ASTRO BOY IN NORTH AMERICA!

[ASTROBUDDY]

I do not know who reads these forums, but I just wanted to get this information out there for the record! Here goes! Everyone knows that Astro Boy first made his first appearance in the U.S.A. in 1963, correct? What most people do not know and incorrectly believe is that the 1980s Astroboy series did not air in the U.S.A.! Okay to clarify there are two English dubs of the 1980s Astroboy! The first we shall call the official dub sanctioned by Tezuka Pro. & NTV! This is the version that was broadcast in Australia in the 1980s and then released on DVD by Madman Entertainment! This version was aired in the U.S.A. on what was then in 1986 a local UHF station, WTGI-channel 61 broadcasting out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and covering the Wilmington, Delaware area! (As well as parts of New Jersey!) It aired @10:30am weekdays in a morning cartoon block usually followed by "Star Blazers"! This is verified by TV Guide magazine (the 1986 Philadelphia edition!)The second dub is the Canadian dub which shall be called "The Legend of Astroboy" because of its opening! At the beginning of each episode a narrator would recap "Astro's 'birth" and then end the narration with the words "the legend of Astroboy" before going into the theme song! This version aired only in Canada beginning in 1983 @11:30am over the Global network usually followed by the cartoon series, "Inspector Gadget"! This version can also be identified by the use of different names for most of the characters! For example, Uran is call Sarah and Dr. Elefun is called Prof. Peabody! Now that I have posted this information I hope others will spread the word! Again I only want to set the record straight; that all versions of Astro Boy have indeed aired in the U.S.A. Thank you for your time!

[DrFrag]

Welcome Astrobuddy!

Yeah, so far they've all been released on DVD except the Canadian version. Do you have any more info on it?

[Astro Forever]

Welcome!

This version aired only in Canada beginning in 1983 @11:30am over the Global network usually followed by the cartoon series, "Inspector Gadget"! [...] Again I only want to set the record straight; that all versions of Astro Boy have indeed aired in the U.S.A.

Isn't there a contradiction? Unless you mean that the Canadian version could be seen in the US by those who could catch CBC, I assume those living close to the border maybe?

Many of us would be curious to watch the English Canadian version. At least we do have the French version, which has the exact same intro, game... and horrendous cuts. Half of it came out on DVD in Canada, but the whole series has been released in Europe.

[Dragonrider1227]

Interesting facts. Welcome to the board!

[ASTROBUDDY]

First, there is no contradiction! There were two versions that aired in North America in the 1980s! The version that aired in the United States in 1986 over WTGI-channel 61 is the same version that aired in Australia which I call the official English dub sanctioned by Tezuka Pro./NTV! The other version aired in Canada beginning in 1983 on the Global network (not CBC!)
This version or as I call it "The Legend of Astroboy" was shown as far as I know only in Canada! Yes, it may have been possible for those states bordering Canada to receive transmissions of the program, but only those living in cities near the Canadian border can verify this! I am not one of them! As for my knowledge of the show (and it is considerable), first let me ask--I seem to recall a Dr. Frag who was involved with the "Ministry of Science" website, are you that same Dr. Frag?

[sdp]

Did the canadian dub air the original two parter or was it also cut down to one episode?

[ASTROBUDDY]

While I cannot say with any certainty, I believe the already dubbed official English dub was sold with the already edited 51 episodes in Canada and the firm known as Cinelume was than hired or bought the series to re-edit and re-dub the episodes so that they would be more acceptable to Canadian broadcast standards! I am sure that those who saw the series when it originally aired back in the 1980s will be able to better answer your question! Any way, here is a theory I will put out there to explain why scenes of the young Atlas were excised from the English dub! It is what I am calling "The Good Son" theory! "The Good Son" was a Macaulay Culkin film in which he plays an evil child! The fear at the time was that because Macaulay was such a beloved child star, other children seeing him do evil acts would emulate him! I believe there was a similar concern in regards to Atlas' behaviour, especially as a "twin" of Astroboy, when the series was being prepared for broadcast in English, especially with concerns for sale in the U.S.A.!

[fafner]

As for my knowledge of the show (and it is considerable), first let me ask--I seem to recall a Dr. Frag who was involved with the "Ministry of Science" website, are you that same Dr. Frag?

Yes, however, it seems the website is down since some time.

[Astro Forever]

First, there is no contradiction! There were two versions that aired in North America in the 1980s! The version that aired in the United States in 1986 over WTGI-channel 61 is the same version that aired in Australia which I call the official English dub sanctioned by Tezuka Pro./NTV!

I agree there were two versions aired in North America, but you had said "USA", hence why I was surprised.

The other version aired in Canada beginning in 1983 on the Global network (not CBC!)

You are right. I must say that I have never seen the English Canadian dub. I saw the French one on Radio-Canada (French CBC), which according to the credits where a bit involved in its production. That is why I always think of CBC first.

From what other members told me here, I'm pretty confident that both Canadian shows are very similar if not identical in the way the stories were tweaked. At least some members have expressed similar surprises than I had when they saw the original stories on DVD.

That's especially frustrating IMO because the French network aired worst shows than the original Astroboy version when it comes to violence or sadness... I wished they had worked from the US version.

[ASTROBUDDY]

Yes, from what I have seen of the "Legend of Astroboy" the show had more humor than the official version and that is saying alot since the official dub relatively had no humor at all! But it was great to find a thread which had information on the hereto relatively unknown dubbing cast of "Astroboy"! Thanks to Jay Rath, I now know that of the dubbling cast who were listed in alphabetical order that Patricia Kugler Whitely as she is listed in the end credits is the voice of "Astroboy"! Any way here is some information I know about "The Legend of Astroboy"! It was "Selected" for Canadian TV by Francoise Angles and Daniel Bertolino! The English version was by Cinelume! It was produced by Via Le Monde, Inc. in association with Telefilm Canada! The producers were Michelle Raymond and Catherine Viau! It was broadcast on Saturday mornings on the Global network @ 11:30 a.m. beginning in 1983! I hope this helps you in your search for information about "The Legend of Astroboy!