The G1 Tapes - More Than Meets The Eye Part 1, Part 4: Body English!

Transformers@TheMoon continues its exploration of a collection of audio cassettes containing dialogue from the G1 cartoon! Today they're focusing on "body english" - grunts of exertion and pain and other basic sounds needed to accompany action scenes. (There's also a single example of mild profanity from Chris Latta, in case you're listening to this in a work environment.) We also get to hear voice director Wally Burr forget Megatron's name - but bear in mind this is from everyone's first day of work. Click through to hear the audio!

Part 4 in the series, contains additional scenes and one muffled expletive. Transcript below:

[Scene: The Decepticons are attacking the oil rig, Megatron has ordered them to dive]

SPARKPLUG WITWICKY: Look! Up there! What is it?

******* END OF EXTENDED SCENE WITH AUDIO DIRECTION *******

*NEW* SPIKE: Aircraft!

*NEW* WORKER 1: What the!

*NEW* WORKER 2 [John Stephenson]: They're comin' down!

*NEW* WORKER 3 [Frank Welker]: Get back!

*NEW* WALLY BURR [direction]: Eer Walla base for 489 and ..

*NEW* [VARIOUS]: *muttering* including "It's unbelievable", "what is that", "I don't believe it", "ok it's coming", "oh my G"

*NEW* WALLY BURR [direction]: Same thing but pitched a little bit higher, identical, then we've got two layers and the editors can use both or none and it's B level of the walla base for 489 and ..

*NEW* [VARIOUS]: *muttering* including: "I've never seen anything like this before", "What is it?", "I don't know"

*NEW* SPIKE WITWICKY: Who are they?

SPIKE WITWICKY: What are they??

*NEW* WORKER: Run!

*NEW* SPARKPLUG: Get back you! Uhh! Uh!

*NEW* SPIKE WITWICKY: Stop! Let go of my dad!

*NEW* SPIKE WITWICKY: [groans]

[ Dialogue order for the next two lines are reversed on final edit]
SPARKPLUG WITWICKY: Spike!
SPARKPLUG WITWICKY: Uhh! Uh! Uuuhh!

MEGATRON: Starscream, activate the null ray. Now!
*NEW* MEGATRON: Thundercracker! Skywarp! Take the oil!
MEGATRON: Soundwave. Prepare the energon cubes.

******* END OF EXTENDED SCENE WITH AUDIO DIRECTION *******

[Scene: Autbots arrive and the battle breaks out]

******* START OF SLIGHTLY EXTENDED AUDIO *******
OPTIMUS PRIME: Give it up, Megatron. Leave these peolpe alone.

*NEW* MEGATRON: Not until the power of
MEGATRON: the Universe is mine!
[NOTE: In the script the line continue with "to command", that was not recorded during this session]

******* END OF SLIGHTLY EXTENDED AUDIO *******

******* Sequence of isolated body english *******
NOTE: exact wording may not match transcript. This dialogue was to be used during the fighting on the oil rig until Megatron flies off. In the final cut it was replaced by metal sound effects

*NEW* WALLY BURR: 540 Megatron, body English and ...
*NEW* MEGATRON: *struggles*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: and Prime, 540, body english
*NEW* PRIME: *groans*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: Now 541 Starscream body english
*NEW* STARSCREAM: *strains*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: Now, now I need some impacts "Urggh uh umph", more of those kinda things so 541 second piece of Starscream ... fighting with stabs
*NEW* STARSCREAM: *stabbing sounds*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: Ok now I need uh, I need Wheeljack doing a little 541, Wheeljack they are blows, taking blows, "huh" like that and here we go
*NEW* CHRIS LATTER *in background*: My god, most of these guys really hit each other

*NEW* WHEELJACK: * BLOWS *
*NEW* CHRIS LATTER *in background*: *laughing* S**t Wally

*NEW* WALLY BURR: This is Jazz wrestling at 542 body english, go!
*NEW* JAZZ: *sounds*

*NEW* VARIOUS: *muffled laughter*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: 542, Reflector body english
*NEW* VARIOUS: *muffled laughter*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: Who's Reflector?
*NEW* CHRIS LATTER: I am

*NEW* REFLECTOR: *body english*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: Okay, now .... 542, lift and toss
*NEW* REFLECTOR: *Struggles and throws*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: And uhh uhh, Mega ... mega-whatever he is
*NEW* VARIOUS: *laughter*
*NEW* WALLY BURR: 543, slugging
*NEW* MEGATRON: *effects*

*NEW* WALLY BURR: and .. and this is, first we can't have Optimus Prime wrestling right let's just ... Prime slugging, boxing, 543 go!
*NEW* PRIME: *boxing*

******* Sequence of isolated body english *******

* Laserbeak attacks Prime, Megatron takes to the end *

More Than Meets The Eye Pt1 will conclude in the next video