I can still remember the first time I saw this show, but I can't remember a time I didn't love it. Since it's easily a classic, it always manages to pop up on some network somewhere even to this day. The artwork, sound, and music score (if not the animation, which is a blend of "full" animation along with the so-called "limited" kind) are top notch and even after half a century, the show has attained a timeless quality all its own.
The stories were notable in being very well written, if not ground-breaking, and the good folks at Hanna-Barbera were never afraid to show some very dangerous situations along with what, for cartoons, was considered graphic violence (The show was often criticized for this even back in 1964, the year it was first released for prime time television). And in fact, it's probably safe to say "Jonny Quest" could not be made today - not only because of its frequent violence but for some occasional but thinly veiled racism,, of sorts (in one episode, "Pursuit of the Poho", the Race Bannon character disguises himself as the water god of some indigenous people to deceive them, while calling them "Heathen monkeys") but because of cost concerns. There was never serious talk among Hanna-Barbera for creating a second season of JQ due to its shockingly high cost (and it's something of a wonder that its 26 episodes were ever made in the first place!)
The full story of how JQ got made is told in some fan-made videos on Youtube and there many of the interesting production details are revealed. And if you've never seen this cartoon it's enough to say there's nothing else like it - nor, with the demise of Hanna-Barbera in 2001 (Warner brothers owns their entire collection now) is anybody likely to make anything like it ever again.
The stories were notable in being very well written, if not ground-breaking, and the good folks at Hanna-Barbera were never afraid to show some very dangerous situations along with what, for cartoons, was considered graphic violence (The show was often criticized for this even back in 1964, the year it was first released for prime time television). And in fact, it's probably safe to say "Jonny Quest" could not be made today - not only because of its frequent violence but for some occasional but thinly veiled racism,, of sorts (in one episode, "Pursuit of the Poho", the Race Bannon character disguises himself as the water god of some indigenous people to deceive them, while calling them "Heathen monkeys") but because of cost concerns. There was never serious talk among Hanna-Barbera for creating a second season of JQ due to its shockingly high cost (and it's something of a wonder that its 26 episodes were ever made in the first place!)
The full story of how JQ got made is told in some fan-made videos on Youtube and there many of the interesting production details are revealed. And if you've never seen this cartoon it's enough to say there's nothing else like it - nor, with the demise of Hanna-Barbera in 2001 (Warner brothers owns their entire collection now) is anybody likely to make anything like it ever again.