Production Notes

"BATTLE OF THE PLANETS"

PRODUCTION NOTES

"Battle of the Planets," a new half-hour, action filled, fully animated, science fiction series that pits good against evil with special effects, imaginative futuristic concepts and exciting, dramatic perspectives that only the most modern and dedicated animation can achieve, premieres this October as one of the season's most anticipated nationally syndicated daytime series for family enjoyment.

"Battle of the Planets," a Sandy Frank presentation produced in association with Gallerie international films, utilizes the acting voices of Alan Young, Casey Kasem, Janet Waldo, Ronnie Schell, Alan Dinehart and Keye Luke.

Its immediate and phenomenal syndicated sales success (44 of the top 50 markets virtually overnight) is making television marketing history. Never before has an original program with no previous network track record, created specifically for syndicated sales, been so immediately and overwhelmingly accepted by stations as has 'Battle of the Planets."

The audience appeal for "Battle of the Planets" is a television outgrowth of the broad-based, international popularity of such blockbuster science fiction films as 'Star Wars," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Star Trek" and "Battlestar Galactica." Still to come in this genre are "Buck Rogers" and Disney's "Space Probe."

"Battle of the Planets," meticulously conceived and produced to avoid mindless violence and fright while highlighting suspense, action and imagination, will be initially offered as 85 self contained episodes story-lined around the abundant Earth being defended here and in outer space against Robot enemy invaders from the ecologically depressed planet of Spectra.

Earth's 5 defenders are the G-Force squad, consisting of five super young people endowed with special abilities to fly and together to cause a whirlwind. Enemy movement input and mission impossible assignments are issued to G-Force from a warm and likeable guardian robot called "7-Zark-7."

Sandy Frank, whose Sandy Frank Syndication in New York is internationally syndicating the series, is presenting the program. Executive Producer is Jamison Brewer; Producer-Director is David Hanson. Alan Dinehart is Voice Director. Brewer is also Head Writer. Brewer and Dinehart are long-time associates of Hanna-Barbera and Walt Disney Productions. Music is by Hoyt Curtin.

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS, STORY CONCEPT

In "Battle of the Planets" G-Force is a watchdog squad for Earth and its Galaxy, with Mark (voice of actor Casey Kasem), the sober, thoughtful but daring commander. Mark is assisted by a headstrong and impetuous Jason (voice of actor Ronnie ScheIl) who often must be restrained in his passion to get to the enemy now. Princess (voice of actress Janet Waldo) is the feminine member of the squad. She is bright, sharp, heroic, witty and holds more than a team-member's interest in a responsive Mark, but their defense assignments keep them both too busy to pursue this caring much further. Keyop (voice of actor Alan Young), the fourth member of the squad, is an impish and lovable little guy, laboratory manufactured and produced especially for G-Force. A malfunction in his production created the strange manner in which he speaks. The fifth and final member of G-Force is Tiny a (voice of Director Alan Dinehart), the oversized pilot of "The Phoenix," the group's space ship.

"The Phoenix," a phenomenon in itself, is capable of transmuting from a conventional space ship to an amorphous, fiery bird, when necessary to escape danger. In that way "The Phoenix" is true to its legend--a bird that rises from ashes to fly again.

7-Zark-7 (voice of actor Alan Young), the robot that operates out of G-Force's nerve center of computerized information, has a loyal robot dog, 1-Rover-1, and a never-seen a Secretary, Susan, with a romantic off-stage voice that frequently makes 7-Zark-7's antennae vibrate with excitement when he hears her talk.

Doctor Anderson (voice of Director Alan Dinehart) is the serious and concerned security officer who advises G-Force and 7-Zark-7 about operational procedures.

The leading enemy antagonist in every episode is Zoltar (voice of actor Keye Luke), evil ruler of the planet Spectra who constantly plots take-over invasions of Earth using robot forces, robot tanks and robot planes and imaginative new mechanical creatures. In the episode plots of "Battle of the Planets" Zoltar and Spectra regularly covet the take-over of Earth because it is ecologically abundant while Spectra is a dying planet losing all its resources. The attacks against Earth are with Spectra' s evil hope of replenishing itself at Earth's expense. G-Force never lets this happen. Zoltar receives commands from still a higher and more powerful evil Galactic being, known as "The Spirit" but to Zoltar also as "Oh, Luminous One" because "The Spirit" is never represented by more than two eyes on a monitor.

ABOUT EXECUTIVE PRODUCER-HEAD WRITER JAMESON BREWER

Most of this story material originates from the creative mind of Emmy-winner Jameson Brewer, coproducer and head writer. Brewer is aided by a staff of eight additional writers. Brewer, who early in his career wrote the classic "Fantasia," is one of the veteran storytellers of Hollywood filmmaking. He has written 500 radio shows and nearly the same number of TV programs as well as 52 full-length features, eight of which were full-length animated films. While a head writer at Walt Disney Studios for five years he worked on such other memorable Disney films as "Ferdinand," "Ugly Duckling" and "Pinocchio." Brewer also served as a producer-director-writer for MGM for two years and for a cumulative 10 years has been associated with the Hanna-Barbera Company as a writer. He won his Emmy for the "Last of the Curlews,' an animated special from Hanna-Barbera. Many of the films he wrote in the animated area resulted in Academy Awards for the producing companies. Earlier in his career he wrote for the famed Robert Benchley and Pete Smith shorts. He writes from his home in the Westlake Village area of Thousand Oaks, California.

ABOUT PRODUCER-DIRECTOR DAVID HANSON AND GALLERIE FILMS

Producer-Director is David Hanson, President of Gallerie International Films, Ltd., the animation and film company associated with production of the series.

Hanson was Manager of Children's Programming, ABC Television Network, 1970-72. Among the shows he developed for ABC was the popular "Curiosity Shop." Earlier, Hanson was a producer for the Leo Burnett Company Advertising Agency, assigned to supervising and producing television shows and radio and TV commercials. In 1972 with the famed animator-director Abe Levitow, Hanson formed Levitow/Hanson Films, Inc. They developed more than 25 programs and specials for networks and clients. In 1973 they produced "B.C., The First Thanksgiving," aired over NBC-TV for General Mills. They also produced the successful "Action" recruitment film series. The company's commercial clients include Western Airlines, Kelloggs, Starkist Tuna, Green Giant and many others. In 1975, Levitow/Hanson were honored with the International Broadcasting Award "Spike" for a public service announcement. The company won the coveted Peabody Award the next year, when it also changed its name to Gallerie Films International, Ltd. The company is headquartered in North Hollywood, California. During peak production it employs more than 150 craftsmen.

ABOUT VOICE DIRECTOR ALAN DINEHART

Alan Dinehart, voice director for "Battle of the Planets," portrays the voices of two series regular characters, "Doctor Anderson" and "Tiny." He occasionally does other voices, as needed during recording sessions.

Dinehart has vast experience as a director, writer and producer in the animated field as well as in all other areas of entertainment, including radio, TV and movies. He was associated with the entire six-year production run of Hanna-Barbera's "The Flintstones" as writer-director-associate producer and the occasional voices of other-than-regular characters. He also worked for Hanna-Barbera's "The Jetsons" and "Top Cat." He has been associated with Hanna-Barbera since 1959. Dinehart also directed voices for Walt Disney's popular "Christmas Carol" album. His experience dates back to early radio shows (he directed Orson Welles in the famous title role of "The Shadow" in 1936). He won an Emmy for "The Alan Young Show," serving then as the show's producer-director. Dinehart also worked for Filmation as voice director for "Isis" and "The Bill Cosby Show."

ABOUT THE ACTORS, WHOSE VOICES DEPICT THE SERIES CHARACTERS

ALAN YOUNG, whose voice depicts "7-Zark-7," has had a distinguished radio-television-stage -film career that includes six years of "Mr. Ed" and the once-popular "Alan Young Show." Very recently he starred in Walt Disney's "Cat From Outer Space" and the still-unreleased "Baker's Hawk." His Broadway stage appearances include "Damn Yankees," Finian's Rainbow," "The Odd Couple" and "The Girl in the Freudian Slip." Born in England, Young was active as a writer-performer while still a high school student in Canada.

CASEY KASEM, whose voice portrays "Mark," commander of G Force, has voiced characters in more than 800 animated shows and thousands of commercials. During the 1950s and '60s he was a leading disc jockey in Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He created "American Top 40," the syndicated radio concept of cycle-programming the 40 most popular records, which is now being heard on more than 400 stations. Kasem' s many TV appearances include "Police Story," "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Dean Martin Show." He also costars in two upcoming theatrical motion pictures: "The Dark" and "Jet Set Disco."

JANET WALDO, whose Voice portrays "Princess," is well remembered for portraying the famous "Corliss Archer." She possesses one of the most gifted ranges of voices in the entertainment and commercial fields. She is also one of the industry's most prolific actresses. She has portrayed everything from "Roxanne'' in "Cyrano de Bergerac" to a harried housewife in a headache commercial. Ms. Waldo portrayed the voices of Judy Jetson in "The Jetsons." She was "Josie" in "Josie and the Pussycats" and Fred Flintstone's battle-ax mother-in-law in "The Flintstones," She also worked in "The Addams Family." Her commercials could fill a supermarket shelf and include Max Factor, Ajax, Gemco, Sambo's, and Pringle's potato Chips.

ALAN DINEHART, whose voice portrays "Doctor Anderson" and "Tiny," is backgrounded in previous paragraphs of these production notes.

RONNIE SCHELL, whose voice portrays "'Jason," the impetuous second-in-command of G-Force, has an extensive background in all areas of comedy entertainment, much like the other voice stars of "Battle of the Planets." For five years Schell costarred as Gomer Pyle's best friend, "Duke," in the hit CBS-TV series. He also appeared on "Good Morning, World" and the "Jim Nabors Hour." He has made guest star appearances on a wide variety of shows including "Happy Days" and "The Carol Burnett Show," and has appeared repeatedly on all talk shows. His night club engagements as a comedian are extensive in the Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and New York areas. Schell has appeared in three Walt Disney theatrical films: "The Strongest Man in the World," "Gus" and "The Shaggy D.A." He has done a wide variety of commercials and his voice-acting has included three Hanna-Barbera productions: "Goober and the Ghost Chasers," "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

KEYE LUKE, whose voice portrays "Zoltar," evil ruler of the planet Spectra (located in an alien galaxy), now a young 74, is most famed through his role as "Number One Son" in the "Charlie Chan" movies. His acting credits read like a history of the film business. He was the eldest son in the classic, "The Good Earth." His other appearances include "Around the World in 80 Days," Father Wong in "Flower Drum Song," "Dragon Seed," "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" and five "Dr. Kildare" films. He performed as the blind and wise old Chinese monk, Master Po, in the "Kung Fu' TV series, counseling and bringing up David Carradine. Today, Luke remains a zestful and full-of-life personality who paints, etches and draws. He has appeared in more than 150 theatrical films. When not acting, which he is regularly, he takes singing lessons and studies the Mandarin dialect. He once appeared in a film with Garbo ("The Painted Veil"), and he possesses the most evil voice in Hollywood, qualifying him perfectly for the "Zoltar" character.