Milton the Monster

Milton the Monster, also called The Milton the Monster Show, is an American Saturday-morning animated television series that ran on ABC from October 9, 1965, to September 8, 1968.^[1] It was produced and directed by Hal Seeger.^[2]

The setting of the series is a haunted house on Horror Hill. The series features Milton, a Frankenstein-like monster created by a mad scientist. Due to an error in the creation process, Milton is tender and good-natured instead of being sinister.

The series starred Milton the Monster, a Frankenstein-looking monster with a flat-topped, seemingly hollow head which emitted various quantities of white steam or smoke based on his mood or situation.^[3] He was created by mad scientist Professor Montgomery Weirdo and his assistant Count Kook, who lived in a haunted house on Horror Hill.^[4] Milton is a smiling, good-natured fellow, thanks to the Professor having used too much "tincture of tenderness" as explained in the opening theme of each individual Milton the Monster segment. Milton was created not of individual body parts, but rather in a mold from such liquids as "essence of terror" and "sinister sauce." Out of fear of his creation destroying him, Professor Weirdo intended to add just a touch of the aforementioned tincture of tenderness to the mold, but Count Kook bumped the Professor's elbow, resulting in too much of the tincture being added to the mix. Milton's voice, which was based on the southern accent used by Jim Nabors in his television role as Gomer Pyle,^[5] was provided by Bob McFadden who also provided voices for Professor Weirdo's resident monsters:

• Heebie - a skull-faced, top hat-wearing ghoul with a Peter Lorre voice.
• Jeebie - a slow-witted, cyclopian, hairy green creature with a single sharp tooth that was often used to open soda cans.
• Mechanical Mike - A blue robot who only appears in one episode and some episodes of Fearless Fly. Milton accidentally destroys Mike while helping him with indigestion. But Milton manages to put him back together as a computer.

Professor Weirdo's nemesis was Professor Fruitcake, another mad scientist who lived in a castle on an opposite hill. Professor Fruitcake's major creation was Zelda the Zombie (who only appears in one episode). Other characters in the series included Fangenstein, a biker monster apparently inspired by Marlon Brando, his sidekick Abercrombie the Zombie (who is sometimes Milton's friend), and Professor Weirdo's aunt, the witchy Aunt Hagatha.

Other features on the show included:

• Fearless Fly, starring an insect superhero similar to Hanna-Barbera's Atom Ant. One of the most popular segments of the Milton the Monster Show, Fearless Fly was, in reality, Hiram, an ordinary housefly. When danger threatens, he ducks into a nearby matchbox, dons a red sweater and changes into the superhero Fearless Fly by, in a reversal of Clark Kent, putting on a pair of super high-powered glasses. Fearless Fly, according to the opening, is more powerful than a speeding rocket and faster than a beam of light. No flyswatter can harm him, no flypaper can hold him and no insecticide can stop him. Fearless Fly's sole weakness is losing his glasses, which happens in most of the episodes. His chief nemesis is the 900-year-old Dr. Fu Manchu-inspired Dr. Goo Fee and his assistant, Gung Ho.^[6] Occasionally, Milton the Monster's Professor Weirdo makes an appearance to threaten Fearless Fly. Usually, Bob McFadden does the voices, such as the seductive Lady Deflyah.
• Flukey Luke, with a cowboy detective, his Irish-accented Native American companion, Two Feathers and his horse, Pronto. Flukey Luke was so named because of his dumb luck that allowed him to get the upper hand, despite being incredibly inept.
• Stuffy Durma the Millionaire Hobo, starring a nouveau-riche hobo who resisted the attempts of valet Bradley Brinkley to get some culture and breeding.
• Muggy-Doo Boy Fox, featuring a sly boy fox who often gets into trouble with his get-rich-quick schemes.
• Penny Penguin, starring a bratty penguin girl and her parents.

Principal characters and voices:^[7]

• Bob McFadden: Milton the Monster, Heebie, Jeebie, Fearless Fly, Horsey the Fly, Additional Voices, Narrator (Milton the Monster and Fearless Fly segments)
• Dayton Allen: Professor Weirdo, Dr. Goo Fee, Flukey Luke, Stuffy Durma, Bradley Brinkley, Chester Penguin
• Larry Best: Count Kook, Professor Fruitcake, Two Feathers, Gung Ho, Additional Voices, Narrator (Flukey Luke segments)
• Herb Duncan: Muggy Doo, Additional Voices
• Beverly Arnold: Penny Penguin, Flora Fly
• Hetty Galen: Beulah Penguin

On March 20, 2007, Shout! Factory released the complete series on a 4-DVD set. However it has since become out of print, making copies of the DVD online fetch for high prices.

• Batfink

Kevin Scott Collier. Milton the Monster : Horror Hill Epitaph. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018. ISBN 1984189808

• Milton the Monster at IMDb
• Cartoon-O-Rama Spotlight on: The Milton the Monster Show
• Milton the Monster at Nostalgia Central
• Ron Kurer's Toontracker: Milton the Monster
• Milton the Monster at Shout! Factory