The Ruff & Reddy Show was Hanna-Barbera’s first cartoon series which featured a cat (Ruff) and dog (Reddy) in serialized adventures, with thirteen episodes comprising a story arc. Ruff, was voiced by Don Messick, and Reddy was voiced by Daws Butler. Hanna and Barbera opened their cartoon studio the same year MGM (the studio they worked for) closed down its cartoon studio. After much effort, they were able to sell Ruff & Reddy to NBC, but they were only able to get $2700 per half hour of cartoon show, so all the meticulous detail into making the Tom and Jerry shorts were eschewed for a production-line process. Bill and Joe, taking a cue from 1949’s “Crusader Rabbit,” reasoned the best way to offset the low production values was to create appealing heroes and captivating storylines. Ruff and Reddy made their way through clandestine escapades squaring off against villains like Scarey Ha.
