Wake, Rattle, and Roll

Wake, Rattle, and Roll (retitled Jump, Rattle, and Roll when it aired on The Disney Channel on weekday afternoons in 1991[1][2]) is an American live-action/animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Four Point Entertainment that premiered in the fall of 1990. As the show's title suggests, Hanna-Barbera intended the show to air on its affiliated stations in a morning timeslot before school. The show's title was inspired by the song "Shake, Rattle and Roll". After its single season on the air in syndication, Wake, Rattle, and Roll moved exclusively to The Disney Channel under the title Jump, Rattle, and Roll, with the title adjustment due to its repeats not being confined to mornings.[3]

Wake, Rattle, and Roll
Title card
GenreComedy
Created byDavid Kirschner
Written byLaren Bright
Brady Connell
Don Dougherty
David Kirschner
Ken Knox
Linda Krause
Earl Kress
Kristina Luckey
Bill Matheny
David Schwartz
Carl Swenson
Marlowe Weisman
Directed byDoug Rogers
Steven J. Santos
Creative directorRick Schneider-Calabash
StarringR.J. Williams
Avery Schreiber
Ebonie Smith
Terri Ivens
Voices ofCharlie Adler
Greg Burson
Tim Curry
Dick Gautier
Marvin Kaplan
John Mariano
Allan Melvin
Don Messick
Pat Musick
Rob Paulsen
Neil Ross
Arnold Stang
John Stephenson
Shadoe Stevens
Jean Vander Pyl
Janet Waldo
Frank Welker
Paul Winchell
Jonathan Winters
Patric Zimmerman
Theme music composerJoe Curiale
ComposersJoe Curiale (Fender Bender 500 segments)
Udi Harpaz
Bob Mithoff
Michael Tavera (Monster Tails segments)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes50 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersShukri Ghalayini
David Kirschner
Ron Ziskin
Cartoon segments:
William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Paul Sabella
ProducersCosmo Anzilotti
David Casci
Jim Crum
Jeffrey Hilton
Jeffrey Scott
Kelly Ward
Kay Wright
EditorTerry Moore
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesHanna-Barbera Productions
Four Point Entertainment
Original release
NetworkSyndication
ReleaseSeptember 17, 1990 (1990-09-17) –
January 18, 1991 (1991-01-18)
Related
Monster Tails
Fender Bender 500

Jump, Rattle, and Roll ran on The Disney Channel from October 7, 1991 to 1994, becoming the only Hanna-Barbera animated series ever to air on that network.[2][4][5] It has also been screened on Network Ten in Australia, TV1 in Malaysia, Channel 2 in New Zealand, M-Net in South Africa, Channel 5 in Singapore and TV5 in the Philippines while the animated segments were broadcast on ITV in the UK as part of the short running Saturday morning children's programme TV Mayhem, becoming the first series to debut on ITV during TV Mayhem.

Plot

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The series was about a boy named Sam Baxter (played by R. J. Williams) and his robot D.E.C.K.S. (voiced by Rob Paulsen; built from old audio/video equipment and a Sony U-Matic videotape head; the name was an acronym for Digital Electronic Cassette-Headed Kinetic System) and their adventures in the basement, which has a time machine that can bring back historical figures.

In some cases, Sam and D.E.C.K.S. occasionally have remote fights in which they each have a remote control and start pressing buttons changing each other from Hanna-Barbera stars to famous movie stars.

Basement tech

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Sam's grandpa Dr. Lester T. Quirk (played by Avery Schreiber) is a brilliant inventor and is constantly supplying Sam and DECKS with sci-fi technology to add to their basement bedroom:

  • People Processor – A teleporter used to send or retrieve people to and from anywhere in the world. Sometimes, it could even send people through time.
  • Mondo-View – A supercomputer that was used for several reasons on the show. For example, Sam is able to talk to Grandpa Quirk anywhere in the world.
  • Debbie Detector – A video monitor used by Sam and DECKS to communicate with Sam's older sister Debbie (played by Terri Ivens) which lessens the amount of time Debbie spends in the basement. It often makes an alarm sound when she approaches.

Cartoon segments

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After a short live-action skit, D.E.C.K.S. would turn on the television screen on his torso and display an animated short. There are two new Hanna-Barbera series made exclusively for this program.

Monster Tails

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Monster Tails is about a group of pets who live in a castle in Transylvania with their guardian Igor Jr. (voiced by Charlie Adler), the son of Igor (Iggy for short). Each of them had a similar personality to their masters who are in Hollywood making movies:

Monster Tails was also shown in the U.K., on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast in 1993.

Episodes

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  1. "Pet Styles of the Rich and Gruesome" – The pets are featured on a TV show called "Pet Styles of the Rich and Gruesome".
  2. "Purple Brain" – When Catula steals Frankenmutt's brain, the organ is accidentally exposed to a purple liquid, causing it to grow to giant proportions and wrecking havoc in the castle.
  3. "Elsa Dearest" – After ingesting a formula made by Mr. Snyde, Elsa becomes evil and obsessed with cleaning, annoying Catula, Frankenmutt, Iggy, and Dr. Veeny.
  4. "Sleepwalk, Don't Run" – While trying to sleep, Mumfrey sleepwalks, getting him and his fellow monster friends into calamity.
  5. "Journey to the Center of Iggy" – After coming down with an illness, Frankenmutt and Dr.Veenie shrink themselves and enter Iggy's body to find the source.
  6. "To Leech His Own"- Catula tries to rid the castle of a leech that has been drinking up his tomato juice supply.
  7. "The Moatside Bassanova" – A moat monster becomes obsessed with romancing Angel, who does not want anything to do with him.
  8. "Mighty Iggy at the Bat" –
  9. "Pet-refined Fortress" –
  10. "Monster Olympics" –
  11. "Driving Mr. Iggy" –
  12. "Ma Igor" –
  13. "Curse of the Mumphrey" –
  14. "Mayhem" – The pets play a board game so forbidden that their masters forbade them to play. As they play the game, they soon find out it has a mind of its own.
  15. "Mumphrey's the Word" –
  16. "Garbage Mouth" –
  17. "Tse-tse, Tse-tse, Goodbye" –
  18. "Goodbye, Mr. Chump" –
  19. "The Minus Touch" –
  20. "Dr. Veeny's Beanie" –
  21. "Night of the Living Food" –
  22. "Mumphrey's Big Sleep" –
  23. "The Flea" –
  24. "Attack of the Monster Shadows" –
  25. "Luck, Don't Leap" –
  26. "The Counter Mental Divide" –
  27. "Dog Date Afternoon" –
  28. "That Darn Yarn" –
  29. "New Corpses on the Slab" – Dr. Veenie, Frankenmutt, and Catula become a rock band called New Corpses on the Slab when Iggy was unable to get tickets for the Graveyard Gang's concert.
  30. "Igor No More" –

Fender Bender 500

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This is a spin-off of Wacky Races for the 1990s, in which classic Hanna-Barbera characters drive monster trucks made for racing. Each vehicle has a different theme, specific to its drivers; e.g., Yogi and Boo Boo's monster truck is a motorized giant picnic basket, while Winsome Witch's monster truck is a wheeled cauldron with a sentient skeleton named Axel on it. Game show announcer from The New Hollywood Squares and disc jockey Shadoe Stevens provided the voice of the race announcer. Since they were in the aforementioned series, Dick Dastardly and Muttley reappear in this segment, reprising their roles as cheaters with their own monster truck called the Dirty Truckster, which is basically their Mean Machine on a monster truck chassis. On a few occasions, they actually win a race, though there is always a catch that renders the win meaningless. Although technically not a series of its own, this is the fourth all-star sports show from Hanna-Barbera. This show also features Paul Winchell's final performance as Hanna-Barbera's long running antagonist, Dick Dastardly.

Axel had a cameo appearance in the Jellystone! episode "Face of the Town".

The competitors, listed by numeral order, as in their race numbers:

Episodes

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No. Title Written by
1 The Nippon Tuck 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

2 The Cow, Sow & Plow 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

3 The Calypso 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

4 The Philly Freedom 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

5 The Hup, Two, Three, Four, 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

6 The Frances a Lot 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

7 The Wooden Shoe Like to Win 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

8 The Rocket Gibraltar 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

9 Bombay Flambe 500 Laren Bright & Kristina Luckey
10 The Way Down Under 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Ken Knox

Teleplay by: Ken Knox

11 Fondue 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

12 The Kenya Win It 500 Laren Bright & Kristina Luckey
13 The Fettuccini 500 Kristina Luckey & Laren Bright
14 Monumental 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

15 The High Stakes 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

16 The Great Golden Gate 500 Kristina Luckey & Laren Bright
17 The Highland Fling 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Evelyn A-R Gabai

Teleplay by: Evelyn A-R Gabai

18 Rush to Rushmore 500 Kristina Luckey & Laren Bright
19 Pound for Pound 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Ken Knox

Teleplay by: Ken Knox

20 The Great Greek 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

21 The Log Jammer 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

22 The Clambake 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

23 The We’ll Get Bayou 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

24 The Funhouse 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

25 Space Race 500 Laren Bright & Kristina Luckey
26 The Wicki Wacki 500
27 The Big Apple 500
28 The Panda-Monium 500
29 The Tumbleweed 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

30 The Jungle Bungle 500
31 The Silver Screen 500
32 The Sheik to Sheik 500 Laren Bright & Kristina Luckey
33 The Cotton Pickin’ 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

34 The Oom-pa-pah 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

35 The Fountain of Youth 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

36 The Fiesta Fantastica 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

37 The Big Top 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

38 The Russian Around 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

39 The Dash to Nashville 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

40 The Trans-Transylvania 500 Laren Bright & Kristina Luckey
41 The Run Down to Ghost Town 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

42 The Go for the Gold 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

43 The Golden State 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

44 The Hit'n Mississippi 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

45 The Alligator Alley 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

46 The Brazilian Million 500 Story by: Kristina Luckey, Laren Bright & David Schwartz

Teleplay by: David Schwartz

47 The Emerald Isle 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

48 The Nile a Minute 500 Laren Bright & Kristina Luckey
49 The Unfathomable 500 Story by: Laren Bright, Kristina Luckey & Earl Kress

Teleplay by: Earl Kress

50 The Yukon Win It 500

Filler segments

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Due to the Disney Channel airing the program without any commercial breaks due to being a premium service at the time, an additional animated segment aired after the last live-action scene. These consisted of two shorts from the H-B archive: a "Dino and Cavemouse" segment from The Flintstone Comedy Show and an "Undercover Elephant" segment from CB Bears.

Cast

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Guest cast

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Voice cast

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Monster Tails:

Fender Bender 500:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Toonarific Cartoon Archive. "Wake, Rattle, & Roll @ Toonarific Cartoons". toonarific.com.
  2. ^ a b The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 9, no. 5, September/October 1991: pp. 20, 36, 45.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 894–895. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 12, no. 5, August/September 1994: pp. 24–25, 32.
  5. ^ The Disney Channel Magazine, Vol. 12, no. 6, October/November 1994: p. 36.
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