In Conversation with Animator Al Jarnow

by G. Jack Urso

“Wild Night” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, animation by Al Jarnow.

From the Hot Hero Sandwich Central YouTube channel.

@bsquared4604 Mar. 24, 2025

I've been looking for this. I typed "hot hero sandwich wild night video" and here it it is. I remember taping this on my cassette recorder and listening to it over and over. Decades later I found that it was Martha Reeves and found the 45 RPM on ebay. Thank you for posting this great childhood memory.

The above comment is not unlike many we get here at the Hot Hero Sandwich Project, and one which never fails to astonish me. Despite being absent from the airwaves for forty-five years, something about the show stuck with its young audience. A song, a sketch, a short film, or in this case the animation, struck a chord with its young viewers which resonated for decades afterwards.

The animation on Hot Hero Sandwich is one of the most distinctive elements of the series. The Harts didn’t want to dumb down the material for the tweens and teens watching. Instead of listening to network fears that the material would be above their heads, Bruce Hart said, “Well, we’ll just have the kids stand up and then it won't be over their heads” (as reported by Dr. Tom Cottle in his interview with the Project).

While I recalled bits of the animation, unlike the music and a couple sketches, absolutely none of it was available in the years following the show. So, when I finally got my hands on the series and viewed the animation for the first time on over four decades, I was completely blown away. I felt like I had discovered some long lost masterpieces that had been buried away in someone’s attic — which is very close to the truth — and yes, they are masterpieces. 

Al Jarnow is the artist behind “Wild Night” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. This is the only segment of Hot Hero Sandwich to have aired in two different episodes (episodes 6 and 9). The look of the animation combined with the song anticipates the music videos of the 1980s. 

Al Jarnow.

Jarnow was educated at Dartmouth, taking courses in pre-med, architecture, and the fine arts. He later attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School under a Beckman Fellowship. In addition to his work as an artist, Jarnow has served as an adjunct instructor of Film History and Motion Graphics at the Pratt Institute, where Hot Hero’s logo designer David Kaestle graduated from. His work has also appeared on Sesame Street, where he contributed more than 100 short films, and 3-2-1 Contact (where Hot Hero’s Nan-Lynn Nelson was a member of the Bloodhound Gang). His films have been collected at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Met, and the Centre Pompidou.

While I do have a number of original production documents, they are incomplete which led to some misconceptions about the production of the animation. Jarnow clears these up and goes a bit further, sharing with us how the animation as created, a bit of background about the group of animators, and a bit about the Harts themselves, including a rather surprising revelation about a very forward-looking project they invited Jarnow to join them on.

The story behind the animation has always been something of mystery to the Project, and Al Jarnow helps set the record straight.

Scenes from “Wild Night” by Al Jarnow.

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Hot Hero Sandwich Project [HHSP]: First of all, at the time you did the video, “Wild Night” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas,” were you working as a freelancer or were you actually employed by Jerry Lieberman?

Al Jarnow:  I was working as a freelancer.

HHSP: There were a number of videos animation done for the show and there wasn't a lot of time to do it. How did you get assigned to “Wild Night?” Did you choose it? Where you assigned?

Al Jarnow: I'm pretty sure it was Carole Hart and Terry Kemper, the animation producer.  He was the animation producer, and it came through as a call from him saying, “Are you interested? We've got this one and that one available,” and I chose “Wild Night.”

HHSP:  It looks like some rotoscoping was done for the video, is that that correct?

Al Jarnow: Oh, absolutely correct. It was a weird kind of kind of rotoscoping. Xerox had released a machine for document scanning and document printing, which took 16mm film as input that could print out rolls and rolls of both film and scrolled paper print out with registration coming from the from the sprocket holes [on the 16mm film]. So we printed out — this is black and white, obviously — a couple of rolls of film and slice them and color them in with colored pencils and whatever else was available.

Al Jarnow at work in 1975 (credit: Numero Group).

HHSP: How long did that take you to do?

Al Jarnow: A couple weeks probably.

HHSP: Do you remember approximately how many cells may have been used for the final cut of the piece?

Al Jarnow: Probably about five or six hundred.

HHSP: It looks like there were actors and dancers involved who served as the models for rotoscoping. How did they get involved? Did they come from an agency or general auditions. Do you remember that that aspect?

Rotoscoped  dancers in  “Wild Night.”

Al Jarnow: Yeah, sure. When I subbed some of the animation production to a guy named Eric Durst and his wife, Marcia [or Marsha] White, was a choreographer and a ballet company leader and a dance company leader. Rather, and it was her troupe. I don't remember their names, but we shot at the studio of a friend of mine and they danced and we recorded.

HHSP: So, the actual production of this was this done on your own, not at Jerry Lieberman Productions?

Al Jarnow: No. Jerry Lieberman had nothing to do with it. I knew Jerry, but he was not participating in this.

HHSP: Oh, really?

Al Jarnow: Jerry did not participate in this part of it. It was totally Independent.

HHSP: Well, that really reframes this topic for me and clarifies a big misconception on my part. I’ll have to update some of the information I’ve posted. His studio's involvement then was limited to the two videos credited to him, “Yakety Yak” by the Coasters and “Stork Deliveries,” based on "Rollin' Rig" by Dave Dudley. 

Al Jarnow: I don't know if I ever met with Jerry on this project, but this was totally independent of him. I vaguely remember Terry explained that they wanted to go with some independents to get a crazier look, to get something different, and they went with maybe three or four different animators  . . . Mary Beams being one of them. Tony Eastman, another [Note: Other animators include Bruce Cayard and Eli Noyes].

HHSP: I love the work Mary did on the piece titled “Space” set to “Have You Seen the Stars Tonite” by Paul Kantner. It’s a great joining of imagery and song.

“Space,” by Mary Beams set to “Have You Seen the Stars Tonite,” by Paul Kantner.

HHSP: OK, moving on, here’s something that caught my eye, but a bit too late for me to acquire it. A cell from “Wild Night” was sold in 2021 with Historic Auctions, so I'm curious if you might know how that particular cell became available?

Al Jarnow: Well, it was a set of cells and yes, I gave it to heritage to try to auction. I still have a box of.

HHSP: Really, there are so few relics left over from Hot Hero it’s wonderful that you saved them after all these years.

Al Jarnow: Is your interest in Hot Hero Sandwich or an animation?

HHSP: Both, actually. I started the project because I was a fan of the show, but at the time Hot Hero came out, I just got turned on to non-network animation, through a wonderful little series on PBS in the 70s called the International Animation Festival show [Note: Which I write about on my other website, Aeolus 13 Umbra. See link]. It was hosted by Jean Marsh of Upstairs Downstairs and it had animation from all over the world — behind the Iron Curtain, Eastern Europe, Central Europe — and in a variety of animation styles. It just kind of blew my mind that there was something else out there besides Hanna Barbara and Warner Brothers and Filmation animating because whatever aired on Saturday mornings was pretty much all we saw.

There were also other things in the cinema at the time like Lord of the Rings by Ralph Bakshi [1978] and, of course, Heavy Metal [1981], which, as you know, every teenage boy at the time just had to see.

Al Jarnow: [laughter]

                            Lord of the Rings (1978)                                 Heavy Metal (1981)

HHSP: Having spoken with so many people associated with the show, the animation keeps coming up as something special that gave the series a unique look. Can you tell me anything about the other animators?

Al Jarnow: I was part of a group that came to be known, or called ourselves, “The New York Animators,” and we'd meet pretty regularly . . . show work in progress and get feedback, comments, and suggestions about things that were happening. So, the four people that were involved in that part of the project that I was were all part of that group, Mary [Beams], myself, Tony Eastman . . . let’s see . . .

HHSP: There was also Bruce Cayard and Eli Noyes who also did animation for the show.  Were you all hired because you knew each other?

Al Jarnow: It might have come from recommendations from one member or the other, but it wasn't because we knew each other that we were all hired. We were in New York doing that different kind of animation than most other people were.

I subbed part of the production to Eric Durst who would go on to become a special effects animator in Hollywood, and he subbed out to Howard Danelowitz, another New York animator at the time . . . and a couple of other people, but that was primarily it.

Sesame Street Animated Short Film by Al Jarnow: “Yak, You Yes (Y) aka Yakety Yak.”

HHSP: Interestingly, on the morning of the day I first contacted you, someone posted in the comments of the “Wild Night” video [see comment at top of article] about how he remembered it all these years. That magic moment of recognition when you find something you remember from your youth.

Al Jarnow: How old are you?

HHSP:  I’m 60, so I was about 14 and 15 in 1979 - 1980 when the series aired. The fan who commented that he had been looking for that clip for years then one day he types in “Hot Hero Sandwich Wild Night” and that video pops up — I get a lot of these types of memories from people who remember a sketch, a song, a film clip they saw so many years ago, and when they finally find it, it creates this wonderful little moment for them. In some ways, it’s like reuniting with an old friend you thought you’d never see again.

The animation and the music really stood out from among the rest of the Saturday offering on TV. Having Felix Pappalardi from Mountain on board gave the show a very distinctive sound.

Sesame Street Animated Short Film by Al Jarnow: “Pegboard.”

Al Jarnow: I remember him ‘[Felix] as being a really nice guy. When I presented the rough cut of the film, he was in the room and it had some very nice things to say.  He had nothing to do with Martha Reeves . . . that was not his music. It actually Van Morrison [who wrote the song]. I don't know what kind of releases they ever had with him, with Van Morrison, but I know that somebody posted it on YouTube or somewhere, and his estate, or someone had it taken down. They didn't want it on.

HHSP: Well, we’ve been fortunate here at the Project. Every music clip posted has been allowed to air. The only exceptions are for film clips for “I’m Only Sleeping” and “When I’m 64,” which I had to replace with instrumental versions. The Harts got only a very limited license for their use — one airing and a repeat I believe. They could have selected songs with a more affordable licensing, but quality comes with a cost. I wish I could share the original clips.

Al Jarnow: About six months or a year after the project, after Hot Hero, Bruce gave me a call, or maybe it was Carole, and asked if I was interested in doing something else and they were pitching a show to NBC, I believe, or to whoever would take a look at it, called, The Story of X, about a couple of parents who raised their child without letting the kid know whether it was boy or girl, male, female, or whatever. To see how it would change their lives.

HHSP: Really?

Al Jarnow: They pitched it and they called me in and I went into the city, in Manhattan, and I went up there and I put on a jacket and tie, thinking this was pretty, pretty cool. And I walked in, the elevator opening right into their apartment, and they said, “What are you all dressed up for? Do you think there's a lawyers meeting?

[laughter]

So, I felt a little embarrassed.  It was a beautiful apartment, totally white. And they said, “Well, I think you should get an entertainment lawyer,” which I did and then nothing ever came of that. It didn't obviously didn't come to pass.

HHSP: Unfortunate, but, really, an idea ahead of its time!

Al Jarnow: Well . . .  it was of the time, but it wasn’t a widely-held public view.

HHSP: It must have blown the network’s minds forty-five years ago.

Al Jarnow: I'm sure it did . . . I'm sure.

HHSP: That's a great insight into who the Harts were.

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Sesame Street Animated Short Films by Al Jarnow 

      

                                       “Oranges.”                                                 “Kitty Blocks.”

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Al Jarnow: Roughly at the same time, shortly after Hot Hero ended, I got a second check in the mail for the same amount. They paid me twice.

HHSP: Because it aired on two episodes?

Al Jarnow: No, I don't think that. I wasn't getting paid by the episode I was getting paid by the production.

HHSP: Ah, I see.

Al Jarnow:  I called them and said, “You made a mistake,” and they said, “Oh, you should you should have just kept it,” which I didn't.

HHSP: Honesty is always the best policy. Still, it's a great insight into the Harts. They were certainly loyal to those they worked with.

Well, Al, we’ve covered a lot today, not only on the background of “Wild Night,” but also about the Harts. You’ve really helped us complete more of the Hot Hero Sandwich picture. Thank you!

Al Jarnow: Sure, you’re welcome. Have a good day.

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Concluding Thoughts

Al Jarnow cleared up some misconceptions about the animation produced for Hot Hero Sandwich, the techniques he used, and a peek into the New York animation scene. He also provided us with a closer look at Bruce and Carole Hart. Their attempt to produce The Story of X, about parents who decide to raise their child without revealing the gender to the child, shows how forward-thinking they were. While gender issues have come to dominate the headlines today, forty-five years ago the Harts recognized that there were children who didn’t neatly fit into the boxes society created for them and they needed a voice too.

Saturday mornings were very much like church for kids. We would plant ourselves in front of the TV for hours, if we could get away with it, and consumed a steady diet of cartoon shows from the likes of Warner Brothers, Hanna Barbara, Filmation, and others. While all those studios produced some classics in their time, by the late 1970s the classic era of Saturday morning cartoons was long in the past. 

Yet, there were other animation styles out there and shows like Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Schoolhouse Rock, integrated various styles that were definitely outside the network box. Indeed, Al Jarnow and two other Hot Hero Sandwich animators, Bruce Cayard and Eli Noyes, also produced animated shorts for Sesame Street. The Harts, having worked on Sesame Street, were well acquainted with the New York animation scene and their style, so they knew exactly what they wanted and who they needed to hire to get it. It also provided a visual point of continuity in that the tweens and tweens watching Hot Hero Sandwich also grew up watching Sesame Street.

The comment left by bsquared4604 for the “Wild Night” short has been echoed by others on Hot Hero Sandwich Central, the project's YouTube channel. Although the series was broadcast only once, something about the animation on Hot Hero Sandwich stuck with us. It was different. The styles varied with each artist, infusing their own sensibilities and perspectives the project. It left us thinking, and we continued to think about it for forty-five years.

In one sense, perhaps the networks had a point. Maybe some of it was a little over our heads in that it was not what we expected to see on a Saturday morning, but Bruce Hart was also right. We kids stood up to take a better look at it.

And we’re still looking at it.

Scenes from “Wild Night” by Al Jarnow.

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From the Files of Mike Ratti, Hot Hero Raconteur

  

Felix Pappalardi had great interest in the animation for the show beyond Al Jarnow’s recollection. Mike Ratti, the drummer in Hot Hero Band, noted also how Felix also liked the animation in the “Stork Deliveries” piece set to “Rollin’ Rig” by Dave Dudley.

I remember Felix commenting on animation in the show and how great it was at what they were doing. I would have never remembered that little bit of conversation about animation and cars that Felix talked about but because of your posting it all came back. I even remember where he told me about it. We were at a HHS music rehearsal for the show, in a practice studio called “Starz Sound” on Lafayette St., NYC.

It figures that the two pieces of animation Hot Hero’s resident Rock God is known to have commented on are the ones set to “Wild Nights” by Martha and the Vandellas, and “Rollin’ Rig” by Dave Dudley.

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