Hot Wheels
Originally aired September 6, 1969 - September 4, 1971 on ABC-TV.
The leader of the Hot Wheels Racing Club was Jack "Rabbit" Wheeler,
a Metro City High School student with a reputation as the best car driver in his
town. His father was Mike Wheeler, a former racing champ who had retired after an auto accident. Jack's
girlfriend was Janet Martin. The Hot Wheels Racing Club members included Mickey Barnes,
an apprentice mechanic; Mickey's girlfriend, Ardeth; Kip, the son of an African
ambassador; and Tank Mallory, the mechanic at Wheeler Motors, a garage
run by Jack's father. Doc Warren, a veteran mechanic, also belonged to the Hot Wheels Club as an honorary member and mentor. The
Hot Wheels Racing Club hung out at Mother's Soda Shop, operated by Mother
O'Hare. A rival car club, Dexter's Demons, was led by Dexter Carter.
Dexter had been banned from the Hot Wheels Club due to his reckless behavior. Each show typically climaxed in a wild race in which the Hot Wheels
won. To offset any bad influences that the wild racing may have had on the young
viewers, each show ended with educational driving tips.
Hot Wheels was based on a product by sponsor Mattel Toys. Mattel and producer
Ken Snyder had earlier teamed up on The
Funny Company series. Because of it's close connection with Mattel's
Hot Wheels line of toy cars, the Federal Communications Commission demanded that
the opening to the Hot Wheels cartoon, along with any references in the cartoon to the
Hot Wheels title and any mention of the makes of cars, all be counted as commercial time.
The FCC was, in effect, ruling that the whole cartoon show was a commercial for the
Hot Wheels toy cars and not an entertainment program. This led ABC to cancel the
popular series after only two years on the air. The FCC ruling
remained in effect until 1983, when a new lineup in the FCC ended the restrictions.
Click on this link to see the opening to The Hot Wheels cartoon, in RealVideo.
Click on any of the images above to see a larger version
Produced at Pantomime Pictures
Executive Producer: Kenneth C. T. Snyder
A Production of Ken Snyder Properties
Introducing Perspectamation
Created and Produced by Fred Crippen, Eddie Smardan, Ken Snyder
Associate Producers: Jeanne Lindsay, Dick Reed, Charles Phalen, Paul Shively, Joe Bruno
Supervising Director: Irv Spector
Directors: Sam Weiss, Stanley Green, John Freeman
Script Consultant: Clark Howat
Writers: Tony Asher, Art Browne, Jr., Peter Dixon, Roy Freeman, Luanne Gwynne,
Bill Hines, Scott Joseph, Keith Kelsay, Don Nicholl, Martin Smith, Larry Thor, Worley Thorne
Layout: C.L. Hartman, Lew Ott, Tony Sgroi, Raymond Jacobs, Jane Takamoto,
Enrique Arnau, Jesse Cosio, Tom Ferriter, Tony Rivera
Animation: George Canatta, Wesley Bennett, Dave Tendlar, Herb Rothwill,
Bill Hutton, Bob Trochim, Dave Bran, Floyd Norman
Assistant Animation: Mary Peters, Fred Meyers, Wm Higgins
Background Supervisor: Lorraine Andrina
Background: Al Gmuer, Janet Brown, Donald Peters, Tony Rizzo, Ted Littlefield,
Mike Kawaguchi, John Park, Peter Van Elk, David Lopez, Ann Guenther
Production Supervision: Sam S. Kai
Checking: Lynn Singer, Kathy Barrows, Anita Flynn, Ginny Chapman, Elaine Miller,
Beverly Van Ware, Yvonne Batson, Renee Henning
Ink and Paint: Connie Crawley
Camera: Wally Bulloch, Fred Wellington, Ray Bloss, Animated Film Service
Voices:
Jack Wheeler/Doc Warren - Bob Arbogast
Janet Martin - Melinda Casy
Mickey Barnes/Kip Chogi - Albert Brooks
Ardeth Pratt - Susan Davis
Tank Mallory/Dexter Carter - Casey Kasem
Mother O'Hare - Nora Marlowe
Mike Wheeler - Michael Rye
Music by Jack Fascinato
Theme Music by Mike Curb and the Curbstones
Supervising Editor: Roger Donley
Editing: Bob Linvall, John Casey, Dee Futch, George Nicholson, Skip Lusk, John Ritterath
Technical Design: Leonard Stobar, Mel Ako
Sound: Peter Armstrong
Special Assistants: Nancy Waters, Fred Lorenzen
EPISODES
(two per show)
| Sky Sailor | The Winner |
| The Funny Money Caper | The Hot Head |
| Surf's Up | Big Race |
| The Family Car | Fire Fighters |
| The Jewel | Fake Out-Stake Out |
| The Buggy Ride | Four Wheel Time Bomb |
| Hit And Run | It Takes A Team |
| Ardeth The Demon (formerly "Ardeth The Highwayman") |
Like Father, Like Son |
| Avalanche Country | Danger Around The Clock |
| Tough Cop | Hotter Than The Devils |
| Underground | Rough Ride (formerly "The Test") |
| Race To Space | Monkey A-Okay |
| Diamonds Are A Girl's Worst Friend | Big Heart, Little Hearts |
| Get Back On That Horse | Hitchhike To Danger |
| The Dragon's Tooth Peak Race | The Doc Warren Trophy Race |
| The Show-Off | Drag Strip |
| Mata Hari Ardeth | Slicker-Slicks |
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