Clutch Cargo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clutch Cargo |
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Title card
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| Written by | Clark Haas |
| Voices of | Richard Cotting Margaret Kerry Hal Smith |
| Theme music composer | Paul Horn |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Dick Brown |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Cambria Productions |
| Release | |
| Original release | March 9, 1959 – 1960 |
Clutch Cargo is an American animated television series created by cartoonist Clark Haas and produced by Cambria Productions, and syndicated beginning on March 9, 1959. The series was notable for its limited animation yet imaginative stories, as well as for being the first widely-known use of Syncro-Vox technology. It was a surprise hit at the time, and could be seen on 65 stations nationwide in 1960.
Contents
Plot
The series' stories centered on adventurer Clutch Cargo, who was sent around the world on dangerous assignments. Accompanying him on the assignments were his young ward Spinner and his pet Dachshund Paddlefoot. Live-action footage was used, as well, of a 1929 Bellanca C-27 Airbus; series creator Clark Haas was previously a jet pilot. Episodes were produced and serialized in five 5-minute chapters each. The first four chapters ended in cliffhangers, with the fifth chapter concluding the adventure. Haas explained that the show was formatted this way so that "the stations can run one a day on weekdays, then recap the whole for a half-hour Saturday show."
Episodes
The series consisted of 52 episodes.
- The Friendly Head Hunters
- The Arctic Bird Giant
- The Desert Queen
- The Pearl Pirates
- The Vanishing Gold
- The Race Car Mystery
- The Rocket Riot
- Mystery in the Northwoods
- Twaddle in Africa
- The Lost Plateau
- The Ghost Ship
- The Rustlers
- The Missing Train
- The Devil Bird
- Pipeline to Danger
- Mister Abominable
- Operation Moon Beam
- Air Race
- The Haunted Castle
- The Elephant-Nappers
- Dragon Fly
- Sky Circus
- The Midget Submarine
- Cliff Dwellers
- Jungle Train
- Space Station
- The Swamp Swindlers
- The Dinky Incas
- Kangaroo Express
- The Shipwreckers
- The Ivory Counterfeiters
- Dynamite Fury
- Alaskan Pilot
- Swiss Mystery
- Pirate Isle
- Crop Dusters
- The Smog Smuggler
- Global Test Flight
- Dead End Gulch
- The Missing Mermaid
- Flying Bus
- Road Race
- Feather Fuddle
- Water Wizards
- The Terrible Tiger
- The Circus
- Bush Pilots
- Cheddar Cheaters
- The Blunderbird
- The Case of Ripcord Van Winkle
- Fortune Cookie Caper
- Big "X"
Home video
| DVD name | Episodes | Release date | Additional information |
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| Volume 1 | 26 | March 22, 2005 |
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| Volume 2 | 26 | March 22, 2005 |
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Legacy
Talk show series Late Night with Conan O'Brien had a recurring segment where host O'Brien would Interview a famous news maker "Via Satellite". The newsmaker in question would be seen on a TV monitor predominantly as a stock photo, but the mouth of the photo (often played by writer/performer Robert Smigel) would be doing the talking. This bit was done periodically throughout the 16 year run of the show, and was colloquially known as a "Clutch Cargo" piece.
On November 22, 1987, a man dressed as Max Headroom who hijacked a broadcast of Doctor Who hummed the theme music of Clutch Cargo, and said "I still see the X" (in reference to the last episode of the show).
A clip from this series appears briefly in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Emil Sitka, who voiced some of the characters in this series, also is credited in the film for his appearance in a Three Stooges short being watched by one of the characters.
In 1996, a live music venue named after the series, Clutch Cargo's, opened in Pontiac, Michigan. In 2013, Clutch Cargo was featured on TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest where it placed #19 on the show's countdown of dumbest TV shows.
See also
In Spanish: Clutch Cargo para niños
