Inspector Gadget (1983 TV series)
Inspector Gadget is an animated series about a bumbling detective, Inspector Gadget, and his fight to stop the evil organization MAD, led by Dr. Claw. This was the merchandising company DiC Entertainment's first syndicated show. Inspector Gadget was a cyborg with various "gadgets" built into his anatomy through an operation after he slid on a banan peel chasing a villain. He could activate each gadget by saying the phrase, "Go-go gadget arms!" (for example). The gadgets would often malfunction in humorous ways, to which he would reply "I have to get these gadgets fixed!" but never did.
In each episode, Dr. Claw was foiled not by Inspector Gadget, but by his young niece Penny and her dog Brain. Brain would assume a disguise so as not to be noticed; Gadget would spot him, mistake his own dog for a costumed MAD agent, and pursue Brain trying to arrest him. Meanwhile, Penny would investigate the real crime. Inspector Gadget invariably got credit for solving it, and everyone believed that he had in fact stopped Dr. Claw single-handedly. Gadget reported to Chief of Police Quimby, who gave him his assignments on pieces of exploding paper... which invariably wound up backfiring on Quimby.
Dr. Claw was always depicted sitting in a high-backed chair facing away from the audience, and was thus never seen except for his right arm. He had a cat, Mad Cat, which (unfortunately for Mad Cat) he would often lose his temper when things started going badly. At the end of every episode, Dr. Claw would escape in the "MAD jet" yelling: "I'll get you next time, Gadget! Next time!" followed by Mad Cat's signiture scream. The black and red MAD jet was capable of converting into almost any vehicle. It could change into a car, a submarine, and was capable of firing missiles. Dr. Claw is a spoof of Ernst Blofeld, the villain of several James Bond movies, who also had a cat.
The theme music for the show was composed by Shuki Levy.
The first season was aired from September 10, 1983 to November 1984, including 65 episodes (a la 22 1/2 minute) which would make the show a worldwide hit. Almost every single episode followed a certain standard of quality: -New hired MAD villains besides the regular agents. -A new, well thought out crime. -Penny would get in some kind of danger while Gadget chased Brain. Though it might seem a bit too formular, these ingredients combined with charming and appealing main characters, exotic and well varied locations, an interesting plot and not least good writing kept the series as something worthwhile watching.
Sadly enough low budgets would kill the show in the second season, airing from September 1985 to February 1986, and including only 21 episodes. This time, the same hired villains could be seen in as many as three episodes, and the crime would more often than not be simply to get rid of Gadget, who Dr. Claw now had become completely obsessed with. The other characters experienced changes as well. Gagdet, Penny and Brain moved into a high-tech house filled with about as many gadgets as the Inspector had in his body! Worst of all: In the season's fourth episode, Gadget got an idiot of a sidekick named Capeman, dressed like the lamest superhero one could dream of. Although he only appeared in seven episodes, "Capman", as Gadget unexplicably called him, became the most annoying and unnecessary cartoon character in history. Furthermore, the animation wasn't that lavish anymore, Penny didn't get into danger as often as before, and Dr. Claw was more and more seldom seen in his MAD jet. The quality of the scripts would go up and down like a yo-yo, but even the best episodes aren't quite the same as what season one offered. All in all, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that the show got canselled after this. However, the first 65 episodes were more than enough to make "Inspector Gadget" a fondly remembered classic.
The cartoon was written in France, then animated in Tokyo, Japan and (a few of the episodes) in Taiwan, before being voiced in Canada and broadcast in the USA for the first time in September 1983. Only a month or so later, the show premiered in France. Don Adams, the voice of Inspector Gadget in the American version of the cartoon, also played Maxwell Smart, the lead character in Get Smart, giving both shows a certain resemblance to US viewers. When the recording moved to the United States for the second season, several of the voices (among them Cree Summers, who played Penny) were replaced.
Disney movies
In 1999, Matthew Broderick starred in a live-action movie from Walt Disney Pictures, also called Inspector Gadget, based on the cartoon series. In 2003, French Stewart starred in the straight to DVD sequel, Inspector Gadget 2, which is said to have followed the cartoon series closer.
Specials and spinoffs
Inspector Gadget's Field Trip
In 1995, DiC made a series called Inspector Gadget's Field Trip.
In this series, the popular animated character, Inspector Gadget, takes students around the world in this series of 50 field trips. Adams returns as the voice of Gadget.
Gadget and the Gadgetinis
In 2001, DiC also made 52 episodes of the spinoff Gadget and the Gadgetinis.
In it, Gadget is a lieutenant member of an organization called "WOMP" (World Organization of Mega Powers). He is aided in his work by Penny (a character from the original series, but now sixteen years old), as well as the new robot characters Digit and Fidget, invented by Penny.
Inspector Gadget's Last Case
In 2002, DiC made an animated movie called Inspector Gadget's Last Case.
When Inspector Gadget gives up his beloved but aging Gadgetmobile, his archenemy Dr. Claw uses a competing crime fighter to discredit Gadget and cost him his badge. The movie is a slapstick comedy cartoon filled with action.
The voice of Gadget is provided by Maurice LaMarche rather than Don Adams. Oddly enough--noting the Inspector's dog's name--LaMarche is most well-known as the other Brain, the large-headed megalomaniacal lab mouse on Animaniacs.
Also, after all these years, Dr. Claw's face is finally visible to the audience...sort of. This movie has the same animation as the Gadgetinis series.
Inspector Gadget's gadgets
- Gadget Binoculars - Binoculars lowered down out of his hat over his eyes.
- Gadget Brella - A hand holding an umbrella that came out of his hat.
- Gadget Coat - His trench coat inflated when he pulled one of the buttons on it and enabled him to float. It was almost always deflated by being punctured.
- Gadget Copter - A helicopter that came out of his hat that enabled him to fly.
- Gadget cuffs - A handcuff came out of his forearm just above his hand.
- Gadget Lasso - His necktie turned into a lasso.
- Gadget Legs/Arms/neck - His neck, arms and legs could extend to great lengths.
- Gadget Mallet - A wooden hammer held in a robotic hand that also came from the hat. It usually wound up bopping someone it shouldn't--sometimes even the Inspector himself.
- Gadget Phone - A telephone in his hand. The antenna came out of one finger and the speaker and receiver on others. This is the only gadget that was not voice activated. Possibly a reference, also, to Maxwell Smart's ingenious shoe-phone.
- Gadget Respirator - A self contained breathing mask and the only hat gadget Gadget has to physically reach for and pull on.
- Gadget Siren - A police light and siren popped out of the top of his hat.
- Gadget Skates - Roller skates came out of the bottom of his shoes. Also, sometimes rockets would come out of the sides.
- Gadget Skis - Skis extended out of the ends of his shoes.
- Gadget Spring - A spring came out of his hat, enabling him to bounce usually when falling head first and hitting his head against the ground.
- Hand Gadgets - there were several gadgets that were inside his fingers and were utilized by taking the end off his finger to expose the gadget. These included: flashlight, laser, pen, corkscrew, and whistle.
At times, the wrong gadget would emerge when another was called for, and Gadget would muse that he was overdue for a checkup/tuneup.
See also
Video clips
External links
- Internet Movie Database links