Clutch Cargo Volume 11

A surprise hit of late '50's children's television, the serialized adventure cartoon Clutch Cargo introduced audiences to the patented Syncro-Vox animation system. To keep production costs low, voice actors were filmed as they delivered their dialog, and their moving lips were superimposed over still drawings of the characters' faces. Richard Cotting was the voice of Clutch, while Margaret Kerry (the model for Tinker Bell in Peter Pan) played his pals Spinner and Paddlefoot. Hal Smith, best remembered as Otis on The Andy Griffith Show, provided most of the other voices.

Series creator and head writer, Clark Haas, was a test pilot before he was hired by legendary cartoonist Roy Crane to write and draw the Sunday edition of his popular newspaper adventure strip, Buz Sawyer. Haas brought his love of planes to Clutch Cargo, as evidenced by the care he lavished on the drawings of them used on the program. Acclaimed jazz flutist Paul Horn can be heard perfecting his chops on the show's minimalist flute & bongo soundtrack.

GLOBAL TEST FLIGHT: A saboteur tries to foil Clutch's global test flight of a new jet plane.

ROAD RACE: Clutch enters his home-built race car in the Grand Prix.

FEATHER FUDDLE: A famed ornithologist is kidnapped after discovering a rare bird.

WATER WIZARDS: Clutch and Spinner's participation in a hydroplane race is interrupted by the appearance of a strange "toad-man!"