The Houndcats was a 1970s animated

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

 television cartoon series

Cartoon series

A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...

 shown on the NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 television network.

Plot

Loosely based on the CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 adventure series Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...

, it was headed by a combined team of (three) dogs and (two) cats, hence the name "Hound-Cats"

Members

• The "Houndcats" were led by the cat Stutz, who stayed cool and confident most of the time.
• Ding Dong was his blue Civil War
  American Civil War
  The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
  
   uniform-wearing right-hand man with rotten timing and judgment on almost everything.
• Mussel Mutt was the muscle of the group - a large, bulky, and ever hungry sheepdog whose eyes were almost always hidden under his hat.
• Putty Puss was a tiny cat - the disguise expert of the group.
• Rhubarb the dog was the do-it-all scientist who was capable of inventing just about anything, anytime. He wore a long coat and a large sombrero (you usually just saw his nose sticking out from under it) and had a vast array of gadgets hidden therein.

The group travelled in a Stutz Bearcat

Stutz Bearcat

The Stutz Bearcat was a well-known American sports car of the pre and post World War One period.Essentially, the Bearcats were a shorter , lighter version of the standard Stutz passenger cars chassis. It was originally powered by a 390 in³, 60 horsepower straight-4 engine produced by the...

 named Sparkplug, a sputtering junkheap of a car that often had a mind of its own.

Data

The series was broadcast by NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 from September 9 to December 2, 1972. NBC continued to air reruns until September 1, 1973. Thirteen episodes were made.

Voices

• Michael Bell - Stutz, The Raven
• Joe Besser
  Joe Besser
  Joe Besser was an American comedian, known for his impish humor and wimpy characters, and is now best remembered for his brief stint as a member of the Three Stooges in movie short subjects of 1957-59...
  
   - Putty Puss
• Daws Butler
  Daws Butler
  Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
  
   - Rhubarb (three episodes), Dr. Strangeless, Grogan
• Stu Gilliam - Ding Dong
• Arte Johnson
  Arte Johnson
  Arthur Stanton Eric "Arte" Johnson is an American comic actor. Johnson was a regular on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. His best-remembered "character" was that of a German soldier with the catchphrase: "Verrrry interesting, but...['stupid', 'not very funny', and other variations]".-Early life:Johnson...
  
   - Rhubarb, Captain Blight
• Aldo Ray
  Aldo Ray
  Aldo Ray was an American actor.-Life and career:Ray was born in Pen Argyl, PA, to an Italian family of five brothers and one sister. His brother Mario lettered in football at USC in the years 1952-54...
  
   - Mussel Mutt
• Joan Gerber
  Joan Gerber
  Joan Gerber is an American voice actress for a variety of cartoons.- Filmography :* 1959: Matty's Funday Funnies : Additional Voices...
  
   - Madame X
• Bob Holt -
• John Stephenson
  John Stephenson (actor)
  John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
  
  - Doctor Doll

Theme Song Lyrics

"Putty Puss, Muscle Mutt

Ding Dong, Rhubarb

Sparkplug and Stutz.

Anybody doin' the wrong thing

better watch out

these cats is rough!

Yea, anytime there's a rumble out west

who do you call? You call the best!

Anyone knows it's as simple as that;

The best in the west is a

Houndcat.

Yea, anyone knows it's as simple as that;

The best in the west is a

Houndcat!"