Pole Position (TV series)

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Pole Position
Pole Position Title Card.PNG
Title card to the show.
Genre Animated television series
Created by Jean Chalopin
Voices of David Coburn
Lisa Lindgren
Melvin Franklin
Darryl Hickman
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive producer(s) Jean Chalopin
Andy Heyward
Running time 25 mins
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Original run 02012-09-15 September 15 – December 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)

Pole Position is an animated cartoon series produced by DIC Entertainment.

The name Pole Position was used under license from Namco, who held the rights to the name due to the video game Pole Position. The show sought to capitalize on the popularity of the video game. However, there is very little in common between the game and the show.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Pole Position ran for 13 episodes on CBS in 1984 as part of their Saturday morning children's programming line-up, and later returned in reruns for a few months in 1986. It was also shown in the UK during the 1980s on CBBC and repeated in the early 1990s on Saturday mornings as part of Going Live on BBC1.

The show featured three young sibling crime fighters, two of whom were stunt drivers and part of a secret government operation under the guise of the "Pole Position Stunt Show" that was run by their uncle. The youths inherited the role after their parents died in an unfortunate car accident. The team is equipped with two high-tech talking vehicles named "Roadie" and "Wheels."

The vehicles featured numerous hidden gadgets like water skis and hover jets. The vehicles' computers themselves are portable and can be removed from the dashboards and carried around using handles (thus they are often referred to as "the modules"). They are characters that appeared as computer-drawn faces displayed on video screens.

[edit] Characters

  • Tess Darrett - Tess is the older sister and "de facto" leader of the group who drives Wheels. Tess is voiced by Lisa Lindgren.[1]
  • Dan Darrett - Tess' hot-headed brother who drives Roadie. Dan is voiced by David Coburn.
  • Daisy Darrett - The younger pre-teen sister of Dan and Tess. Daisy is voiced by Kaleena Kiff.
  • Dr. Zachary Darrett - A wheelchair-using engineer and uncle of the Darret kids. He runs the Pole Position operation and is responsible for the development of the vehicles. He is voiced by Jack Angel.[2]
  • Kuma - Daisy's pet, Kuma is a genetic creation and is a strange cross between a raccoon and a monkey (though the name "Kuma" is derived from the Japanese word for "bear"). Kuma is voiced by Marilyn Schreffler.
  • Wheels - a red and black 1965 Ford Mustang driven by Tess. Wheels' AI computer is more careful than his counterpart Roadie and frequently says he's "getting too old for this" when part of a mission becomes most pivotal. Wheels is voiced by Melvin Franklin (who was a member of the singing group The Temptations).[3]
  • Roadie - a more futuristic-looking light-blue coupe driven by Dan. Roadie's AI computer is very smart and typically tries to keep Dan out of trouble. Roadie is voiced by Darryl Hickman.

[edit] List of episodes

Episode Title Aired Summary
1 The Code 15 September 1984 A spy steals the control codes to Roadie and Wheels in an attempt to get his hands on the high-tech cars.
2 The Canine Vanishes 22 September 1984 The team goes to the Florida Everglades looking for Pandora, a lost dog that is carrying an important vaccine. They must find the dog before enemy agents gets their hands on her.
3 The Chicken Who Knew Too Much 29 September 1984 The team protects a chicken, given to them as a gift from an archaeologist. But when a bad guy shows up to abduct the fowl, the team must figure out the bird's link to finding a hidden treasure.
4 Strangers on the Ice 9 October 1984 The team is assigned to deliver satellite equipment to a mountain research station but the equipment is stolen, and a snow storm thwarts the kids' attempts at getting it back.
5 The Race 13 October 1984 The team enters a race suspected to be used to smuggle a computer chip out of the country.
6 The Thirty-Nine Stripes 20 October 1984 The team is assigned to protect museum paintings that are being mysteriously vandalized; the cut pieces secretly contain a diagram for an advanced computer chip.
7 The Thirty-One Cent Mystery 27 October 1984 Kuma uncovers a plot to steal an Indian totem hidden somewhere at Mount Rushmore. He tries to warn the others with a quarter, nickel, and a penny (31 cents) all of which have the same presidents as the monument; Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln.
8 Dial M for Magic 3 November 1984 The team gets stuck in a weird town controlled by a strange illusionist.
9 The Bear Affair 10 November 1984 The team searches for an abducted engineer who designed Roadie and Wheels. The only clues to finding him lie in a talking teddy bear.
10 To Clutch a Thief 17 November 1984 Tess is made carnival queen during a hometown festival, but an amulet she wears gets stolen. Clues lead to a jealous woman angry that she wasn't chosen as queen.
11 The Secret 24 November 1984 The team is stranded in an unfriendly town and harassed by the local sheriff. The unwelcoming treatment leads the team to suspect criminal activity at the town's gold mine and that the sheriff may be involved.
12 Shadow of a Trout 1 December 1984 Uncle Zach is missing, and the kids find out they are suspects in his disappearance.
13 The Trouble with Kuma 8 December 1984 The kids go to an island threatened by a tsunami to rescue Dr. Lungo (Kuma's creator). They find that Lungo's shady assistants are trying to kill him and steal his genetic research.

[edit] Principal cast

[edit] Additional voices

[edit] DVD release

On April 21, 2008, Brightspark Productions released a 4-disc box set containing all 13 complete episodes of the series on DVD in the UK.[4]

A 2-disc DVD set with all 13 episodes is available for Region 1 from Exposure Entertainment.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lisa Lindgren at the Internet Movie Database
  2. ^ Jack Angel entry at IMDb
  3. ^ Melvin Franklin entry at IMDb
  4. ^ Amazon.co.uk: Pole Position - Complete Collection [1984]: DVD

[edit] External links
First-run animated series
The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle • The All-New Popeye Hour (1978–1983) • Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1984) • Tarzan and the Super 7 • The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show • Drak Pack (1980) • The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour • The Kwicky Koala Show • Trollkins • Blackstar (1981–1982) • Gilligan's Planet (1982–1983) • Pandamonium (1982–1983) • The Dukes (February 5, 1983 – October 29, 1983) • The Biskitts (1983–1984) • Saturday Supercade (1983–1986) • Dungeons & Dragons (1983–1985) • The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1983–1986) • The Get Along Gang (1984–1985) • Jim Henson's Muppet Babies (1984–1991) • Pole Position (1984) • Inspector Gadget • The Berenstain Bears • The Wuzzles (1985) • Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters • Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling (1985–1987) • Wildfire • Galaxy High (1986–1987) • Teen Wolf • Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater (1987–1988) • Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures • Popeye and Son (1987–1988) • Dennis the Menace (1986–1988) • The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy (1988–1990) • Superman • Garfield and Friends (September 17, 1988-October 1995) • Dink, the Little Dinosaur (1989–1991) • The California Raisin Show (1989–1990) • Rude Dog & the Dweebs
First-run live-action series
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