The Gruesome Game of the Gator Ghoul

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The Gruesome Game of the Gator Ghoul
Details
Episode #	103
Air date	September 25, 1976 (ABC)
Written by	See below
Directed by	Charles A. Nichols
Chronology
Previous episode	The Fiesta Host is an Aztec Ghost
Next episode	Watt a Shocking Ghost

The Gruesome Game of the Gator Ghoul is the third episode of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, later repackaged as the third episode in the first season of The Scooby-Doo Show.

Premise

The gang is on their way to see Scooby-Dum, Scooby-Doo's cousin. They learn that his owners Ma and Pa Skillett used to be in the business of making a special drink called Fenokee Fizz, but business has been terrible because of a strange alligator creature haunting the swamps where they live.

Synopsis

Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma and Daphne are driving through the swampy south to visit Ma and Pa Skillett and their dog, Scooby-Dum. When Daphne questions if the two dogs even know each other, Shaggy and Velma explain that they're actually cousins but haven't seen each other since they were puppies. Ma and Pa Skillett own a showboat restaurant featuring a special drink called Fenokee Fizz. On the way, they are stalked by a strange, bipedal alligator creature that flashes yellow beams from its eyes. Scooby and the gang arrive at the showboat and meet Scooby's cousin, Scooby Dum. They also meet Ma and Pa Skillett, who tell the gang about the gator ghoul and how it has been scaring their customers and ruining their business. The old couple shows the gang to the machinery room where the gang starts looking for clues. In the process, they run into the gator ghoul who chases them briefly. Scooby Dum accidentally turns on the soda machine and the machine overflows with soda, fending off the alligator monster.

Shortly afterwards, the gang meets the Skillet's dishwasher and handyman, Simon, who is not very considerate. Mystery Inc. also meets the maid, Alice Dovely, who is a sweet and caring lady. The gang goes to search for clues, and suspicious of Simon's behavior, decide to search his empty cabin. All they find is a magazine titled Legend of the Swamp with a similar looking Ghost of Gator Ghoul on the front cover. The gang splits up and searches the showboat, and Shaggy, Scooby Doo and Scooby Dum get into an altercation with the Ghost of Gator Ghoul, and they are chased out onto the water wheel. Scooby Dum unintentionally saves them and, in the process, finds a clue. It is an alligator suit with a motor inside. A label on the outside of the costume reveals that the costume is property of the Beauregarde Film Company, and the gang deduces the costume was made for a movie in this location a while ago.

Velma remembers they shot most of the movie inside an old shack in the swamp and the gang checks it out. Inside they find a piece of stationery from a rival soda company, Kookie Cola. They also find shredded pieces of paper, and the gang manages to piece together some of the paper, but it is still not understandable. In the kitchen Shaggy has made a batter for a snack called Funky Fritters, but then he accidentally steps in the batter and his shoes get stuck, resulting in having to slip out of them. The incident gives the gang an idea for a trap. Fred spreads the batter along the floor and covers Scooby Dum, Shaggy and Scooby Doo in flour so they won't stick to the batter like Shaggy's shoes did, then they will lead the alligator to the batter and get it stuck. Shaggy, Scooby and Scooby Dum step outside and make faces distracting Gator Ghoul. Shaggy, Scooby and Scooby Dum are chased into the kitchen, where the plan works in sticking the Gator Ghoul right in its tracks.

Alice Dovely's termination notice

Before unmasking the ghoul, Velma has put the shredded note completely together and it now reads: "Notice of termination from Kookie Cola Company to Alice Dovely." The gator is unmasked as Alice Dovely. Velma and Daphne explain that Alice used to work at Kookie Kola but she got fired, hence the notice of termination the gang found. Alice had confidential information that the owner of Kookie Kola was going to buy Fenokee Fizz. To get even with Kookie Cola for terminating her employment, Alice decided to use the legend to ruin Ma and Pa Skillet's business, take over Fenokee Fizz and sell it to Kookie Kola for a fortune. The beaming yellow eyes were powered with flashlight batteries, and Alice used the head from the alligator costume the film company left behind as part of her get-up.

Later, Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and Scooby-Dum eat more of the fritter batter and Scooby-Doo accidentally eats Shaggy's sneakers, to everyone's (including Shaggy) amusement.

Characters

Main characters:

• Mystery Inc.
  • Scooby-Doo
  • Shaggy Rogers
  • Fred Jones
  • Daphne Blake
  • Velma Dinkley
• Scooby-Dum ^{(first appearance)}

Supporting characters:

• Pa Skillett ^{(only appearance)}
• Ma Skillett ^{(only appearance)}
• Simon Stingy ^{(only appearance)}

Villains:

• Ghost of Gator Ghoul ^{(only appearance) (no lines) (Alice Dovely's disguise)}
• Alice Dovely ^{(only appearance)}

Other characters:

• B.B. ^(mentioned)
• Sheriff ^(mentioned)

Locations

• Georgia
  • Hokeyfenokee Swamp
    • Skillett Showboat
    • Simon Stingy's cabin
    • Swamp shack

Objects

• Bucket
• Raft
• Scooby-Dum's magnifying glass
• Headless alligator costume
• Kookie Cola stationery
• Torn pieces of pink slip
• Fenokee Fizz
• Fenokee Fizz machine
• Chili peppers
• Funky Fritters
• Fritter batter
• Lantern
• Legend of the Swamp
• Shaggy's sneakers
• Flour

Vehicles

• The Mystery Machine
• Skillett Showboat

Suspects

Suspect	Motive/reason
Simon Stingy	Surly attitude. The gang found a suspicious magazine in his cabin.

Culprits

Culprit	Motive/reason
Alice Dovely as the Ghost of Gator Ghoul	To get revenge on Kookie Cola for firing her, she would ruin Fenokee Fizz by scaring people away with the Gator Ghoul. She would then gain ownership of Fenokee Fizz and sell it to Kookie Kola for a fortune.

Cast

Don Messick	Scooby-Doo Pa Skillett
Casey Kasem	Shaggy Rogers Simon Stingy
Frank Welker	Fred Jones Ghost of Gator Ghoul
Heather North	Daphne Blake
Pat Stevens	Velma Dinkley
Alan Oppenheimer	Scooby-Dum
Virginia Gregg	Ma Skillett Alice Dovely

Full credits

The following credits reflect closely as possible to how they are seen on-screen.

• Executive Producers: Joseph Barbera and William Hanna
• Director: Charles A. Nichols
• Creative Producer: Iwao Takamoto
• Associate Producer: Alex Lovy
• Storyboard Direction: Jan Green, Cullen Houghtaling, Don Sheppard, Paul Sommer
• Recording Director: Alex Lovy
• Story Editor: Ray Parker
• Story: Larz Bourne, Haskell Barkin, Dick Conway, Tom Dagenais, Willie Gilbert, Tony DiMarco, Duane Poole, Dave Ketchum, Norman Maurer, Dick Robbins, Dalton Sandifer
• Voices: Bob Holt, Allan Melvin, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Pat Stevens, Janet Waldo, Mickey Dolenz, Linda Hutson, Virginia Gregg, Hettie Lynn Hurtes, Shirley Mitchell, Heather North, Alan Oppenheimer, John Stephenson, Lennie Weinrib, Frank Welker, Daws Butler
• Production Design: Bob Singer
• Character Design: Alex Toth
• Production Supervisor: Victor O. Schipek
• Graphics: Iraj Paran
• Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
• Musical Direction: Paul DeKorte
• Layout: Mike Arens, Hak Ficq, Jack Huber, Ray Jacobs, Tony Rivera, Jim Mueller, Tony Sgroi, Terry Slade, Owen Fitzgerald, C.L. Hartman, Alex Ignatiev, Ziggy Jablecki, Homer Jonas, Warren Marshall, Steve Nakagawa, Bob Singer, Linda Rowley, Adam Szwejkowski, Wendell Washer, Al Wilson, George Wheeler
• Unit Director: Bill Keil
• Animation: Ed Barge, Bob Goe, Bill Hutten, Tony Love, O.E. Callahan, Lars Calonius, Rudy Cataldi, Steve Clark, Hugh Fraser, Bob Hathcock, Jerry Hathcock, Volus Jones, Ken Muse, Rod Parkes, Veve Risto, Jay Sarbry, Xenia, Margaret Nichols, Don Patterson, Morey Reden, Ed Soloman, Ken Southworth, Dave Tendlar, Dick Thompson, Carlo Vinci, Russ Von Neida
• Backgrounds: Fernando Arce, Dennis Durrell, Al Gmuer, Richard Khim, Fernando Montealegre, Marilyn Shimokochi, Dennis Venizelos
• Technical Supervisor: Frank Paiker
• Checking and Scene Planning: Evelyn Sherwood
• Ink and Paint Supervisor: Billie Kerns
• Xerography: Star Wirth
• Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
• Supervising Film Editors: Chip Yaras
• Music Editors: Larry Cowan, Pat Foley, Joe Sandusky
• Effects Editors: Richard Allen, Tom Gleason, Terry Moore
• Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
• Post Production Supervisor: Joed Eaton
• Camera: George Epperson, Curt Hall, Ron Jackson, Norman Stainback, Roy Wade
• Production Manager: Jayne Barbera
• A Hanna-Barbera Production
• © 1976 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.
• RCA Sound Recording
• Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.

Notes/trivia

• The "Gator Ghoul" who first appears in the opening act of the episode, when the gang arrives in Hokeyfenokee Swamp, is likely the robotic version given the rigidness of its physical movements, foreshadowing the gang's later discovery of the animatronic monster.
• Shaggy's question at the end of the episode as to why the Ghoul's identity is still being concealed at that point is likely a reference to the common Scooby-Doo trope of the gang not revealing the name of the culprit until after their disguise has been removed.
• A cyber version of the Gator Ghoul appears in the DTV Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase and is also a boss in the Game Boy Advance adaptation of the movie.

Miscellaneous

• Traps: Fritter batter.
• Disguises: Shaggy, Scooby and Dum as ghosts.
• "Zoinks" count: 0.
• "Jeepers" count: 1.
• "Jinkies" count: 1.
• "Gang way" count: 1.

Cultural references

• "Hokeyfenokee" is a parody of "Okefenokee", a real wetland located on the Georgia-Florida border.
• Ma and Pa Skillet are named for Ma and Pa Kettle, hillbilly characters from Betty MacDonald's 1945 novel The Egg and I, which inspired a series of comedy films.
• "Kookie Kola" is a parody of "Coca-Cola".
• The pepper and tabasco pots say "H and B", named after Hanna-Barbera.

Animation mistakes/technical glitches

• When Velma discovered the torn up pieces of paper, they were pretty small. But when they were put together, some of the pieces were much bigger.
• When Shaggy, Scooby, and Scooby-Dum make the second batch of funky fritters, Shaggy has his shoes on, even though he lost them in the fritter batter, but after Scooby ends up accidentally eating the shoes, Shaggy doesn't have his shoes on again.

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities

• Alice looks for some reason much more skinny and slightly older when she's unmasked, with her face appearing longer and gaunt after Fred removes her mask.

Home media

• The Scooby-Doo!/Dynomutt Hour: The Complete Series DVD set released by Warner Home Video on March 7, 2006.
• Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog (Home Media) DVD released by Warner Home Video on September 14, 2021.
• Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog (Home Media) DVD released by Warner Home Video on September 15, 2021.

Quotes

Shaggy: Suddenly, this black mysterious night has become a yellow mysterious night.

Shaggy: Why does it always have to be a secret? If you know who the Gator Ghoul is, then why all the hush-hush?

External links

• Buy from Amazon (US)
• Buy from Amazon (UK)
• Buy from iTunes (US)
• Buy from iTunes (CA)
• Buy from iTunes (UK)
• Buy from VUDU

Previous episode:	Series:	Next episode:
The Fiesta Host is an Aztec Ghost	The Scooby-Doo Show Season 1	Watt a Shocking Ghost