The Buford Files (not to be confused with the live-action show The Rockford Files) and The Galloping Ghost originally aired as segments on Yogi's Space Race from September 9, 1978, to January 27, 1979.[3] Following the cancellation of Yogi's Space Race, both segments were repackaged and spun off into a half-hour show on NBC from February 3 to September 1, 1979. The show has been rebroadcast on USA Cartoon Express, Cartoon Network and Boomerang.[4]
The Buford Files
Buford is a lazy bloodhound with a mournful bark and a sharp nose for solving mysteries who lives deep in Fenokee Swamp. He teams up with the teenage Boggs twins, Cindy Mae and Woody. The trio solves confusing mysteries that baffle Sheriff Muletrain and his overeager but dimwitted deputy Goofer McGee. Buford's abilities are expanded with ears that revolve like radar dishes, and his nose responds to clues like a Geiger counter.
But Buford has two weaknesses: when the moon comes out, he howls incessantly (often at the most perilous moments), and he also has a running feud with a karate-whacking raccoon.[5]
Nugget Nose is a short and feisty ghost of an Old West gold prospector who finds adventure riding his invisible horse. He is also a guardian to Wendy and Rita, two young cowgirls who work at the Fuddy Dude Ranch, owned by grouchy, old Fenwick Fuddy.
Whenever Fuddy threatens to fire the girls, Nugget makes himself invisible and becomes a helping friend. He is always battling Fuddy and takes delight in harassing him in odd and humorous ways. When the girls are in trouble, Wendy summons Nugget by rubbing on her special gold nugget necklace.[6]
The Swamp Hermit: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford visit their friend Jeb Crowley in Fenokee Swamp and soon discover he has been kidnapped by a pair of escaped convicts.Phantom of the Horse Opera: Wendy and Rita are star-struck with dreams of becoming movie stars when a Hollywood producer visits the Fuddy Dude Ranch.
2
"The Vanishing Stallion / Too Many Crooks"
September 16, 1978 (1978-09-16)
The Vanishing Stallion: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford watch a stallion mysteriously disappear during the Fenokee annual steeplechase race.Too Many Crooks: A crook-on-the-loose seeks refuge at the Fuddy Dude Ranch; Wendy and Rita summon Nugget Nose to help save the day and capture the crook.
3
"The Swamp Saucer / Sagebrush Sergeant"
September 23, 1978 (1978-09-23)
The Swamp Saucer: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford investigate when a mysterious UFO has been sighted in Fenokee Swamp and they get in contact with an astro-chimp.Sagebrush Sergeant: Mr. Fuddy's sister, a tough army sergeant, visits the ranch and starts Fuddy and the girls on a rigid schedule of exercise and work.
4
"The Man with Orange Hair / Bad News Bear"
September 30, 1978 (1978-09-30)
The Man with Orange Hair: At the Fenokee Sports Palace, Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford investigate when a pair of silver ice skates are stolen by a performer with orange hair.Bad News Bear: Nugget Nose and the girls try to prevent Mr. Fuddy and a safety inspector from discovering a grizzly bear hiding out at the Fuddy Dude Ranch.
5
"The Demon of Ur / Robot Round-Up"
October 7, 1978 (1978-10-07)
The Demon of Ur: Deputy Goofer fails to safeguard a demon statue of Ur, which disappears from a train bound from Tecusah to the Fenokee Community Center.Robot Round-Up: Wendy and Rita are worried of losing their jobs when Mr. Fuddy hires a robot to work at the Fuddy Dude Ranch.
6
"The Missing Bank / Pests in the West"
October 14, 1978 (1978-10-14)
The Missing Bank: Deputy Goofer delivers $10 million from Fenokee Bank to a bank in Culpepper in an armored car, but the bank president claims he never received the money.Pests in the West:
7
"Scare in the Air / Rock Star Nuggie"
October 21, 1978 (1978-10-21)
Scare in the Air: At a Fenokee air show, Buford gets caught in a near-plane crashing accident and next comes an amphibious plane out of control and going missing.Rock Star Nuggie: Nugget Nose becomes jealous of Wendy and Rita's fawning over a visiting rock star and he begins causing trouble to scare him away.
8
"Buford and the Beauty / Frontier Fortune Teller"
October 28, 1978 (1978-10-28)
Buford and the Beauty: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford go see a movie being filmed in Fenokee County starring a show dog named Duchess, who is kidnapped for ransom.Frontier Fortune Teller: Wendy and Rita seek Nugget Nose's help when a couple of thieves posing as phony fortune tellers plot to steal Mr. Fuddy's furniture.
9
"Peril in the Park / I Want My Mummy"
November 4, 1978 (1978-11-04)
Peril in the Park: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford visit the local amusement park to look for summer jobs, but the place is closing down because someone is sabotaging the rides.I Want My Mummy: At the Fuddy Dude Ranch costume party, Wendy is disguised as the mummy of Queen Tut-Tut, a rejuvenated ancient female Egyptian ruler.
10
"The Magic Whammy / Mr. Sunshine's Eclipse"
November 11, 1978 (1978-11-11)
The Magic Whammy: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford attend the Great Zambini Magic Show while banks in Fenokee are mysteriously being robbed without any sign of a break-in.Mr. Sunshine's Eclipse: Wendy and Rita summon Nugget Nose to scare away Mr. Sunshine, an annoying TV prankster on vacation at the Fuddy Dude Ranch.
11
"The Haunting of Swamp Manor / Klondike Kate"
November 18, 1978 (1978-11-18)
The Haunting of Swamp Manor: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford venture in the old Grimsley Mansion which is haunted by the ghost of Jedediah Grimsley, a Confederate general.Klondike Kate: Nugget Nose is reunited with Klondike Kate—a ghost girlfriend from his past—whom he had promised to marry if he struck gold.
12
"The Case of the Missing Gator / A Ghost of a Chance"
November 25, 1978 (1978-11-25)
The Case of the Missing Gator: Jeb Crowley's pet alligator, Gertrude, is missing and smugglers in the swamp are after some stolen diamonds.A Ghost of a Chance: A millionaire guest offers $1 million to prove that ghosts exist at the Fuddy Dude Ranch, so Mr. Fuddy goes to great lengths to try and capture Nugget Nose.
13
"Don't Monkey with Buford / Elmo the Great"
December 2, 1978 (1978-12-02)
Don't Monkey with Buford: Woody, Cindy Mae and Buford are invited to the circus by Duchess, whose diamond collar is stolen during the parade by a chimp.Elmo the Great: Wendy and Rita buy a horse named Elmo as a surprise birthday gift for Mr. Fuddy, but the troublesome horse becomes too much for Mr. Fuddy to handle.
Production
Buford and the Galloping Ghost was animated at Filman, an animation studio in Madrid, Spain (headed by Carlos Alfonso and Juan Pina) who did a lot of animation work for Hanna-Barbera between the early 1970s through the mid-1980s.
References
^Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 934. ISBN978-1476665993.
^Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 97–98. ISBN978-1538103739.
^Green, Paul (2009). Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Films, Television, and Games. McFarland. p. 47. ISBN978-0-786-44390-1.
