# Hong Kong Phooey (1974)

> A meek canine janitor secretly becomes the kung fu crime fighter Hong Kong Phooey to chase down villains.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/9386

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 31
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, comedy
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Scatman Crothers, Joe E. Ross, Kathy Gori, Frank Welker, Paul Winchell, Daws Butler, Don Messick, Ed Peck
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070996/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, goofy, whimsical, comforting, slapstick

## What critics say

Reception is mixed, with limited critical data; the cartoon is remembered mainly as lighthearted Saturday-morning fun.

## Synopsis

Hong Kong Phooey is an American animated comedy series created for ABC by Hanna-Barbera, running a single season of 31 half-hour episodes. Penrod Pooch, a mild-mannered dog who works as a precinct janitor, transforms into the kung fu crime fighter Hong Kong Phooey whenever he reads his beloved crime-fighting manual and strikes a pose. Scatman Crothers voices the title hero, and Joe E. Ross voices the bullying Sergeant Flint, whose precinct the hero keeps trying to help while his clumsy flailing usually makes things worse. Each episode follows a simple case of the week in which the hero chases a villain through a cartoon city full of gags and mishaps. Its engine is the gap between Penrod's timid everyday life and his flashy alter ego, with comedy drawn from slapstick, pratfalls, and broad martial arts parody. The tone is breezy, goofy, and warm, the kind of saturday morning cartoon that rewards easy viewing. Fans of Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones will find the same mid-century Hanna-Barbera humor and slapstick charm.

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