Beany and Cecil
Entry updated 11 May 2026. Tagged: TV.
US animated tv series (1962). Bob Clampett productions for ABC-TV. Created by Bob Clampett. Directors were Clampett and Jack Hannah. Writers were Al Bertino, Jack Bonestell, Eddie Brandt, Clampett and Dale Hale. Voice cast includes Bobby Clampett, Sody Clampett, Paul Frees, Mickey Katz, Jim MacGeorge and Irv Shoemaker. 26 30-minute episodes. Colour (some episodes initially broadcast in black and white).
This series was based on Bob Clampett's puppet show Time for Beany (1949-1954), whose relationship to sf is unclear, since most episodes have not survived. Episodes of the animated series were initially broadcast as part of the series Matty's Funday Funnies (1959-1962), though they were retitled Beany and Cecil in syndication. The stories involve a precocious boy, Beany (MacGeorge), who befriends a talking sea serpent, Cecil (Shoemaker). Other regular characters include Captain Huffenpuff (MacGeorge), Beany's uncle, whose ship carries Beany to his adventures; its navigator, Crowy the crow (MacGeorge); and the Villain Dishonest John (Shoemaker). Each episode featured three separate segments chronicling their improbable exploits. Its premise of course brands the series as primarily a Fantasy, especially since it often featured other talking animals, but episodes also involve elements of sf, including Aliens, fantastic Inventions, an Invisible man, Robots, Space Flight and Monsters. The series was noted for including Humour aimed at adult audiences, such as an episode with the singing Dinosaur, Dinah Saur (modelled on singer Dinah Shore), who lives on the island of No Bikini Atoll. Another episode featuring the head of Citrus Pictures included its slogan "If it's a Citrus picture, it's a lemon."
There was a brief, eight-episode revival of Beany and Cecil in 1988, and all of the original episodes were marketed as VHS tapes; but no complete edition of the first series has been issued on DVD or made available via streaming. Still, scattered episodes of the puppet series and animated series are available on YouTube, and websites maintained by enthusiasts indicate that there is an ongoing interest in the series.
Cecil was also known as Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent and under that name was invoked by Larry Niven in "Neutron Star" (October 1966 If) as a simile for the snake-like necks and heads of his Alien "Puppeteers", echoing the original puppet show. [GW]
links
- Internet Movie Database – Matty's Funday Funnies
- Wikipedia episode list
previous versions of this entry