Attack of the Tree People (21 Jan. 1965)

A shipboard fire forces Jonny, Dr. Quest, Race, Hadji, and Bandit to abandon ship, causing them to become marooned on an uncharted island. The heroes are sought out by a duo of gunrunners ... See full summary »

Directors:

Joseph Barbera, William Hanna

Writers:

Walter Black, Doug Wildey (creator)

Stars:

Mike Road, Tim Matheson, Don Messick

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Mike Road	...	Roger T. 'Race' Bannon (voice)
Tim Matheson	...	Jonny Quest (voice) (as Tim Matthieson)
Don Messick	...	Dr. Benton C. Quest / Bandit (voice)
Danny Bravo	...	Hadji (voice)
Henry Corden	...	Ship Captain / Silky / Police Officer (voice)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Topper (voice)

Storyline

A shipboard fire forces Jonny, Dr. Quest, Race, Hadji, and Bandit to abandon ship, causing them to become marooned on an uncharted island. The heroes are sought out by a duo of gunrunners named Silky and Chopper, who intend to hold Jonny and Hadji for ransom. In true Tarzan fashion, Jonny and company are shielded from harm by a band of friendly, tree-dwelling apes.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 1965 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Screen Gems

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Sea turtle infants do not acknowledge mother-figures.

User Reviews

A ruddy average episode

When compared with the previous three episodes, Attack of the Tree People isn't half bad. But, when compared with some of the better episodes of the Jonny Quest series, it doesn't look so good. In this one, after an accident at sea, Jonny and Hadji are separated from Dr. Quest and Race and end up in a thick, jungle type setting. The boys aren't alone for long as they are quickly befriended by a band of friendly apes. Unfortunately, there are also two gun-runners lurking nearby who see ransoming the boys as a way to make a quick buck. In the end, it's not Dr. Quest and Race who save the boys – instead, the apes save everyone.

Okay, first for the good – I really enjoyed the two would-be kidnappers, Silkey and Topper, and their thick cockney accents. The two sound like they're straight out of the chimney sweep scene in Mary Poppins. I think every sentence they utter includes the word "ruddy". As for the bad – look no further than the apes or "Tree People" of the episodes title. The fact that these wild apes act nothing like wild apes is just too silly. It might not have been so bad if there had been some explanation for their behavior, but there's nothing to indicate why these apes act as they do. The rest of the episode is pretty uneventful. As with the other recent episodes I've watched, there's nothing worth getting overly excited about. In the end, the best I can say about Attack of the Tree People is that it's a thoroughly average episode of an excellent series. A 5/10 seems about right.