Need something almost meaningless to take your mind off the news? Every so often, I feel the need to do the kind of post that requires one of these…
In 1990, an animated feature was released based on one of my all-time favorite cartoon shows, The Jetsons. The movie was not successful but it did mark the final performances of George O'Hanlon as George and Mel Blanc as Mr. Spacely, although a few lines by each character were done by Jeff Bergman imitating them. When it's mentioned at all these days, it's almost always because of what happened with the role of Judy Jetson, a character always voiced before that by the wonderful Janet Waldo. As I've written here before…
[Janet Waldo] continued voicing Judy Jetson in many incarnations of The Jetsons but in the 1990 animated feature, a controversy erupted. Janet recorded the speaking role of Judy and it was expected that the then-current pop sensation, Tiffany, would only supply the singing voice. Tiffany was signed but she and/or her managers reportedly insisted that Tiffany also replace the spoken lines. At the insistence of Universal Pictures, which was releasing the film, this was done. Janet was upset, though comforted by an incredible outpouring of support from her many fans. In 1997 at a retirement party for her frequent co-star Don Messick, Joe Barbera spoke and took the opportunity to apologize in front of most of the voiceover community to Janet for letting that happen. She forgave him and that more or less buried that matter.
But it didn't bury the matter, at least insofar as some Hanna-Barbera fans are considered. It keeps coming up on cartoon-related chat forums where some people treat it as a catastrophe worse than any of those that caused massive losses of actual human lives, and they curse Joe Barbera for allowing it to happen. Such talks have erupted again since the Kino Lorber company, which issues fine DVDs and Blu Ray editions, will soon release one of each of The Jetsons: The Movie. (Don't go rushing to pre-order it. It's not coming out for a while.)
About this matter, I would like to say the following…
- Joe Barbera said that if they hadn't made the change, the movie would never have been made. I believe he was probably correct. Joe loved Janet (and as I'll mention in a moment, it was mutual) and it must have upset him greatly to allow that to happen.
- He might not have been able to stop it. Hanna and Barbera had long since sold the studio that bore their names and while they stayed on to run things, their powers were limited, especially with regard to decisions that cost serious money. They kept finding themselves working for different bosses and fighting with different bosses.
- Just during the years I worked there, I saw the studio develop dozens of animated features that never got made, some of which were big Pet Projects of Mr. Barbera. He did not have the power to say, "Let's spend the X million bucks on this one." He had to find some other company with deep pockets to put up those bucks. The Jetsons movie was financed by Universal Studios and in Hollywood — as in most of the world — he who puts up the money calls most of the shots.
- It was a shame that the film was made without Janet as Judy. It would also have been a shame if it had been aborted in mid-production and George O'Hanlon's final recordings as George Jetson (and Mel's as Mr. Spacely and a few others) had been lost along with Janet's.
- Janet was paid in full for her work on the film and she was heard elsewhere in the movie in at least one other role. But her performance as Judy was replaced and she was understandably upset. I am pretty sure she would have been more upset if she saw anyone bad-mouthing Joe Barbera. She loved that man so much.
- Apart from how kind and charming he was to her personally, he was most of the reason she had a career for the last 50+ years of her life. She had never voiced animation before she was cast on The Jetsons in 1962. Hanna-Barbera then used her on other shows at darn near every opportunity. That was mainly Joe's doing. I would guess that 80% of the work she got doing voices after her on-camera work largely ended was for H-B. And the 20% that wasn't probably wouldn't have happened if she wasn't doing all that work for H-B.
- Someone on a chat board recently wrote that "Joe Barbera should have been horsewhipped for what he did to Janet Waldo." Again, I don't think he's the one who did it…and I think most actors would give anything to have some big producer treat them the way Mr. B treated Janet.
- As noted, Joe made a very gallant, touching apology to Janet at Don Messick's retirement party. It was the kind of apology that one rarely sees in this industry and Janet loudly forgave him. I had my quarrels with Joe Barbera to the point where I respectfully told him to his face I would not work for him any longer. But I still admired the man and thought he was a true mensch most of the time, including that time.
- If anyone was really wronged by that movie, it was my friend Dennis Marks who wrote the original screenplay. There's a long, ugly story having to do with what he was paid — he did not write that script to be a major motion picture — and what was done to his work…but I'm not sure he'd want me to share it here. Just trust me on this. Dennis passed away in 2006 and he still felt a lot more mistreated than Janet ever did.
Lastly, I don't think it was a very good movie. I don't think it would have been a very good movie even if they'd used Janet's voice tracks as Judy. We wouldn't even be talking about it.
I shouldn't even be spending this much time on it but I loved Janet and I know that even after her Judy was recast, she thought J.B. was the most wonderful man in the world and would not want him horsewhipped on her behalf. Even if you used Quick Draw McGraw's whip.