Bart Rathbone

Bart Rathbone

Nickname

{{{nickname}}}

Occupation

{{{occupation}}}

Religious Status

Non-Christian

Number of Episodes

72

Type

[[:Category:{{{type}}} Characters|{{{type}}}]][[Category:{{{type}}} Characters]]

First Episode

115: An Act of Mercy (1990)

Last Episode

632: Suspicious Finds (2008)

This article or section may require cleanup to meet a more quality standard. Please improve this article if you can.

Description

If the Barclays are a “good” example of an Odyssey family, the Rathbones are the complete opposite. Bart Rathbone, the father, wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny. There are few ethical questions that he’s inclined to ignore. From unscrupulously coaching a softball team to using shady methods to run his electronics shop, “The Electric Palace,” to coming up with all manners of get-rich-quick schemes, Bart affably stands for everything Whit—and the world of Odyssey—is against.

Bart Rathbone is a main character in Adventures in Odyssey, voiced by Walker Edmiston.

Rathbone is known as a cheap and scheming businessman, always plugging "The Electric Palace" (phone number is 555-3122), an electronics store he manages, pushing questionable sales promotions, and launching half-baked entrepreneurial ideas (such as "Rathbone's Electric Castle and Rock and Roll Instruments of Destruction" in #164: “Sixties-Something”).

He is also known for his ill-fated campaigns for the Mayor-ship of Odyssey. In episodes #286: “Tom for Mayor, Part 1” & #287: “Tom for Mayor, Part 2”, he faces off against Tom Riley; in #380: “The One About Trust, Part 1” & #381: “The One About Trust, Part 2”, he runs against Margaret Faye. According to Bart himself in #181: “It Takes Integrity”, he has been running for office since his school days.

The Rathbones live at 4242 Sycamore Ln. In #545: “Something's Got to Change” we find out that the Washington family are the new neighbors of the Rathbones.

Bart and his son Rodney also spent time in jail due to their negative actions during the Blackgaard saga.

Now that Walker Edmiston has passed away, Bart Rathbone's original voice is gone. The creative team has revealed that for at least one show, a new actor, Robert Easton will take over Bart's voice, but whether the take-over will be permanent or not depends on the fans' reactions.

Family

Bart is the proud "pop" of Rodney and the less-than-ideal husband of Doris Rathbone. He has an Uncle Lanny that had been in prison and was a lawyer.

Distinguishing features

He has grease in his hair.

Random Facts

In the episode Sunday Morning Scramble Bart eats cheese doodles in the shower, so Doris kicks him out of the house
He puts sugar on honey puffs which is also from the episode Sunday Morning Scramble.
Bart once tried to take advantage of people during a tornado.
Bart Rathbone has washed engine parts in the dish washer.

Notes

The subject of where the Rathbones live is a matter of some interest, since there are a multiple references to the Rathbones as being neighbors or in the neighborhood of many different characters.