Once upon a time not so long ago, this cartoon was considered totally appropriate for viewing by kids on Saturday mornings. Not just appropriate, it was one of the funniest cartoons ever made, and it was assumed that kids knew the difference between cartoons and reality. Somewhere along the line since then it's been decided that this cartoon is too dangerous to show to young children as it trivializes gun violence and sends an bad message.
Thank goodness for the internet and YouTube that we can now see these incredibly funny and beautifully produced cartoons any time we want, we just can't see them on TV with the rest of the focus-group created toy commercials masquerading as cartoons that dominate Saturday mornings today.
Speaking of Johnny Quest, here's the original show opener. No cartoon opening credits have ever been as cool as this. You've got frogmen, mummies, several death rays, machine guns, dinosaurs, walking robot eyes, and of course Race kicking much ass. Plus, the swinging jazz theme music, with a driving action beat but still light enough for a little piccolo solo there at the end when they introduce the cartoon cast. I think the very ending notes get cut off here, but you've got to admit that you got excited just listening to it!
This is one part of a much longer documentary about one of the best adventure cartoons ever made for TV: Johnny Quest. It concentrates on Race Bannon, who is unquestionably the coolest character on the show, and one of the toughest guys in TV history.
However, as cool as Race may have been in a fight, he was far from perfect. Her's another clip from the documentary that goes into some of the more politically incorrect moments of the show, including the famous "racist Bannon" scene where Race dyes himself purple to impersonate a god and proceeds to insult the "heathen monkey" natives. Let's watch:
