Fantastic 4 (1967– )

Four costumed superheroes battle the world's most terrifying villains.

Creators:

Jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Stars:

Gerald Mohr, Paul Frees, Jack Flounders

Cast

Series cast summary:
Gerald Mohr	...	Mr. Fantastic (18 episodes, 1967-1968)
Paul Frees	...	The Thing (18 episodes, 1967-1968)
Jack Flounders	...	The Human Torch (18 episodes, 1967-1968)
Jo Ann Pflug	...	Susan Storm Richards (18 episodes, 1967-1968)

Storyline

A rocket carrying four young people--scientific genius Reed Richards, his World War II buddy Ben Grimm, his wife Sue Richards and Sue's hot-headed brother Johnny Storm--is bombarded by cosmic rays while orbiting the Earth. The radiation gives them special powers: Richards can now stretch his limbs, Johnny can burst into flame, Sue can render herself invisible, while Ben has been physically transformed into a big orange rock and given super-strength. They decide to name themselves The Fantastic Four, and use their powers to battle world-dominating villains such as Doctor Doom and The Mole Man.

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Plot Keywords:

fantastic four | rocket | based on comic | human torch | superhero | 

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die fantastischen Vier

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Marvel Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (20 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was one of several TV series abruptly cancelled due to parental concerns about TV violence in the late 1960s.

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Connections

Referenced in Living in Oblivion (1995)

User Reviews

Best of the Fantastic Four cartoons

I've seen several cartoon versions of The Fantastic Four over the years. The latest one is now broadcasting on the Cartoon Network and has outstanding animation and graphics. However, I still favor this 1967 version, which consists of only 20 episodes. The animation is very simple by today's standards, but the stories and script closely mirror the comic book from that era. In fact, the simple nature of the episodes makes them more appealing to me. As I write this, the 1967 Fantastic Four episodes are being shown on Boomerang, an offshoot of the Cartoon Network. The newest Fantastic Four cartoon is a little TOO slick and fancy for my tastes.