Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns
Encyclopedia
Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns is an animated television series that follows the adventures of the brothers Click and Clack from their auto repair shop Car Talk Plaza. The program stars Tom
(Click) and Ray Magliozzi
(Clack), also known as the Tappet Brothers, from National Public Radio's Car Talk
. The Wednesday night prime-time series debuted on July 9, 2008, and additionally in various time slots depending on affiliate scheduling. The series aired its ten-episode season in two-episode blocks for five weeks.
The opening theme and other music for the series are produced by Carl Finch
and composed, arranged, and performed by Finch and his Grammy-award winning band, Brave Combo
.
commented that "television seems to flatten and confine" Tom and Ray's spontaneity and that while the series is "indisputably adorable" it "lacks the magic of the Magliozzis unplugged." The Boston Herald
opined that fans of Car Talk will be "excited to hear that Tom and Ray Magliozzi have expanded to PBS and television. Until they see the show." The show is described as "silly like a bad Saturday morning cartoon" and that the Magliozzi brothers are portrayed as "low-grade scam artists instead of the cheery, charming guys we know they are."
PBS Home Video
and Paramount Home Entertainment
released the first season of As the Wrench Turns on DVD. The first season two-disc set was released in the United States
and Canada
on September 30, 2008.
at the end of each episode notes, "The persons in this film are not real... duh. O.K. fine, Click and Clack are the radio guys. But hey, any other similarity to actual persons or events is serendipity
at best." The copyright notice
on each show reads, "CTTV LLV created this hilarious show to make an honest buck
, so cut us some slack and don't be knocking it off or we'll come and get ya, we swear we will. This motion picture is protected under the laws of the U.S., other countries and James Bond
himself. We're not kidding here, unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in a bad day in court and a stint in the slammer
. We mean it, man. We really do."
Tom Magliozzi
Thomas Louis "Click Tappet" Magliozzi is an American radio talk show host. He and his younger brother Ray Magliozzi, also known collectively as Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers, are the hosts of National Public Radio's Car Talk. -Biography:Thomas Louis...
(Click) and Ray Magliozzi
Ray Magliozzi
Raymond F. "Clack Tappet" Magliozzi is a co-host of NPR's winning weekly radio show, Car Talk. They are known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers"...
(Clack), also known as the Tappet Brothers, from National Public Radio's Car Talk
Car Talk
Car Talk is a radio talk show broadcast weekly on National Public Radio stations throughout the United States and elsewhere. Its subjects are automobiles and repair, and it often takes humorous turns...
. The Wednesday night prime-time series debuted on July 9, 2008, and additionally in various time slots depending on affiliate scheduling. The series aired its ten-episode season in two-episode blocks for five weeks.
Production
Executive producer Howard Grossman began pitching a television series based on Car Talk in 2001. On July 11, 2007, PBS announced that it had greenlit the series for debut in the summer of 2008. This is the first prime-time animated series in the history of PBS. While at first a direct adaptation of the radio show had been proposed, the final product is an animated sitcom featuring a new cast of fictional characters alongside the radio-show hosting Click and Clack.The opening theme and other music for the series are produced by Carl Finch
Carl Finch
Carl Finch is a guitarist, keyboardist, accordionist, vocalist, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Grammy-winning polka/dance band Brave Combo in 1979 in Denton, Texas.-Career highlights:...
and composed, arranged, and performed by Finch and his Grammy-award winning band, Brave Combo
Brave Combo
Brave Combo is a polka/rock band based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1979 by guitarist/keyboardist/accordionist Carl Finch, they have been a prominent fixture in the Texas music scene for more than twenty-five years...
.
Reception
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commented that "television seems to flatten and confine" Tom and Ray's spontaneity and that while the series is "indisputably adorable" it "lacks the magic of the Magliozzis unplugged." The Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
opined that fans of Car Talk will be "excited to hear that Tom and Ray Magliozzi have expanded to PBS and television. Until they see the show." The show is described as "silly like a bad Saturday morning cartoon" and that the Magliozzi brothers are portrayed as "low-grade scam artists instead of the cheery, charming guys we know they are."
Cast
- Tom MagliozziTom MagliozziThomas Louis "Click Tappet" Magliozzi is an American radio talk show host. He and his younger brother Ray Magliozzi, also known collectively as Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers, are the hosts of National Public Radio's Car Talk. -Biography:Thomas Louis...
- Click Tappet - Ray MagliozziRay MagliozziRaymond F. "Clack Tappet" Magliozzi is a co-host of NPR's winning weekly radio show, Car Talk. They are known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers"...
- Clack Tappet - Kelli O'HaraKelli O'HaraKelli O'Hara is an American actress, singer, and songwriter.O'Hara has been nominated for three Tony Awards: for her performance as Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza; for her performance as Babe Williams in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Pajama Game, where she starred...
- Beth Totenbag - Juan Hernandez - Fidel
- Cornell Womack - Crusty
- Barbara Rosenblat - Sal
Season 1: 2008
| # | Title | Original airdate | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
DVD releases
PBS Home Video
-Logos:Their first distinctive logo was a "Public Broadcasting Service" on the center of the screen, a sky. It was originally released in October 5, 1970...
and Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
released the first season of As the Wrench Turns on DVD. The first season two-disc set was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on September 30, 2008.
Disclaimers
The legal disclaimerDisclaimer
A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship...
at the end of each episode notes, "The persons in this film are not real... duh. O.K. fine, Click and Clack are the radio guys. But hey, any other similarity to actual persons or events is serendipity
Serendipity
Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. The word has been voted as one of the ten English words hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company. However, due to its...
at best." The copyright notice
Copyright notice
A copyright notice, either as symbol or phrase, informs users of the underlying claim to copyright ownership in a published work.Copyright law is different from country to country, and a copyright notice is required in about 20 countries for a work to be protected under copyright...
on each show reads, "CTTV LLV created this hilarious show to make an honest buck
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
, so cut us some slack and don't be knocking it off or we'll come and get ya, we swear we will. This motion picture is protected under the laws of the U.S., other countries and James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
himself. We're not kidding here, unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in a bad day in court and a stint in the slammer
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. We mean it, man. We really do."