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George Jetson

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George Jetson
The Jetsons character
First appearance
Created byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Voiced byGeorge O'Hanlon (1962–1989)
Herb Duncan (1962; The Jetsons: New Songs of the TV Family of the Future)[1]
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)[2]
Jeff Bergman (1984, 1990–present)[3]
Billy West (1984, 1999, 2004; WBCN commercial, RadioShack commercial, Electrasol commercial)[4][5][6]
Keith Scott (1992, 1997; Toyota commercial, Hanna Barbera Gala Celebrity Nite)[7][8][9]
Seth MacFarlane (2000, 2007; Family Guy)[10]
Scott Innes (Toshiba commercial)[11][12]
Wally Wingert (2004, 2017; Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, LG Electronics commercial)[13][14][15]
Skeet Ulrich (2009; Robot Chicken)[16]
Robert Kazinsky (2013; Robot Chicken)[16]
In-universe information
Full nameGeorge J. Jetson
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
OccupationDigital index operator at Spacely's Space Sprockets
SpouseJane Jetson (wife)
ChildrenElroy Jetson (son)
Judy Jetson (daughter)
RelativesMontague Jetson (grandfather)
Harvey Birdman (ancestor)[17]
Birthdayc. 2022[18]
Catchphrase"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

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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 Jetsons: The Movie, 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 {Short for: Referential Universal Digital Indexer} 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

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In the 2020s, fans, factcheckers and journalists debated the character's birthdate.[26][27][18] 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

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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

[edit]
George O'Hanlon voiced and served as a model for the character.

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 Jetsons: The Movie, 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 The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!

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

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Television series

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Films and specials

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Other appearances

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References

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  1. ^ ""The Jetsons" Golden 'New York Cast' Album (1962)". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  2. ^ "“The Jetsons” on the Record" Archived 2020-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  3. ^ "The New Show". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "WBCN Jetsons commercial 1984 Radioactive T Shirt Store 24 Billy West". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "Voice(s) of George Jetson in RadioShack". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  6. ^ "Electrasol". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  7. ^ "[Commercial] Toyota Family Wagons [1992]". YouTube. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Hanna-Barbera Gala Celebrity Nite". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  9. ^ "Keith Scott". Blah Artists. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Voice of George Jetson in Family Guy". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  11. ^ "Scott Innes as the voice of Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble". YouTube. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Qosmio". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  13. ^ "LG and 'The Jetsons' Boost Your Home IQ With Smart Appliances" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  14. ^ "Wally voices George Jetson and Astro in new LG spot". Wally Wingert. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  15. ^ "LG". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  16. ^ a b "Voice(s) of George Jetson in Robot Chicken". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  17. ^ "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!"
  18. ^ a b c Mikkelson, David (June 25, 2021). "Was George Jetson Born in 2022?". Snopes.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  19. ^ "Jetsons, The (1962) - TV Series - Season 1, Episode 2". Database of Movie Dialogs. BelaZebra. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-11-14. What's your name, speedy? George J. Jetson. George Jetson, eh? Well, Georgie, let's see what we got here.
  20. ^ "Jetsons, The (1962)". Database of Movie Dialogs. BelaZebra. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 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.
  21. ^ Holt, Patrick D. (July 2009). The Information Society in Science Fiction (PDF) (Master of Science in Library Science thesis). School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. p. 52. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-06-17. Retrieved 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...
  22. ^ "Rosey the Robot". The Jetsons. Season 1. Episode 1. 23 September 1962. ABC.
  23. ^ "Elroy's Pal". The Jetsons. Season 1. Episode 14. 23 December 1962. ABC.
  24. ^ "The Flying Suit". The Jetsons. Season 1. Episode 7. 4 November 1962. ABC.
  25. ^ "George O'Hanlon; Father's voice on Jetsons". Los Angeles Times. February 14, 1989. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  26. ^ Novak, Matt (11 January 2019). "Was Jane Jetson a Child Bride?". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  27. ^ "12 far-out things you never knew about 'The Jetsons'". Me-TV Network. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  28. ^ Hughes, William (July 30, 2022). "Fine, let's think too damn hard about whether George Jetson will actually be born tomorrow". AV Club. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  29. ^ Yowp (2010-01-27). "Yowp: Meet George Jetson — The Other One". Yowpyowp.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  30. ^ Kliph Nesteroff (2013-10-26). "Classic Television Showbiz: An Interview with Pat Carroll – Part Two". Classicshowbiz.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  31. ^ "George O'Hanlon, 76, George Jetson's Voice". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 15, 1989. p. 24.
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