Introduction

by G. Jack Urso, Editor, Hot Hero Sandwich Project

 

Welcome to the Hot Hero Sandwich Project, an online documentary effort about the Emmy-Award winning NBC children’s educational entertainment TV show, Hot Hero Sandwich, which ran from 1979-1980. The show, often described as Saturday Night Live for kids, was in fact not only produced on SNL’s famed Studio 8-H stage in Rockefeller Center, but included many of its technical crew as well.

A unique mix of sketches, rock music, a fantastic house band, animation, and celebrity interviews, the show sought to bring many of the topics facing tween and teens into the open without condescending or pandering to the young audience. Yet, despite there being no merchandise, no records, no VHS, CDs, DVDs, of the series, memory of the series endured.

The Hot Hero Sandwich Project originally began on my blog Aeolus 13 Umbra, a literary blog that focuses on obscure topics, and if ever there was an obscure topic, Hot Hero Sandwich certainly qualified. Very little about the show had been published, and what was published was the basically same paragraph of four or five sentences copied and pasted from one site to another. About a half dozen clips of the show somehow managed to slip online. There was no episode guide, no show logs, and even the number of episodes listed was wrong.

I spent several months working on the initial article, Hot Hero Sandwich: The Late 70s TV Teen Scene. In addition to countless hours on the Internet, I hit the library, reading any book on TV history I could find, hitting the microfilm of TV listings, and scouring the New York Times archives. I produced what I considered to be a comprehensive article. I posted it in 2020 and it quickly became one of my blog's highest ranking articles.

Then, in late December 2022, I got an email from one of the series’ writers, Sherry Coben, who not only won an Emmy for the show but also went on to create the hit 1980s TV series Kate and Allie.

Needless to say, I practically fainted.

Sherry came across my blog and noted with pleasure my article on the series, and volunteered herself and her husband, series film editor Patrick McMahon, to answer any questions I had — and boy, did I! That kicked off an effort that has led to date to over 60 articles, 20 interviews, and over 180 clips of the show posted online.

More than a fan site for an TV show, The Hot Hero Sandwich Project is a serious documentary effort. Moving beyond the surface elements of the show, we dig into an industry and an era. No detail is too small for our notice, and some of those details lead to some surprising places. With the gracious assistance of the band, cast, and crew I have had access to a literal treasure trove of original primary source material directly from the show’s production files, as well as photos and video, and which, to date, I have added 20 interviews with cast and crew members.

What compelled all these people to speak with me is their love and respect for Bruce and Carole Hart, the producers of Hot Hero Sandwich, and whose involvement in quality children’s educational entertainment programming dates back to Sesame Street and Marlo Thomas’s groundbreaking album and TV special, Free to Be . . . You and Me. In The Hot Hero Sandwich Project, you’ll find out more about the Harts, the actors, writers, and crew, and probably realize you’ve been watching, reading, or listening to their work all along.

So, if you’ve stopped here to recover a long-lost childhood memory you’ll also catch up with a favorite actor, see rare music performances of some great bands, watch rarely-seen clips from the series, read some great stories, and watch some groovy animation. Along the way, you'll discover how Hot Hero Sandwich served as a gathering point for some fantastically talented people whose work before and after the series both influenced and reflected the era.

The Hot Hero Sandwich Project is an ongoing effort, so please visit often and check the Updates tab on the left column for news about the latest postings and video uploads!

Special Thanks

While thanks is due to everyone who has participated with The Hot Hero Sandwich Project, I would like to acknowledge the assistance of certain key individuals. 

Special thanks goes out to series writer Sherry Coben and film editor Patrick McMahon for reaching out to me and opening up the many doors that helped to create the project.

Thanks also to series writer Marianne Meyer for preserving so much of the show's production notes as well as news clippings, fliers, posters, and other related documents.  

Additional thanks to Hot Hero Band members Richie Annunziato, Robert Brissette, and Mike Ratti for their enthusiastic and crucial support, and patience, not only in the early stages of the project, but throughout as well. 

Also, thanks to Jamie Massey, administrator of the Hot Hero Sandwich Facebook page which gives fans a place to connect and kept interest in the show alive. Jamie also helped organize a limited run of Hot Hero Sandwich t-shirts for former cast, staff, and crew, who participated in the project, so a special thanks for that as well.

Finally, thanks to my friend Kim Bosco, graphic designer, who recreated some of the graphics and iconography from the show for the t-shirts and website.

 

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