Wait Till Your Father Gets Home

Wow! When I first saw this when I was a kid, I had no idea this was Hanna Barbera. And I though to myself, finally, they made a show down to Earth, and something that reflected society, as the story of a dad, normal, white, tries to live a good life in the '70s despite his hippie son, and teenage liberal daughter, and each episode has a good lesson or a message filled with social commentary, much like The Simpsons, or King Of the Hill in the "Me Generation", or The Flintstones or Jetsons in the 70s. And Ralph is the most unforgettable and perhaps the funniest character in the whole series, as the conservative McCarthyist, as he said things about commies. Yes, it had the feel and sentiments of the Cold War days. Recommended to all those who love The Simpsons, King Of the Hill, and the Adult Swim shows. If they were to remake this, they should make Ralph the same, except they should make him say things about terrorists instead of the Reds. No swearing or violence.

One of the commentators mentioned that this was a Saturday morning cartoon. Wrong......it was aired during prime time, just like the original 1960 Flintstones series. The show was clearly aimed at an adult audience; not just because of the time slot; I remember that one of the show's sponsors was Haynes panty hose. I cannot agree that this show was a parody of All in the Family, as this same commentator mentioned; at least not in the sense that the father figure was a parody of Archie Bunker. The father in this show was not at all bigoted, as was Archie Bunker (and he was also a much more educated man).

I do remember seeing a very humorous old lady, in at least one episode, who was paranoid, thinking that there was "a communist under every bed". My mother commented to me, at the time, that she thought that this character was a take-off from the old lady in the 1971 movie "Cold Turkey" (about the town that gave up smoking for a whole month), and I believe that she was correct. "Cold Turkey" came out a year before "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home" debuted.

It's really a shame that this series did not make more than one season's worth of episodes (I believe it ran for two years, but the second year the shows were just repeats). I thought that it was a great show. When it debuted in '72, it had been 6 years since "The Flintstones" prime time show had ended. I missed seeing adult cartoons on TV. After "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home" ended, adult TV animation hit a dry spell for the next 15+ years, until The Simpsons began.

Brian

I saw this when it first aired way back when, and was always curious as to why a major network would air a "kids' show" during prime time TV. I mean prime time was reserved for Hawaii Five-0, Sanford and Son, Gunsmoke, Adam 12, the Mod Squad, and a host of other serious dramas and comedies. Then someone takes a chance on an animated show?

Being a cartoon I watched it religiously, then wondered why it got taken off the air. As far as a cartoon goes it wasn't very engaging. There was little slap stick, fewer sight gags, and a lot of talk. I of course remember the infamous Monitor verse Merrimac episode, but little else sticks with me about this show other than it happened, and I used to watch it.

The themes and story are reflections of contemporary society as the US transitioned form one form of social upheavals to a new era that was uncertain. "Wait til your Father Gets Home" was a sort of "Father knows best" kind of program commenting on how popular culture was clashing with traditional values etched from after the second world war.

An interesting watch. I wish I had more to say about it. It's one of those TV adventures that was a little daring and ahead of its time, but was perhaps both a little too flat and too ahead of the curve to be really accepted. Probably more the former than the latter as the success of Hanna Barbara's "The Flintstones" will attest to (i.e. another cartoon that aired during prime time during its initial run), which lasted six seasons. Alas "Wait til Your Father Gets Home" wasn't as adventurous, and suffered for it. As such it was pulled from the air.

Not a sterling series, but still a good watch for what it was. An interesting look at the early seventies just before gas lines and right at the preamble of the so-called "sexual revolution". See it once out of curiosity, and, who knows, you might like it.

Enjoy.

Before Tom Bosley became a prime time superstar on Happy Days, he voiced the father in Wait Till Your Father Gets Home. I have fond memories of this series, which debuted almost half-a-century ago!! In some ways it was the more sedate prelude of The Simpsons.

After the phenomenal success of "The Flintstones",and "The Jetsons", producers William Hanna and Joesph Barbera made their return to prime time in this animated comedy titled "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home". First seen as a special for the ABC-TV situation adult comedy series "Love American Style",was basically shown as a pilot and on the strength of that pilot,the show was launched into an weekly animated cartoon series for prime-time. It was shown in first-run syndication from the premiered episode on September 12,1972 and ended in March of 1974,in repeated episodes from the first season. This was an attempt to cash in on the enormous success of Norman Lear's All In The Family, and from the first episode was a instant hit,but it was aimed at adult audiences. It was the first for Hanna-Barbera Productions to do something that was beyond the usual calling---this was something totally different from the norm. This wildly funny series illustrated the generation gap and social issues reflecting the times,and this was set in the period of the early 1970's. But it was nothing like "All In The Family" at all,with one exception: Harry Boyle was not a racist at all,but he was however,highly educated and very successful as a businessman. A far cry from the radical aspects of Archie Bunker.

Father figure Harry Boyle(voiced by Tom Bosley of "Happy Days" fame) was a conservative businessman-father who was the president of the Boyle Restaurant Supply Company,who was continually exasperated by the excesses of his hippie/slacker of a son,Chet(David Hayward),and his sexually liberated daughter Alice(Kristina Holland),not to mention his obedient youngest son,Jamie(Jackie Haley). His wife Irma(Joan Gerber) was neutral but supportive with her husband in some of the topics mentioned. Their next door neighbor is the neanderthal communist hating Ralph(Jack Burns)who had a thing against people who were on the opposite side of American values. Harry's own modern-day children had their own side to certain issues but going through the difficulties of accepting their father's old-fashioned methods and the philosophies of life itself.

This was show that may have been quite controversial when it premiered,but it was extremely funny in parts along with some of the topics that were the brink of discussion but with mixed results. Since this was an adult-oriented show and a cartoon that was seen only in prime-time. The scripts that were written by some of the best in the business,especially for an animated cartoon with a social message in between the segment were done by the team of R.S. Allen and Harvey Bullock(writers for several Hanna-Barbera shows including "The Flintstones",and "The Jetsons")and also from Jack Elinson and Norman Paul. Elinson was one of the writers for the shows "Good Times", "One Day At A Time",not to mention several episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show". Paul on the other hand was a writer and as well as one of the producers for "The Doris Day Show".

Broadcast between 1972 and 1974,the 48-episode series appeared in prime-time only,and the first show since 1970's "Where's Huddles?" and the first in six years since "The Flintstones". The executive producers for this series were William Hanna and Joesph Barbera,with the animation produced in Canada to cut production costs. The show was seen in several major markets,including five-owned and operated NBC and ABC affiliates stations across the United States. The series was rebroadcast again on cable's Cartoon Network and again in 2002 for Cartoon Network's sister station Boomerang on a limited basis.

FYI: A good many celebrities appeared on the show,sometimes voicing cartoon representations of themselves. Among the special guest lists were Don Knotts(of The Andy Griffith Show),Phyllis Diller(of Laugh-In),Don Adams(of Get Smart),game show host Monty Hall(of Let's Make A Deal),along with Rich Little and Jonathan Winters.