Jonny Quest

Every kid dreams of adventure - one boy actually got to live it. Created by Doug Wildey for Hanna-Barbera, "Jonny Quest" brought an exciting, surprisingly serious brand of action to television in 1964. Airing in prime time - a very big deal for animation back then - it was fueled by the pop trends of the era, Cold War intrigue and a belief in limitless technology inspired by America's race to the moon. Five years before Hanna-Barbera sent a group of teens chasing spooky mysteries in "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!," this series captured a different spirit entirely, blending espionage thriller and science fiction into a kid's adventure unlike anything else on TV. Its realistic character designs and cinematic style set it apart from the lighter cartoons of the day. Young Jonny (voiced by Tim Matheson, later of "Animal House" and "The West Wing") is the motherless son of brilliant government scientist Dr. Benton Quest, who conducts research from a remote island base. His work makes him a constant target, which means the family rarely gets a quiet day. Along for the ride are Jonny's best friend, Hadji, a resourceful orphan from Calcutta with a few mystical tricks up his sleeve; his loyal dog, Bandit; and Race Bannon, a rugged bodyguard and tutor who provides plenty of muscle when the team heads out on assignment. With supercomputers, jet-set travel to every corner of the globe and seemingly unlimited resources for building fantastic gadgets, the Quest team takes on spies, saboteurs and the sinister Dr. Zin. For young viewers, the thrill of watching a schoolboy and his friends have adventures worthy of James Bond was irresistible. Its 26 episodes take the team everywhere from the Arctic to India. In the pilot, "Mystery of the Lizard Men," they battle conspirators among half-sunken ships in the Sargasso Sea. In "Riddle of the Gold," they go undercover to stop a counterfeit gold operation, and in "Double Danger," they foil a plot to steal an experimental drug while dealing with a Race Bannon look-alike - an adventure that also introduces Race's glamorous old flame, Jezebel Jade. Other episodes send them into jungles, ancient tombs and secret laboratories, where mummies, monsters and robotic spies lurk around every corner. Backed by Hoyt Curtin's pulse-pounding theme music and Wildey's striking, comic-strip-inspired designs, the series still feels bold decades later. The deliberate pace of the animation shows its age at times, but "Jonny Quest" remains a genuine adventure drama and a landmark in TV animation. The show was revived years later, but the original remains the gold standard. For baby boomers and fans of classic cartoons, it's a thrilling blast from the past. Some adventures stay with you long after you've grown up.