Aired: 1966-67
Budget: $15,000 per episode
From the man who brought you “Batman,” we introduce to you “Cool McCool.” The show created by Bob Kane, the show followed a spy who defeated villains even though he wasn’t a good detective.
“Cool McCool” had a satirical spin to it as it was poking fun at James Bond, which was very popular at the time. NBC was the original airing network, and the show ran from 1966 to 1967.
Top Cat
Aired: 1961-62
Budget: $21,000 per episode
Another sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, "Top Cat," ran in the early sixties for a total of 30 episodes and one full season. The ABC show followed a gang of alley cats in Manhattan and was inspired by the 1940's characters the East Side Kids.
The title character, Top Cat, was loosely based on a comedy about a con-man called "The Phil Silvers Show." The show was a rating failure in prime time yet managed to find a receptive audience in the Saturday morning timeslot.
Valley of the Dinosaurs
Aired: 1974
Budget: $50,000 per episode
Hanna-Barbera's Australian Studios produced this Saturday morning series. You weren't expecting that, now were you? The show featured a team of scientists on a mission along the Amazon River when their raft hits a rock.
The team capsizes and is swept down a whirlpool only to find that when they resurface, they're in a realm in which humans live alongside dinosaurs, prehistoric creatures, and neanderthals. The series ran for thirty minutes, and unfortunately, there were only sixteen episodes in total. This is a show we'd love to see make a comeback!
Commander McBragg
Aired: 1963-73
Budget: $500 per episode
Voiced by veteran voice actor, Kenny Delmar, Commander McBragg was a character based on the stories from "The Four Feathers," "Another Thin Man," and "Baron Munchausen." The show followed a retired British military commander, McBragg, who would tell stories to his gentleman's club.
These stories would only last a minute and a half, hence the low budget. The episodes aired for a decade; they were mainly featured on "Tennessee Tuxedo and his Tales."
The Funky Phantom
Aired: 1971-72
Budget: $50,000 per episode
What most would claim is the Australian version of "Scooby-Doo," next up we have "The Funky Phantom." In total, there were seventeen episodes of "The Funky Phantom," which aired on a subsidiary of ABC, Air Programs International.
The show featured three teen detectives who drove around the country, solving crimes and mysteries. Scooby-Doo's role was swapped out by a ghost from the Revolutionary War era. Interesting, right?