The Beany and Cecil Show
The cartoon Beany and Cecil holds fond memories for many a youngster growing up in the 1950's and 1960's America.
With such notable fans as Albert Einstein and Groucho Marks, this puppet show turned animated cartoon has thrilled many children and parents alike.
And even given this author NIGHTMARES. (More on that later).
This lens attempts to introduce this great work of Bob Clampett to a new generation by my review of the DVD: Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil
Update: It appears that most of the Beany and Cecil videos are now out of print, causing the prices to skyrocket. Ouch! Here's hoping for another great DVD release with even MORE episodes, background, and behind the scenes stuff.
Talking Beany Lens Table of Contents
Talking Beany Boy Lens
Beany and Cecil - My Personal Story
My Personal Beany Boy NIGHTMARE - Part 1
I shudder to recall this, but my counselor says I must.As a little boy growing up in the America of the 1960's I have many fond memories of
Playing ball,
Penny candy, and my
Favorite TV shows.
One of those shows I seemed to watch daily was the cartoon about Cecil (the seasick sea serpent) and his young pal, Beany Boy.
Yes, it is true that they were
Corny,
Silly, and
Neither character was all that bright.
But the faithfulness of their friendship (each having the other's back) was a life-long lesson I've taken with me into adulthood.
But this story isn't just reminiscing about old animated cartoons. It is about a very traumatic experience I had as an adult concerning these fun-loving characters.
Let me explain...
Amazon: Beany And Cecil
Beany And Cecil
Beany and Cecil - My Personal Story
Beany Boy NIGHTMARE - continued
As a young boy, I was such a fan of the Beany and Cecil Show, that one Christmas my parents bought me a life size talking Beany Boy doll. At least it was about my size when I received it as a very small child.I loved to
spin the propeller on his hat and
pull the string to have him say all those familiar Beany Boy sayings.
Of course my favorite was to hear him say "Help, Cecil, help!" like he would inevitably shout as he found himself in dire straights during every episode.
Of course, Cecil would come running (or was it swimming?) to the rescue shouting as he came "I'm coming, Beany!"
(sigh) Oh, the sheltered existence of a child.
Anyway, I eventually, as always happens, grew out of childhood and on to grownup life. And that, my friend, is where this nightmare begins.
Beany and Cecil - My Personal Story
Beany Boy NIGHTMARE - continued
Let's skip past some thirty years later and lots of adventures on my own (without Beany and Cecil) to the day I reluctantly cleaned out my old homestead, after the passing of my parents.Boy, that house was filled with so many memories. Items that reminded me of time long forgotten, many instantly recognized, without being seen or even thought of in decades.
My own children were older now, and were elicited to help clean, and sort, and discard all that needed it.
And there I saw him: Beany Boy, my favorite early childhood doll, lying on a shelf in the basement under other discarded toys of my past.
The memories of spinning his propeller while watching his cartoon, anxiously awaiting his sea serpent friend to come to the rescue, came flooding my memory.
I remembered that his 'talker' had long since stopped talking, and the propeller on his beanie hat was still only half there, but this didn't matter to me. Old friends just don't worry about things like that, do they?
I immediately went off into a story (for my kids, of course) about
how I had loved this doll,
had wore him out, and of course about
how Cecil would always come to his rescue.
I must of went on and on as I discovered my Beany Boy's plastic head sticking out from some books on that shelf. I say I must have made much ado about it, because even to this day, my children still choose to remember the look of horror on my face as I grabbed my favorite doll from the pile...
...and instead of him coming into my arms for a lovely reunion, his head popped off and fell to the floor!
("Take a deep breath, Jack. It's OK. Now continue.")
You see, my Beany Boy doll was made mostly of sawdust for stuffing. Sure the plastic head, hands and feet were not eaten by the termites, but pretty much the rest of him was.
I was mortified!
Amazon: Beany And Cecil
Beany And Cecil
Beany and Cecil - my Personal Story
Beany Boy NIGHTMARE - the end
Here's the way I see it...I mean if he had died in
a fiery Evil Kneivel car crash, or of
some awful disease known only to old forgotten toys, or even passed away slowly of natural causes
in a cartoon character retirement home,
I could have accepted that.
But his head chewed off by termites was just too much for me to bear.
At the time my family felt bad for me, but all had a good laugh about it later. At my expense, of course!
It is true I often wake up in a cold sweat as I watch Beany Boy's head fall to the hard cement with this plastic look of death in his eye.
(Actually, now that I think of it, he ALWAYS had a plastic look in his eye.)
I can still hear him yelling "Help, Cecil, Help!" from the dark basement of my parents home as bugs decide to eat the stuffing right out of him. (I shudder at the thought)
So now you know why I am in counseling on a weekly basis: To stop these incessant nightmares of my favorite little goofy cartoon puppet boy's final demise.
If only my parents would have bought me the Cecil doll to go with him, my Beany Boy would still be 'alive' today.
Beany and Cecil - my Story
Beany Boy NIGHTMARE - Epilog
Last year, before my birthday, my daughter searched eBay and the rest of the internet to find me a replacement Beany Boy doll. (In a brave effort to make the nightmares stop.)While there are some often available, it, like many of the toys I've destroyed during my childhood, now sell for ASTRONOMICAL prices, usually costing far more than they did brand new. (All the money I could have today, if only...)
Anyway, instead of another Beany Boy Doll, she gave me a much greater gift. A massive collection of those much loved cartoons in the Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil
DVD so I can relive my childhood anytime I want.So, here's to Bob Clampett, Beany, Cecil, Uncle Captain, Dishonest John, and all the folks around the Leakin' Lena.
And, oh yes, to modern technology, too...
Here's to the pause button, so I can laugh all I want without missing anything.
Spotlight on Beany and Cecil
Beany and Cecil
Bob Clampett's: Beany and Cecil - The Special Edition
Amazon Price: $110.00 (as of 05/26/2012)
List Price: $9.99
Used Price: $49.99
I, like most others , I suppose, bought this DVD in order to watch some of the old episodes I remember as a child.
But I was so pleasantly surprised to find a wealth of background footage, and information on the original puppet show "Time For Beany" as well as the ground-breaking animated cartoon I was familiar with.
There is over 10 hours of video and audio that include interviews, broadcasts, and behind the scenes insights with this talented crew of animators, voice talent, and puppeteers.
IMHO, it's a 'must see' for early TV buffs, puppeteers, and children's entertainers everywhere.
Release Date: 01/25/2000
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“Help, Cecil! Help!”
Beany Boy
“I'm coming, Beany Boy!”
Cecil the Seasick Sea Srpent
Best Beany and Cecil Links
Beany and Cecil
Here are the best Beany and Cecil links I can find. Enjoy.
1
Now It's Time for the Beany and Cecil Cartoons
Robert Story continues his behind the scenes memoi more...1 point
2
Unofficial Beany & Cecil Site
I really enjoyed the audio clips of characters fro more...1 point
3
Remembering the Beany & Cecil Show
Nice overview and personal insights on this classi more...1 point
4
Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil
Absolutely awesome collection of pictures, and mem more...1 point
eBay: Talking Beany
Talking Beany Lens
Beany and Cecil Lens Feedback
A Bob Clampett Cartoon
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jonart
Dec 15, 2010 @ 5:24 pm | delete
- Ok, I'll be the first. It was so long ago...but I remember watching it on our old Packard Bell 12 inch black and white TV set. Thanks for the memory. :)
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Plexo: Beany and Cecil Show
Beany and Cecil
Bob Clampett's: Beany and Cecil
At last, a fitting tribute to one of the great car more...2 points
Sing-a-long with Your Favorite Tv Themes, Full Lyrics Included: 1. Mr. Ed - Jay Livingston 2. I Love Lucy - Desi Arnaz 3. Munster's Theme - Dick Jacobs & His Orchestra 4. (Theme From) the Monkees 5. Petticoat Junction - Flatt & Scruggs 6. Cousins
12 tracks: Full Lyrics Included: 1. Mr. Ed - Jay L more...1 point
Beany and Cecil (VHS) 6 Cartoon Episodes
This VHS video cassette contains the following epi more...0 points
by Cyrano_Smith
"A
Bob
Clam-pett Car-Tooooooooooooooooooon!"
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