Inch High, Private Eye


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Inch High, Private Eye is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 8 to December 1, 1973.[1]

Inch High, Private Eye
GenreComedy
Written by
  • Fred S. Fox
  • David Harmon
Directed byCharles A. Nichols
Voices of
ComposerHoyt Curtin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Cinematography
  • Tom Barnes
  • Norman Stainback
  • George Epperson
  • Dennis Weaver
Editors
  • Milt Krear
  • Clifford Kohlweck
Running time30 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 8 –
December 1, 1973

The character was modeled after Maxwell Smart, the main character of the 1965–1970 comedy Get Smart, and Lennie Weinrib's performance as Inch High is an imitation of Don Adams' character.[2]

The titular character of Inch High Private Eye is a miniature detective (literally one inch high), who attained his diminutive stature by way of a secret shrinking potion. Inch often enlists the help of his niece Lori (sometimes written "Laurie"), her muscle-bound sweetheart Gator, and their dog Braveheart to help solve mysteries.[3] Their primary mode of transportation is the Hushmobile, a streamlined car that makes virtually no noise while being driven, making it perfect for following criminals unnoticed.[4]

Inch works for The Finkerton Detective Agency (a wordplay lampoon of The Pinkerton Detective Agency), where the boss Mr. Finkerton constantly dreams of the day that he will fire him.

Unlike most Hanna-Barbera mystery solving cartoons, which feature teen sleuths, the characters in this show are all adults.

  • Inch High appears in a Cartoon Network commercial, where he teams up with Batman to fight crime, only to be crushed when running to the Batmobile.
  • Inch High was also featured in an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, in which he sues his Mr. Finkerton for wrongful dismissal as Mr. Finkerton claims that he is too short to be a P.I. Inch was voiced by Maurice LaMarche while Mr. Finkerton was voiced by Chris Edgerly.
  • Inch High appears in Jellystone! voiced by Fajer Al-Kaisi. In the episode "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Rat Rat Race", Inch High was a patron of Morocco Mole's sauna-themed restaurant "Saunas, Sweat & Sandwiches" where he demanded that Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har turn down their only comedy album which he insulted as being bad. They throw him in their chest with the comedy album where they misplaced the chest when Morocco Mole called the police on them for causing a disturbance. When the chest is opened later upon being found by Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear, Cindy Bear, Jabberjaw, Loopy De Loop, Augie Doggie, Shag Rugg, and Yakky Doodle, Inch High was found in the chest as Lippy and Hardy recall about the events. After Inch High asks for someone to call his family, Hardy Har Har shuts the chest on him. In "The Box Thief", Inch High was seen in the unboxing videos of Jabberjaw and Mayor Huckleberry Hound. When it comes to the latter's video, he put Inch High back in the box.
  • Inch High makes a voice-only cameo in the Velma episode "Velma Makes a List".

On April 24, 2012, Warner Archive released Inch High Private Eye: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release was made available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[5][6]

  1. ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 147–148. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 295–296. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill. p. 227. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  4. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. pp. 425–426. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  5. ^ Lambert, David (April 24, 2012). "Inch High Private Eye - The Classic Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Is Now Available on DVD!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30.
  6. ^ Inch High Private Eye, ASIN B007XTDWO2