HARVEY BIRDMAN, ATTORNEY AT LAW

'''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law''' was a comedic American animated television series created by Williams Street that airs on Cartoon Network during its ''Adult Swim'' late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, followed by an episodic series in 2001. The show revolved around the day-to-day activities of a law firm staffed mainly by superheroes and other characters featured in 1960s-era animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera, particularly ''Birdman and the Galaxy Trio''.
The show itself was produced by Cartoon Network and Turner Studios. It first debuted in September 2001, coinciding with the debut of Adult Swim.^[1] Season 3 premiered October 2, 2006 and contained 7 episodes to complete Volume 3, coinciding with the DVD release of Harvey Birdman Volume 2, on October 10, 2006. The series ended with the final two episodes airing on July 15 and July 22, 2007.^[2]
A has been announced for the PlayStation 2^[3], Wii and PlayStation Portable^[4] video game consoles. It is being developed by High Voltage Software (developers of '') and published by Capcom, and is due to be released in November 2007.³

Premise

The show featured ex-superhero Harvey Birdman as an attorney working for a prestigious law firm, along with other cartoon stars such as Blue Falcon and Peter Potamus. Although he is most often portrayed as a criminal defense attorney, Harvey also served as a civil litigator, depending on the plot of a particular episode.
Harvey's clients were primarily composed of characters taken from Hanna-Barbera cartoon series of the 1960s and '70s; this roster included some of the studio's most popular stars, including Fred Flintstone, Scooby-Doo, and the specially-created members of the Super Friends, as well as lesser-known characters such as Ding-a-Ling (sidekick of Hokey Wolf) and the Funky Phantom (from the short-lived series ''The Funky Phantom''). Many of Birdman's nemeses featured in his former cartoon series also became attorneys, and often represented the opposing side of a given case.
While the series remained faithful to its premise, it also used a surrealist style of comedy, featuring characters, objects, and jokes that are briefly introduced and rarely (if ever) referenced thereafter. Also, because the series relied heavily on pop culture references to classic television animation, ''Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law'' constantly delved into parody, even featuring clips of these series, or specially-created scenes which mimiced the distinctive style of the animation being referenced.
Because of this approach, continuity is largely disregarded, though occasionally hinted: it is strongly implied that ''Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law'' served as a sequel to ''Birdman and the Galaxy Trio''. Instead of rigid plot structure, much of the humor was derived from the fact that superheroes and supervillains were given more realistic and human qualities; for example, Birdman's former nemesis Reducto, a mad scientist who carries a shrink ray, became "Myron Reducto," an obsessive-compulsive and paranoid attorney who carries a shrink ray. Also, several of the plots revolved around exploring theories that fans have posited for some time about classic Hanna-Barbera characters, such as Benton Quest and Race Bannon being homosexual lovers, or Shaggy and Scooby-Doo being stoners.
Although the first season was animated using traditional cel animation, starting with the second season, the show was produced using Adobe Flash. The reason for the switch was that the animation studio was having difficulty maintaining the fast pace of the show, and thus the production of episodes slowed down due to constant re-takes. By animating the series at Turner Studios in Atlanta, Georgia with Flash, not only were problems corrected faster, but production costs were much lower. Some animation was also done for the show at Bardel Entertainment in Vancouver, Canada.

Characters

Sebben & Sebben

Description
'Harvey Birdman' starred in the Hanna-Barbera show ''Birdman and the Galaxy Trio'' in the 1960s. He gets strength and power from sunlight, and grows weak if kept away from the sun for too long. His superpowers include flight, the ability to create a solid light shield, and the ability to shoot energy beams from his hands. These powers are thought to stem from the crest on his helmet, though Harvey isn't entirely sure of the crest's true role in his powers. He has since retired from his superhero job and is now working for the law firm of Sebben & Sebben. Harvey is 6'6", and has large wings growing out of his back, genetically inherited from his father. His clients consist of other Hanna-Barbera characters of the past and present. He has a correspondence diploma in law, and LLM is displayed after his name on his business cards, indicating that he is a Legum Magister.
'Avenger', a large purple eagle, is Harvey's old sidekick, now serving as his legal secretary. Avenger sits on a perch on Harvey's desk, and sleeps in a canary cage in the office at night. Avenger's tasks usually involve taking dictation or filing. Avenger is badly hindered by his inability to speak, even though it is clear that he can understand, or at least perceive, the meaning in the speech of other characters. Avenger can type and write English by claw, and Harvey seems to understand every "caw" he says.
'Peanut' was hired by Harvey to be his legal clerk; this character is modeled after Birdboy, who appeared in one several episodes of the original ''Birdman'' cartoon. Unlike Birdman, Peanut's powers are not natural. His wings are metal or wooden, and his shield and energy beams come from "power bands" on his wrists. In most cases, he is unnervingly cool and calculated, often in extreme contrast to the goings-on around him, but can often be seen working behind the scenes towards uncertain or explicitly seedy ends. He has an ongoing rivalry with Avenger. He also speaks Japanese and Spanish. ''
'Phil Ken Sebben' was the president and cofounder of the law firm Sebben & Sebben. Back when Birdman was a superhero, Phil was Harvey's boss, whom he called by his code name, "Falcon Seven." He was recognizable by his blonde hair, an eyepatch, and a dark suit. He cofounded the firm with twin brother Bill when they were 26 (they were distinguishable by the fact their eyepatches are on opposite eyes). He had a habit of laughing twice randomly whenever he said a double entendre or a non sequitur. He has numerous vision problems; it is implied that he is blind in the eye ''not'' covered by his eyepatch, and he states that he "sees everything 3 feet to the left" of where they really are, and he must account for this fact. ''
'Peter Potamus' works at the law firm of Sebben & Sebben as a lawyer. The former star of ''Peter Potamus and His Magic Flying Balloon'', he has taken the role of annoying co-worker, as well as an accomplished lecher and glutton. He often uses the catch phrase, "Did you get that thing I sentcha?". Potamus is often unexpectedly caught having sex with inflatable female sex toys, followed usually by a quick "What the-", or the occasional "Mein Gott", German for "My God". He has a love/hate relationship with Judy Ken Sebben, and later in the series he acquired the ability to transform into the savage "Incredible Hippo" when angrily provoked. ''
'Antonio de Ribera Garcia Azul Falcón' ('Blue' to his friends) is an Argentinian lawyer who is very charming and popular. Also known as the superhero Blue Falcon, Falcón was first introduced as a new partner in the Sebben & Sebben firm. Falcón often relies on his sidekick Dyno-Mutt. He has a penchant for giving away "expensive and beautiful" silk clothing, which is often a cue for throwing an impromptu party (upon which he yells "Now, we make PARTY!"). An incompetent lawyer, he was later demoted to a men's room attendant in the Sebben & Sebben building. ''
'Judy Ken Sebben' is Phil's daughter, who seems to be very interested in Harvey's work as a lawyer. She takes on the alter ego of 'Birdgirl' (who appeared in one episode of the original cartoon) and attempts to integrate herself with the "bird team". However, her over-eagerness and clumsiness grates on Harvey, and he only begrudgingly accepts her role as his "sidekick". Birdgirl's actions seem to harken back to the action TV shows of the 60's and 70's, often using campy full-screen sound effects like "Punch!" and "Wham!", similar to the original Batman series; she also gave Harvey's inconspicuous sedan a complete overhaul, changing it into the Birdmobile (akin to the Batmobile, complete with "recirc rocket"). She has a habit of speaking her inner monologues regarding her secret identity out loud and often into an public address system. Her father Phil is oblivious to the fact that "Birdgirl" is really his own daughter, and flirts with her inappropriately in their encounters when she is wearing her mask. Judy also assisted Peter Potamus in controlling his transformations into the "Incredible Hippo" with grinding, sexually inticing yoga excercises. Peter seems to be aware of her own secret identity having recognised her despite her costume in the series finale, indicating she revealed it to him.
'Bear' is a recurring pantomime character who appears randomly throughout each episode, often at the end joining in with the laughter of the rest of the cast. Bear's actual role at the lawfirm is unclear, commonly believed to be a lawyer/bartender, and his presence among the employees seems to often go unnoticed or uncommented by the others. He is often seen randomly assisting the others in various bizarre tasks, including skeet shooting and digging a large hole with Peanut in the middle of Harvey's office. He sometimes comments by smiling and releasing an inquisitive-sounding "Awr?"

Rival lawyers

Description
'Myron Reducto' is an attorney at Freezoid, Zarog & Skon, and is one of Harvey's most common courtroom opponents, as well as one of Birdman's closest friends. He is a small man with green tinged skin, and brandishes a shrink-ray. He and Birdman were once enemies but seem to have put aside their differences, clashing only on a professional level and often having lunch together. He is highly obsessive compulsive and prone to occasional paranoid and/or conspiracy theorist monologues, particular about things that are smaller than him, like Inch High, Private Eye. He drives a new Mini Cooper, and his political views have been suggested to be Libertarian. Some of Reducto's common catch phrases are "Back off!", "I'll make you teensy!", "I'll make you fun size!" and "I will shrink you!" ''
'Vulturo' is another one of Harvey's former villains turned rival lawyers. His primary set-back is a speech impediment that he seems entirely unaware of. He has a thick, pompous accent and though he will often start talking in a normal voice, he soon trails off into incomprehensible gibberish. This seems to have little effect on his success rate as a lawyer. He lives in an underground lair, somewhat similar to the Batcave. His original assistant, Dirth, was a robotic vulture.
'Evelyn Spyro Throckmorton' is a villain/lawyer with tendencies toward the dramatic. Fancying himself as a thespian, he stages theater, spoken word plays, and opera in the courtroom as oral arguments. He often talks above witnesses, occasionally questioning them in foreign languages.
'Stan Freezoid' is another villain/lawyer, whose main ability is freezing. His personality and demeanor as a lawyer is that of a stereotypical , though Reducto says he is "the best criminal defense guy in the business." His business suit appears to be painted onto his robotic form. He usually seems rather benign, but he has an explosive temper when ignored, often threatening, "I'll freeze your ass!" He is a Name Partner at Freezoid, Zarog & Skon.
'M!!!butu' is an African Witch doctor that often appears during chaotic scenes yelling in mock-Zulu and jabbing a spear. His name is pronounced "Mmm ★ click ★ click ★ click ★ mmbutu", and he is a member of the board and Freezoid, Zarog & Skon.
'M!!!butu JR.' is M!!!butu's son. He is identical to M!!!butu, but is slightly shorter. He is a master of voodoo arts and is quite nifty with a blow dart.

Court

Description
Judge 'Mentok the Mindtaker' was a former enemy of Birdman, but now is a court judge who often hears his cases. He has various psychic powers including the ability to teleport, read minds, hypnotize, predict the future and move things with telekinesis - all referred to as "mind taking" - but he rarely uses them for anything beyond sophomoric mischief. He has been given the personality of a flamboyant stage magician; because of this, he often predicts the outcome of the cases he presides over before they have even started. He often makes an entrance, such as appearing in a cloud of smoke or from a bolt of lightning. Mentok's gavel is a brain that squeaks when struck. He also seems to enjoy annoying the courtroom's Bailiff, while the bailiff just ignores him and stares forward with blank expression. ''.
Judge 'Hiram Mightor' was a Hanna-Barbera super-hero of the sixties known as the ''Mighty Mightor'', one who lived in prehistoric times and got his powers from a magic club. He uses such a club as a gavel of sorts and speaks with a southern accent (as opposed to the cartoon from which he is derived). He dresses in traditional judge's robes and wig. Mightor is always coughing up various objects, including a squirrel, a clown car, a miniature Yngwie J. Malmsteen, and a much smaller version of himself and his judge's bench (which also coughs up another judge's bench). He has a problem remembering people's names, often mangling Birdman's name into "Mister Birdbath", "Mr. Bumnuts", "Beanbag", "Mr. Buttermilk" or "Bootylicious". On a few occasions, when a double entendre is made in a court case about something related to male genitalia, the scene will briefly cut to Mightor in a setting holding a long object upwards, while swirling it around slightly and saying, "Deedle-deedle-dee."

Others

Description
'X the Eliminator' is an enemy of Birdman's who was originally commissioned by the organization F.E.A.R. to obtain Birdman's source of power — the Crest on Birdman's helmet. His failure to do so has, over several decades, turned him into a stalking fanboy with a love/hate relationship with Birdman. X's tool of choice is an ungainly silver death console with a telescoping laser emitter that uses obsolete vacuum tube technology. X often misses opportunities to attack Birdman with his death console because it takes a long time to recharge after he fires it. X is never seen outside his hooded costume; at one point he got plastic surgery because he was under the impression Birdman wouldn't notice him because of the way he looked, but it made no visible difference in his appearance. He frequently shows up at Birdman's office to eliminate him, but Harvey's secretary almost always mistakes him for hired help. X still lives with his mother in a room filled with Birdman memorabilia.
'Gigi' is a recurring character, first appearing in the first season episode ''Trio's Company''. She has at least ten husbands and frequently philanders with male characters on the show, except for Harvey (despite his being one of her husbands). She also calls him "Harry". She is based on the character 'Gravity Girl' (hence the name: G.G.= Gigi) from the original Birdman and the Galaxy Trio; her Galaxy Trio teammates 'Vapor Man' and 'Meteor Man' have occasional cameos as her current/former casual boyfriends.
'Apache Chief' is a small-time superhero who was once a member of the Super Friends, whose power is enlarging himself to immense size. As a fellow third-string superhero, Harvey often comes to Apache for advice.
'Black Vulcan' is a small-time superhero who was once a member of the Super Friends. His power is that of lightning, which he sums up as, "Pure electricity. In my pants." He used to insist upon being called "Supervolt," but has since accepted "Black Vulcan" as his super-moniker, although he insists he got the name because of racism. In most of his appearances, he or another character says some variation on "In my pants". ''
'Zardo' is X's best friend, having given up his life of crime/villainy apparently to be a homemaker and best friend of X. He has a mace in place of a left hand, is never seen without his bullet-shaped helmet, through which only his eyes can be seen, and speaks with a vaguely foreign-sounding accent. Zardo also has characteristics of fanboyism, but much toned down compared to X. He also seems to be the voice of reason with X.
'Alexander The Bartender' is the man behind the counter at the Birdcage, a bar Harvey frequents with his friends. Oddly, he appears to be a former agent of F.E.A.R., an organization that was determined to destroy Birdman in his superhero days. He first appears on the 2nd episode.
'Mr. Fezz' is a man from somewhere around Arabia. He is a short bald man, wearing a red fezz, and a pink vest, while wearing white pants. He usually steals Harvey's stuff, such as his stapler.

Cast and crew

Main cast

★ Gary Cole - Harvey Birdman, Hiram Mightor

★ Stephen Colbert - Myron Reducto, Phil Ken Sebben, The Eagle of Truth

★ Peter MacNicol - X the Eliminator

★ Thomas Allen - Peanut

★ John Michael Higgins - Mentok the Mindtaker

★ 'Various Voices' - Avenger

★ Joe Alaskey - Peter Potamus (1st Voice)

★ Chris Edgerly - Peter Potamus (2nd Voice), Dvd, Mr. Finkerton, The Funky Phantom, Tinker, Augie Doggie, Captain Caveman, Fancy Fancy

★ Debi Mae West - Gigi

★ Maurice LaMarche - Azul Falcone, Stan Freezoid, Apache Chief, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Der Spuzmacher, Inch High, Speed Buggy, Doggie Daddy, Droopy Dog, Quick Draw McGraw, Wally Gator, Morocco Mole, Cavey Jr., Mr. Peebles, Magilla Gorilla, Benny the Ball, Dum Dum, Shazzan, Atom Ant, Nitron

★ Grey DeLisle - Debbie, Daphne Blake, Mary

★ Michael McKean - Evelyn Spyro Throckmorton

★ Neil Ross - Vulturo, Dr. Benton Quest, Ding-A-Ling Wolf

★ Phil LaMarr - Black Vulcan

★ Matt Peccini - The Bear

★ Paget Brewster - Birdgirl

Crew

★ Michael Ouweleen, Erik Richter -- Creators/Writers

★ Evan W. Adler -- Producer

★ Richard Ferguson-Hull -- Director (Second, Third and Fourth Seasons)

★ Ben Jones -- Director (First Season)

★ Vincent Waller -- Supervising Director (First Season)

★ J.J. Sedelmaier -- Director (Pilot)

★ Kevin Desmarais -- Line Producer

★ Lisa Jones -- Associate Producer

★ Dan Sousa -- Storyboards, Animation

★ Sean Lattrell -- Storyboards

★ Les Harper -- Lead Animator (Episodes 10-22)

★ Steve Vitale -- Lead Animator (Episodes 23-39)

★ Brian DeTagyos -- Animator

★ Jon Henshaw -- Animator

★ Bryan Capik -- Animator

★ Adam Fuchs -- Animator

★ Daniel Bodinof -- Animator

★ Mario Orlando -- Animator

★ Jamal Otolorin -- Animator

★ Victor Beitzel -- Ink and Paint, Special Systems

★ Jeff Brody -- Composite

★ Daniel Golden -- Backgrounds

★ David DiMatteo -- Backgrounds

★ Jake Bauming -- Designer

★ Liz Vitale -- Designer

Guest appearances

★ Paul Adelstein - Murro the Marauder (in "Harvey's Civvy")

★ Jack Angel - Various Voices (in "Very Personal Injury")

★ Dee Bradley Baker - Jonny Quest (in "Bannon Custody Case")

★ Michael Bell - Zan (in "Very Personal Injury")

★ Jeff Bergman - George Jetson (in "Shaggy Busted")

★ Lewis Black - Elliott, The Deadly Duplicator (in "Sebben & Sebben Employee Orientation," "Identity Theft", "Juror In The Court", "The Death of Harvey")

★ Omid Djalili as The Perfectionist (in "Grodin")

★ Steven Blum - Yakky Doodle (in "Gone Efficien...t" and "Identity Theft"), Clamhead (in "Identity Theft")

★ Bill Farmer - Secret Squirrel (in "Blackwatch Plaid," and "Birdgirl of Guatanamole")

★ Keith Ferguson - Bill Ken Sebben (in "Birdnapped")

★ Nika Futterman - Debbie (in "High Speed Buggy Chase")

★ Mark Hamill - Ricochet Rabbit (in "X Gets The Crest")

★ Toby Huss - Ernie Devlin (in "The Devlin Made Me Do It," "Harvey's Civvy," "Grodin") and Shado (in "Harvey's Civvy")

★ Scott Innes - Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Doo, Scrappy-Doo (in "Shaggy Busted")

★ Tom Kenny - Boo-Boo Bear (in "Death By Chocolate"), Elroy Jetson (in "Back to the Present"), Top Cat, and Choo Choo (in "Mindless")

★ Steve Landesberg as Dr. Quincy (in "Death by Chocolate"), Bailiff ("The Dabba Don")

★ Tress MacNeille - Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles Flintstone (in "The Dabba Don")

★ Diane Michelle - Jane Jetson, Orbity (in "Back to the Present")

★ Larry Morris - Harvey Birdman in live action segments (numerous episodes).

★ Laraine Newman - Sybil Schussler (in "Very Personal Injury")

★ Rob Paulsen - Baba Looey (in "Guitar Control")

★ Thom Pinto - Race Bannon (in "Bannon Custody Case" and "Return of Birdgirl")

★ Doug Preis - Thundarr (in "The Dabba Don"), Beegle Beagle (in "Grape Juiced")

★ Kevin Michael Richardson - Barney Rubble (in "The Dabba Don")

★ André Sogliuzzo - Dynomutt (in "Deadomutt Part 1 & 2")

★ B.J. Ward - Velma Dinkley (in "Shaggy Busted")

★ Frank Welker as Fred Jones (in "Shaggy Busted"), Jabberjaw, Biff (in "Shoyu Weenie")

★ Billy West - Dr. Zin (in "Bannon Custody Case")

★ Wally Wingert - Hadji (in "Bannon Custody Case"), Mr. Harry Twiddles, Moby Dick (in "SPF"), George Jetson, Astro (in "Back to the Present")

Episodes

In production order. Repeats on Adult Swim show the episodes in this order, as do the DVDs. Because of this the premiere dates, on the right, are out of order.

DVD releases

DVD name	Release date	Ep #	Additional information
Volume One	April 12 2005	13	This two disc boxset contains the first 13 episodes of the show ("Bannon Custody Battle" through "High Speed Buggy Chase") in production order, along with commentaries on selected episodes, deleted scenes, and other special features.
Volume Two	October 10 2006	13	This two disc boxset contains the next 13 episodes of the show ("Back to the Present" through "Evolutionary War") in production order, along with commentaries on 9 episodes, additional footage and other special features.
Volume Three	July 24 2007	13	This two disc boxset contains the final 13 episodes of the show ("Turner Classic Birdman" through "The Death of Harvey") in production order, along with special features.

References

1. Harvey Birdman Finale on Adult Swim
2. http://www.adultswim.com/schedule/index.html
3. E3 2007: Harvey Birdman Preview Charles Onyett
4. Move Over Phoenix Wright, PSP Has Harvey Birdman on the Case! Naquan Baity

External links

★ Official Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Website

★ AdultSwim.co.uk - Watch Harvey Birdman on Adult Swim UK

★ IGN's ''10 Questions: Harvey Birdman''

★ IGN's review of the DVD set, ''Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Volume 1''

★

★

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HARVEY BIRDMAN, ATTORNEY AT LAW

Premise

Characters

Sebben & Sebben

Rival lawyers

Court

Others

Cast and crew

Main cast

Crew

Guest appearances

Episodes

Volume 1: 2000-2004

Volume 2: 2004-2005

Volume 3: 2005-2007

DVD releases

See also

References

External links

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