Watch and remember:
Jason of Star Command Intro –70s live-action Saturday Morning SF show.
Space Academy Intro –Another one, from the same studio (Filmation). I’ve actually got episodes of this on VHS, from when they were re-broadcast on Sci-Fi Channel.
Isis! — More Filmation live-action, apparently coming to DVD next year. I bought
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle — Late 70s cartoon from (you guessed it) Filmation. I *LOVED* this show — mostly because it is the only adaptation of Tarzan that I’ve ever seen which actually stays pretty close to the books, with all of the pulp elements (lost cities, talking Mangani apes, etc.).
Flash Gordon cartoon intro — Again, Filmation — I couldn’t find anything but this, which is the Spanish version (oddly), but the animation is as good as I remembered it. It’s out on DVD now, and cheap. I need to order it.
I’d forgotten how much Flash looked like Aquaman.
It’s probably worth mentioning that Jason of Star Command, Spacy Academy and The Secrets of Isis are all being released in 2007 on DVD. No specific date yet, but you know I’ll keep you posted.
Sadly, no word yet on Tarzan, but that’s probably related to the Burroughs estate. You know how picky they can be.
Fun stuff.
Funny how an Egyptian Goddess fights for “truth and justice”…
D.
What, no Hercules?!
And Isis is pretty much par for the course for us, innit? I wanted to be her, you wanted to do her. ;)
PS – YAY for Nikema the Monkey!
I’m sure there was some lying and injustice in Ancient Egypt, but yeah, I take your point. This is beyond the fact that she’s awfully white for an Egyptian.
Wouldn’t it have been intersting if instead of fighting two-bit punks and thugs, she was trying to ressurect her husband Osiris, who’d been murdered and castrated by her vengeful son, Set. Not exactly Saturday morning fare, but you know the kids would’ve watched every week.
That would have been AWESOME. I’d have been hooked.
Isis
Oddly enough, she recently appeared with Black Adam (Shazam’s opposite, an Egyptian villain) and I find myself amazed by her boots. But yeah, I’ve got a buskin thing (that image comes from this picture).
That would have been SO MUCH BETTER! I probably could have even stomached watching it again. As it is now, the less said about her fighting a guy in a bad bear suit, the better. *shudder* You can see the seams – they just didn’t care!
What might’ve happened that day of filming
Director: So, in this next scene, Andrea, you’ll be wrestling with with a bear.
Andrea Thomas (fiddling with her costume): A what now?
Director: We wanted to get a stunt guy in a bear suit, but the budget was a little short this week and Denny, you remember Denny?
Andrea: That kid who never shuts up, the one who does the lighting and brings me coffee?
Director: Yeah, that’s him; his brother works in the zoo, and Denny asked him if we could borrow one of the Kodiaks…
Andrea: You know how much I make for this Isis gig, Sal?
Director: The studio signs the checks, babe, so no, I don’t.
Andrea: I think you can guess that it’s not enough to be mauled by a giant bear.
…beat….beat…
Director: Yeah, I’ll see if they can get their hands on the bear suit.
Andrea: Yes, yes you will.
Re: What might’ve happened that day of filming
Slight pedantic correction: Andrea Thomas was the secret identity of Isis. JoAnna Cameron was the actress.
Re: What might’ve happened that day of filming
*Slaps forehead*
Director: So, in this next scene, Andrea, you’ll be wrestling with with a bear.
JoAnna (fiddling with her costume): A what now?
Director: We wanted to get a stunt guy in a bear suit, but the budget was a little short this week and Denny, you remember Denny?
JoAnna: That kid who never shuts up, the one who does the lighting and brings me coffee?
Director: Yeah, that’s him; his brother works in the zoo, and Denny asked him if we could borrow one of the Kodiaks…
JoAnna: You know how much I make for this Isis gig, Sal?
Director: The studio signs the checks, babe, so no, I don’t.
JoAnna: I think you can guess that it’s not enough to be mauled by a giant bear.
…beat….beat…
Director: Yeah, I’ll see if they can get their hands on the bear suit.
JoAnna: Yes, yes you will.
I know I have seen the two cartoons, but I can’t quite decide if I have seen those live action shows, I have seen all those actors in other shows, or…. all the actors/actresses from that time tended to look alike.
I used to love those old Tarzan cartoons, even if I never could flip myself around a tree limb in that inertia-smashing way he always did. I used to watch it religiously. Or a lot, at any rate.
Doug.
Before you order Flash Gordon on DVD, you should borrow my copies. Once again, a show from my youth spectacularly fails to live up to my memories of it.
That bad, eh? I’ll have to check ’em out.
Are you getting my emails, by the way?
Flash Gordon and Thundarrr The Barbarian were the best thing about waking up early on Saturdays to enjoy the two greatest drugsavailable to US children -sugar and cartoons.
AAAAAAAA!!!! FILMATION heaven!!!
Looked it up, and, sure enough, YouTube also has the opening for SHAZAM!
By the way, the fellow-teacher (sort of the Louis Lane of ISIS) now teaches film acting in Kansas City.