1. When did you first realize how popular the Banana Splits were and how did the popularity of your show change
your life?
Well, I never did know how popular the show was. Somehow, I never looked to find the ratings. Here, 30+ years later, I meet a surprising (to me) number of people who have very strong feelings about that show.
"Dear Drooper" was a segment from the second year of filming. For props, they spread real Splits fan mail on the table! It was the first any of us had seen. When that segment finished shooting, it was also the last fan mail we saw.
My street face remained unknown, so I never had people spotting me in public to ask for my autograph. I had to *tell* people I was "famous". I tried to impress one girl: "Have you ever seen that Saturday morning show with the four guys dressed up in animal costumes, The Banana Splits
Adventure Hour?" She said, "Oh yes, I think I saw about five minutes of it one time and turned it off in disgust." Sigh. She and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this October.
I think the show might have been more life-changing for me if it had continued for more seasons. As it was, I had two summers of work out of it and several one-shot opportunities. We did a Della Reese Show, a Rose Parade Pre-Parade Show (live), and we have a Laugh In credit. We also did a Rolo Candy commercial.
2. People e-mail me telling me that they've seen Banana Splits concerts.
Was that you and the rest of the TV actors on tour or did they hire other actors for that job?
We heard about the concerts, but the opportunity to participate was never offered to me. Because the performers were anonymous, the concert producers were able to hire local people, thus saving travel and per diem costs. No concert ever happened near me.
3. Jeff (Fleegle) had mentioned to me that he was the only original Split to appear in the movie "Hocus Pocus Park," why was that?
Uh, what is "Hocus Pocus Park"? I've never heard of it. If it was Splits related, Jeff didn't ever mention it. Hanna Barbera never called. I wonder why? When was it?
NOTE: "Hocus Pocus Park" was aired in the early 1970's. It was a one time part of "The Saturday Superstar Movie". It featured the Banana Splits live but they were transformed into cartoons. Along the same lines as the "web premiere toons" on the Carton Network website.
4. What was your life like before you became Super Drooper?
(interests, hobbies)
I was a teenager (18 for the first summer of shooting). My hobbies and interests were girls. I was also in the theatre and singing groups at school. I had a darkroom in the basement of the house and did all my own B&W work.
5. You can buy bootlegged versions of the Banana Splits CD off of eBay every now & then, Did you and the rest of your bunch care for those songs, and (for many curious fans) do you have any idea who the studio musicians were?
I'll have to look on a Splits album I bought back in about '69 to see if there are any performer notes. I bought it because it was available and would be a memento. I must have been right because I still have it, unscratched. "My" picture is not on the cover -- my suite is there, but I wasn't wearing it at that photo session and don't remember why. I think I was living in Northern California and they didn't bother to bring me in for
stills...
Did I care for the songs? You mean as in "like"? (I certainly didn't feed them or put them to bed... ;-) I'm delaying answering while I try to decide what I thought about the songs.
No, I don't think I liked them much. I didn't hate them, but they just didn't grab me. As I try to think why, my feeling is that they were simply commercial. It wasn't a group of performers trying to make a living as rock stars. It was a bunch of grown men and hired musicians writing and singing and performing for pay. They didn't really have a message. Their goal was to create music that would be "like" the contemporary pop/rock but would be acceptable to parents and the Network censors(?) and whoever.
6. Have you seen the NEW Banana Splits on Cartoon Networks web premiere toons?
If so, what's your opinion?
Sorry, I don't have cable and watch very little commercial television.
7. Were you (or your brothers) able to keep anything from the show, such as props?
( I hope you were able to find a trash can that'll allow you to throw away your trash without throwing it back at you, by now).
Rest assured, my trash transfers tend to be one-way these days. ;-)
Props? Costumes? Set pieces? Oh, no. These would never go with a performer. They belong to the producer and might be needed again if there is more show to do. At some point it becomes obvious that the old stuff costs more to store than it would cost to remake (especially sets -- flats are easy to paint). I suppose the costumes still exist somewhere. In '68,
I was impressed that the costumes cost $40,000.00 to build. That sounded like a lot of money to me. But it's a drop in the bucket for today's production costs.
We DID get to keep scripts from the second year. I don't think we were even given scripts the first year. All of the dialog was prerecorded, so we didn't need to memorize anything. We had to have a feel for the interactions so we could respond accordingly, but exact wording was never a problem. We occasionally had schtick that was unanticipated by the
writers, so the audio timing would have to be re-cut to fit the action.
I've moved several times since 1969 when I received those scripts. I've been in my current house for 16 years. I cannot think where those scripts are....
Humorous note: Drooper was on the Kellogg's Sugar Pops box for a while (I think they are now called Corn Pops). We shot a Sugar Pops commercial.
Drooper was supposed to carry a whip, but "television violence" was a new concern. The script's description of the whip was something like, "It should be a smallish, prettily-colored, non-violent looking whip". A non-violent whip? Sure sounds like an oxymoron to me!
Any other keepsakes I have are things I acquired on my own. I have a little kid's picture puzzle that I've never opened. I have the album. I acquired a cast-rubber Drooper figurine on an elastic strap. In the last several years, an acquaintance gave me the box for a Splits mobile, but without the car (long gone, I was told).
8. You must have some funny stories from the old days, would you care to share some of your favorites?
9. As a fan I get upset whenever there's a Hanna Barbera special and the Splits are left out due to the fact that they weren't animated. But, there is still a call for the Splits and that's why I run my site and the Cartoon Network is trying to bring them back. (not to mention the numerous fans
around the world that e-mail me) Did you ever foresee a call for the Splits in the year 2000?
10. Have you visited "Doin' The Banana Split!" yet?
Any suggestions or opinions?
11. When we last talked you mentioned a little bit about your job, what is life like for Dan Winkless after Drooper?
(job, family and whatever else)
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