"The All-New Super Friends Hour" (1977) TV series 1977-1978

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Writers:

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 September 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A team of the greatest DC Comics superheroes protects Earth with the help of a pair of alien sibling apprentices.

Plot Keywords:

Twins | DC Comics | Superman | Teenage Superhero | Super Villain

Cast

Norman Alden	...	Aquaman / ... (6 episodes, 1977)
Michael Bell	...	Wonder Twin Zan / ... (6 episodes, 1977)
Danny Dark	...	Superman (6 episodes, 1977)
Shannon Farnon	...	Wonder Woman / ... (6 episodes, 1977)
Casey Kasem	...	Robin / ... (6 episodes, 1977)
Olan Soule	...	Batman / ... (6 episodes, 1977)
Louise Williams	...	Wonder Twin Jayna / ... (6 episodes, 1977)
William Woodson	...	Narrator / ... (6 episodes, 1977)
Jack Angel	...	Hawkman / ... (2 episodes, 1977)

Runtime:

60 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Hanna-Barbera Productions

Trivia:

Black Vulcan (as mentioned above) was created for this show. Hanna-Barbera had originally planned to use Black Lightning, DC Comics' first prominent black superhero. But the company learned that, in order to use the character, it would have to pay a royalty fee to Tony Isabella, the writer who had created Black Lightning and wrote the "Black Lightning" comic book. Instead, the artists created Black Vulcan, whose powers and costume were similar to Black Lightning's, in order to avoid paying the fee. In response, Tony Isabella wrote a story in the comic book that featured a con artist named Barbara Hanna and an impostor pretending to be Black Lightning.

Quotes:

The Wonder Twins: Wonder Twin powers: ACTIVATE!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Charmed: Magic Hour (#3.2)" (2000)

This is where I first got into comics

I had seen a couple of the 1973 Super Friends cartoons, but don't remember enough about them from that time. There was Superman, Batman and Robin, and the first time I had seen Wonder Woman and Aquaman. When this series premiered, I had noticed that Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog were gone (In retrospect, an improvement). The series had several formats. The first story was a team-up between the central Super Friends (Superman, Batman *and* Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman), followed by a solo Wonder Twins story, an extended story with the entire main cast of Super Friends, and the part I lived for...a team-up with a Super Friend and another super-hero...this is how I first learned about the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Rima, the Atom, and other "made-up" heroes like Black Vulcan (who should've been Black Lightning), Samurai (whose wind powers reminded me of the Red Tornado), and Apache Chief (can you spell stereotypical?). I might have the line-up mixed up.

The art was pretty good even if the stories were simplistic (again, in retrospect). When I found out many characters had their own comics, I had to read about them, and the dominoes rolled...I hope to see those team-ups again.