I am in the middle of a heated argument about when and where the shows aired. So, I KNOW this was an early 60's cartoon by the Trans-Lux, "Speed Racer" folks, but I was not around to see the original airing of this show. HOWEVER, I believe I saw this in syndication on New York's WPIX in the 1970's and I am being told I didn't by my opponents. How then did I memorize the theme song (WHATEVER to the mockery! I am on a mission and I cannot be bothered with how lame that sounds!) So ... I NEEEEEEEEEED to prove that I saw this on WPIX in the 70's, but I have no proof beyond my memory and some anecdotal statements by random, wistful cartoon/comics fans. I NEED HELP (yes, yes ... I need that type of "help," too, but one thing at a time, please).
The Mighty Hercules: did it ever aire onWPIX in the 70's (early 80's)?
Replies
According to this bio a show called "The Mighty Hercules/Carol Corbett Show" ran from April 1965 to Jan 1968. If it's worth the effort to you, you might be able to prove your point by checking contemporary newspaper TV guides in a newspaper archive.
I remember the parody words to the theme song we all sang. (We must have seen it in reruns, in the mid-70s, probably on WPHL in Philadelphia, but maybe WKBS, Channel 48).
They went:
Jerkules!
He's a big, fat phony!
Jerkules!
Made of cheese and baloney!
Fighting for his life!
With a rubber knife!
Flying through the air!
In his underwear!
He's the mighty... Jerkules!
I've no idea who came up with that, and suspect it was handed down through the generations.
Here's a link to a lot of variations.
For what it's worth, I can remember watching Hercules cartoons as part of "The Three Stooges Theater" and other independent programs on KHTV-39 in Houston, Texas throughout the mid-1970s (at least 1974-1978).
Considering how young I was at the time, can't swear whether or not they aired earlier than that.
But the show, besides having Three Stooges shorts, was a two-hour morning block with Hercules, Scott McCloud: Space Angel, Clutch Cargo, and other cartoons.
Speed Racer was a show unto itself that aired in the afternoons along with such programs as The Flintstones, The Lone Ranger, and other classic TV that was a staple of syndicated programming for independent television stations (remember them?) once upon a time.
Some people like to argue, just for the sake of arguing, and would never admit that they're wrong, even if you DID provide hard evidence.
I've had people tell me certain shows DID air in the Philly area during the 70's or later, even though I've never seen them SINCE the 60's-- sometimes, the early 60's. I admit, the fact that I was unaware they aired did not mean they DIDN'T; I simply didn't see them. For someone to tell you you DIDN'T see it when clearly you did, they must be among the brain-dead.
On the other hand, there was an instance where I saw every single episode of STAR TREK's 2nd season when they were first-run, which I mention because it was so UNSUAL for me, as a kid, to ever see all of anything without missing an episode here or there. And one episode that aired very late in the season (around April or May) was clearly shown out of sequence, and has turned up in MULTIPLE episode listings as having aired in December. NOT IN PHILLY, it didn't. Some A**H*** argued this point with me years back. He insisted I back up my "facts" with "other evidence". IDIOT. I had other evidence-- GENE RODDENBERRY's book "The Making Of Star Trek". It was listed right there in cold hard print as having run near the end of the season. Nauturally, the A**H*** on the message board insisted "What ELSE do you have?"
One of the best things about Facebook (which I only got involved in recently) is you can BLOCK people. You can't see them, they can't see you. And you don't have to have A**H***s following you around and harrassing you endlessly over every single thing you're trying to discuss. (There's actually a current comics writer I've blocked, because his ego is much bigger than his talent, and about 2 years ago, he apparently decided, for no damn reason, to use me as a target for his "SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THINGS".)
I guess I could find this out, but, was Trans-Lux a production studio or a distributor?
One sad thing that happened in the 80's (I think) was when the 3rd season of STAR BLAZERS was finally brought to America, on videotape, they were unable to locate or identify the (non-union) voice-actors who'd done such a MAGNIFICENT job on dubbing the first 2 seasons into English. So they got the "Speed Racer" team instead. It's weird when the art is the same, and the MUSIC is the same, but every single voice is just... "wrong".
Trans-Lux was a distributor.
By a strange coïncidence, I had to look that up just a few days ago.