Pole Position (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Pole Position


caption =
genre = Animated television series
runtime = 25 mins
creator = Jean Chalopin
executive_producer = Jean Chalopin
Andy Heyward
voices = David Coburn
Lisa Lindgren
Melvin Franklin
Darryl Hickman
country = USA
language = English
network = CBS
first_aired = 15 September, 1984
last_aired = 8 December, 1984
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 13
list_episodes =
website =
imdb_id = 0086781
tv_com_id = 17051

"Pole Position" is an animated cartoon series produced by DIC Entertainment. Although the cartoon shares its name with the videogame "Pole Position" by Namco, there is no other connection between the two entities. The name "Pole Position" is copyright of Namco and used under license.

Overview

"Pole Position" ran for 13 episodes on CBS television between 1984 and 1986 as part of the Saturday morning children's show line up. It was also shown in the UK in the early 1990s on Saturday mornings as part of "Going Live" on BBC1.

The show featured three young sibling crime fighters, two of which were stunt drivers and were 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.

Characters

*Tess Darret - Tess is the older sister and "de facto" leader of the group who drives Wheels. Tess is voiced by Lisa Lindgren. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0511840/ Lisa Lindgren entry at IMDb] ]
*Dan Darret - Tess' hot-headed brother who drives Roadie. Dan is voiced by David Coburn.
*Daisy Darret - The younger pre-teen sister of Dan and Tess. Daisy is voiced by Kaleena Kiff.
*Dr. Zachary Darret - A wheel-chair confined 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. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0029460/ Jack Angel entry at IMDb] ]
*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 Schrefler.
*Wheels - a red and black 1964 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). [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0291332/ Melvin Franklin entry at IMDb] ]
*Roadie - a more "futuristic" looking (for the time) 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.

List of episodes

#The Code - (9/15/1984) A spy steals the control codes to Roadie and Wheels in an attempt to get his hands on the high-tech cars.
#The Canine Vanishes - (9/22/1984) 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.
#The Chicken Who Knew Too Much - (9/29/1984) The team protects a chicken, given to them as a gift from an archaeologist. But when a badguy shows up to abduct the fowl, the team must figure out the bird's link to finding a hidden treasure.
#Strangers on the Ice - (10/9/1984) The team is assigned to deliver satellite equipment to a mountain research station but the equipment is stolen, and a snow storm thwarts the kid's attempts at getting it back.
#The Race - (10/13/1984) The team enters a race suspected to be used to smuggle a computer chip out of the country.
#The Thirty-Nine Stripes - (10/20/1984) 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.
#The Thirty-One Cent Mystery - (10/27/1984) 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.
#Dial M for Magic -(11/3/1984) The team gets stuck in a weird town controlled by a strange illusionist.
#The Bear Affair - (11/10/1984) The team searches for an abducted engineer who designed Roadie and Wheels. The only clues to finding him lie in a talking teddy bear.
#To Clutch a Thief - (11/17/1984) 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.
#The Secret - (11/24/1984) 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 the sheriff may be involved.
#Shadow of a Trout - (12/1/1984) Uncle Zach is missing, and the kids find out they are suspects in his disappearance.
#The Trouble with Kuma - (12/8/1984) The kids go to an island threatened by a tidal wave to rescue Dr. Lungo (Kuma'a creator). They find that Lungo's shady assistants are trying to kill him and steal his genetic research.

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. [ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pole-Position-Complete-Collection/dp/B0014JGFFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1217038906&sr=8-1 Amazon.co.uk: Pole Position - Complete Collection [1984: DVD ] ]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.dicentertainment.com/shows/index.php?show=88 DiC Entertainment]
* [http://80scartoons.co.uk/pole.php 80scartoons.co.uk]
* [http://www2.wi.net/~rkurer/toontracker/polepos.html Toon Tracker]