Hammerman is an animated television series, starring rapper MC Hammer, which aired for thirteen episodes on ABC in the fall of 1991. It was produced by DIC Animation City and Italian company Reteitalia S.p.A., in association with Spanish network Telecinco.[2]
| Hammerman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | MC Hammer |
| Directed by | Michael Maliani |
| Starring | MC Hammer |
| Voices of | Neil Crone Clark Johnson Jeff Jones Miguel Lee Joe Matheson Susan Roman Ron Rubin Carmen Twillie Louise Vallance Maurice Dean Wint |
| Composers | The Music Team Mark Simon (additional music) |
| Country of origin | United States Canada Italy |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13[1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Andy Heyward Louis Burrell |
| Producer | Kevin O'Donnell |
| Editors | Mark A. McNally Susan Odjakjian |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production companies | DIC Animation City Bustin' Productions, Inc. Reteitalia |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC (United States) Telecinco (Spain) |
| Release | September 7, 1991 – 1992 |
Synopsis
editYouth center worker Stanley Burrell (Hammer's real name) owns a pair of magical dancing shoes (which are alive and can speak), which when worn cause Burrell to transform into the superhero Hammerman.[3] He frequently gets advice from his "Gramps", who was a former owner of the shoes and was known as Soulman. While in the guise of Hammerman, Burrell was dressed in MC Hammer's signature purple Hammer pants and myriad golden chains.
The show was hosted by the real MC Hammer, who also sang the show's theme song, telling about the origin of Hammerman. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Gramps (Robert Nameson) was the superhero Soulman, but as he grew older, he grew weaker and was forced to retire. Gramps and his granddaughter Jodie traveled to find the next new superhero. Their search was over when they met Stanley and he put on the shoes. Each episode, Hammerman faced various social issues; at the end of each episode, MC Hammer would speak to the audience and provide methods to address these issues themselves.
Cast
edit- MC Hammer - Hammerman/Stanley Burrell (live action)
- Neil Crone - Ludwig
- Clark Johnson - Hammerman (cartoon)
- Jeff Jones
- Miguel Lee
- Joe Matheson
- Susan Roman - Hammerman's Would-Be Girlfriend
- Ron Rubin - Righty
- Carmen Twillie - Fly Girls
- Louise Vallance - Jodie
- Maurice Dean Wint - Showbiz
Additional voices
edit- Philip Akin
- Réal Andrews
- Jason Burke
- George Buza
- Len Carlson
- Rob Cowan
- Michelyn Emelle
- Dan Hennessey - Boss Grindenheimer[citation needed]
- Marc Marut
- Greg Morton
- Jackie Richardson
- Judith Scott
- Errol Slue
- Michael Stark
- John Stocker - Defacely Marmeister
- Marlow Vella
- Richard Yearwood
Episodes
editWhile the airdates and order of most episodes is unknown, "Defeated Graffiti", the first episode (as confirmed by MC Hammer's comments at the beginning of the episode), aired on September 7, 1991. The cartoon aired on Saturday mornings at 10 AM on ABC.
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Defeated Graffiti" | Reed Shelly and Bruce Shelly | September 7, 1991 | |
|
It's time for Hammerman, the super hero with super cool dancin' shoes! In 'Defeated Graffiti', Hammerman and the Oaktown Rec Center Kids confront an ugly crime wave that's messin' up the neighborhood. If anyone can save Oaktown... Hammerman can! | ||||
| 2 | "Winnie's Winner" | Martha Moran | October 19, 1991 | |
| 3 | "Rapoleon" | Bob Forward and Eve Forward | November 16, 1991 | |
| 4 | "If the Shoe Fits" | Steven Weiss & Paul Dell | November 30, 1991 | |
| 5 | "Nobody's Perfect" | Robert Askin | December 7, 1991 | |
| 6 | "Dropping Out" | Robert Askin | 1992 | |
| 7 | "Lights, Camera, Hammer!" | Robert Askin | 1991 | |
| 8 | "Blast From the Past" | Robert Askin | 1991 | |
| 9 | "Who's Who" | Bob Forward and Eve Forward | 1991 | |
| 10 | "Work This!" | Darin Scott | 1991 | |
Critical reception
editEntertainment Weekly journalist Dalton Ross listed Hammerman at the top of his list "Top 5 Most Ridiculous Things to Be Turned Into a Saturday Morning Cartoon", and described the show as "idiotic".[4]
Home media
editIn 1994, 3 of the 13 episodes were released on VHS by Buena Vista Home Video. There are currently no plans for a DVD release.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "Shows A - L". Dicentertainment.com. Archived from the original on 2003-04-02. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 263–264. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 393. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Ross, Dalton (September 16, 2006). "Giving Him Paws". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2013.