Diver Dan

Diver Dan is a series of 104 seven-minute live-action shorts made for children's television from 1960 to 1970. Made by Brian Cartoons, it was syndicated (mainly to NBC affiliates) and distributed by ITC Entertainment. The shows were sometimes re-edited into half-hour (including commercials) blocks by local stations.

The series featured the adventures of a diver in an old-fashioned diving suit who talked to the passing fish. The series was filmed in live action with puppet fish; the underwater effect was achieved by shooting through an aquarium.

Production

Diver Dan debuted in 1960, the brainchild of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, cartoonist J. Anthony (John) Ferlaine, as a spinoff of his comic strip, Fish Tales. Ferlaine, who worked as an art director at Philadelphia's CBS affiliate WCAU-TV, produced two Fish Tales live-action marionette pilots. When CBS did not pick up the show, Ferlaine and promoter Martin Young partnered with Philadelphia producer Louis W. Kellman, who with his staff produced local TV spots and film shorts and filmed NFL football games. They produced the shorts over nine months and syndicated them.

In New York City, Diver Dan shorts ran as part of Felix & Diver Dan, a 30-minute children's show airing from January 4, 1960, to August 31, 1962, which also included Felix the Cat. In Chicago during the 1960s, Diver Dan was regularly shown on the WGN-TV show "Ray Rayner and His Friends" even though Rayner would frequently read on-air letters from children requesting that he get other cartoons.

The series opening and closing themes were written, performed, and sung by the show's sound engineer, Jack Sky, in a double tracked recorded voice.

Main cast

• Allen Swift as the voices of many puppets, the unseen Captain Murphy, and the narrator.
• Frank D Freda as Diver Dan.
• Suzanne Turner as Miss Minerva, a mermaid.

Episodes

Credits

• Produced by Louis W. Kellman
• A Brian Cartoons, Inc. production in association with Young Productions, Inc.
• Executive producer: Hal Tunis
• Associate producer: Harvey Blake
• Created by J. Anthony Ferlaine
• Writers included: Joseph Bonaduce, Ron Ronszel
• Puppeteers: Martin Kreiner, John Caracciolo, Harold Taylor, Alfred Sandstrom
• Directors: Leon Rhodes, Mort Heilig
• Production manager: Ben Berk
• Cameraman: Morris Kellman
• Script supervisor: Ruth Clyman
• Editors: Arthur Spieller, Margot Mor
• Sound: Jack Sky
• Art director: Frank Heininger
• Lighting: John Wynn

DVD release

Alpha Video released two collections of Diver Dan episodes on DVD (Region 0). All episodes in both volumes are black & white.

Diver Dan (Catalog # ALP 5152D, UPC #0 89218 51529 2, Release Date September 26, 2006)

Diver Dan Volume 2 (Catalog # ALP 5710D, UPC #0 89218 57109 0)

Three DVD (Region 0) releases have also been produced by East West Entertainment LLC. All episodes in all three volumes are black & white.

Diver Dan Vol. One (UPC #8 43156 02012 2)

Note: Each of the first 8 episodes has its own chapter stop except for Episode #09. It continues immediately after Episode 08. Pressing >> skips Episode 09 and cycles back to Episode 01.

Diver Dan Vol. 2 (UPC #8 43156 02014 6)

Note: Followed by five Van Beuren Corporation and three Fleischer Studios cartoons on Track 2.

Diver Dan Vol. 3 (UPC #8 43156 02015 3)

In other media

Dell Publishing issued a Diver Dan comic book, as issue #1254 (February–April 1962) of its series Four Color. A follow-up issue, #2 was also published, dated June–August 1962.

In 1963, songwriter and record producer Tony Piano of Columbia Records put out a children's album based on the series titled Diver Dan and the Bermuda Onion, featuring comedian Del Close and children's album star Kay Lande.

References

External links

• Diver Dan at IMDb
• Diver Dan - Ep 01 "Hard Water" is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
• TV Party: Lost Kids Shows