Super Friends (1973 TV series)
- This article is about the first Super Friends series. For other uses, see Super Friends (disambiguation).
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On-screen title card. | |
Network | ABC |
Production company | Hanna-Barbera DC Comics |
Distributor | Taft Broadcasting |
Original release | September 8, 1973-December 22, 1973 |
Starring | Norman Alden Frank Welker Alan Soule Casey Kasem Sherry Alboni Shannon Farnon Danny Dark Ted Knight |
Executive producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
Producer(s) | Iwao Takamoto |
Music composed by | Hoyt Curtin |
Writer(s) | Fred Freiberger Willie Gilbert Bernie Kahn Dick Robbins Ken Rotcop Henry Sharp Art Weis Marshall Williams |
Director(s) | Charles A. Nichols |
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Super Friends is an American animated TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics, then known as the unimaginative National Periodical Publications, for ABC' Saturday morning line-up. It ran in 1973, airing 16 episodes.
The series is based on the Justice League of America comic books, although due to a response to parent organizations, it has been retooled in a non-violent kid-friendly manner, where Batman, his sidekick, Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman deal with threats on an educational level. The Super Friends never use their powers to cause any physical harm, and the series is almost completely uninterested in the mythology of the comics it is based on.
The series was also called Super Friends since Justice League of America would be deemed culturally offensive to foreign countries. For some reason, it couldn't be called Justice League, perhaps because that too would be too much of a loaded title (while in the 1990s, Dexter's Laboratory later had a segment spoof called The Justice Friends).
Also to appeal to the kid audience, the Super Friends were joined by a junior/teenage version, which included a wannabe superhero, his Scooby-Doo-like dog, and his rationale girl friend. No reason was given for them being there other than a studio decision.
Although this incarnation was short-lived, the series had a second chance by the end of the 1970s, he the public was more in favor of superheroes due to the live-action theatrical adaptation of Superman: The Movie, and weekly TV series of Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk. So, in 1977, Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics produced The All-New Super Friends Hour in 1977, followed by almost yearly retools (much like comics in real life), that lasted until 1985. And, yes, by 1985, the humor was wholly reduced, and the drama, the physical altercations (to an extent), and most importantly, the comics mythology grew into something more comparable, with writers who understood the characters, which would in part lead to much more faithful adaptations in the 1990s, with Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series.
Production
Development
Music
The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin.
Episodes
Episode | Number | Air date |
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"The Power Pirate" | 1x01 | September 8, 1973 |
"The Baffles Puzzle" | 1x02 | September 15, 1973 |
"Professor Goodfellow's G.E.E.C." | 1x03 | September 22, 1973 |
"The Weather Maker" | 1x04 | September 29, 1973 |
"Dr. Pelagian's War" | 1x05 | October 6, 1973 |
The Shamon 'U" | 1x06 | October 13, 1973 |
"Too Hot Too Handle" | 1x07 | October 20, 1973 |
"The Androids" | 1x08 | October 27, 1973 |
"The Balloon People" | 1x09 | November 3, 1973 |
"The Fantastic Frerps" | 1x10 | November 10, 1973 |
"The Ultra Beam" | 1x11 | November 17, 1973 |
"The Menace of the White Dwarf" | 1x12 | November 24, 1973 |
"The Mysterious Moles" | 1x13 | December 1, 1973 |
"Gullivar's Gigantic Goof" | 1x14 | December 8, 1973 |
"The Planet Spitter" | 1x15 | December 15, 1973 |
"The Watermen" | 1x16 | December 22, 1973 |
Cast
- Norman Alden as Aquaman
- Franklin Welker as Marvin White and Wonder Dog
- Alan Soule as Batman
- Casey Kasem as Robin
- Sherry Alboni as Wendy Harris
- Shannon Farnon as Wonder Woman
- Danny Dark as Superman
- Ted Knight as Narrator