| George and Junior | |
|---|---|
| MGM Cartoons character | |
 George (left) and Junior (right), seen inRed Hot Rangers | |
| First appearance |
|
| Last appearance |
|
| Created by | Tex Avery |
| Designed by | Irven Spence[1] |
| Voiced by | George: Dick Nelson (1946–1947)[2] Wally Maher (1948) John Rubinow (1995) Benjamin Diskin (2019) Junior: Tex Avery (1946–1948)[2] Tony Pope (1995) Stephen Stanton (2019) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Bears |
| Gender | Male |
George and Junior are cartoon characters, two anthropomorphic bears created byTex Avery forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer. All of the George and Junior shorts were directed by Tex Avery in the 1940s. They appeared in four cartoons:Henpecked Hoboes (1946),Hound Hunters (1947),Red Hot Rangers (1947), andHalf-Pint Pygmy (1948).[3]
The cartoons would usually follow the misadventures of two bears inspired by George and Lennie fromJohn Steinbeck'sOf Mice and Men:[4] George, the short, short-tempered, intelligent one (voiced by Dick Nelson[2]) and Junior, the tall, dim-witted, strong one (voiced by Tex Avery[2]). George would usually come up with a plan to fix their current situation. Junior would accidentally mess it up somehow, then George would get angry and say "Bend over, Junior", and, when Junior does so, George delivers a hard kick to his rear end.
The characters' looks and voices were altered for their fourth appearance.
A gray-purple version of George made a headshot cameo appearance during the final scene of the 1988 filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit (the octopus fromHalf-Pint Pygmy also made a cameo as a bartender at The Ink and Paint Club). Junior was planned to have a cameo in the film, but was later dropped for unknown reasons. They would later make appearances inDark Horse Comics with Tex Avery'sWolf and Red andScrewy Squirrel.
Later, they were brought back to life by Pat Ventura on theHanna-Barbera anthology franchiseWhat a Cartoon! in the 1990s voiced by John Rubinow andTony Pope, respectively.
Lucky Ducky was originally planned to feature George and Junior.[5]
In 2019, both George and Junior make an appearance as zoo catchers in the fourth season ofThe Tom and Jerry Show episode called "Shadow of a Doubt". They also make various cameos in the series. In the show, George is voiced byBen Diskin, while Junior is voiced byStephen Stanton.
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henpecked Hoboes | October 26, 1946 |
| 2 | Hound Hunters | April 12, 1947 |
| 3 | Red Hot Rangers | May 3, 1947 |
| 4 | Half-Pint Pygmy | August 7, 1948 |
| 5 | Look Out Below | April 9, 1995[6][7] |
| 6 | George and Junior's Christmas Spectacular | July 23, 1995[8] |
In 2020,Warner Archive released the cartoonsHound Hunters andRed Hot Rangers uncut and digitally restored as part of theTex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1 Blu-Ray.