Skyhawks

For other uses, see Skyhawk.

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Skyhawks opening screen

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Mike Wilson Leader of the Wilson Crew

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The Wilson Crew

Skyhawks was a 17-episode television cartoon series sponsored by Mattel. Each episode consisted of two adventures. The series originally aired from September 6, 1969 to September 4, 1971 on ABC Television. It was a Pantomime Pictures/Ken Snyder Production. Distributed by CBS Television Distribution.

Plot

Skyhawks, Inc. was a family-run daredevil air transport rescue service based at San Marcos Field in Southern California. The leader of the Wilson family was Mike "Cap" Wilson, a widower and leader of the team. Cap Wilson learned how to fly during World War II during which he achieved the rank of Colonel. Cap's father, famed aviator Pappy Wilson, had been a World War I flying ace. A warm and encouraging father, Cap had 17-year-old twins named Steve and Carolyn. He also sponsored two foster kids: 14-year-old Baron "Red" Hughes and his 9-year-old sister Cynthia, usually referred to as "Cindy", though she was also nicknamed "Mugs". Unusual for most cartoon series of the era, the family's relationship was well-detailed in the narrative of the opening theme, yet some sources still erroneously state that the Hughes kids are Pappy's foster children. The Wilson crew also included Cap's girlfriend Maggie McNally and Joe Conway was the Skyhawks' chief mechanic. During emergencies, the team saved troubled charter planes, rescued helicopter pilots, transported air freight, or ran secret government missions. San Marcos Field also was the home base of the Skyhawks' unscrupulous competitor, Buck Devlin and his gang of pilots. Nine episodes shy of the required twenty-six episodes to go into syndication and plagued by complaints from Topper Toys that this series and the companion series Hot Wheels were merely thirty-minute ads for Mattel Toys, Skyhawks flew away into obscurity after its two-year run on ABC.

Cast (voices)

• Captain Mike Wilson—Michael Rye
• Steve Wilson—Casey Kasem
• Caroline Wilson—Iris Rainer
• Pappy Wilson—Dick Curtis
• Maggie McNalley—Joan Gerber
• Baron "Red" Hughes—Dick Curtis
• Cynthia "Mugs" Hughes—Melinda Casey
• Buck Devlin—Bob Arbogast
• Joe Conway—Casey Kasem

Episodes

There were a total of 17 episodes which comprised two adventures each. At the end of each episode a "short" that gave information on piloting and flying appeared.

• "Night Flight"/"Flight to Danger (Big Wet Bird)"
• "Untamed Wildcat"/"Silent Flight"
• "The Search"/"Mission to Avalanche Wells"
• "Lobster Pirates"/"The Message"
• "Hidden Valley"/"The Snooper"
• "Bams Away"/"Vacation with Danger"
• "The Radioactive Lake"/"Circus Train"
• "The Sniffers"/"Hot Wire on Storm Mountain"
• "Fire in the Tree"/"Runaway Ride"
• "The Duster"/"Animal Airline"
• "Discover Flying"/"Pappy to the Rescue"
• "The Intruders"/"Trouble Times Three"
• "Operation Slingshot"/"Dog Fight"
• "Quick Frozen"/"All at Sea"
• "Ground Zer"/"Devlin's Dilemma"
• "Barnstormer's Circus"/"The Peril of the Prince"
• "Carrier Pigeon"/"Mercy Flight"

Credits

• Producers: Fred Crippen, Eddie Smardan, Kenneth C.T. Snyder
• Associate Producers: Jeanne Lindsay, Dick Reed, Charles Phalen, Paul Shively, Joe Bruno
• Supervising Director: George Singer
• Animation Directors: Paul Sommer, Joe Bruno, Norm McCabe
• Executive Script Consultant: Clark Howat
• Written by Tony Asher, Art Browne, Jr., Peter Dixon, Roy Freeman, Luanne Gwynne, Bill Hines, Scott Joseph, Keith Kelsay, Don Nicholl, Martin Smith, Larry Thor, Worley Thorne
• Layout: Morris "Moe" Gollub, Doug Wildey, George Wheeler, Zygamond Jablecki, Don Sheppard, Herb Johnson, Mel Keefer, Alex Toth
• Animators: George Cannata, Wesley Bennett, Bob Trochim, Dave Tendlar, Dave Brain, Herb Rothwell, Floyd Norman, Bill Hutton
• Key Assistant Animators: Mary Peters, Fred Meyers, Bill Higgins
• Background Supervisor: Lorraine Marue
• Backgrounds: Al Gmuer, Janet Brown, Donald Peters, Anthony Rizzo, Ted Littlefield, Mike Kawaguchi, John Park, Peter Van Elk, David Lopez, Ann Guenther
• Production Supervised by Sam S. Kai
• Animation Checking: Lynn Singer, Kathy Barrows-Fullmer, Anita Flynn, Ginny Chapman, Elaine Miller, Beverly Ann Ware, Yvonne Batson, Renee Henning
• Ink and Paint Manager: Connie Crawley
• Camera Operators: Wally Bulloch, Fred Wellington, Ray Bloss
• Additional Camera Services by Animated Film Service
• Music Composed and Conducted by Jack Fascinato
• Theme Song Performed by Mike Curb and the Curbstones
• Supervising Film Editor: Roger Donley
• Picture and Sound Editors: Bob Linvall, John Casey, Dee Futch, George Nicholson, Skip Lusk, John Butterrath
• Technical Designers: Leonard Stobar, Mel Ako
• Special Sound Effects: Peter Armstrong
• Production Assistants: Nancy Waters, Fred Lorenzin
• Executive Producer: Kenneth C.T. Snyder
• Filmed in Perspectamation
• A Ken Snyder Properties/Pantomime Pictures Corporation Production

External links

• Skyhawks at IMDb
• Sky Hawks at the Big Cartoon DataBase