The Banana Splits - wikipedia The Banana Splits For the dessert, see Banana split. `` Snorky '' redirects here. For the gangster, see Al Capone. The Banana Splits Adventure Hour original title card Also known as The Banana Splits and Friends Show Genre Children Live action Animation Psychedelia Comedy Adventure Directed by Richard Donner ( Season 1 ) Tom Boutross ( Season 2 ) Starring Jeff Winkless ( as Jeffrey Brock ) Ginner Whitcombe ( as Fleegle 2008 ) Terence H. Winkless ( as Terence Henry ) Dan Winkless ( as Daniel Owen ) James `` Jimmy '' Dove Steve Kincannon Voices of Paul Winchell Daws Butler Allan Melvin Don Messick Theme music composer Nelson B. Winkless, Jr. ( credited to Ritchie Adams & Mark Barkan ) Opening theme `` Tra La La ( One Banana, Two Banana ) '' Composer ( s ) Ted Nichols David Mook Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons No. of episodes 31 + shorts Production Executive producer ( s ) William Hanna Joseph Barbera Producer ( s ) Edward J. Rosen ( Season 1 ) Running time 45 -- 48 minutes Production company ( s ) Hanna - Barbera Productions Distributor Taft Broadcasting ( 1968 -- 1979 ) Worldvision Enterprises ( 1979 -- 1992 ) Turner Program Services ( 1992 -- 1996 ) Warner Bros. Television Distribution ( 1996 -- present ) Release Original network NBC Audio format Monaural Original release September 7, 1968 ( 1968 - 09 - 07 ) -- September 5, 1970 ( 1970 - 09 - 05 ) Chronology Related shows The Skatebirds Cattanooga Cats External links Website www.bananasplits.com The Banana Splits Adventure Hour is an hour - long, packaged television variety program featuring The Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four funny animal characters. The costumed hosts of the show were Fleegle ( guitar, vocals ), Bingo ( drums, vocals ), Drooper ( bass, vocals ) and Snorky ( keyboards, effects ). The series was produced by Hanna - Barbera, and ran for 31 episodes on NBC Saturday mornings, from September 7, 1968, to September 5, 1970. The costumes and sets were designed by Sid and Marty Krofft and the series ' sponsor was Kellogg 's Cereals. The show featured both live action and animated segments and was Hanna - Barbera 's first foray into mixing live action with animation. Contents 1 History and description 1.1 TV movie 1.2 2008 revival 2 Cast 3 Music 3.1 Covers 4 Comics 5 Home Media releases 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History and description In 1967, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera approached Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft to design costumes for a television show which would feature animated and live - action segments, with the whole show hosted by a bubblegum rock group of anthropomorphic characters. The format of the show was loosely based on Rowan & Martin 's Laugh - In. The Banana Splits Adventure Hour premiered on NBC on September 7, 1968. The Krofft brothers give credit to the success of the series for opening the door for their own entry into television. NBC picked up the Krofft series H.R. Pufnstuf, which was launched during an hour - long special hosted by The Banana Splits on August 30, 1969. The show 's live - action segment Danger Island, a cliffhanger serial, as well as the short - lived Micro Ventures, an animated series consisting of only four episodes, ran alongside the animated segments Arabian Knights and The Three Musketeers. Actors Jan - Michael Vincent ( billed as Michael Vincent ) and Ronne Troup appeared in the live - action component Danger Island. All the live - action material filmed for the series ' first season, including the Banana Splits and Danger Island segments, was directed by Richard Donner. Each show represented a meeting of the `` Banana Splits Club '', and the wraparounds featured the adventures of the club members, who doubled as a musical quartet, meant to be reminiscent of The Monkees. The main characters were Fleegle, a beagle ( possibly crossed with a flat - coated retriever ) ; Bingo, an orange - furred gorilla ( possibly, half - orangutan ) ; Drooper, a lion ; and Snorky, called `` Snork '' in the theme song lyrics, an elephant. Fleegle would assume the role as leader of the Banana Splits and preside at club meetings. The characters were played by actors in voluminous fleecy costumes similar to later Sid and Marty Krofft characters such as H.R. Pufnstuf. They all spoke in English -- Drooper with a Southern drawl in the manner of Michael Nesmith, Fleegle with a pronounced lisp -- except for Snorky who `` spoke '' in honking noises. The Splits ' segments, including songs - of - the - week and comedy skits, served as wraparounds for a number of individual segments. In the second season, The Three Musketeers segments were replaced with repeats of The Hillbilly Bears, a cartoon segment that previously appeared on The Atom Ant Show ( 1965 -- 1968 ). For the first season, some of the live - action segments -- specifically those used during the musical segments -- were shot at Six Flags Over Texas, an amusement park located in Arlington, Texas. For the second season, filming took place at Coney Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio. In many episodes, the Banana Splits would be seen riding on the Runaway Mine Train roller coasters, Log Flumes, Bumper Cars, Merry - Go - Rounds, and many other rides at Six Flags and Coney Island. The Sour Grapes Bunch is a group of human girl characters from the Banana Splits. One of the members of the club - Charley, usually played by Shirley Hillstrom - would bring a written note to the Splits. None of the Sour Grapes spoke in the entire series ; however, they would also do a number with the Banana Splits. In the first - season episode on October 5, 1968, a song debuted entitled `` Doin ' The Banana Split, '' as all five girls appeared together with the Splits. Also featured were the `` Banana Buggies '' mentioned in the theme song. These were seen driven by each live - action character in the opening and closing segments and occasionally in the wraparound and music video segments as well. The buggies were customized Amphicat six - wheel drive all - terrain vehicles each decorated to resemble the character who drove them. Plastic 1 / 25 scale model kits were issued by Aurora Plastics Corporation under catalog number 832 beginning in 1969. These were never reissued by Aurora, but have since been released as high - end, resin - based kits. The Banana Splits was one of the first two Hanna - Barbera series in 1968 in which Hanna and Barbera received executive producer credits, the other being Huck Finn ; Edward Rosen served as producer on both series. They would not, however, assume the title full - time for another five years. This Hanna - Barbera series was also one of the first Saturday morning cartoon shows to utilize a laugh track. TV movie Hanna - Barbera produced a televised feature film The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park for The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, first aired on ABC in 1972. 2008 revival In August 2008, Warner Bros. had announced a multi-platform release featuring new comedy shorts and music videos that debuted on Cartoon Network starting September 2, 2008. The relaunch included a live show and a website, as well as a CD and a DVD featuring 13 new songs released by Universal Records. In addition, a kids - themed area called Banana Splitsville was placed at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 's Hard Rock Park rock - and - roll theme park, which later became Freestyle Music Park before closing permanently in 2009. Cast Character Suit performer Voice actor Instrument Fleegle ( beagle ) Jeff Winkless ( 1969 ) ( billed as Jeffrey Brock ) Ginner Whitcombe ( 2008 version ) Paul Winchell Bill Farmer ( 2008 version ) Guitar Vocals Bingo ( gorilla ) Terence H. Winkless ( billed as Terence Henry ) Casey Hadfield ( 2008 version ) Daws Butler Frank Welker ( 2008 version ) Drums Vocals Drooper ( lion ) Dan Winkless ( billed as Daniel Owen ) Adam Grubner ( 2008 version ) Allan Melvin Carlos Alazraqui ( 2008 version ) Bass Vocals Snorky `` Snork '' ( elephant ) `` Jimmy '' Dove in season 1 song segments Robert Towers in most other segments Keyboards Effects Music Main article : Banana Splits discography The Banana Splits theme song was covered in a humorous uptempo manner by the Los Angeles punk rock band The Dickies. The show 's theme song, titled `` The Tra La La Song ( One Banana, Two Banana ) '', was credited as being written by Ritchie Adams and Mark Barkan ; Adams and Barkan were music directors for the show. The song was released as a single, attributed to The Banana Splits, and peaked at number 96 on Billboard 's Top 100 in February 1969. The version included on the We 're The Banana Splits album is the same recording heard at the beginning of the show, while the single version is an entirely different arrangement and recording of the song, featuring an additional verse. The Banana Splits ' bubblegum pop rock and roll was provided by studio professionals, including Joey Levine ( `` I Enjoy Being a Boy '', `` It 's a Good Day for a Parade '' ) ; Al Kooper ( `` You 're the Lovin ' End '' ) ; Barry White ( `` Doin ' the Banana Split '' ) ; Gene Pitney ( `` Two Ton Tessie '' ) and Jimmy Radcliffe provided his songs ( `` I 'm Gonna Find a Cave '', `` Soul '', `` Do n't Go Away Go - Go Girl '', `` Adam Had ' Em '' and `` The Show Must Go On '' ) but did not contribute vocals to Splits recordings. The music director was music publisher Aaron Schroeder, while production duties were mainly handled by David Mook. When a heavier R&B vocal was needed, the music producers usually turned to singer Ricky Lancelotti, who was billed in the show credits under his stage name Rick Lancelot. Lancelotti went on to record several songs with Frank Zappa. In 1968, The Banana Splits released an album on Decca Records titled We 're the Banana Splits. Covers US speed punk act The Dickies covered the theme song in 1978, entitled `` Banana Splits ( Tra La La Song ) ''. Their recording reached Number 7 in the UK charts and now appears as a bonus on the CD reissue of their 1979 album The Incredible Shrinking Dickies. They still perform this cover live at almost every concert and it was also featured in the movie soundtrack of Kick - Ass, during ten - year - old Hit - Girl 's brutally violent fight scene. A cover of the show 's theme song performed by Liz Phair with Material Issue ( surprisingly appropriate as Liz Phair and three cast members of the Banana Splits attended New Trier High School ) is included on the 1995 tribute album Saturday Morning : Cartoons ' Greatest Hits, produced by Ralph Sall for MCA Records. Another rendition was performed by rock & roll comic C.C. Banana on the 2005 cartoon tribute album `` Complete Balanced Breakfast. '' A cover of `` Do n't Go Away Go - Go Girl '' by pop - punk band Mr. T Experience was issued on the 1993 tribute album Banana Pad Riot and their Big Black Bugs Bleed Blue Blood and Our Bodies Our Selves CD releases. The 1988 landmark release `` Sub Pop 200 '' included a version of `` I 'm Gonna Find a Cave '' retitled `` Gonna Find a Cave '' by the band Girl Trouble. `` Sub Pop 200 '' featured recordings from many soon to be notable bands, Nirvana, Green River, Mudhoney, Soundgarden and others from Seattle 's Grunge music explosion that followed. Chicago - based musician Ralph Covert, who records children 's music under the group name Ralph 's World, covered the theme song under the title `` The Banana Splits ( The Tra La La Song ) '' on his 2001 album At the Bottom of the Sea. Oddest of all references is possibly that made by Bob Marley, with the striking ( though not exact ) similarity between the song 's chorus and the bridge of the Bob Marley & The Wailers song `` Buffalo Soldier ''. Comics The Banana Splits ' adventures continued in comic books. Gold Key began publishing a comic version in 1969, releasing eight issues through 1971. Drawn by Jack Manning, these followed the musicians trying to find work or on the road between gigs. The Banana Splits had a crossover with the Suicide Squad in Suicide Squad / Banana Splits Annual # 1 on March 29, 2017. Home media releases On September 21, 2009, Warner Home Video released the complete first season on DVD in Region 2. The 6 - disc set consists of 36 edited half - hour episodes of The Banana Splits and Friends Show as aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. The series was also released on VHS. Warner Archive has yet to release the complete series on DVD. See also Animation portal Television portal References ^ Jump up to : Erickson, Hal ( 1998 ). Sid and Marty Krofft. McFarland. pp. 14 -- 15. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7864 - 0518 - 3. Retrieved August 27, 2009. Jump up ^ CD liner notes : Saturday Mornings : Cartoons ' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records Jump up ^ Reissued Banana Buggy resin kits at Professorplastik.com Jump up ^ Iverson, Paul : `` The Advent of the Laugh Track '' Hofstra University archives ; February 1994 Jump up ^ `` The Banana Splits ''. WarnerBrosOnline. August 14, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` The Banana Splits Are Back ! Warner Bros. Consumer Products Serves Up Four Scoops Of Hilarity With Relaunch ''. Warner Bros. Press Office. August 15, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008. Jump up ^ `` The Banana Splits ''. The Banana Splits. Retrieved August 15, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Hard Rock Park -- Banana Splitsville ''. Hard Rock Park. Retrieved August 26, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Billboard Hot 100 Chart ''. Billboard. 8 February 1969. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` ricky lancelotti ''. Retrieved July 20, 2010. Jump up ^ `` C.C. Banana Reunites With Banana 7, Records Song For Tribute Album ''. TributeAlbums.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Banana Splits ''. The Big DataBase of Comic Books. Retrieved August 25, 2008. Jump up ^ http://www.dccomics.com/comics/suicide-squadbanana-splits-annual-2017/suicide-squadbanana-splits-annual-1 Jump up ^ http://www.newsarama.com/32329-suicide-squad-meets-the-banana-splits-more-in-dc-hanna-barbara-crossover-titles.html Jump up ^ http://capedcrusades.com/2016/12/13/suicide-squad-crossovers-banana-splits-wait/ Jump up ^ The Banana Splits - Complete Season 1 ( DVD ) : Amazon.co.uk : Film & TV. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2012 - 04 - 10. External links The Banana Splits Adventure Hour on IMDb The Banana Splits Adventure Hour at TV.com Interview with Shirley Hillstrom ( now Sheri Freedman ), who played Charley the Messenger of the Sour Grapes Bunch Sid and Marty Krofft Television shows H.R. Pufnstuf ( 1969 ) The Bugaloos ( 1970 ) Lidsville ( 1971 ) Sigmund and the Sea Monsters ( 1973 ) Land of the Lost ( 1974 ) Far Out Space Nuts ( 1975 ) The Lost Saucer ( 1975 ) Donny & Marie ( 1976 ) The Krofft Supershow ( 1976 ) The Brady Bunch Hour ( 1977 ) The Krofft Superstar Hour ( 1978 ) Pink Lady and Jeff ( 1980 ) Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters ( 1980 ) Pryor 's Place ( 1984 ) D.C. Follies ( 1987 ) Land of the Lost ( 1991 ) Family Affair ( 2002 ) Mutt & Stuff ( 2015 ) Electra Woman and Dyna Girl ( 2016 ) Krofft Supershow Segments Dr. Shrinker ( 1976 ) Electra Woman and Dyna Girl ( 1976 ) Kaptain Kool and the Kongs ( 1976 ) Wonderbug ( 1976 ) Magic Mongo ( 1977 ) Bigfoot and Wildboy ( 1977 ) Krofft Puppets appeared in The Dean Martin Show ( 1965 ) The Banana Splits ( 1968 ) The Great Space Coaster ( 1981 ) Pilots and TV specials Here 's Irving ( 1957 ) Fol - de-Rol ( 1972 ) The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl ( 1973 ) Really Raquel ( 1974 ) NBC Saturday Morning Preview Revue ( 1974 ) Jimmy Osmond Presents ABC 's Saturday Sneak Peek ( 1976 ) The Paul Lynde Halloween Special ( 1976 ) The Brady Bunch Variety Hour ( 1976 ) Kaptain Kool and the Kongs Present ABC All - Star Saturday ( 1977 ) The Bay City Rollers Meet the Saturday Superstars ( 1978 ) The Krofft Komedy Hour ( 1978 ) Bobby Vinton 's Rock ' n ' Rollers ( 1978 ) Anson & Lorrie ( 1981 ) Saturday 's the Place ( 1984 ) The Cracker Brothers ( 1985 ) Rock ' n ' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular ( 1985 ) The Patti LaBelle Show ( 1985 ) Sid & Marty Krofft 's Red Eye Express ( 1988 ) Krofft Late Night ( 1991 ) Electra Woman and Dyna Girl ( 2001 ) Films Pufnstuf ( 1970 ) Harry Tracy, Desperado ( 1980 ) Middle Age Crazy ( 1980 ) Side Show ( 1981 ) Land of the Lost ( 2009 ) Live shows Howdy, Mr. Ice of 1950 ( 1949 ) Les Poupées de Paris ( 1961 ) Circus ( 1966 ) Funny World ( 1966 ) Kaleidescope ( 1968 ) Fol - de-Rol ( 1968 ) A Broadway Baby ( 1984 ) Comedy Kings ( 1988 ) Other The World of Sid and Marty Krofft Theme Park Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald 's Corp. Toby Terrier and His Video Pals Hanna - Barbera Beyond Past titles Future Quest ( 2016 -- 2017 ) The Flintstones ( 2016 -- 2017 ) Wacky Raceland ( 2016 ) Ongoing titles Scooby Apocalypse ( 2016 -- present ) Future Quest Presents ( 2017 -- present ) Dastardly and Muttley ( 2017 -- present ) Upcoming titles The Jetsons ( 2017 ) Ruff and Reddy ( 2017 ) The Banana Splits ( 2017 ) See also DC Comics Hanna - Barbera Children 's programming on NBC in the 1960s First - run animated series King Leonardo and His Short Subjects The Ruff and Reddy Show The Bullwinkle Show The Underdog Show Hoppity Hooper Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales Go Go Gophers The Beagles The Atom Ant / Secret Squirrel Show The Super 6 Cool McCool Super President Birdman and the Galaxy Trio Samson & Goliath Here Comes the Grump The Pink Panther Show Kimba the White Lion Astro Boy First - run live - action series The Shari Lewis Show Watch Mr. Wizard Exploring Fireball XL5 The Banana Splits Adventure Hour Storybook Squares H.R. Pufnstuf First - run animated / live - action series The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Rebroadcasts Fury The Lone Ranger Make Room for Daddy Sgt. Preston of the Yukon The Jetsons Top Cat The Flintstones The Heckle and Jeckle Show Schedules 1960 -- 61 1961 -- 62 1962 -- 63 1963 -- 64 1964 -- 65 1965 -- 66 1966 -- 67 1967 -- 68 1968 -- 69 1969 -- 70 Related programming and topics Animation in the United States in the television era Children 's programming on NBC in the 1970s First - run animated series Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales Here Comes the Grump The Pink Panther Show ( 1969 -- 78 ) The Underdog Show The Further Adventures of Dr. Dolittle The Houndcats The Roman Holidays The Barkleys Sealab 2020 Around the World in 80 Days Inch High, Private Eye The Addams Family Emergency + 4 Butch Cassidy Star Trek : The Animated Series ( 1973 -- 75 ) Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty Return to the Planet of the Apes ( 1975 -- 76 ) CB Bears The Young Sentinels The New Archie and Sabrina Hour ( 1977 ) I Am the Greatest : The Adventures of Muhammad Ali Baggy Pants and the Nitwits Yogi 's Space Race Galaxy Goof - Ups The Godzilla Power Hour Fantastic Four Fabulous Funnies The New Fred and Barney Show Buford and the Galloping Ghost Casper and the Angels ( 1979 -- 80 ) Fred and Barney Meet The Thing ( 1979 - 80 ) The Super Globetrotters The New Shmoo ( 1979 -- 80 ) The New Adventures of Flash Gordon ( 1979 -- 80 ) First - run live - action series H.R. Pufnstuf The Banana Splits Adventure Hour Barrier Reef The Bugaloos ( 1970 -- 72 ) Mr. Wizard Runaround Sigmund and the Sea Monsters Go Run, Joe, Run Land of the Lost ( 1974 -- 77 ) Westwind McDuff, the Talking Dog Monster Squad Big John, Little John ( 1976 -- 77 ) The Kids From C.A.P.E.R. Muggsy Thunder Search and Rescue The Red Hand Gang The Krofft Superstar Hour Rebroadcasts The Heckle and Jeckle Show The Flintstones The Woody Woodpecker Show Deputy Dawg The Jetsons Josie and the Pussycats Speed Buggy Space Ghost and Frankenstein Jr. Hong Kong Phooey The Go - Go Globetrotters The Alvin Show The Daffy Duck Show Jonny Quest Schedules 1969 -- 70 1970 -- 71 1971 -- 72 1972 -- 73 1973 -- 74 1974 -- 75 1975 -- 76 1976 -- 77 1977 -- 78 1978 -- 79 1979 -- 80 Related programming and topics Animation in the United States in the television era MusicBrainz : 710ac829 - 5739 - 43eb - a1c3 - 92894adc5f48 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Banana_Splits&oldid=805418067 '' Categories : 1968 American television series debuts 1970 American television series endings 1960s American animated television series American children 's action television series American children 's adventure television series American children 's comedy television series American children 's fantasy television series American musical television series Fictional musical groups English - language television programs NBC network shows Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Television programs featuring puppetry Television series by Hanna - Barbera USA Cartoon Express Animal mascots Television series with live action and animation Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from June 2013 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2013 Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Italiano Português Edit links This page was last edited on 15 October 2017, at 07 : 35. 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Question: who sang the theme tune to the banana splits
Answer: Ritchie Adams and Mark Barkan