Not a Genuine Tiffany

One person who won’t be buying a ticket to “Jetsons: The Movie”: actress Janet Waldo.

Waldo voiced the character of Judy Jetson for the animated series, which ran on all three networks between 1962 and 1983 and is now in syndication. She’d reprised the role for the just-out Universal feature film--and then got dumped for youthful pop singer Tiffany.

All because Hanna-Barbera Prod. figures Tiffany--who performs songs on the sound track, and is under contract to MCA Records--will sell more tickets.

“I was totally crushed,” says Waldo. “I originated the character, and I feel very sentimental about Judy. If they had recast the whole show, there wouldn’t have been any problem at all. But the fact that my part was the only one that was changed just threw me. I felt it was very disloyal (of Hanna and Barbera).”

“I can understand how Janet feels,” Bill Hanna responds. “It was purely a business decision, based on the thought that Tiffany would bring in more dollars at the box office.”

Waldo, who has played numerous characters in other Hanna-Barbera cartoon shows, had recorded all her dialogue as Judy and been paid in full when she learned she was out.

Hanna and Barbera tried to console her with letters and flowers, promising that she would continue to play Judy in all other Jetsons projects.

“I don’t like to bad-mouth Hanna-Barbera, because they’ve been very good to me and I’ve been told that this is just a one-shot thing,” explains Waldo. “But this (Judy incident) just hurt my feelings.”