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Beany & Cecil - One of television's
earliest sea serpents was featured on BEANY AND CECIL/SYN/1950-55,
a 15-minute puppet show produced by Bob Clampett.
The show followed the exploits of a small
boy named Beany (voice of Daws Butler) who sailed the seven seas
with his pet, Cecil (voice of Stan Freberg), a green "seasick" sea
serpent and Captain Horatio Huffenpuff, the blowhard commander of
their ship, the Leakin' Lena.
During their travels, the crew met such
characters as Hare-cules, Ben Hare, Beepin' Tom, Buffalo Billy,
Thunderbolt the Wonder Colt, Slopalong Catskill and Davey Crickett.
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Captain: |
You say
you saw a singing Sea Sick Sea Serpent named Cecil?
I can't even say it. How could I see it? Beany, you know
there's no such thing as a sea serpent and I'm
ashamed of you for telling an untruth. |
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Beany: |
Its' the
truth, Uncle Captain Huffenpuff. If I didn't see a Sea
Serpent may lightning strike me. |
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Captain: |
And I say
there was no Sea Serpent! [Lightning strikes Captain]
EEEEEEeeeeeyyyyyyyy! |
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Beany: |
See?
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--Time
for Beany |
An animated cartoon spin-off BEANY &
CECIL/ABC/1962-64 continued their adventures. Whenever Beany was
threatened by Dishonest John (Stan Freberg), the program's chief
villain with the sneering "Nya ha ha!" laugh, Cecil came rushing
to the rescue with his favorite saying "I'm coming Beanie-boy!"
TRIVIA NOTE: Originally entitled TIME FOR BEANY, the program first
premiered on KTLA-TV in Los Angeles on February 1949.
Daws Butler
and Stan Freberg performed both the voices and puppetry on the show.
Daws' wife, Myrtis designed and sewed the first Cecil puppet from their son's green pajama leg.
Daws and Stan were on the show
Monday through Friday, from 6:30 to 6:45 pm, 52 weeks a year, for
five years. For all their hard work and talent, they earned three
Emmy Awards.
The Cecil character was inspired by the pre-historic
dinosaurs that animator Bob Clampett had remembered from the
1920's silent film feature Lost World.
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