"Hunchbudgie of Notre Dame"

Season 1 episode 16 (episode 16 overall)

THE BELLS! THE BEEEELLS!!!!

Original broadcast date: 20 December 1988

Writer: Jimmy Hibbert, Peter Richard Reeves
Additional voices: Pierre/Impressionist/Post
                              Impressionist/Police Chief/
                              2nd Gendarme: David Jason
                              Gaston/Hunchbudgie/1st
                              Gendarme: Jimmy Hibbert
                              Inspector Migraine:
                              Jack May
Joke Credits: Film Scratches - Aaron Gate.  

Catering - Lunch Pack of Notre Dame

Travel location: Paris, France
                                                    
Castle transport visual used.

While in Paris toying with the idea of being an artist, Duckula foolishly gives away the deeds to his castle while Nanny gets abducted by a strange old bell-ringer.

Retroactively, this is like a twofor (two for the price of one) episode. We get the titular character as another gothic/literary reference and we also get the introduction of two more characters who would go on to be series regulars and then effectively get their own show. It's a fun crime-y adventure episode that also involves the theft of the Mona Lisa.

We get a bit of exposition at the start where we hear that Duckula has given away the deeds to his castle to a con man in exchange for the Eiffel Tower. Duckula must be really gullible if he can be outwitted by Pierre, but that is exactly what seems to have happened, although we don't find that out til later. However the Count sees nothing to worry about as he's convinced that his artworks will make him rich enough to buy them back. Oh, yes he really is that gullible. I wonder if he'll get paid in delicious French-flavoured exposure? Igor also raises concern about Nanny who seems to also believe the Count owns the Tower and has gone off to decorate it "with a pot of bright pink emulsion milord and a BIG brush." They set off to find her and run into her at a café after she runs through it. There's also a few groaners about various art styles like Cubism and Impressionism. My favourite is the Post Impressionist, a postman doing the same John Wayne impression as the Impressionist. I also like how Nanny has apparently managed to paint the entirety of la Tour Eiffel in an afternoon and added big bows to each leg and the spire. She wastes no time!

As we all know, you can see the Eiffel Tower from literally every window in Paris and this is exactly what both the Hunchbudgie and the Chief of Police do. H-B likes it, Chiefy doesn't. He wants the culprit arrested so he sends out an Inspector to see if he can crack the case, along with another couple of crimes what want looking into. Franc-ly I'm amazed no-one caught Nanny in the act, but I think that might be part of the joke. It IS a cartoon you know. The stoic but bumbling Inspector Migraine zooms off with his comedy cops (flics de comédie) and the hunt is on.

Now we get the introduction Gaston and Pierre as the latter relates to the former what he's been up to and presents the castle deeds. Gaston is less than impressed and goes bonkers, throwing works of art at poor Pierre. Seriously, I don't think he deserves this! He's not the best crook in the world (well neither of them are) but getting the deeds to Castle Duckula, basically for nothing is not bad at all for an idiot, let alone a fast talker. How well it would hold up in court though might be another thing. Gaston decides that money talks louder and they set out to find Duckula and get him to pay up on his Eiffel Tower ownership bill. Also, he delivers a pun about Migraine headaches and the police. There's a hint of Pierre's future self as Hugo when he gets scared at the mere mention of the police too.

Next is a lengthy scene where Duckula paints the Notre Dame cathedral, though thankfully not in the same manner Nanny did with the Tower. They are spied on here by the 'budgie who instantly falls in love with Nanny and who can blame him? He shows up at random points throughout the whole narrative to soliloquise with the audience before getting involved in the action. At this point Gaston and Pierre show up too and try to sweet talk Duckula into paying them for the Tower. Gaston doing most of the talking of course. He first lowers the price (which was already quite low) in an effort to salvage something but then turns his attention to the painting Duckula has just done. I love how Gaston presents his 'business card' at speed as he changes tack. Now the plan seems to be to replace the Mona Lisa (a painting 'by some...Italian') with Duckula's masterpiece and then to give them the classic painting. He plays on the Count's ego to get him to agree to this plan, which will effectively make him in more danger of arrest than the actual criminals. Come night-time and it's time for the switch to take place. 

The Inspector and his men are still trying to find out who vanadlised the Eiffel Tower when it comes to their attention that the Louvre has been broken into so they go to investigate there. Perfect timing, as by this stage the main three have emerged with the Mona Lisa. Thankfully, the Inspector seems not to notice this just yet, instead wishing to arrest Nanny - "Caught pink-handed!"

H-B chooses this moment to rescue Nanny from possible imprisonment and take her to SANCTUARY!!!!! in the bell tower. The police already have their hands full trying to pursue both them and Gaston and Pierre who have also been spotted. The simple image of Inspector Migraine pointing in two directions at once always amuses me no end for some reason. A multiple way chase ensues around Paris, on car and on foot.

Meanwhile Nanny is safe and sound in the bell-tower with he new admirer. Jimmy Hibbert really hams it up with his THE BELLS!!!!! bit, but as I have yet to see either the Lon Chaney or Charles Laughton versions of the character, I cannot be certain who, if either, he is taking off. That may change and I'll update this post! Nanny, being Nanny offers to ring the bells for him. Fans of the show can hazard a guess as to what  happens next. 

If you guessed 'a bell falls from the tower and lands on the crooks' you were right. But just before that, Igor gets the logical idea that if the crooks want the painting so badly, they'd better return the castle deeds first. He's wised up to what's going on as usual, but typically, he only steps up to the mark when he really has to. There's only so much knees bent running and dancing behaviour this butler is willing to take! The bell rolls into the Seine, with the bumbling crinimals inside. That'll give Gaston a migraine, if nothing else does!

Duckula shows some nouce now and the deeds are now exchanged for a life belt. Just in time for the police to cart the doused do-badders away. Duckula closes the case with a groaner - 'guilty but in Seine.' Still praise due for resisting the old 'we've been framed' gag!

The crooks may have been arrested, but Nanny is still missing. That is until the Hunchbudgie brings her back to the castle and leaves in a melodramatic huff. Turns out he doesn't like people tinkering with his bells! Oo-err! Nanny's back and before she can attack the Tower again, it's time to return to Transylvania, so the castle does so. All's well that ends well!

An intricate plot, with all the threads converging for a relatively happy ending, just for a change! Animation by the UK side. Lots of familiar Parisian landmarks to check off too, all worked in nicely to service of the story.

Music

Here we go....I'm sure my anonymous benefactor will drown me in info regarding some parts I've missed out*. However, I did stumble across Gaston and Pierre's lietmotif somewhere, but (fittingly) I foolishly forgot to make a note of it (EDIT: This is added in now). The Hunchbudgie's theme is used again in "Arctic Circles." A sting of "La Marseillaise" plays when the crooks are caught.

'Victorian Mystery - A' (Paul Lewis) - Title.
'Compagnard' (John Leach, George Fenton) - Gaston & Pierre.
'Paris Pavements' (Dick Walter - track 9.3) - C
'Stealth By Night' (Jack Coles) - Searching the Louvre.
'La Marseillaise B' (Dick Walter - track 9.2) - Bravo!
'Finger of Fear' (Frederic Bayco) - Ending.

*Knew it!

Pans and Backgrounds

Oh, that is a lot! And a lot wonderful Parisian landscapes on display it is. Paris is one of the few locations in this show I have actually visited and can confirm the accuracy. A lot of multi-character pans too.

 

With crooks...

...and without.

Do not say si, say oui.

The city of (police) lights.

Wonder if that's the villains' car parked up there?

Trivia

• One of a handful of episodes that has the name of a bird in the title that isn't 'duck.'
  
• Episode does not start nor end on a scream. Instead, we get a rare happy ending! 
• Episode begins in Paris, ends in Transylvania. 
• Narration alliteration "fresh and fearful form greets their grim and grisly gaze." Duckula alliteration "Spoiled, squelched, scuppered and say aren't you the guy who sold me the Eiffel Tower?"
  
• Some of the backgrounds are also used in "Unreal Estate" when the castle lands in Nice. The café and its patrons are also used again in "Around the World in a Total Daze." Goosewing and Smogg share a quick drink there. The Café Instant is most likely a pun on Le Café Constant.
• First appearance of Gaston and Pierre. They would undergo plastic surgery in an effort to evade the police and get their own series as Victor and Hugo: Bunglers in Crime (I'd recommend this too if you enjoy this show). Gaston and Pierre's names may be a reference to the French artist Gaston Pierre (

  

  From the first annual.

  1880 – 1959) or visual artist of the same name (1901-1982), although they are also fairly common French names in their own  right. I once saw an old film which ended with two policemen of those names being summoned! In the Disney film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", two of the gargoyles are called Victor and Hugo after the author. I swear half the V&H-related tweets on Twitter are by people somehow being surprised by this and the other half are about the Cosgrove-Hall show (and are more varied). There's also a Gaston in another Disney film, but I digress. As ever.
  
• Duckula paints with his right hand although he briefly holds the brush in his left at one point.
  
• Duckula seems not to notice that Igor rips his face through his painting.
  
• Duckula appears to have a spare cape when he changes out of his smock. 
  
• Duckula's reference to Neo-Brutalism is a joke on how Nanny destroys buildings and makes them look all weird, just like the architectural style.
• Pierre does the "yes and no - but mainly no" bit which Hugo would later take on and run with.
  

• 

  Top:Venice, below:Paris
  

  The Hunchbudgie himself is an obvious reference to the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It is a novel written by Victor Hugo, so this also ties in with Gaston and Pierre's future selves. Inspector Migraine is a reference to Inspector Maigret, a fictional Parisian detective, although visually and in behaviour, he seems to be more of a nod to Inspector Clouseau. His boss, by extension, evokes the Commissioner from DePatie-Freleng's "The Inspector" series, although my brother immediately thought of Jumbo Whiffy (Mel Smith) from "Filthy, Rich and Catflap!" The 'painting something pink' thing could also be a Pink Panther nod come to think of it, though I doubt he would have used any ribbons.
• The squad of gendarmes appear to have been inspired by the Keystone Kops.
  
• Is the Hunchbudgie related to Krool? Similar appearance plus same location and actor.
  
• Gaston's neck is coloured solid black like his head. In all other appearances, it is blue/grey like his hands. 
• When Gaston stamps on Pierre's foot, it sounds like Pierre exclaims in Jimmy Hibbert's voice.
  
• The sequence of Gaston shoving Pierre's beret into his mouth is re-used in "Venice a Duck Not A Duck", only flipped. Some of it looks to have been redrawn though, as Pierre's neckerchief is still facing the right of the viewer. Attention to detail! Again, this is a bit of business V&H would use a lot too.
• The Duckula-ized Mona Lisa appears to be cut out animation and maintains it's detailed appearance during movement.
  
• Gaston uses the slang term flics for the police. 
• Inspector Migraine is one of three characters in this series to use a magnifying glass, the others being Duckula and Nanny. Hawkeye Soames uses one in "The Hound of the Hobbes-Sutclyffes" (Victor & Hugo) where he is voiced by Brian Trueman instead of Jack May.
  
• Migraine identifies the Hunchbudgie as Quasimodo. No pun? Quasiouseau? Non? Nanny calls him Mr. Squashy-hobo and Hunchyboos! They could have had the Bantam of the Opera come to that, but maybe that's too daft.
  
• The crooks drive in the same car (a green Citroën) they use again in "Alps-A-Daisy."
• Duckula calls Igor pretty ugly, which angers him. This is in direct contrast to "Alps-A-Daisy" (which also features Gaston & Pierre) where he takes it as a compliment.
• Life belt is written in English. I know this bothers some people, but not me. 
• The clock makes an appearance, but not the bats.
• Although Gaston and Pierre are arrested, Nanny gets off scot-free! 
• Nanny mentions 'crushed lilac' as being a preferable colour. She does the same in
  "Arctic Circles." Must be her favourite!
  
• Final episode to be broadcast in 1988. 
  
• Was Brian Trueman busy the day this cartoon was recorded? Other than Nanny (who else could voice Nanny?) he does no additional voices. It's not as if he couldn't do comedy French accents as he does plenty elsewhere. 
• The Hunchbudgie appears on the card hanger of a Count Duckula plastic mask along with Igor, Dmitri and the Count himself. I have no evidence of this to show but I distinctly remember seeing it in my local newsagents back in the late 80s. It stuck in my mind because, instead of the main four characters (Duckula, Igor, Nanny and Goosewing) we got Duckula, Igor, Dmitri and Hunchbudgie! This seems to imply that there were masks made of all these characters. If anyone has any photographic proof of this, please share it and I will add it in.
• Obvious in hindsight, but there are frequent allusions to currency in Francs. It's all Euros now! I prefer the sound of each countries' original currency myself. More character.

  

  Again, from the annual.

• This episode was released on VHS in 1988 along with "A Fright at the Opera" and "Dr. Goosewing and Mr. Duck."
  
• Unusually, this episode has two credited writers and two gag credits. One is a reference to the expression 'hair on gate' which is a mishap that can happen during filming when a cracked piece of celluloid appears visible on-screen for a shot. This series, even being a cartoon, is not immune from this curse (for example, a little one occurs when Gaston and Pierre approach Duckula for the first time), but given the generally spooky nature of the visuals, it barely matters most of the time. The other gag is just a pun on Hunchback.
• Notre Dame cathedral suffered from a large fire on the 15th April 2019. I questioned the taste of reviewing this episode at the time so held off. Mind you, it's not like this show shied away from destroying landmarks!
• The trio will again visit Paris in "A Fright at the Opera" and briefly in "Around the World in a Total Daze."

 

Goofs and Nitpicks

• Chief's waistcoat changes colour in a long shot.
  
• Gaston's right hand turns black briefly just before he assaults Pierre with his own beret and Igor's eyebrows are coloured as his lids. Gaston's turn-ups briefly turn the colour of his shoes.
• A colour error makes it seem as if Migraine is driving and hanging onto the back of the van at one point!
• Hunchbudgie's cere turns blue when Nanny drops the bell. Which any ornithologist will tell you that's how you know he's a boy!
• Seine is spelt with two Ns on the sign.
  
  
  Also, Happy Hallowe'en, dear gentle readers! Arguably every episode of this series is appropriately spooky viewing, so have fun whatever you are and stay safe. Have some fan art.