '70s, Set in On tour
Josie and the Pussycats is #4 of 18 in release order and #4 of 18 in chronological order in the CBS Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Josie and the Pussycats is an American animated television series, based upon the Archie Comics comic book series of the same name created by Dan DeCarlo. Produced for Saturday morning television by Hanna-Barbera Productions, sixteen episodes of Josie and the Pussycats aired on CBS during the 1970-71 television season, and were rerun during the 1971-72 season. In 1972, the show was re-conceptualized as Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space, sixteen episodes of which aired on CBS during the 1972-73 season and were rerun the following season. Reruns of the original series alternated between CBS, ABC, and NBC from 1974 through 1976. This brought its national Saturday morning TV run on three networks to six years. Josie and the Pussycats featured an all-girl pop music band that toured the world with their entourage, getting mixed up in strange adventures, spy capers, and mysteries. On the small-screen, the group consisted of level-headed lead singer and guitarist Josie, intelligent tambourinist Valerie, and air-headed blonde drummer Melody. Other characters included their cowardly manager Alexander Cabot III, his conniving sister Alexandra, her cat Sebastian, and muscular roadie Alan.
Josie and the Pussycats recap
Josie and the Pussycats (1970) follows an all-girl pop trio whose world tour keeps running into spies, mad scientists and criminal masterminds. Hanna-Barbera made it for CBS from the Archie Comics characters of Dan DeCarlo. Josie (Janet Waldo) sings and plays guitar, Valerie (Barbara Pariot) is the clever, mechanically minded one, and Melody (Jackie Joseph) is the cheerful, scatterbrained drummer. Travelling with them are Alan (Jerry Dexter), the muscular roadie Josie likes; Alexander Cabot III (Casey Kasem), their cowardly manager; his jealous twin Alexandra (Sherry Alberoni), who wants both the spotlight and Alan; and her cat Sebastian. Each caper ends with a chase set to one of the band's songs, sung by Cathy Dougher, Patrice Holloway and Cherie Moor, later known as Cheryl Ladd, and closes on a gag about Alexandra's failed schemes. Sixteen episodes aired from September 12, 1970, starting with "The Nemo's a No No Affair". In 1972 Alexandra accidentally launches the group into orbit, and the sequel, Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space, sends them to alien worlds for 16 more episodes, adding Melody's small alien pet, Bleep.
Josie and the Pussycats ending explained
Josie and the Pussycats ends its original run with "Don't Count on a Countess", aired January 2, 1971, with no finale. The space sequel's last episode, "Warrior Women of Amazonia", aired December 23, 1972, and CBS cancelled that version on January 26, 1974, without ordering more. The show lived on in reruns on NBC, in syndication and on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. A live-action film starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson followed in 2001, and the characters reappeared in Riverdale and Katy Keene.
Where to watch Josie and the Pussycats
Josie and the Pussycats is streaming on Hulu in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Google Play, and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 6.2/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, before Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
- Chronological order: after Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, before Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
Cast
- Sherry Alberoni as Alexandra Cabot (voice)
- Jerry Dexter as Alan M. Mayberry (voice)
- Cathy Douglas as Josie McCoy (singing voice)
- Patrice Holloway as Valerie Brown (singing voice)
- Jackie Joseph as Melody Valentine (voice)
- Casey Kasem as Alexander Cabot III (voice)
- Cheryl Ladd as Melody Valentine (singing voice)
- Don Messick as Sebastian the Cat (voice)
- Janet Waldo as Josie McCoy (voice)
Created by Dan DeCarlo, Richard Goldwater.