While I may not be at San Diego Comic-Con like several of my fellow Clackers, I did have the opportunity to attend a horror convention last weekend in Indianapolis. One of the things I enjoy most other than meeting the celebrities at such events is getting the chance to look through the items the vendors bring, especially their bootlegged DVDs. This year I purchased a bootleg of the entire animated Beetlejuice series on a whim and I’ve found myself watching it all week.
As a kid, I favored macabre children’s programming. Beetlejuice, The Addams Family, The Real Ghostbusters, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Are You Afraid of the Dark? were among my favorites. I’ve always been fascinated with the supernatural and Beetlejuice is still as entertaining as ever. Loosely based upon the 1988 Tim Burton movie bearing the same name, the animated Beetlejuice series ran from September 1989 through October 1991 on ABC’s Saturday morning cartoon block, and on Fox’s afternoon line-up from September 1991 through May 1992. It also aired in re-runs on Nickelodeon, which is where I remember watching it the most.
Developed and executive produced by Mr. Burton himself, the show also featured a specially-arranged theme song by Danny Elfman which was based upon that of the film. According to my research, it has never been officially released on DVD except for the three bonus episodes found on the film’s 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD in 2008. I am happy to be reunited with it once more.
The cartoon is very different from the film and I have respect for both as separate entities. The biggest difference is that on the show, Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice are best friends; perhaps you might even call them companions since he often refers to her as Babes, while in the movie she was repulsed by him. Another major difference is the absence of the newly-deceased Maitlands. What I enjoyed most as a child (and even today as an adult) was the fact that Beetlejuice and Lydia were always embarking upon zany adventures, many of which take them through the bizarre and colorful Neitherworld. Lydia could summon her friend by chanting his name three times by itself or as part of a chant such as:
“Though I know I should be wary,
Still I venture someplace scary;
Ghostly hauntings I turn loose …
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!”
Billed as “the ghost with the most,” Beetlejuice was like a professional, wiry con artist, always trying to get Lydia in trouble with one wacky scheme or another. Some of his schemes involve trying to get rich quick because Beetlejuice has a fear of ever doing any actual work, while other schemes are more like immature pranks played on Lydia’s parents or classmates. Beetlejuice has many special powers, ranging from transformation to teleportation.
Ever the awkward social misfit, Lydia has a recurring arch-nemesis in school – Claire Brewster, who is blonde, perky and popular. Other recurring characters included Lydia’s parents, Jacques LaLean (the skeleton fitness guru, a parody of Jack LaLanne), Ginger the Tap-Dancing Spider (a clever reference to famed actress-dancer Ginger Rogers), The Monster Across the Street, Poopsie, Doomie (a werewolf convertible) and the Mayor. Although I must say he does a convincing Michael Keaton impersonation, Beetlejuice was voiced by seasoned voice-over actor Stephen Ouimette, while Lydia was voiced by Alyson Court (who was also Loonette the Clown on The Big Comfy Couch).
As a child that was always smarter than popular and coordinated in school, Lydia was someone I could easily relate to and I’d like to think I was also as imaginative as she was, though I was far from being considered gothic. As a writer, I especially enjoy the playful wordplay and puns that appear in just about every episode I’ve watched. I also love their silly commercial parodies.
One thing I didn’t know until researching the show was how they came up with the name Beetlejuice, which is also spelled Betelgeuse in the film. Apparently, Betelgeuse is the star found in the constellation Orion’s armpit, which is ironic when you consider Beetlejuice’s love for all things foul – unpleasant odors, questionable hygiene, slime, armpit music and eating loathsome insects of various types.
In 1990, Beetlejuice was nominated and won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (tied with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh). That’s good. I’d hate to think his title as “the ghost with the most” was inaccurate. Beetlejuice is, and will always be, my favorite animated member of the living dead community.
Clacked by Kim Tibbs
on Jul 12, 2012 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
