SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
The eighth season of Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends presented stories and villains in the same way that the Challenge of the SuperFriends did. This series was entitled, SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and treated us to the first animated depiction of Darkseid.
Series Summary
Episode Lengths: 30 minutes
The ABC Network corrected their goof of the previous year and returned the SuperFriends to its 8am slot on Saturday mornings. The Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show was the first Super Friends series in a new format since 1979’s The World’s Greatest Super Friends.
Format
This incarnation consisted of 16 short episodes and ran for thirty minutes - consisting of two 11-minute stories weekly.
It ran from September 8, 1984 to October 29, 1984.
This series was more in line with the very popular Challenge of the SuperFriends series, in that it also featured actual DC super-villains from the comics as regular adversaries. Such as, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, Mirror Master and Mr. Mxyzptlk, as well as Darkseid and his henchmen from Apokolips.
This series is noteworthy, in that, it introduced a new Superfriends team member, Firestorm (Ronald Raymond / Professor Stein).
Toyline tie-in
Unlike previous series, this one was produced as a tie-in with the Kenner Super Powers line. These action figures were sculpted perfectly, had power action and contained a mini comic book and a file card.
Notes
- This series is perhaps best known for introducing the first animated version of Firestorm (we see him in his two secret identities quite a bit).
- Olan Soule (formerly Batman) voiced over Professor Stein in this one season when Adam West took over as Batman.
- Superman, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman were in the lineup.
- For some odd reason, despite his appearance in the intro riding his seahorse Storm, Aquaman does not appear in any episodes of this series.
- The, Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman were reduced to one cameo.
- Shannon Farnon after 10 yrs. as the voice of Wonder Woman was also re-cast in favor of the new voice, Connie Cawlfield. Connie ended up voicing Wonder Woman in this series only.[1]
- The four ethnic heroes, Black Vulcan, Samurai, Apache Chief, and El Dorado were major players in this series and for the most part were usually the heroes who saved the day in the end.
- According to DC writer/historian Mark Waid, Aquaman's sole appearance during this season comes via his appearance within the opening credits.[?]
- This season also marks the first time Wonder Woman was animated with the =w= symbol on her costume instead of the eagle design, this carried over into the final series Galactic Guardians, which led to Justice League in 2001, where she wears a modified version of the =w= symbol.
- This season also marks a series first, by replacing Olan Soule with the well-known Adam West as the voice of Batman. West would continue through the subsequent Galactic Guardians series.
- We are treated to a new Brainiac (despite him appearing in his original form in the opening credits)
- There were vehicles of the Supermobile and the Batmobile, Lex Luthor had his own vehicle, the Lex Soar 7.
- The Super Powers was so successful that several comic book mini series were spawned and in 1984, it caused a resurgence of popularity with the Super Friends.
- Hanna-Barbera made new episodes for two more years which not only kept to tradition, but tied into the Super Powers toyline.
- With the introduction of Darkseid the Super Friends series finally had some genuine conflict.
- Other than NBC airing reruns of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and the animated adventures of the Incredible Hulk by Marvel/Sunbow Productions, this SuperFriends series had no serious competition on the other networks.
- These three episodes from the 1983 lost episodes aired in 1984 as part of the Legendary Super Powers Show the following year:
Cast
- Narrator – voiced by William Woodson
- Announcer - Dick Tufeld
SuperFriends Cast
- Superman – voiced by Danny Dark
- Batman – voiced by Adam West
- Robin – voiced by Casey Kasem
- Wonder Woman – voiced by Connie Cawlfield
- Firestorm – voiced by Mark L. Taylor
- Samurai – voiced by Jack Angel
- Black Vulcan – voiced by Buster Jones
- El Dorado – voiced by Fernando Escandon
- Apache Chief – voiced by Michael Rye
Also starring
- Wonder Twin, Jayna – voiced by B.J. Ward
- Wonder Twin, Zan – voiced by Michael Bell
- Gleek – voiced by Michael Bell
- Desaad – voiced by Rene Auberjonois
- Darkseid – voiced by Frank Welker
- Kalibak – voiced by Frank Welker
Cameo Appearances
- Hawkman – voiced by Jack Angel
- Green Lantern – voiced by Michael Rye
- Flash – voiced by Jack Angel
- Lois Lane voiced by Mary McDonald Lewis
- Brainiac – voiced by Stanley Ralph Ross
- Lex Luthor – voiced by Stan Jones
- Riddler – voiced by Michael Bell
Villains:
- Mirror Master (One Appearance, Reflections in Crime)
Episode List:
| Ep # | Full Length Episodes | The Shorts | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Bride of Darkseid (Part One) | The Bride of Darkseid (Part Two) | September 8, 1984 |
| 02 | The Wrath of Brainiac | Reflections in Crime | September 15, 1984 |
| 03 | No Honor Among Thieves | Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Magic Lamp | September 22, 1984 |
| 04 | The Case of the Shrinking Superfriends | The Mask of Mystery | October 1, 1984 |
| 05 | Darkseid's Golden Trap (Part One) | Darkseid's Golden Trap (Part Two) | October 8, 1984 |
| 06 | The Island of the Dinosoids | Uncle Mxyzptlk | October 15, 1984 |
| 07 | The Case of the Dreadful Dolls | The Royal Ruse | October 22, 1984 |
| 08 | The Village of Lost Souls | The Curator | October 29, 1984 |
Marketing
This show had a number of marketing tie-ins, such as the Super Powers Collection action figure line. There was also a program used by schools that DC Comics used to promote vehicle safety, and abstaining from drugs, and helping kids with issues such as child abuse and teenage pregnancy.
A commercial of it was made which featured some footage of the Anti-drug commercial with the New Teen Titans.
DVD / Media info
Warner Home Video (via DC Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) released The Complete Series of Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show on DVD[2] on August 7, 2007.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete Series | 16 | August 7, 2007 |
For More DVD Info See:
- SuperFriends (1984) The Legendary Super Powers Show, DVD Set
Official DVD releases from amazon.com:
See Also
External links
- Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show at The Big Cartoon DataBase
- Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show entry at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
- Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show entry at TV.com (episode titles)
Videos
Coming Soon!
References
- ↑ It has been commonly believed that Connie got the role because she was dating the voice director, probably due to the Shannon Farnon interview. This is not correct. The casting director was a woman and Connie was married at the time and still is. She auditioned along with over 300 other actresses. They sent her audition to the networks and ended up casting her because they "liked the little crinkle in her voice."
- ↑ The Sweatbox Review