George Jetson Explained

George Jetson
Series:The Jetsons
Full Name:George J. Jetson
Species:Human
Gender:Male
Occupation:Digital index operator at Spacely's Space Sprockets
First Major:The Jetsons
First Minor:Rosey the Robot
First Date:September 23, 1962
Spouse:Jane Jetson (wife)
Children:Elroy Jetson (son)
Judy Jetson (daughter)
Relatives:Montague Jetson (grandfather)
Harvey Birdman (ancestor)[1]
Voice:George O'Hanlon (1962–1989)
Herb Duncan (1962; The Jetsons: New Songs of the TV Family of the Future)[2]
Don Messick (1965, 1978, 1980, 1982; The Jetsons in First Family On The Moon, Geometric Jetson, Down to Earth Nutrition, Learning About Work with The Jetsons)[3]
Jeff Bergman (1984, 1990–present)[4]
Billy West (1984, 1999, 2004; WBCN commercial, RadioShack commercial, Electrasol commercial)[5] [6] [7]
Keith Scott (1992, 1997; Toyota commercial, Hanna Barbera Gala Celebrity Nite)[8] [9] [10]
Seth MacFarlane (2000, 2007; Family Guy)[11]
Scott Innes (Toshiba commercial)[12] [13]
Wally Wingert (2004, 2017; Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, LG Electronics commercial)[14] [15] [16]
Skeet Ulrich (2009; Robot Chicken)[17]
Robert Kazinsky (2013; Robot Chicken)
Creator:William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Lbl21:Birthday
Data21:[18]
Lbl22:Catchphrase
Data22:"Jane! Stop this crazy thing!"

George J. Jetson[19] is a fictional character from the animated television series The Jetsons. He is the patriarch of the Jetson family. He is the husband of Jane Jetson and the father of teenage daughter Judy and son Elroy.

Fictional character biography

George resides with his family and his dog Astro in the Skypad Apartments[20] in Orbit City, in a future with the trappings of science fantasy depictions of American life in the future, such as robot servants, flying saucer-like cars, and moving sidewalks. All the apartment buildings are set on giant poles, resembling Seattle's Space Needle; the ground is almost never seen. In , it is revealed that they live in the sky due to excess of smog.

When George was a child, he had to fly through ten miles of asteroid storms to go to Orbit High School, where he was the star pitcher of its Spaceball team. George is now an employee at Spacely's Space Sprockets, a manufacturer of "sprockets" and other high tech equipment. His job title is a "digital index operator."[21] His boss is Cosmo G. Spacely, noted for being short in both height and temper; Spacely usually treats his employees (particularly George) in a rather tyrannical fashion. George's job primarily requires him to repeatedly push a single button (or on occasion a series of buttons) on a computer (named RUDI in the 1980s series of Jetsons episodes). George complains of his heavy work load: pushing a button on and off as many as five times[22] for three hours,[23] three days a week.[24] Often, Mr. Spacely will fire George in a fit of anger, only to hire him back by the end of the same episode.

Physically, George is a rather slim man of average height with short red hair and a cartoonishly large nose. His personality is that of a well-meaning, caring father, but he is often befuddled and stressed out by the problems of both his work and family lives. As with most Hanna-Barbera productions of the 1950s and early 1960s, George Jetson was modeled after a contemporary celebrity; in George's case, it was character actor George O'Hanlon, who also voiced (and granted his name to) the character. O'Hanlon was well known for his roles as a common everyman (his best-known role outside of The Jetsons was the Joe McDoakes film series) and once said of his character: "George Jetson is an average man. He has trouble with his boss, he has problems with his kids, and so on. The only difference is that he lives in the next century."[25]

Date of birth

In the 2020s, fans, factcheckers and journalists debated the character's birthdate.[26] [27] In July 2022, the character resurfaced on social media when fans claimed that George's birthday was July 31, 2022. Despite the claim, no official evidence has been found confirming this or any other specific date,[28] although there is some evidence from the show that the year of his birth is 2022.[18]

Catchphrase

George's most famous catchphrase is "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!" seen at the end credits of the 1960s Jetsons episodes, but is also known for frequently uttering the phrase "Hooba-dooba-dooba!" or "Hooba-Dooba" (in most episodes) to express wonder or astonishment (possibly inspired by Fred Flintstone's phrase "Yabba-dabba-doo!").

Portrayer

Morey Amsterdam was originally hired to voice the character but was fired due to sponsor conflicts between his numerous other projects, including The Dick Van Dyke Show.[29] Amsterdam sued Hanna-Barbera for breach of contract but lost.[30]

George O'Hanlon, hired after auditioning but failing to win the role of Fred Flintstone two years prior, became George Jetson's voice actor, a role he would retain for the rest of his life through both the sixties and eighties versions of the cartoon series. O'Hanlon last did the voice for George Jetson in , which was released posthumously.[31]

The current voice of George Jetson is Jeff Bergman, who voiced George (and also Mr. Spacely) in some parts of the movie after O'Hanlon's death, and also voiced George in The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera as well as for the cameo in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Shaggy Busted" and Spümcø's two Jetsons cartoons: Father & Son Day and The Best Son, as well as in the 2017 film

In the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Back to the Present", George was voiced by Wally Wingert. In the episode, the Jetsons return to the past to sue the planet for causing global warming, hiring Harvey Birdman (an ancestor of George's) as their attorney.

Media

Television series

Films and specials

Other appearances

Notes and References

  1. "Back to the Present". Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Season 2. Episode 7. 9 May 2004. Adult Swim. George: "Aw, that's okay great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandad!"
  2. Web site: "The Jetsons" Golden 'New York Cast' Album (1962). cartoonresearch.com. 23 February 2021. 18 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210218190150/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-jetsons-golden-new-york-cast-album-1962/. live.
  3. https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-jetsons-on-the-record/ "“The Jetsons” on the Record"
  4. Web site: The New Show. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. August 28, 2023.
  5. Web site: WBCN Jetsons commercial 1984 Radioactive T Shirt Store 24 Billy West. YouTube. October 30, 2020. November 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201110154737/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qih8LKJoNk&t=5s. live.
  6. Web site: Voice(s) of George Jetson in RadioShack. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. 2020-10-30. 2019-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20191222053253/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Radioshack/George-Jetson/. live.
  7. Web site: Electrasol. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. 2020-10-30. 2020-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20201102071432/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Electrasol/. live.
  8. Web site: [Commercial] Toyota Family Wagons [1992]]. YouTube. October 30, 2020. August 1, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220801102831/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WAT0ssEnkw. live.
  9. Web site: Hanna-Barbera Gala Celebrity Nite. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. 2020-10-30. 2020-11-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20201124123457/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/rides-attractions/Hanna-Barbera-Celebrity-Gala-Night/. live.
  10. Web site: Keith Scott. Blah Artists. 30 October 2020. 4 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200704084801/https://www.blah.com.au/artistdetails%26id%3D36. live.
  11. Web site: Voice of George Jetson in Family Guy. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. 2020-10-30. 2019-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20191222053251/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Family-Guy/George-Jetson/. live.
  12. Web site: Scott Innes as the voice of Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble. YouTube. June 11, 2021. June 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210611012454/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0zJH-kRFeo&t=82s. live.
  13. Web site: Qosmio. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. 2021-06-11. 2022-05-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20220507072926/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Qosmio/. live.
  14. LG and 'The Jetsons' Boost Your Home IQ With Smart Appliances. PR Newswire. December 11, 2020. July 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220725053413/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lg-and-the-jetsons-boost-your-home-iq-with-smart-appliances-300474807.html. live.
  15. Web site: Wally voices George Jetson and Astro in new LG spot. Wally Wingert. December 11, 2020.
  16. Web site: LG. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. 2021-02-18. 2021-02-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210224230839/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/LG/. live.
  17. Web site: Voice(s) of George Jetson in Robot Chicken. Behind The Voice Actors. en-US. 2020-10-30. 2020-11-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20201107095001/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Robot-Chicken/George-Jetson/. live.
  18. News: David. Mikkelson. Was George Jetson Born in 2022?. Snopes.com. June 25, 2021. December 9, 2021. December 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211209195452/https://www.snopes.com/articles/352023/was-george-jetson-born-in-2022/. live.
  19. Web site: Jetsons, The (1962) - TV Series - Season 1, Episode 2 . Database of Movie Dialogs . BelaZebra . 2010-11-14 . What's your name, speedy? George J. Jetson. George Jetson, eh? Well, Georgie, let's see what we got here. . 2011-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716161424/http://movie.subtitlr.com/subtitle/show/284054#line11 . live .
  20. Web site: Jetsons, The (1962) . Database of Movie Dialogs . BelaZebra . 2010-11-14 . Car 88 calling in. What's up, sarge? Investigate complaint of trouble over at the Skypad Apartments. Right, Sarge. I'm on my way. . 2011-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716161436/http://movie.subtitlr.com/subtitle/show/284069#line391 . live .
  21. The Information Society in Science Fiction . Master of Science in Library Science . 52 . July 2009 . Patrick D. . Holt . . 2010-11-14 . Although George Jetson does commute to work as a “darn good digital index operator” (a job that apparently involves push the buttons that start and stop the procedure), the rest of the Dyson/Bel Geddes vision is complete – to no avail. Just about everything is automated, but no one seems aware that life is easier... . 2010-06-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100617203912/http://ils.unc.edu/MSpapers/3548.pdf . live .
  22. Rosey the Robot . . 1 . 1 . . 23 September 1962.
  23. Elroy's Pal . The Jetsons . 1 . 14 . ABC . 23 December 1962.
  24. The Flying Suit . The Jetsons . 1 . 7 . ABC . 4 November 1962.
  25. News: George O'Hanlon; Father's voice on Jetsons . . February 14, 1989 . 2016-12-03 . 2012-10-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025083402/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-02-14/news/mn-1955_1_george-jetson . live .
  26. News: Novak . Matt . Was Jane Jetson a Child Bride? . 1 August 2022 . Gizmodo . 11 January 2019 . en-us . 31 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220731123853/https://gizmodo.com/was-jane-jetson-a-child-bride-1831667901 . live .
  27. Web site: 12 far-out things you never knew about 'The Jetsons' . Me-TV Network . 1 August 2022 . en . 31 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220731234104/https://www.metv.com/lists/12-far-out-things-you-never-knew-about-the-jetsons . live .
  28. Web site: Hughes . William . July 30, 2022 . Fine, let's think too damn hard about whether George Jetson will actually be born tomorrow . 2022-08-01 . AV Club . en-US . 2022-08-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801021331/https://www.avclub.com/george-jetson-birthday-july-31-2022-1849352079 . live .
  29. Web site: Yowp . Yowp: Meet George Jetson — The Other One . Yowpyowp.blogspot.com . 2010-01-27 . 2014-06-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140508030830/http://yowpyowp.blogspot.com/2010/01/meet-george-jetson-other-one.html . 2014-05-08 . live .
  30. Web site: Kliph Nesteroff . Classic Television Showbiz: An Interview with Pat Carroll – Part Two . Classicshowbiz.blogspot.com . 2013-10-26 . 2014-06-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140821150424/http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2013/10/an-interview-with-pat-carroll-part-two.html . 2014-08-21 . live .
  31. News: George O'Hanlon, 76, George Jetson's Voice . . February 15, 1989 . Associated Press . 24 .

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