Johnny Meets Adam West
Momma goes out shopping and is supposed to be back by 6:00. At 6:01, when she is not back, Johnny worries and calls Adam West to help him find her.
Writer: Seth MacFarlane and Butch Hartman
Director: Butch Hartman
Cast: Jeff Bennett, Adam West, Brenda Vaccaro, Benjamin Caya
We never see Jeff Bennett crack up in a record. This was the only one where he actually busted out laughing because of the absurdity of Adam West. I remember getting a call from Adam’s agent who said that Adam felt like we “got” his sense of humor. We pitched the Cartoon Network on an idea to have a middle show for the second season starring Adam West where he solved crimes that never happened and had a girl assistant named Robin, but unfortunately, that never came to pass. The fun thing is, Adam reprised himself and his delusional persona in both Butch and Seth’s shows soon after.
Under The Big Flop
Johnny and Suzy visit the circus where the ringmaster, Vivian Vixen, has hypnotized Jungleboy. Johnny tries to seduce Vivian while Suzy tries to grab the mind control device and free Jungleboy and his friends.
Writer: Michael Ryan
Director: Rumen Petkov
Cast: Jeff Bennett, Cody Dorkin, Roger Rose, Suzie Plakson
This was the last episode to feature Jungleboy. We originally wanted Paula Abdul to play Vivian Vixen, but she passed on the show at the last minute. There’s still a line in the show where Jungleboy calls her a “cold-hearted snake.”
Johnny Meets Donny Osmond
When little Suzy chases Johnny around and they both end up breaking Bunny Bravo’s favorite cabinet, Bunny decides that Johnny needs a nanny. Donny Osmond is the prime candidate for the job and he does it with a Mary Poppins attitude.
Writer: Seth MacFarlane
Director: John McIntyre
Cast: Jeff Bennett, Donny Osmond, Brenda Vaccaro, Billie Hayes, Mary Scheer, Michael Gough
This was my favorite episode of the series. Even though Donny has appeared on two episodes, both holiday specials, and the video game (but only in the UK version), I have never had the pleasure of working with him in the studio. It’s either been through a phone patch in London, New York, or Utah. This episode also had Billie Hayes who played “Witchiepoo” on H.R. Pufnstuf.