Time for Beany - One of television's earliest sea serpents was featured on TIME FOR BEANY (aka BEANY AND CECIL)/SYN/1950-55, a 15-minute puppet show produced by Bob Clampett about the exploits of a small boy named Beany (voice of Daws Butler) who sailed the seven seas with his pet, Cecil (voice of Stan Freeberg), a green "seasick" sea serpent and Captain 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.

Each program started with a shot of Beany and the Captain aboard Leakin' Lena. Accompanied by the theme music "Blow the Man Down," the show's announcer Jimmy MacGeorge voiced "It' time...for BEANY!"

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.
Beany:	Its' the truth, Uncle Captain Huffenpuff. If I didn't see a Sea Serpent may lightning strike me.
Captain:	And I say there was no Sea Serpent! [Lightning strikes Captain] EEEEEEeeeeeyyyyyyyy!
Beany:	See?
	--Time for Beany

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. See also "Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent"