Groovie Goolies - Premise and Plot

Premise and Plot

Sabrina's cousins the Groovie Goolies all reside at Horrible Hall (a haunted boarding house for monsters) on Horrible Drive. Among its inhabitants are:

• Drac (voiced by Larry Storch): The short-tempered vampire who is the head of Horrible Hall.
• Frankie (voiced by Howard Morris impersonating Boris Karloff): An easygoing Frankenstein's Monster who headed the Muscle-leum Gymnasium ("great for body building"). Often would be zapped by lightning, revealing his inner workings and then remarking "I needed that!!" Also had a dual identity as the inept superhero "Super Gool".
• Wolfie (voiced by Howard Morris partially impersonating Wolfman Jack and partially incorporating beatnik, surfer and hippie slang): A hippie werewolf who is always out for a good time, often by running wild, surfing, or driving his Wolfwagon. Especially gets on Drac's nerves.
• Hagatha (voiced by Jane Webb): A plump witch who served as resident cook. She also has a living broom named Broomhilda and is the cousin of Hauntleroy.
• Bella La Ghostly (voiced by Jane Webb): A vampiress switchboard operator.
• Dr. Jekyll and Hyde (voiced by Howard Morris and Larry D. Mann): The two-headed resident doctor who often fought as to which one of them was Jekyll and/or Hyde. One head (the right) is a normal "human" doctor while the other (left) head is a green-skinned, "monster" doctor. He's his own second opinion.
• Mummy (voiced by Howard Morris impersonating Ed Wynn): A bandaged mummy who dabbles in First Aid and serves as the announcer for "The Mummy's Wrap-Up" newscasts. Often became unraveled.
• Boneapart (voiced by Larry D. Mann): A skittish skeleton in a Napoleon hat who had a tendency to go to pieces (literally!).
• Ghoulihand (voiced by Howard Morris): A giant, disembodied glove (no Irish brougue).
• Batso and Ratso (voiced by Larry D. Mann and Larry Storch): Two fanged imp-like brats with a penchant for coming up with plans for swiping treats, as well playing mean practical jokes that often backfired.
• Hauntleroy (voiced by Howard Morris): A rotund, conniving and selfish two-faced sissy kid in a sailor suit who was often the primary foil for Batso's and Ratso's tricks. He is the cousin of Hagatha.
• Icky and Goo Two gargoyle-like creatures that seem to be the main pets of Horrible Hall.
• Tiny: A diminutive, long-haired mummy with a high-pitched voice (a parody of the then-popular entertainer Tiny Tim). He is the cousin of Mummy.
• Missy: An enigmatic spook whose face was a large single eye and whose body was hidden by her long, pink hair. She is Tiny's wife.

Additional fixtures at Horrible Hall included:

• Orville (voiced by Howard Morris): A large thing-eating plant.
• Fido: Wolfie's pet piranha, that eats anything and can even fly when necessary.
• The Ask-it Casket: A talking casket that answers any questions given to it.
• The Spookoo Clock: A cuckoo clock that has a vulture coming out of it.
• Rover: Frankie's pet dinosaur.
• The Lovesick Love Seat: It is very affectionate to anyone who gets too close.
• The Skelevator: A skull-shaped elevator.
• Wolf Wagon: Wolfie's convertible transport. A high speed racer shaped like a wolf's skull. Often had a mind of its own.

The show was structured very much like the then-popular show Laugh-In, with several short segments of one-liner jokes and riddles. This was most shown by the "Weird Windows Time", a take off on Laugh-In's famous Joke Wall. Every so often one of the Goolies had a special segment in which they instructed the audience in the finer points of one thing or another, such as:

• Dracula's Schoolhouse - It provides the finer points of (mad) science.
• Hagatha's Bedtime Stories - Hagatha reads a popular fairy-tale to Frankie with the other inhabitants in different parts.
• Home Movies - The inhabitants watch the home movies of their past activities.
• Wolfie's Theater - Wolfie re-enacted a popular fairy-tale with some of the inhabitants while the others watch.

Every episode featured at least two musical segments. The first one is by the Groovie Goolies with Drac on the organ, Wolfie playing a lyre-like stringed instrument, and Frankie on a drumset with a xylophone made of bones. The second musical segment is by one of the other resident bands including:

• The Mummies and The Puppies: A takeoff on the folk/pop group The Mamas & The Papas led by Tiny on guitar with Missy on tambourine, the green amply-contoured mummy Mama Casket on drums, and four puppies (two sharing a guitar, one on tambourine, and one on piano).
• The Spirits of '76: Three ghosts all dressed as colonial soldiers.
• The Rolling Gravestones: A takeoff of the Rolling Stones that are performed by three animate tombstones. Hudson Rock, Captain Marble, and General Granite.
• The Bare Boned Band: A band consisting of three skeletons.