Speed Racer
Speed Racer
Speed Racer was the first of the Japanese anime (see entry under 1990s—TV and Radio in volume 5) cartoons to succeed in the United States. The show became a fixture of children's television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) for years after its release in the United States in 1967. The half-hour show followed the adventures of a young race-car driver named Speed Racer, who drove every boy's dream car: the Mach 5. The streamlined Mach 5, the fastest car on the racing circuit, was equipped with a variety of gadgets. Buttons on the dashboard released super gripping tires, buzz saws to chop through obstacles, a canopy that allowed the car to operate underwater, and a remote-control homing bird to get help if Speed was in trouble. Assisting Speed in his adventures were his girlfriend, Trixie; the designer of the Mach 5, hot-head Pops Racer; and Speed's trusted mechanic, Sparky. The most intriguing figure in the series, however, was Racer X, who mysteriously appeared to save Speed whenever he got into his worst trouble. Only the viewers knew that Racer X was Speed's long-lost brother Rex Racer, who was forced to conceal his identity.
The series was first aired in Japan as Mach Go Go Go, but the show was thought unusable for American TV because of its high levels of violence. Peter Fernandez, who directed the series, provided the voice of Speed, and wrote the theme song, cut out the most violent scenes, hired Americans to dub the dialogue into English, and sold the fifty-two episodes into syndication (that is, he sold the rights to air the program to individual television stations). The series was updated as The New Adventures of Speed Racer in 1993, but the new version did not compare well to the original. Today, Speed Racer lives on in reruns, merchandise sales, and fan Web sites.
—Tom Pendergast
For More Information
Moran, Elizabeth. Speed Racer: The Official 30th Anniversary Guide. New York: Hyperion, 1997.
The Official Speed Racer Virtual Pit Stop.http://speedracerdsl.com/speedracer (accessed March 20, 2002).
"Speed Racer." YesterdayLand.http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/saturday/sa1210.php (accessed March 20, 2002).