Bart Rathbone

Bart Rathbone

Voiced by

Walker Edmiston
Steve Burns
Robert Easton

Episode appearances

71

Episode mentions

17

Nickname

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Occupation

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Religion

Non-Christian

Type

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First episode

131

#115: “An Act of Mercy” (1990)

Last episode

658

#632: “Suspicious Finds” (2008)

First episode mention

205

#189: “No, Honestly!” (1992)

Last episode mention

666

#640: “Rights, Wrongs, and Winners” (2008)

Products

Album 50 Poster

Description

Bart Rathbone is a main character in Adventures in Odyssey, voiced originally by Walker Edmiston and briefly later by Robert Easton.

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 not 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.

Rathbone is known as a cheap and scheming businessman, always plugging his store (phone number is 555-3122 or 553-1222) while 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”).

Bart is also known for his ill-fated campaigns for the mayorship 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.

Apparently Bart had a bad experience in Sunday School as a child (#196: “Harlow Doyle, Private Eye”). This could have possibly turned him against Christianity, but nothing is known for sure.

Although on rare occasion Bart is deeply moved enough to change his attitude and behavior, these changes of heart are usually brief-lived and never permanently impact his character. In #121: “Missing Person”, Bart is convinced by Officer O'Ryan to reconsider his parenting strategy with his son Rodney after Rodney runs away from home; Rodney continues to be a bully to his peers thereafter, however. Years later in #368: “The Other Woman”, Bart and his wife Doris show sincere remorse for their actions after seeing how much their scheme to convince Tom Riley not to run for re-election as mayor has hurt him publicly, though the experience does nothing to sway Bart from running the following year against Margaret Faye.

Family

Bart comes from a long line of "big-headed Rathbones", including his father, for which he was teased in high school. Bart is the proud "pop" of Rodney and the less-than-ideal husband of Doris Rathbone. He has a brother named Lanny Rathbone who has been in prison, and his brother-in-law is a business agent who, according to Doris, is as reliable as Bart is. His grandfather is Joe Smith. He has a sister named Delores Vineropoli who married Doris Rathbone’s brother.

Trivia

• He has been kicked of his house by Doris for a multitude of reasons, including putting engine parts in the dishwasher and eating cheese doodles in the shower (#552: “Sunday Morning Scramble”)
• He once tried to take advantage of people during a tornado (#397: “Tornado!”)
• He once taught his son, Rodney, to cheat while playing checkers (#214: “The Living Nativity”)
• He once trained Alex Jefferson to become the next mini golf champion (#471: “Fifteen Minutes”)
• He sounded almost exactly like Rodney when he was young (#442b: “Sticks and Stones”)
• He attended middle school in Odyssey, but also lived in New York City at some point when he was younger. (#129: “Not One of Us”, #390: “No Bones About It”, #442b: “Sticks and Stones”)
• He disguised himself as his grandpa to "Get on the T and V" (#572: “Odyssey Sings!”)
• He is a fan of polka musician Lawrence Welk (#164: “Sixties-Something”)
• He is bald or balding and wears a toupee — in which he wears grease (#254: “Truth, Trivia and 'Trina”, #540: “The Girl in the Sink”, #603: “The Family Next Door”)
• His original name was Bill. (#23: “The Quality of Mercy”, #115: “An Act of Mercy”)
• His job before building the Electric Palace is never mentioned.
• Though he hasn't been heard on the audio series since Album 50, Bart still lives in town, as established in the comic series, Elsewhere in Odyssey.

Gallery

• 

  Bart and his wife Doris

• 

  Bart on the cover of Album 13

• 

  Bart on the cover of Album 36

• 

  Bart from the cover of Album 50

• 

  Bart as depicted in Elsewhere in Odyssey

• 
• 

  Bart and family in their Christmas card, released in 2023.

Quotes

See Rathbone quotes.

Album Appearances

Bart Rathbone has appeared in the following albums:

• Family Portraits (0)
  
• The Lost Episodes (3 episodes)
  
• Album 01: The Adventure Begins (0)
  
• Album 02: The Wildest Summer Ever (0)
  
• Album 03: Heroes (0)
  
• Album 04: FUN-damentals (0)
  
• Album 05: Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes (0)
  
• Album 06: Mission: Accomplished (0)
  
• Album 07: On Thin Ice (0)
  
• Album 08: Beyond Expectations (3 episodes)
  
• Album 09: Just in Time (2 episodes)
  
• Album 10: Other Times, Other Places (0)
  
• Album 11: It’s Another Fine Day... (0)
  
• Album 12: At Home and Abroad (2 episodes)
  
• Album 13: It All Started When... (3 episodes)
  
• Album 14: Meanwhile, in Another Part of Town (3 episodes)
  
• Album 15: A Place of Wonder (0)
  
• Album 16: Flights of Imagination (2 episodes)
  
• Album 17: On Earth as It Is in Heaven (0)
  
• Album 18: A Time of Discovery (2 episodes)
  
• Album 19: Passport to Adventure (5 episodes)
  
• Album 20: A Journey of Choices (0)
  
• Album 21: Wish You Were Here! (1 episode)
  
• Album 22: The Changing Times (2 episodes)
  
• Album 23: Twists and Turns (1 episode)
  
• Album 24: Risks and Rewards (1 episode)
  
• Album 25: Darkness Before Dawn (7 episodes)
  
• Album 26: Back on the Air (1 episode)
  
• Album 27: The Search for Whit (0)
  
• Album 28: Welcome Home! (3 episodes)
  
• Album 29: Signed, Sealed and Committed (2 episodes)
  
• Album 30: Through Thick and Thin (2 episodes)
  
• Album 31: Days to Remember (1 episode)
  
• Album 32: Hidden Treasures (1 episode)
  
• Album 33: Virtual Realities (1 episode)
  
• Album 34: In Your Wildest Dreams (1 episode)
  
• Album 35: The Big Picture (0)
  
• Album 36: Danger Signals (3 episodes)
  
• Album 37: Countermoves (0)
  
• Album 38: Battle Lines (0)
  
• Album 39: Friends, Family, and Countrymen (1 episode)
  
• Album 40: Out of Control (0)
  
• Album 41: In Hot Pursuit (1 episode)
  
• Album 42: No Way Out (2 episodes)
  
• Album 43: Along for the Ride (3 episodes)
  
• Album 44: Eugene Returns! (2 episodes)
  
• Album 45: Lost and Found (2 episodes)
  
• Album 46: A Date with Dad (and Other Calamities) (1 episode)
  
• Album 47: Into the Light (1 episode)
  
• Album 48: Moment of Truth (1 episode)
  
• Album 49: The Sky’s the Limit (0)
  
• Album 50: The Best Small Town (1 episode)
  
• The Truth Chronicles (0)
  
• Passages: Darien’s Rise (0)
  
• Album 51: Take it From the Top (0)
  
• Album 52: Cause and Effect (0)
  
• Album 53: The Green Ring Conspiracy (0)
  
• Album 54: Clanging Cymbals...and the Meaning of God's Love (0)
  
• Album 55: The Deep End (0)
  
• Album 56: The Grand Design (0)
  
• Album 57: A Call to Something More (0)
  
• Album 58: The Ties That Bind (0)
  
• Album 59: Taking the Plunge (0)
  
• Album 60: Head Over Heels (0)
  
• Album 61: Without a Hitch (0)
  
• Album 62: Let’s Put on a Show! (0)
  
• Album 63: Up in the Air (0)
  
• Album 64: Under the Surface (0)
  
• Album 65: Expect the Unexpected (0)
  
• Album 66: Trial by Fire (0)
  
• Album 67: More Than Meets the Eye (0)
  
• Album 68: Out of the Blue (0)
  
• Album 69: Best Kept Secrets (0)
  
• Album 70: Finding a Way (0)
  
• Album 71: A Slippery Slope (0)
  
• Album 72: The Long Road Home (0)
  
• Album 73: 28 Hours (0)
  
• Album 74: Buckle Up! (0)
  
• Album 75: The Best Is Yet to Come (0)
  
• Album 76: Keep it Together (0)
  
• Album 77: A New Perspective (0)
  
• Album 78: At Face Value (0)
  

Bart Rathbone has appeared in the following club seasons:

• Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 1 (0)
  
• Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 2 (0)
  
• Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 3 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 4 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 5 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 6 (0)
  
• 30th Birthday Live Show (album) (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 10 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 11 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 12 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 7 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 8 (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 9 (0)
  
• Aventuras en Odisea: Volumen 1 (0)
  
• Aventuras en Odisea: Volumen 2 (0)
  
• Aventuras en Odisea: Volumen 3 (0)
  
• B-TV: The Collection (0)
  
• Daily Bible Readings (album) (0)
  
• Hope in Trying Times (1 episode)
  
• Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 1 Soundtrack (0)
  
• Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 2 Soundtrack (0)
  
• Odyssey Adventure Club: Season 3 Soundtrack (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 4 Soundtrack (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 5 Soundtrack (0)
  
• Adventures in Odyssey Club: Season 6 Soundtrack (0)
  
• The Leonard Meltsner Saga (0)
  
• The Officer Harley Collection (0)
  

Bart Rathbone has appeared on the front cover of the following albums:

• Album 13: It All Started When...
• Album 19: Passport to Adventure
• Album 36: Danger Signals
• Album 50: The Best Small Town

Bart Rathbone has appeared on the back cover of the following album:

• Album 36: Danger Signals

Episodes

Bart Rathbone has appeared in 71 episodes, has been voiced by 3 actors.

#115: “An Act of Mercy” (1) #121: “Missing Person” (2) #124: “The Winning Edge” (3) #129: “Not One of Us” (4) #160: “A Rathbone of Contention” (5) #163: “A Model Child” (6) #164: “Sixties-Something” (7) #175: “East Winds, Raining” (8) #179: “You Gotta Be Wise” (9) #181: “It Takes Integrity” (10) #182: “The Scales of Justice” (11) #196: “Harlow Doyle, Private Eye” (12) #198: “Treasure Hunt” (13) #214: “The Living Nativity” (14) #220: “This is Chad Pearson?” (15) #243: “Family Values” (16) #246: “My Fair Bernard” (17) #251: “Pilgrim's Progress Revisited, Part 2” (18) #254: “Truth, Trivia and 'Trina” (19) #256: “Aloha, Oy!, Part 1” (20) #257: “Aloha, Oy!, Part 2” (21) #258: “Aloha, Oy!, Part 3” (22) #280: “Gone...” (23) #286: “Tom for Mayor, Part 1” (24) #287: “Tom for Mayor, Part 2” (25) #306: “A Victim of Circumstance” (26) #312: “Rewards in Full” (27) #323: “A Little Credit, Please” (28) #324: “Small Fires, Little Pools” (29) #325: “Angels Unaware” (30) #326: “Gathering Thunder” (31) #328: “Hard Losses” (32) #332: “Another Chance” (33) #334: “The Final Conflict” (34) #342: “Welcome Home, Mr. Blackgaard” (35) #359: “The Merchant of Odyssey” (36) #364: “Home, Sweet Home” (37) #368: “The Other Woman” (38) #380: “The One About Trust, Part 1” (39) #381: “The One About Trust, Part 2” (40) #387: “New Year's Eve Live!” (41) #390: “No Bones About It” (42) #397: “Tornado!” (43) #417: “Not-So-Trivial Pursuits” (44) #430: “Blind Girl's Bluff” (45) #435: “A Look Back, Part 1” (46) #438b: “The Telltale Cat” (47) #440: “I Slap Floor” (48) #442b: “Sticks and Stones” (49) #444a: “Career Moves” (50) #463: “Green Eyes and Yellow Tulips” (51) #470: “Break a Leg” (52) #471: “Fifteen Minutes” (53) #480: “The Popsicle Kid” (54) #500: “500” (55) #501: “Inside the Studio” (56) #502: “Live at the 25!” (57) #528: “The Taming of the Two” (58) #538: “Stubborn Streaks” (59) #545: “Something's Got to Change” (60) #551: “Stars in Our Eyes” (61) #552: “Sunday Morning Scramble” (62) #558: “A Glass Darkly” (63) #570: “For Better or For Worse, Part 1” (64) #571: “For Better or For Worse, Part 2” (65) #572: “Odyssey Sings!” (66) #581: “A Christmas Conundrum” (67) #586: “A Cheater Cheated” (68) #598: “My Favorite Thing” (69) #609: “Prequels of Love” (70) #632: “Suspicious Finds” (71) #442b: “Sticks and Stones” (1) #632: “Suspicious Finds” (1) #115: “An Act of Mercy” (1) #121: “Missing Person” (2) #124: “The Winning Edge” (3) #129: “Not One of Us” (4) #160: “A Rathbone of Contention” (5) #163: “A Model Child” (6) #164: “Sixties-Something” (7) #175: “East Winds, Raining” (8) #179: “You Gotta Be Wise” (9) #181: “It Takes Integrity” (10) #182: “The Scales of Justice” (11) #196: “Harlow Doyle, Private Eye” (12) #198: “Treasure Hunt” (13) #214: “The Living Nativity” (14) #220: “This is Chad Pearson?” (15) #243: “Family Values” (16) #246: “My Fair Bernard” (17) #251: “Pilgrim's Progress Revisited, Part 2” (18) #254: “Truth, Trivia and 'Trina” (19) #256: “Aloha, Oy!, Part 1” (20) #257: “Aloha, Oy!, Part 2” (21) #258: “Aloha, Oy!, Part 3” (22) #280: “Gone...” (23) #286: “Tom for Mayor, Part 1” (24) #287: “Tom for Mayor, Part 2” (25) #306: “A Victim of Circumstance” (26) #312: “Rewards in Full” (27) #323: “A Little Credit, Please” (28) #324: “Small Fires, Little Pools” (29) #325: “Angels Unaware” (30) #326: “Gathering Thunder” (31) #328: “Hard Losses” (32) #332: “Another Chance” (33) #334: “The Final Conflict” (34) #342: “Welcome Home, Mr. Blackgaard” (35) #359: “The Merchant of Odyssey” (36) #364: “Home, Sweet Home” (37) #368: “The Other Woman” (38) #380: “The One About Trust, Part 1” (39) #381: “The One About Trust, Part 2” (40) #387: “New Year's Eve Live!” (41) #390: “No Bones About It” (42) #397: “Tornado!” (43) #417: “Not-So-Trivial Pursuits” (44) #430: “Blind Girl's Bluff” (45) #435: “A Look Back, Part 1” (46) #438b: “The Telltale Cat” (47) #440: “I Slap Floor” (48) #442b: “Sticks and Stones” (49) #444a: “Career Moves” (50) #463: “Green Eyes and Yellow Tulips” (51) #470: “Break a Leg” (52) #471: “Fifteen Minutes” (53) #480: “The Popsicle Kid” (54) #500: “500” (55) #501: “Inside the Studio” (56) #502: “Live at the 25!” (57) #528: “The Taming of the Two” (58) #538: “Stubborn Streaks” (59) #545: “Something's Got to Change” (60) #551: “Stars in Our Eyes” (61) #552: “Sunday Morning Scramble” (62) #558: “A Glass Darkly” (63) #570: “For Better or For Worse, Part 1” (64) #571: “For Better or For Worse, Part 2” (65) #572: “Odyssey Sings!” (66) #581: “A Christmas Conundrum” (67) #586: “A Cheater Cheated” (68) #598: “My Favorite Thing” (69) #609: “Prequels of Love” (70)

Bart Rathbone has been mentioned in 17 episodes.

#189: “No, Honestly!” (1) #199: “The 'No' Factor” (2) #207: “The Case of the Candid Camera” (3) #216: “Like Father, Like Son” (4) #252: “The Bad Hair Day” (5) #266: “It Began with a Rabbit's Foot” (6) #285: “George Under Pressure” (7) #319: “A Touch of Healing, Part 2” (8) #329: “The Return” (9) #398: “A Case of Revenge” (10) #443: “Changing Rodney” (11) #507: “The Benefit of the Doubt” (12) #540: “The Girl in the Sink” (13) #543: “Nothing But the Half Truth” (14) #587: “Bringing Up Dads” (15) #603: “The Family Next Door” (16) #640: “Rights, Wrongs, and Winners” (17)

Bart Rathbone has appeared in 5 comic story arc(s).

EIO: Prom Perfect EIO: The Millstone EIO: Tokyo Woe EIO: Single Comic Strips - 2023 JSC: Whit