Pac-Man (TV series)


 * This article is about the TV series. For the character, see Pac-Man.

Pac-Man is an American animated action-comedy television series produced Hanna-Barbera for ABC's Saturday morning children's programming. It ran from 1982 to 1983, airing 42 episodes that spanned two seasons. The TV series is an adaptation of the Namco video game Pac-Man, which debuted in arcades two years before the cartoon's debut.

Pac-Man protects his family and all of Pacland against the evil Mezmaron and his lackeys, the Ghost Monsters.

The entire series has been released on DVD.

Casting
By 1982, Marty Ingels had switched careers from acting to casting other talents, such as Robert Culp. This incidentally led him into contact with voice director Gordon Hunt, who thought he was perfect for the role. According to the memoir of Ingels's wife, Shirley Jones, Hanna-Barbera had auditioned 173,000 people, but only Ingels had the right voice, winning the role "with his evocative Brooklyn accent, his comedian's perfect sense of timing," making him "Pac-Man incarnate" described to Ingels by Hunt. Ingels would come to the studio in his pajamas and do three week's worth of episodes in one afternoon. He also made more money than he made in his entire career as a comedian.

At one point when discussing a catchphrase he wanted for the character ("PacapacaWowie!"), which became a major problem with executives who for some reason came up with a dozen other alternatives, leading to Ingles having a panic attack.

Music
The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin, credited as musical director, with musical supervision from Paul DeKorte.

Cast

 * Marty Ingels as Pac-Man
 * Barbara Minkus as Pepper Pac-Man
 * Russi Taylor as Pac-Baby
 * Frank Welker as Chomp-Chomp
 * Peter Cullen as Sour Puss
 * Allan Lurie as Mezmaron
 * Neilson Ross as Clyde
 * Susan Silo as Sue
 * Barry Gordon as Inky
 * Chuck McCann as Blinky and Pinky
 * Darryl Hickman as P.J.
 * Lorenzo Music as Super-Pac