Welcome to the Show!

Welcome to The Hot Hero Sandwich Project, the online home of a research project documenting the 1979-1980 Emmy Award-winning NBC Saturday morning children’s educational entertainment television series, Hot Hero Sandwich.

Use the tabs on the left to navigate this extensive archive of articles, interviews, and video, or jump right into some of our most popular posts on the right. Start with the Introduction and learn about the series in A Second Serving! and the FAQ tabs on left. The latest updates are noted on the the Project Posts list on the right.

The web addresses for this site are:

• www.hotherosandwich.com
• hotherosandwichproject.blogspot.com

COMING UP! An article on Hot Hero Sandwich I wrote for RetroFan magazine #43 is slated for the Jan.-Feb. 2026 issue and scheduled for sale Feb. 11, 2026. We made the cover with Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!

— G. Jack Urso, Editor, The Hot Hero Sandwich Project

●             ●             ●

                                             

Hot Hero Sandwich Project Archives: Henry Fonda’s Signed Contract for Hot Hero Sandwich

by G. Jack Urso

 

Henry Fonda's signed contract for Hot Hero Sandwich (credit, Heritage Auctions, ©2004).

Here is a rare item found in a 2004 auction from Heritage Auctions — actor Henry Fonda’s signed contract for his appearance for Hot Hero Sandwich. This document helps identify specific dates and dollar amounts regarding the celebrity interviews and gives further context for the production of the series.

The contract was signed Friday, July 6, 1979 with a filming date slated for Wednesday, July 11, 1979 to take place in Los Angeles, Calif. Fonda was paid $355.75 plus 10 percent thereof as agent’s commission” (an additional $35.58). In 2025 dollars, that is equivalent to $1,591.56 (plus $159.16 agent’s commission). Fonda was an A-list celebrity, so I’m guessing no one was paid more than he was, but whether this was a standard fee all celebrities were paid is unknown.

Heritage Auctions is also where I discovered cels for auction from the animated short film, “Wild Night with Martha and TheVandellas,” by Al Jarnow, which I previously wrote about. 

●             ●             ●