View Obscura: Josie and the Pussycats (1971-72)(CBS) | Retro Saturday Morning

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Josie and the Pussycats (1971-72)(CBS) | Retro Saturday Morning | Retro TV Rewind

Josie and the Pussycats is a fun American animated TV show that comes from the Archie Comics created by Dan DeCarlo. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and featured 16 episodes that aired on CBS during the 1970-71 season, with reruns in the following season. In 1972, the show was reimagined as **Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space**, which also had 16 episodes and aired on CBS during the 1972-73 season, with reruns continuing until January 1974. Over the next couple of years, the original show was rerun on other networks like ABC and NBC, making it a hit for six years on Saturday mornings.

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The show follows an all-girl pop music band known as the Pussycats, who go on exciting adventures around the world. The main characters include Josie McCoy, the smart and calm lead singer and guitarist; Valerie Brown, the brainy tambourinist; and Melody Valentine, the carefree blonde drummer. They are joined by their scaredy-cat manager, Alexander Cabot III, his mischievous sister Alexandra, her cat Sebastian, and their strong roadie, Alan M. Mayberry.

The show is known for its catchy music, the Pussycats' stylish leopard print outfits, and for introducing Valerie, the first regularly appearing black female character in a Saturday morning cartoon. Each episode features a fun song performed by the band during exciting chase scenes, similar to the popular show The Monkees.

In every episode, the Pussycats are usually on their way to a gig or recording session in a cool location when they accidentally get caught up in a mystery or adventure, often thanks to Alexandra’s antics. They end up facing off against a villain—usually a mad scientist, spy, or criminal—who has a high-tech scheme to take over the world. The Pussycats often stumble upon crucial plans or secret messages that the villains want, leading to thrilling chase scenes.

In the end, the Pussycats cleverly thwart the villain’s evil plans and manage to get back to their performance. The show always wraps up with a comical moment related to one of Alexandra's failed attempts to ruin the Pussycats’ show or steal Alan’s attention away from Josie.

Behind the catchy tunes, there was Danny Janssen, who had already made a name for himself in the world of pop music, particularly with names like Bobby Sherman and The Partridge Family. The songs he created were carefully crafted and not just quick throwaways, like many Saturday morning songs became in the later '70s. They featured strong backing from talented musicians, making them stand out.

The Capitol Records album didn’t include some of the popular songs from the TV show, such as the theme song, which was adapted by Hoyt Curtin, Bill Hanna, and Joe Barbera from music originally used in The Jetsons. The songwriting trio also put their spin on some well-known hits of the time, including a song by the band Bread called "It Don’t Matter to Me." Interestingly, that song was written by David Gates, the lead singer of Bread, who also wrote the theme for the animated feature, Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear. Along with the album, Capitol released two singles for radio and four more that could only be purchased through mail order by sending in box tops from Kellogg’s cereals.

The four singers were selected from many hopefuls, and there were plans for them to go on tour. Cathy Dougher was a trained singer who had experience in musical theater and opera. Cherie Moore, who later became known as Cheryl Ladd, was described in album notes as a talented actress and dancer. She even performed as a warm-up act for Jack Benny at the Corn Palace in South Dakota.

Cherie Moore gained international fame after she replaced Farrah Fawcett on the hit TV show Charlie’s Angels, which helped her revitalize her singing career. However, the standout vocalist who truly shaped the group’s unique sound was Patrice Holloway. At that time, she was known for writing the hit song "You’ve Made Me So Very Happy" for the band Blood, Sweat and Tears, yet she deserved even more recognition for her talent.

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