"G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" (1983) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

12 September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Animation

Plot:

The GI Joe Special Missions force must battle to build a counterweapon to Cobra's teleportation device.

Plot Keywords:

Teleportation | Based On Toy | Commando | Amnesia | Wolf

Cast

Michael Bell	...	Duke / ... (5 episodes, 1983)
Arthur Burghardt	...	Destro / ... (5 episodes, 1983)
Chris Latta	...	Cobra Commander / ... (5 episodes, 1983)
B.J. Ward	...	Scarlett (5 episodes, 1983)
Morgan Lofting	...	Baroness / ... (4 episodes, 1983)
Marla Frumkin Scott	...	Selena (4 episodes, 1983)
John Stephenson	...	Gen. Flagg / ... (4 episodes, 1983)
Frank Welker	...	Rock 'n Roll / ... (4 episodes, 1983)
Libby Aubrey	...	Cover Girl (3 episodes, 1983)
Buster Jones	...	Doc / ... (3 episodes, 1983)
Peter Cullen	...	Ramar / ... (2 episodes, 1983)
Rob Paulsen	...	Tripwire / ... (2 episodes, 1983)

Also Known As:

"G.I. Joe: The MASS Device" (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

300 min (5 parts)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Sunbow Productions

Trivia:

The scene in the opening montage of Flash firing his laser rifle at a target is actually taken from the commercial for the "GI JOE #1" comic.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the first cliffhanger, Ramar the Giant Slave swings his arms and knocks down two stone columns (a preposterous notion in and of itself); as the second episode opens, a large overhead shot now shows the two columns that he knocked down about 50 yards apart. In order to knock them down, Ramar would have needed a wingspan of about 150-160 feet!

Quotes:

Ace: Uh-oh. What we got here is a game of dirty pool. With a capital "D" for Destro!
[points to the volcano's side]
Ace: He's undercutting the lava in the crater!
Airborne, Ramar: When that crater wall breaks we could have us one *humongous* blowout!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fanboys (2008)

Best Cartoon Ever

This five-part mini-series introduced the world to what would become (at least in my opinion) the best cartoon ever put on TV. All the ingredients which would become the hallmarks of the series were in place: superb animation, a wide array of complex heroes and villains, fervent patriotism and, most importantly, non-stop action.

In their first of countless conflicts with the terrorist organization Cobra, the G.I. Joe force--Duke, Scarlet, Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes, et al--face arms dealer Destro's nefarious MASS device. Their battle takes them around the world in a desperate race to retrieve the three elements which power MASS, from the frigid Arctic to the ocean floor. The showdowns are awesome and incessant, right up to the final assault on Cobra Commander's hidden temple.

I watched this show religiously as a kid, and now, in my mid-twenties, I find it just as stimulating as ever. For Cold War propaganda at its best, nothing tops G.I. Joe.