Tom Slick (TV series)
Freckled racecar driver with a shape-shifting car.
Tom Slick is a cartoon racecar driver and the star of a series of animated shorts that aired within the half-hour television series *George of the Jungle* (ABC, 1967). Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the creators of *Rocky & Bullwinkle*, the series featured seventeen six-minute episodes. The character is known for his freckled, grinning, all-American appearance and his trusty vehicle, the Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper.
Quick Facts
- Starring
- Bill Scott / June Foray / Paul Frees / Daws Butler
- Producer
- Jay Ward / Bill Scott
- Open Theme
- Stan Worth / Sheldon Allman
- Company
- Jay Ward Productions, Inc
- Network
- ABC
- First Aired
- 1967-09-09
- Last Aired
- 1967-12-30
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Tom Slick (voiced by Bill Scott) competes in various races with his girlfriend Marigold (voiced by June Foray) and his elderly mechanic Gertie Growler (also voiced by Bill Scott). The two women do not always get along well. His recurring antagonist is the evil Baron Otto Matic (voiced by Paul Frees), who often hits his stupid lackey Clutcher (voiced by Daws Butler) across the head with a monkey wrench. All episodes are narrated by a pastiche of the voice of the Indianapolis 500, Sid Collins.
A running gag throughout the series is that the Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper can be converted into virtually any type of racing vehicle, including a train, stock car racer, drag racer, racing balloon, swamp buggy, submarine, and even a miniaturized skateboard. Most of the races took place between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Gary, Indiana. The theme song was written by Stan Worth and Sheldon Allman.
In the opening sequence, Tom's car suddenly hops out of control into a barnyard, knocking him unconscious with a chicken on his head before he drives into a brick wall. The car miraculously falls apart in mid-air and falls back together, then jumps onto and off a stone monument bearing Tom Slick's name before getting back on the road.
Reader's Guide
Tom Slick represents a satirical take on the racing genre, produced by the same studio that created *Rocky & Bullwinkle*. The series is notable for its use of a pastiche narrator and its recurring visual gags, such as the Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper's ability to transform into any vehicle. The character appeared as a backup feature in Gold Key Comics's two-issue *George of the Jungle* title in 1969. The series is remembered as a segment within the larger *George of the Jungle* anthology, contributing to the legacy of Jay Ward Productions' distinctive brand of animated humor. Its seventeen episodes remain a part of the broader history of 1960s television animation.
Did You Know?
- Tom Slick was voiced by Bill Scott, who also voiced the mechanic Gertie Growler.
- The Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper could transform into vehicles such as a train, submarine, and skateboard.
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