The Underdog Show

***The Underdog Show*** is an American animated *Total Television Productions* series that aired on NBC Saturday mornings from 1964 to 1966, where it moved to CBS to finish its run through 1967. Likewise with other of TTV's shows, it was sponsored by General Mills.

*Underdog* is perhaps the most known creation from the studio, being remembered more fondly than the other cartoon series and being proven to have more successful rerun life on TV throughout the decades. In 2007, a live-action film based on Underdog was released by Walt Disney Pictures was released, which however ended up getting panned.

## Segments

* Underdog
* Go Go Gophers
* The World of Commander McBragg (reruns)
* Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (reruns)
* The Sing-a-Long Family
* Klondike Kat
* The King and Odie (reruns)
* The Hunter (reruns)
* Tooter Turtle (reruns)

## Summary

Underdog was an ordinary dog fellow named Shoeshine Boy, which as his name suggests, he had a job shining the shoes of citizens in town. However, when there was a cry for help, Shoeshine Boy will run into a telephone booth and blast open as Underdog, his secret alter superhero ego. Episodes feature Sweet Polly Purebred, a canine like Underdog/Shoeshine Boy who worked as a news reporter, as the damsel in distress. Underdog's main enemy is mad scientist Simon Bar Sinister, and sometimes Riff Raff who is an anthropomorphic wolf, as well many others who Underdog tends to fight, usually with the help of his Super Energy (or Energy Vitamin) Pills that makes him stronger and save the day.

## Episodes

* 1. Safe Waif
* 2. March of the Monsters
* 3. Simon Says
* 4. Tricky Trap by Tap Tap
* 5-8. Go Snow
* 9-12. Zot
* 13-16. The Great Gold Robbery
* 17-20. Fearo
* 21-24. The Big Shrink
* 25-28. The Bubbleheads
* 29-32. From Hopeless to Helpless
* 33-36. The Witch of Pickyoon
* 37-40. Weathering the Storm
* 41-44. The Gold Bricks
* 45-48. The Magnet Men
* 49-52. The Phoney Booths
* 53-56. Pain Strikes Underdog
* 57-60. The Molemen
* 61-64. The Flying Sorcerers
* 65-68. The Forget-Me-Net
* 69-72. Whistler's Father
* 73-76. Simon Says "No Thanksgiving"
* 77-80. The Silver Thieves
* 81-84. Riffraffville
* 85-88. The Tickle Feather Machine
* 89-92. Underdog vs. Overcat
* 93-96. The Big Dipper
* 97-100. The Just in Case
* 101-104. The Marble Heads
* 105-108. Simon Says "Be My Valentine"
* 109-112. Round and Round
* 113-116. A New Villain
* 117-120. Batty-Man
* 121-124. The Vacuum Gun

## Cast

Wally Cox - Underdog/Shoeshine Boy

Norma MacMillan - Sweet Polly Purebred

Allen Swift - Simon Bar Sinister, Riff Raff

George S. Irving - Narrator

## Trivia

* Aside from syndication to local stations, Underdog also aired on Nickelodeon from 1992 to 1994, Cartoon Network in 1996 to 1999, and Boomerang (owned by Cartoon Network no less) in the early 2000s.
* Many comics based on the series have been printed throughout the decades.
* Underdog's Super Energy Pills were later changed to "Energy Vitamin Pills" due to fear that children will likely find medication and get the idea to swallow them like Underdog.
* *Underdog* was listed 74 of *IGN's* Best 100 Animated Series list.
* *TV Guide* ranked *Underdog* as number 23 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.
* The first four episodes are standalone cartoons, while the rest are all four-part story arcs.