Josie and the Pussycats/Trivia

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Executive Meddling: Ultimately averted. Upon being presented with the band formed for the cartoon by music producer/songwriter Danny Janssen as part of finalizing the production deal, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera immediately objected to having a black character in the show -- and even objected to having a black singer (soul/pop/R&B singer/songwriter Patrice Holloway) as part of the trio recording the show's music. They insisted that Valerie be changed to a white girl and a white voice, despite Valerie having been black since she'd been introduced in the Josie comic the year before. However, Janssen felt that Holloway's voice was vital to the soul-inspired bubblegum pop sound he had created for the band, and threatened to walk away from the project. After a three-week standoff, Hanna and Barbera relented; Valerie remained black, and Holloway remained her singing voice. (In appreciation of Janssen's stand, a number of the most notable soul session players in L.A. offered their services to Janssen and the Josie album at a fraction of their regular fees, including members of Elvis Presley's band, resulting in an unusually impressive sound for a cartoon's tie-in music.)
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: Patrice Holloway as the singing voice of Valerie (as noted above).
  • Retroactive Recognition: Cherie Moor -- who became much more famous as Cheryl Ladd a few years later -- as Melody's singing voice.
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