"That Was Way Too Close!"Wonderfully absurd escapes from mortal danger in the original G.I. Joe cartoon.
Posted Tuesday, July 7, 2009, at 7:00 AM ETRead more from Slate's Summer Movies special issue.
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The first war between G.I. Joe and Cobra (1985-86), as documented in the G.I. Joe animated series, was the most violent conflict in history never to result in a single casualty. Through a combination of terrible aim, superhuman jumping ability, and impossibly reliable parachutes, every combatant escaped even the most dire of situations without so much as the angle of his beret askew. The G.I Joe series is an ode to the improbable escape, and the thrill of the violence comes not from the possibility of death but from the zany ways the Joes and Cobras avoid it. (Will the live-action G.I. Joe film due later this summer stick to the cartoon's bloodless ways? Not likely.) Herewith, a collection of the most ridiculous escapes in G.I. Joe history.
Click here for a video slide show of elaborate escapes from mortal danger in the original G.I. Joe cartoon.
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I never noticed that Shipwreck has the voice of Jack Nicholson (or rather a cheap knock-off). Now why would there be any nautical association with Jack Nicholson's voice? I guess there's that one scene in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest where they take the boat out for the day, but that's about it, isn't it?
-- Solutrian
(To reply, click here)
The big bucks for voice talent in those seasons were clearly spent on Shipwreck. This may be too pat an explanation, but Shipwreck was the sort of action figure that never sold much without big support from the show. So, if Shipwreck has a big, wisecracking personality, you wind up selling action figures. Heck, I think I wound up asking for the Hovercraft that year just so Shipwreck would have something plausibly sailor-like to do.
-- Thomas Picton
(To reply, click here)