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Clutch Cargo

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TV Series

The Resume

    (March 9, 1959-circa 1960)
    Syndicated animated series
    Recognizable for cheaply done animation and Syncro Vox (developed to provide 'moving' lips for animals in pet food commercials) editing which superimposed actor's mouths over animated pictures of cartoon characters
    Featured the adventures of writer/pilot Clutch Cargo, his ward Spinner and their pet daschund, Paddlefoot
    Voice actors included Richard Cotting as Clutch Cargo and Margaret Kerry as Spinner and Paddlefoot

Why Clutch Cargo might be annoying:

    The producers of the show were dedicated to saving money any way they could. In addition to using Syncro Vox, motion was shown by physically moving the camera or cartoon cel, cigarette smoke was blown in front of the camera to simulate explosions, and in walking scenes, no one was shown below the waist because walking would require standard animation techniques.
    The Syncro Vox was inexplicably creepy and for some reason vaguely pornographic.
    The scheduling of early episodes was bizarre, five minute episodes were shown Monday - Friday and the whole episode was shown on Saturday mornings.
    Some of the dialog was ridiculous even by cartoon standards.
    It was derivative of the comic strips 'Terry and the Pirates' and 'Steve Canyon.'
    Clutch had the unusual combination of white hair and black bushy eyebrows and was a terrible dresser, often wearing suspenders over a sports shirt..
    A woman (Margaret Kerry) provided the voices of males Spinner and Paddlefoot.
    Spinner? Paddlefoot?

Why Clutch Cargo might not be annoying:

    Episodes sometimes cost as little as ten percent of what a normally animated show of the same length would cost. In addition, an episode of Clutch Cargo could be completed in as little as a week versus the months a standard half hour animated show could take.
    Standard animation, and even live action film, was sometimes inserted to excellent effect.
    Although the dialog was often atrocious, the plots and action were often quite good.
    It's one of the most recognizable TV shows of all time.
    The airplane was a super cool 1929 Bellanca C-27 Airbus of which only about twenty were ever made.
    It's success was influential in the creation of more mature action oriented cartoons like Jonny Quest.
    It has done well in syndication.
    Conan O'Brien has used Syncro Vox to conduct mock celebrity interviews on his shows.

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 196 Votes: 51.53% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 26 Votes: 19.23% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 122 Votes: 59.84% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 19 Votes: 63.16% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 80 Votes: 52.50% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 19 Votes: 57.89% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 35 Votes: 62.86% Annoying