I grew up in the ‘70s, right around the time there was a push to make Saturday morning children’s fare as soft and flaccid as possible. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: kids hate to be preached at. I liked the Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) and Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller), but the little “life lessons” crammed down my throat during The Lone Ranger/Tarzan Adventure Hour cartoon show virtually unwatchable. Luckily, although network programming had already made the switch to easily digestible pabulum, the local independent TV stations were still showing the real deal (Warner Brothers cartoons from the ‘40s as well as syndicated shows from the ‘60s, such as Jonny Quest). I hung on to watching cartoons for as long as I could, but just about the time I decided I rather sleep in on Saturday mornings than get up and watch TV, the networks began to offer some live action shows such as Land of the Lost and The Shazam/Isis Adventure Hour.
I want to gag every time someone says to me “The Golden Age is 10!” (or 12 or whatever). The things I liked at that age which I still like today hold up because of their quality, not because of some misplaced feeling of nostalgia. I watched The Shazam/Isis Adventure Hour but I barely remember it. I wouldn’t say I “liked” it, nor to I harbor any particularly warm and fuzzy feelings for it now. I am curious about it now, though, because I did watch it and I don’t remember it. I wasn’t quite convinced I needed to own it on DVD, though… at least not until I heard it was available with cover art by Jerry Ordway if ordered directly from Warner Brothers online.
I watch the first two episodes for the first time in 35+ years last night, and make no mistake: it was crap. It was, however, glorious crap, exultant in its crappiness! I had the unusual experience of remembering it as I was watching. There is no origin to speak of, but Billy and “Mentor” pay lip service to being on leave from “the station” and not having to be “on the air” every day. I had forgotten that when Billy spoke to the Elders they were cartoons. He seems to get a headache and the shot goes out of focus to the sound of a cymbal swell. They make a prediction concerning what he will encounter in that episode, guide him how to react, and impart a piece of wisdom (in the first two episodes, from Shakespeare and Wordsworth).
What I had forgotten is how often he recalls the meeting with the Elders throughout the episode. Sometime the cymbals swell and he fuzzes out just two minutes after he spoke to them. The “lessons” are really heavy-handed, then they are driven home by a “moral” at the end for the particularly stupid among the audience.
The DVD menu gives three choices: you may play individual episodes, “play all,” or “play all with morals.” If one watches the episodes one at a time (not many people would be able to), the “morals” are not included. (Morals consist of the Big Red Cheese presenting a 10 or 15 second summary of what we learned that episode.) I’m ambivalent about this. On the one hand, I’d like to see the episodes as originally presented, but on the other I don’t think I’d need to put my finger down my throat if I watched too many.
Replies
"Oh Elders Fleet and Strong and Wise,
Appear Before My Seeking Eyes!"
The Elders were played up in the SHAZAM! comic at this time with Billy and Uncle Marvel (in the Mentor role) travelling around the country in a Winnebago, contacting their Immortal Enablers through the "shazam-o-phone". Which, of course, Billy could not say out loud!
All comics were/are/should be morality plays of some kind. Sometimes you can have TOO many shades of gray!
I bought the first issue of SHAZAM! new off the spinner rack in 1973, dismissed it as kiddie fare, and dropped it faster than an issue of Spidey Super Stories. Some two decades later, I decided that certain “kiddie books” may have merit, after all, and set about picking up some backissues. I was interested mainly in the reprints rather than the new material, but backissue of this series in decent condition weren’t cheap. I was pleased when, a couple of years ago, DC released a “Showcase Presents” volume of the original material from that series (most of it, anyway). I read about half of it before my interests turned elsewhere. I hadn’t even been aware that the comic tied in with the TV show (better than the TV show tied in with the comic, I daresay) until you pointed it out. I have it on the shelf, though, so…
First of all, the comic does a pretty good job of setting up the series. Uncle Dudley grows a mustache and begins wearing a belted safari jacket. Billy even refers to him as his “mentor.” If Dudley shed a few pounds, and got a hairpiece and a nose job, he would look not unlike Mentor of the TV show. And let’s face it: if you’re name was “Dudley” wouldn’t you jump at the opportunity to be known as “Mentor,” too?
The series details how they got the Winnebago and explains why, given Billy’s secret identity, it has Captain Marvel’s lightning bolt on front. The “eterni-phone” is put to better use, too. In the comic, each light can be used to contact each Elder (or the wizard, Shazam) individually, whereas on TV Billy is always called to a “group interview.” Their initial travels have a bicentennial theme, taking them to historic sites in Washington, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, etc. It’s too bad I turned my nose up at this series when I was a kid. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have appreciated it as much then as I do now.
I liked the Shazam! comics when I was a kid, but I missed the transition into paralleling the TV series. I have to say that I think I would have reacted poorly, especially since much of the appeal or the comics (for me) was also seeing Mary and Freddy, who were pretty much written out of the series for a while.
One aspect of the DC/TV SHAZAM! books that I enjoyed was the revivals of Kid Eternity, Minute Man, Beautia Sivana and Black Adam!
A Superman vs. Shazam! tpb collecting All-New Collector’s Edition C-58, DC Comics Presents #33-34, 49 and Annual #3 has been solicited for February 20 release.
I must not have watched this show for very long. Beyond the first couple of episodes, nothing looks familiar to me. It’s fun looking for actors we know to guest on the show. Having recently seen him out of Eddie Munster make-up on The Monkees, I recognized Butch Patrick, but I missed Radames Pera (young Caine from Kung Fu) with a full head of hair, whose appearance Tracy totally nailed. Between seasons, Billy get a haircut which evidently somehow radically alters alters Captain Marvel’s appearance as well. Written Out of Television notes that Jackson Bostwick left the series (possibly due to a contract dispute) never to be seen again.