'KATS have nine lives!

From: Andy Hill <chance_at_unix.infoserve.net>
Date: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 10:32:54 -0700 (PDT)

     Some more stuff from the last couple of days. "Is SWATKATS still
cancelled?" Yes. Right now it is. A few odd things have happened lately
though. Turner entertainment has asked Hanna-Barbera for SWATKATS
interstitials, stuff like "Secret Files of the SwatKats" and the
promotional bumpers, for an unknown purpose. They may be shopping the
show around to other networks, something I'm also working on. I'm trying
not to annoy Hanna-Barbera too much, but there are a few others asking
questions also - and I usually hear the answers one way or another.

     There are a few other positives. I hear through the grapevine that
Hanna-Barbera is having some problems. The "World Premiere Shorts" thing
isn't doing all that well, and the "Jonny Quest" revival may turn into an
expensive disaster (Christian Tremblay said that "Jonny looks like a
gay", which sounded quite hilarious in a French-Canadian accent!).
Christian pointed out that he couldn't understand why they "were pouring
money into this new stuff when they had something as original and
successful as SWATKATS" - couldn't have said it better myself. What this
boils down to, is if some of us can keep pressure on Turner, and let him
know (mail letters, guys!) how much people like the show - he may be
tempted to re-evaluate his position in order to keep H-B making money.
The Tremblay brothers are pinning their hopes on how well the marketing
does, I personally am going to clean out our Toys 'R Us when the action
figures come out, and I'm going to make sure 'KATS fans get them. I keep
saying this, but the only way H-B/Turner know how big a mistake they made
is when the marketing people count the mail, and the amount of stuff
sold. There isn't any stuff to buy, but we can sure do the "mail" bit to
the hilt! Christian and Yvon are also working on a comic-book deal,
although it seems like its on hold until the merchandise hits the shelves.

     Two other things. Christian Tremblay said he will mail me some
'KATS stuff that not too many people have seen, WKOZIOL had earlier said
he would be happy to scan stuff for me - so I'll try and get him some
copies to scan in and post on an FTP site for everyone to grab. The
second item is that Lance Falk, one of the SWATKATS design team and a
damn good writer, has now joined Warner Bros. TV Animation - to work on
Animaniacs and Pinky&The Brain. Happy coincidence for me, I watch both -
and I've got a friend at Warners. I've passed on what we've been up to,
in this morning's e-mail, but I don't yet know if he's on-line - or
willing to talk/hear about 'KATS stuff. He did say, however, that "Davis
Doi was the best boss he's ever worked for", and he's well aware that the
fans had NOTHING to do with the cancellation - as apparently do many of
the other 98 people fired.

Andy (could we have like a "roll call"? I don't know how much of Dana's
      c.c. list has signed up yet. Either e- me or just post something
      to the list saying "I'm here".)


******************** Dear Ted Turner: *********************************
   
:"You know, cancelling SWATKATS after advertising new eps shows us that
  the shoes of Messrs. Hanna and Barbera have been unoccupied far too long"
: <TT> "Why's that?"
:"...someone in the organization has developed 'cold feet' ".
 


Received on Sun Apr 02 1995 - 13:10:50 PDT