Last Wednesday, legendary cartoon writer Joe Ruby passed away. Over many years he plotted gags and wrote scripts for numerous Hanna-Barbera shows. His most famous co-creation was Scooby Doo with Ken Spears and animator Iwao Takamoto. Sadly, Saturday Morning cartoons were operated in the same manner as comic books…work for hire. So the trio never got the credit they truly deserved for making an iconic character/show; Scooby Doo runs a close second to The Simpsons in how many episodes (via its multiple incarnations) have been produced.
Fred Silverman, the CBS executive who requested the creation of what would become the show, didn’t forget. When he left for ABC, Silverman was instrumental in helping Joe and Ken form their own animation company called Ruby Spears. They produced several shows I remembered pretty clearly: Thundarr the Barbarian and Plastic Man.
Thanks for everything Joe. You made Saturday mornings worth getting up early for as I wolfed down breakfast cereal.