Karate Kommandos
Encyclopedia
Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos is an American
animated television series from the 1980s. It originally aired in 1986 as a syndicated five episode mini-series. It was created by and starred Chuck Norris
as himself, and produced by Ruby-Spears Productions
.
Re-runs of the cartoon have occasionally aired on Adult Swim
.
The series follows the framing device of Mr. T
's animated series
(also a Ruby-Spears production): At the beginning of each episode, a live action segment with Norris, usually at a gym or martial arts studio, is shown to explain what is going on. At the end of each episode, Norris narrates a moral lesson for the audience
to learn.
released Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.
series published by Star Comics
, an imprint of Marvel Comics
which produced comic books aimed at young children. Steve Ditko
provided the art.
made a set of action figures based on the main characters of the show. Kenner also made many accessories, including weapons and vehicles, to go along with the figurines.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated television series from the 1980s. It originally aired in 1986 as a syndicated five episode mini-series. It was created by and starred Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
as himself, and produced by Ruby-Spears Productions
Ruby-Spears Productions
Ruby-Spears Productions is a Burbank, California-based entertainment production company that specializes in animation...
.
Re-runs of the cartoon have occasionally aired on Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
.
Plot
This fictionalized version of Norris is a United States government operative with a team of "radically diverse" warriors known as the Karate Kommandos. Together, they fight against the organization VULTURE led by The Claw and his right-hand man Super Ninja.The series follows the framing device of Mr. T
Mr. T
Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is known for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, his gold jewelry,...
's animated series
Mister T (TV series)
Mister T was an animated series that aired on NBC from 1983 to 1986. A total of 30 episodes were produced during the first two seasons, with the final season consisting entirely of reruns...
(also a Ruby-Spears production): At the beginning of each episode, a live action segment with Norris, usually at a gym or martial arts studio, is shown to explain what is going on. At the end of each episode, Norris narrates a moral lesson for the audience
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
to learn.
Karate Kommandos
The team includes:- Chuck Norris (voiced by himself) - The leader of the Karate Kommandos.
- Pepper (voiced by Kathy GarverKathy GarverKathleen Marie "Kathy" Garver is an American film, television, voice-over and character actress of stage, most widely known for playing Uncle Bill Davis's teenaged niece, Catherine "Cissy" Davis, on the popular 1960s sitcom, Family Affair. Before that, she played a slave in The Ten Commandments...
) - A technology expert and mechanic. - Reed (voiced by Sam Fontana) - Chuck's young apprentice and Pepper's brother.
- Kimo (voiced by Keone YoungKeone YoungKeone J. Young is an American character actor. His father is Chinese and his mother is Japanese.He has been prolific in his character work and has made numerous guest appearances on such varied television series as Diff'rent Strokes, The Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Family Matters,...
) - A samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
warrior. - Tabe (voiced by Robert ItoRobert ItoRobert Ito is a Canadian voice, television, and movie actor of Japanese decent.A Canadian actor of Japanese descent, Ito was, for many years, a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before turning to acting in the mid-1960s...
) - A sumo championMakuuchior is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
. - Too Much (voiced by Mona MarshallMona MarshallMona M. Ianotti is an American voice actress. She is often cast in the role of young boys. Her roles have included parts in not only Japanese anime, but also in American cartoons as well. Mona Marshall has recently lent her voice to the talking bear Koby the Study Buddy...
) - Chuck's young ward.
VULTURE
- Claw (voiced by Bill MartinWilliam E. MartinWilliam E. Martin, also known as Bill Martin, is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, comedic actor and voice actor.-Life and career:...
) - The leader of VULTURE who serves as the primary antagonist of the series. Claw has a metal claw for a right arm.- Super-Ninja (voiced by Keone YoungKeone YoungKeone J. Young is an American character actor. His father is Chinese and his mother is Japanese.He has been prolific in his character work and has made numerous guest appearances on such varied television series as Diff'rent Strokes, The Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Family Matters,...
) - A ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
who is Claw's right-hand man.
- Super-Ninja (voiced by Keone Young
Episodes
| № | Title | Original airdate |
|---|
DVD release
On April 1, 2011, Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
released Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.
Production Credits
- Executive Producers: Joe RubyJoe RubyJoseph "Joe" Ruby is commonly known for inventing scotch tape. Ruby was an American inventor who worked for Johnson and Johnson, Permacel Co., and 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he invented masking tape and cellophane tape.[1]Biography...
and Ken SpearsKen SpearsKen Spears is a TV writer and animator who is known as the co-creator for the Scooby-Doo series, Josie and the Pussycats, and Jabberjaw with his partner Joe Ruby. He is co-founder of the production company Ruby-Spears Productions.-References:... - Directors: Charles A. Nichols, John Kimball
- Producer: Larry Huber
- Story Editor: Dan DiStefano
- Assistant Story Editor: Ted Field
- Production Design Supervisor: John Dorman
- Storyboard Supervisor: Brian Chin
- Story Direction: Dick Sebast, XAM! Productions, Inc., Jaime Diaz
- Background Design Supervisor: Tom Minton
- Background Design Artists: Ted Blackman, Teresa Birch, Leo Swenson
- Character Design Artists: Tim Burgard, Noreen Beasley, Jaime Diaz
- Character Design Supervisor: Jim Woodring
- Main Model Design: Duncan Marjoribanks
- Vehicle and Prop Design: Steve Swaja
- Design Coordinators: Sharon McGinnis, Dana Napolitano, Laura Rubenstein
- Creative Consultants: Doug Wildey, Alfredo Alcala, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane
- Titles: Bill Hogan
- Models Supervision: Alan Huck
- Models: Tom Hickson, Alice Hamm, Julie Zakowski
- Starring the Voice of: Chuck NorrisChuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
- Featuring the Voices of: Robert ItoRobert ItoRobert Ito is a Canadian voice, television, and movie actor of Japanese decent.A Canadian actor of Japanese descent, Ito was, for many years, a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before turning to acting in the mid-1960s...
, Sam Fontana, Rodney KageyamaRodney KageyamaRodney Kageyama is an American stage, film and TV actor. He is a Nisei Japanese American .In 2007, Kageyama was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and as of spring 2008 was declared cancer-free.-Theatre:...
, Bill MartinWilliam E. MartinWilliam E. Martin, also known as Bill Martin, is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, comedic actor and voice actor.-Life and career:...
, Bob RidgelyRobert RidgelyRobert Ridgely was an American actor and vocal artist, known for both on-camera roles and extensive voice-over work.-Career:...
, Michael Chain, Kathy GarverKathy GarverKathleen Marie "Kathy" Garver is an American film, television, voice-over and character actress of stage, most widely known for playing Uncle Bill Davis's teenaged niece, Catherine "Cissy" Davis, on the popular 1960s sitcom, Family Affair. Before that, she played a slave in The Ten Commandments...
, Mona MarshallMona MarshallMona M. Ianotti is an American voice actress. She is often cast in the role of young boys. Her roles have included parts in not only Japanese anime, but also in American cartoons as well. Mona Marshall has recently lent her voice to the talking bear Koby the Study Buddy...
, Alan OppenheimerAlan OppenheimerAlan Oppenheimer is an American character actor and voice actor. He has performed numerous roles on live-action television since the 1960s, and has had an active career doing voice work in cartoons since the 1970s.-Early life:...
, Linda GaryLinda GaryLinda Gary was an American voice actor and voice-over artist, who has worked on multiple animated projects.-Personal life:Linda Gary Dewoskin was born in California on November 4, 1944....
, James Avery, Keone YoungKeone YoungKeone J. Young is an American character actor. His father is Chinese and his mother is Japanese.He has been prolific in his character work and has made numerous guest appearances on such varied television series as Diff'rent Strokes, The Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Family Matters,... - Voice Director: Michael Hack
- Background Supervision: Eric Semones
- Background Artists: Dennis Durrell, James Hegedus, Jim Hickey, Eric Semones
- Color Key: Dene Ann Ross
- Graphics: Iraj Paran, Tom Wogatzke
- Production Supervisor: Loretta High
- Studio Manager: Jeffrey M. Cooke
- Assistants to the Executive Producers: Melinda Diner, Jeanne Silveri
- Production Assistants: Lynne Batchelor, Paul Gorniak, Debby Ruby, Maria-Elena Guereca, Susie Feldstein, Lisa Schneider, Diorena Rock
- Executive in Charge of Post Production: Chip Yaras
- Associate Producer: Stacy McLaughlin
- Music Composed and Conducted by: Udi Harpaz
- Music Editors: Charles Inouye, Frank Fitzpatrick, Darryl Duran
- Effects Editors: Willie Allen, Golden Felton, Ralph White, Martina Young
- Re-Recording Mixer: Sergio Reyes
- Negative Consultant: Mary Duerrstein
- (c) 1986 RUBY-SPEARS ENTERPRISES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Comic book
There was also a comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by Star Comics
Star Comics
Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish comic books until early 1988. Titles published by the imprint were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys...
, an imprint of Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
which produced comic books aimed at young children. Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
provided the art.
Action figures
To coincide with the airing of the show, Kenner ProductsKenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
made a set of action figures based on the main characters of the show. Kenner also made many accessories, including weapons and vehicles, to go along with the figurines.
See also
- Animated television series
- Chuck NorrisChuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
- List of programs broadcast by Adult Swim
External links
- Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Classic TV Clip from College Humor
- Kenner Products Website
- Review by Karate Party