[If you have anything to add, please drop me a line! -- Mike]
During production of the US dubbed series, Peter Fernandez not only named the characters and wrote the dialogue but also did some editing of the original Japanese version. Since the show was geared for children, some things didn't cross cultural boundaries easily. For instance, if you're a fan of anime, you've certainly seen the following: many scenes where a character is asleep, the slumber is humorously emphasized with a mucus bubble inflating under a nostril. There were scenes in Speed Racer where Speed is asleep with that same bubble hanging from his nose. Peter decided to cut those, maybe in the interests of avoiding those inevitable sibling contests at the dinner table...
By the way, Peter named Spritle after a water sprite. The correct spelling of Spritle is as shown here. (Speed Racer Enterprises misspells the character's name as ``Spridle,'' but, hey, that's ok. We all make oversights.)
The four US voice actors -- Peter Fernandez, Corinne Orr, Jack Grimes and Jack Curtis -- got along fabulously during the making of the show. There was no animosity whatsoever between them. I can't help but wonder if their enjoyment of their work and each other's company came through to the extent that it infected all of us watching the show. Corinne comments that over the years, of all the Speed fans that have contacted her, she's never once encountered a weirdo. She says every fan has been a genuinely nice person. She thinks that says a lot about the fans, but I think it says even more about the people who could attract that following. This is a little ironic since, at the time, there was some worry that the violence of Speed Racer might not be appropriate for children. Anyway, quoting email from a Speed Racer fan:
``I've recently spoken to both Corinne and Peter, and they're both terrifically nice people.'' --Andy
Peter Fernandez. (Voice of Speed and Racer X.) Andy writes, ``Peter is still working. For a long while, there was a misunderstanding stemming from a mistake in an article that Jack Grimes had actually voiced Speed. But in fact, it was Peter Fernandez, who was also responsible for the English scripts, the directing, the producing and the English theme song. Talented guy.
``Peter also worked on a show recently called Gwendolyn and the Jeweled Princess or something like that. Not sure of the exact title. Can't remember. But during the late 1960s and 1970s, he had his hands in a lot. Such as Marine Boy, Gigantor, Astro Boy, Ultraman, Star Blazers, and even some of the Godzilla films.''
[Note: Peter points out that the title is actually ``Princess Gwenevere & the Jewel Riders'' 3/29/00]
Peter also directed the voices for the 1978 half hour series called ``Galaxy Rangers,'' in which Jerry Orbach did the voice of the hero. More recently, in 2000 Peter directs the voices -- and occasionally is one -- for Cartoon Network's series ``Courage the Cowardly Dog,'' now in its second season.
Another fan writes in to say, ``Peter is very quiet and sounds exactly like Racer X...''
Corinne Orr. (Voice of Trixie and Spritle.) Corinne is originally from Montreal and has worked on hundreds of television commercials. She currently is the voice of Snuggles, the bear that advertises fabric softener. The voice, she says, is a precursor to Spritle's. While Snuggles' voice is soft, Spritle's is a hoarse version of the same. Corinne additionally voiced all of the female parts in the series.
In the sixties, she also worked on Marine Boy. And if you've seen the recent VW commercial with Speed and the gang, you'll be happy to know Corinne provides voicing for her characters. You'll be unhappy to hear, though, that for some reason, Peter Fernandez was not even auditioned for Speed's voice. ``We already have Billy West'' (who does Ren and Stimpy). He's a talented guy, but if you're bringing back Speed, let's hear the real, um, McCoy. Or Speed...whatever.
Someone else wrote saying, ``Corinne is all over the place. She is Spritle all over. Their personalities really showed up in their work.''
Corinne is currently involved with a series called ``Peanut Butter and Jelly'' and has just completed (as of March 2000) its second series.
Jack Grimes. (Voice of Sparky.) Jack has a slight build at just under five feet tall. He's now (Feb '97) in his seventies. I'm not sure if he's still working. By the way, the reworked credits at the end of Speed Racer misspell Jack's last name as ``Crimes.'' (No, that isn't one of Peter's puns!)
Jack Curtis. (Voice of Pops and the Race Announcer.) ``Jack,'' according to Corinne Orr, ``was an excruciatingly handsome man with a beautiful voice and full of charm and wit.'' He was also mischievous. She mentions that one time they went to lunch, and he ordered a peanut butter and shrimp sandwich. The waitress had the cook make one and, still unsure whether or not he was serious, gave it to him. Each day that week, he had the same sandwich. When he came in the following week, the waitress came up smiling with his trademark sandwich. He looked at it and demanded to know from the now confused waitress who would ever eat such an awful concoction! I just hope the waitress got a big tip that day... Jack was also a thin, frail man and, sadly, died at only 46 years of age.