Teen Wolf (1986 TV series)

Teen Wolf
Also known as	'The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf'
Genre	Adventure Animation
Written by	Linda Woolverton Rowby Goren Gordon Kent Michael Reaves Bruce Reid Schaefer
Directed by	Gordon Kent
Creative director(s)	Chris Cuddington
Voices of	Townsend Coleman James Hampton Don Most June Foray Stacy Keach, Sr.
Theme music composer	Opening Theme: John Lewis Parker Barry Mann Closing Theme: Ashley Hall Stephanie Tyrell
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	21 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jonathan Dana Buzz Potamkin
Producer(s)	Gordon Kent
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Southern Star Productions Clubhouse Pictures
Distributor	MGM Television
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13) – November 7, 1987 (1987-11-07)
Chronology
Preceded by	Teen Wolf
Related shows	Teen Wolf Teen Wolf Too

Teen Wolf, known as The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf in the United Kingdom, is an animated American television series broadcast from 1986 to 1987 that was produced by Southern Star Productions in association with Clubhouse Pictures. It was based on the 1985 live-action film, Teen Wolf.^[1]

Summary

The series is about a teenage boy and his family who can transform into werewolves, focusing on themes of coming of age and fitting in. While generally keeping true to the main ideas, this version made some changes from the film.

Scott Howard and his family live in the fictional town of Wolverton, a small town that draws tourists because of its history of werewolf sightings. Unlike the film, Scott's status as a werewolf is a secret.

Despite the youth audience, the cartoon series delivered very powerful critiques of disability-as-civil rights. Freely invoking an asthma attack or seizure, the series centered on how Scott felt "weird" immediately before and during his werewolf transformation.

Although he never hurt anybody while he was a werewolf, Scott was conscious of his difference from other teenagers and had to make accommodations for himself. He also expressed frustration that the residents of this town had stereotyped "his people". A jock named Mick constantly picks on Scott for being the "outsider" at Wolverton High.

Characters

From left to right: Boof, Scott, Harold (above), Lupe (below) and Grandpa Howard.

• Scott Howard (Townsend Coleman), the main protagonist; he constantly chases local cheerleader and popular girl Pam, while being thwarted by Pam's boyfriend Mick McAllister, a mean jock. Scott spends much of his time worrying about social acceptance and the possibility of people finding out he's a werewolf.
• Harold Howard (James Hampton, the only actor that reprised his role from the live-action film), Scott's widower father; a laid-back hardware store owner, generally uninterested in the social problems of his son. He seldom transforms.
• Lupe Howard, Scott's younger sister is one of the new characters added for the cartoon. She is not old enough to know whether she is a werewolf or not, but she desperately wants to be one. In one episode, she is able to transform because of a magic spell, but since the spell turns anyone into a werewolf temporarily, she still does not know her true status.
• Grandpa Howard (Stacy Keach, Sr.), Scott's grandfather is an immigrant from Transylvania. He spends most of his time in his werewolf form, only assuming a completely human appearance when he must. He is a constant source of embarrassment to Scott, because he is always running around on all fours, chasing cats, and getting into trouble with the neighbors.
• Grandma Howard (June Foray), Scott's grandmother; also from Transylvania and, like Grandpa, she stays in werewolf form most of the time. She is not as embarrassing to Scott because she is better behaved than Grandpa. She becomes Scott's ally in his attempts to keep Grandpa's behavior under control. She is sometimes represented as a fortune teller similar to a stereotypical Gypsy, and has sometimes performed other magic, such as brewing potions, making her seem similar to a witch in some ways.
• Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski (Don Most), Scott's best friend; in on the werewolf secret, Stiles is supportive but often gets under-appreciated in Scott's quest to be "in" with the cool crowd. Like Lupe, he wishes to be a werewolf and is upset that Scott doesn't appreciate the "gift".
• Lisa "Boof" Marconi (Jeannie Elias), a friend of Scott's, and is also in on his family's werewolf secret alongside Stiles. She is romantically interested in him, but he seems oblivious of this, chasing after Pam instead.
• Pamela Wells, the most popular girl in Wolverton High and serving as a cheerleader, she is Scott's romantic interest. She is the girlfriend of Mick McAllister, who sometimes thwarts Scott and picks on him for being an outsider. Pam is unaware that Scott is a werewolf like his family before him, like everybody in Wolverton who doesn't know the Howard family's secret.
• Mick McAllister (Craig Sheffer), a mean jock at Wolverton High, he is the boyfriend of Pamela Wells who thwarts Scott and picks on him for being an outsider in Wolverton. Mick, like Pam and everybody else in town, is unaware that Scott and his family are werewolves.
• Mrs. Seslick (June Foray), the Howard family's nosy neighbor who is always a step away from figuring out the family's secret and outing them to the community.

Cast

• Sheryl Bernstein – Frieda the Housekeeper
• Townsend Coleman – Scott Howard
• Brian Cummings
• Jeannie Elias – Lisa "Boof" Marconi
• June Foray – Grandma Howard, Mrs. Seslick
• Ellen Gerstell
• James Hampton – Harold Howard
• Stacy Keach, Sr. – Grandpa Howard
• Kenneth Mars – Mayor Marconi
• Mona Marshall – Terrmon
• Don Most – Stiles
• Will Ryan – Chubs
• Craig Sheffer – Mick McAllister
• Frank Welker – Ray Slmer

History

Although the cartoon series ran for three years, the third year was entirely reruns. The main character dressed in similar clothing to the cartoon Scott Howard, the "wolfman" design was nearly identical, and the quests to hide the secret and fit in at high school are presented more like in the cartoon.

Episodes

Season 1 (1986)

Season 2 (1987)

Changes from the movie

The town, named "Beacontown" in the movie, is now called "Wolverton" in the series.

Scott's supernatural status, which was common knowledge to the public in the movie, is known only to his family, Stiles, and Boof in the series.

Scott's grandparents and a younger sister named Lupe, absent in the movie, live with them in the cartoon. In the movie Scott is an only child.

Harold sported grey fur while transformed in the movie, however he is dark-furred in the series.

Mick, who attended a rival high school at age 21 (due to a short prison stay) in the movie, is 18 in the series and attends Wolverton High with the other teens. He is a jock.

Pam is a light blond in the movie. In the cartoon, she is a dark blonde who is a cheerleader for Wolverton High.

Home media

Video releases

United Kingdom

United States

DVD release

References

External links

• Teen Wolf at the Internet Movie Database
• Teen Wolf at the Big Cartoon DataBase