The Jackson 5ive (TV series)
| The Jackson 5ive | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Written by |
Romeo Muller William J. Keenan Hal Hackady Lou Silverstone Susan Milburn |
| Directed by |
Arthur Rankin Jr. Jules Bass |
| Voices of |
The Jackson 5 Edmund Sylvers (Marlon) Joel Cooper (Jermaine) Mike Martinez (Tito) Craig Grandy (Jackie) Diana Ross (Diana) |
| Theme music composer | The Jackson 5 |
| Composer(s) | Maury Laws |
| Country of origin | United States United Kingdom |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 23 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Arthur Rankin Jr. Jules Bass |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Production company(s) |
Rankin/Bass Productions Motown Productions Halas and Batchelor Topcraft |
| Distributor |
DreamWorks Classics NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 11, 1971 – October 14, 1972 |
The Jackson 5
Paul Frees (Berry Gordy/Additional voices)
The Jackson 5ive was a Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Rankin/Bass and Motown Productions on ABC from September 11, 1971 to October 14, 1972; a fictionalized portrayal of the careers of Motown recording group The Jackson 5. The series was rebroadcast in syndication through during the 1984–1985 Saturday morning season, during a period when Michael Jackson was riding a major wave of popularity as a solo artist. The series was animated mainly in London at the studios of Halas and Batchelor, and some animation done at Estudios Moro, Barcelona, Spain and Topcraft, Japan. The director was Spanish-American Robert Balser.
Due to high demands on the group, the roles of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael were played by voice actors, with records of the group's songs being used for the musical tracks of the show. The group did make some contribution to the cartoon in the form of live photographs of each member morphing into a cartoon which was shown in the title screen medley. Although the musical scenes of the cartoon were chiefly animation, an occasional live-action footage of a concert or music video of the Jackson 5 would be spliced into the cartoon series. The actual Jackson 5 also contributed to the show by posing for pictures prior to the cartoon's debut which were used as posters, newspaper clips and TV Guide spots advertising the forthcoming TV series. Though Berry Gordy did not provide the original voice (his character was voiced by Paul Frees) nor advertised his name, his character was frequently involved as the "adult figure" to the group. R&B/Pop singer Diana Ross contributed to voice her fictionalized self in the debut episode. The premise of the show is that the Jackson Five would have adventures similar to Josie and the Pussycats, Alvin & the Chipmunks or The Partridge Family, with the unique addition being that Berry Gordy, the manager of the band in the show's universe, would come up with an idea for publicity for the band, such as having to do farm work or play a concert for the President of the United States. The series was followed by The Jacksons, a live action show, in 1976.
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