Wonder Wheels

Wonder Wheels is a Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired as a 5-minute segment on The Skatebirds from September 10, 1977, to January 21, 1978, on CBS.[1]

For other uses, see Wonder Wheel (disambiguation).
Wonder Wheels
GenreAnimation
Directed byCharles A. Nichols
Chris Cuddington
Voices ofMicky Dolenz
Susan Davis
Theme music composerHoyt Curtin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producersWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
ProducerTerry Morse Jr.
Running time5 minutes (per episode)
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
DistributorWorldvision Enterprises
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 10, 1977 (1977-09-10) –
January 21, 1978 (1978-01-21)
Chronology
Related showsThe Skatebirds

In the fall of 1979, Wonder Wheels continued to air on The Skatebirds when the show returned to CBS in a shortened half-hour version on Sunday mornings until January 25, 1981. In the late 1980s, it resurfaced in a different syndicated half-hour version of The Skatebirds on USA Cartoon Express and later on Cartoon Network, Boomerang and as an interstitial segment between shows.

Plot

A 17-year-old high school journalist named Willie Wheeler (voiced by Micky Dolenz of The Monkees) and his girlfriend Dooley Lawrence (voiced by Susan Davis) solve crimes with the help of his superhero motorcycle Wonder Wheels.[2] Whenever Willie goes into action, he utters his catchphrase: "This looks like a job for Won-won-won-won-won-won-won-won-won-won-won-won-wonder Wheels!" and at the press of a button, Willie's beat-up motorcycle transforms into a pimped out version with a mind of its own.

Episodes
Nº Title Airdate
1"Wonder Wheels in The County Fair"September 10, 1977 (1977-09-10)
Willie and Dooley witness two crooks stealing money from the county fair during a motorcross race.
2"Wonder Wheels and The Rustlers"September 17, 1977 (1977-09-17)
A rancher reports 10,000 cattle were stolen; Willie and Dooley discover the cattle are being stolen by men in helicopters.
3"Wonder Wheels and The Skyscraper"September 24, 1977 (1977-09-24)
Wonder Wheels pursues two escaped convicts who have taken refuge in a skyscraper under construction.
4"Wonder Wheels and The Gold Train Robbery"October 1, 1977 (1977-10-01)
A train carrying a million dollars in gold is robbed by two crooks and Wonder Wheels is hot on their trail.
5"Wonder Wheels and The Snowmen"October 8, 1977 (1977-10-08)
A valuable crown for the Snow Queen Contest at a ski resort is stolen by crooks who try to escape in a snowmobile.
6"Wonder Wheels and The Vanishing Prince"October 15, 1977 (1977-10-15)
Prince Raji is kidnapped by criminals on a boat; Wonder Wheels saves the day and the Prince awards him with a medal.
7"Wonder Wheels and The Ghost Town"October 22, 1977 (1977-10-22)
Willie and Dooley visit a ghost town for a newspaper story and meet the old Pecos Kid ghost who tries to scare them away.
8"Wonder Wheels and His Double Trouble"October 29, 1977 (1977-10-29)
At a pie baking contest, Willie and Dooley witness a fake Wonder Wheels robbing a bank and a jewelry store.
9"Wonder Wheels and The U.F.O."November 5, 1977 (1977-11-05)
Two aliens (Starnak and Orbito) pursue Willie in a plan to capture him as a typical human specimen for their investigation.
10"Wonder Wheels and The Hermits' Horde"November 12, 1977 (1977-11-12)
Wonder Wheels pursues the hermit of Haunted Mountain who has committed a bank robbery.
11"Wonder Wheels and The Air Race"November 19, 1977 (1977-11-19)
A plane loses a wheel during take-off at the Pleasantville to Harristown Air Race and it's up to Wonder Wheels to save the day.
12"Wonder Wheels and The Animals"November 26, 1977 (1977-11-26)
Willie and Wonder Wheels investigate a nearby zoo where a gorilla and other animals are escaping.
13"Wonder Wheels and The Idol's Eye"December 3, 1977 (1977-12-03)
A couple of crooks use a mummy disguise to scare off an archaeologist so they can steal the Emerald Eye.
14"Wonder Wheels and The Race Horse"December 10, 1977 (1977-12-10)
Wonder Wheels pursues a thief who has stolen Gray Ghost, the fastest race horse in the world.
15"Wonder Wheels and The Studio Steal"December 17, 1977 (1977-12-17)
While visiting a movie studio, two suspicious characters steal an armored car with Willie and Wonder Wheels in hot pursuit.
16"Wonder Wheels and The Golden Globe"December 24, 1977 (1977-12-24)
Wonder Wheels chases two thieves who have stolen a million dollar solid gold model of the solar system.

Voices
  • Micky Dolenz – Willie Wheeler/Wonder Wheels
  • Susan Davis – Dooley Lawrence

Production credits
  • Executive Producers: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
  • Produced by: Terry Morse Jr.
  • Creative Producer: Iwao Takamoto
  • Associate Producer: Neil Balnaves
  • Animation: Sue Speak, Cecil Collins, Rodney D'Silva, Dick Dunn, Peter Eastment, John Ellis, Warwick Gilbert, Gerald Grabner, Sebastian Hurpia, Greg Ingram, Richard Jones, Cynthia Leech, Paul McAdam, Henry Neville, Ray Nowland, Di Rudder, Michael Stapleton, John Tych, Kaye Watts
  • Animation Directors: Charles A. Nichols, Chris Cuddington
  • Assistant Animation Supervisor: Paul Maron
  • Story: Kathy Colburn, Tom Dagenais, Dill Dailey, Dianne Dixon, Kari Oaurs, Andy Heyward, Chris Jenkyns, Mark Jones, Joan Maurer, Michael Maurer, Norman Maurer, Jack Mendelsohn, Howie Post, Cliff Roberts, Sandy Sandifer
  • Story Editors: Norman Maurer, Sid Morse
  • Story Direction: Alvaro Arce, Carl Fallberg, Cullen Houghtaling, Mike O'Connor, Don Sheppard, George Singer, Karren Wright
  • Editors: Peter Berger, Warner Leighton, Peter Jennings
  • Supervising Film Editor: Dick Elliott
  • Assistant Film Editor: Barry Gold
  • Recording Director: Wally Burr
  • Graphics: Iraj Paran
  • Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
  • Musical Supervision: Paul DeKorte
  • Character Design: Bob Singer, Norman Maurer, Lew Ott, George Wheeler
  • Layout Supervision: Steve Lumley
  • Layout: Bob Fosbry, Terry Moesker, Joe Shearer, Mike Trebert
  • Backgrounds: Richard Zaloudek, Milan Zahorsky, Jerry Liew, Michael King-Prince, Peter Connell, Ken Wright, Michael Chojecki, Lesley Nicholl
  • Animation Checking: Narelle Nixon
  • Xerography: Ellen Bayley
  • Ink and Paint Supervision: Narelle Derrick
  • Production Managers: R. J. Louis, James Cranston
  • Production Coordinator: Tobi Singleton
  • Production Supervision: Doug Patterson, Mark D'Arcy-Irvine, Adrienne Smith
  • Art Director: Kirk Axtell
  • Script Supervisors: Mary Jane Ferguson, Lester Hoyle
  • Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
  • Sound Mixers: Manuel Topoto, James Pilcher
  • Animation Photography: Terry Smith, Carole Laird, Mark D'Arcy-Irvine, Kieren Mulgrew, Tom Epperson
  • Dubbing Supervision: Pat Foley
  • Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
  • Post Production Supervision: Joed Eato

References
  1. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 748–750. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 176. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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