Super Friends (1973 TV series)

This article is about the first Super Friends series. For other uses, see Super Friends (disambiguation).

Super Friends
On-screen title card.
Network	ABC
Production company	Hanna-Barbera DC Comics
Distributor	Taft Broadcasting
Original release	September 8—December 22, 1973
Starring	Olan Soule Casey Kasem Shannon Farnon Danny Dark Norman Alden Frank Welker Sherry Alberoni 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 superhero TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics, then known as the unimaginative National Periodical Publications, for ABC's Saturday morning line-up. It ran in 1973, airing 16 episodes.

The series is based on the then Justice League of America comic books, although due to parent organizations, it had been retooled into a non-violent kid-friendly version, where Batman, his sidekick, Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman dealt with threats on an educational level. The Super Friends never used their powers to cause any physical harm, and the series was almost completely uninterested in the mythology of the comics it was 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 would also be seen as too much of a loaded title. Despite this, the team is still referred to as both the Justice League and JLA within the series. Go figure.

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 in-universe reason was given for them being there other than a real-world studio decision.

Although this incarnation was short-lived, the series had a second chance by the end of the 1970s, when 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, 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.

The series was homaged in Genndy Tartakovsky's The Justice Friends, a back-up segment in Dexter's Laboratory.

Music

The score was composed by Hoyt Curtin.

Episodes

Episode	Number	Air date
"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

• Olan Soule as Batman
• Casey Kasem as Robin
• Shannon Farnon as Wonder Woman
• Danny Dark as Superman
• Norman Alden as Aquaman
• Franklin Welker as Marvin White and Wonder Dog
• Sherry Alberoni as Wendy Harris
• Ted Knight as the Narrator

In popular culture

• In the film The Incredibles 2, Evelyn mentions the "superhero friends" about not being there to save her parents, who her father preferred over calling the law.
• In the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Justice calls Jay "old friend," as she's lost romantic interest in him, but Jay who hasn't, says he's a "super friend who wants to get back inside the Hall of Justice, yeah."

Arrowverse

• The Hall of Justice has appeared several times in series set in what has been coined the Arrowverse, which air on The CW. It was introduced as an abandoned S.T.A.R. Labs facility in The Flash episode "Invasion!" It was referred to as the Hall of Justice in the script for the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Invasion!"
  • In the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five," the Flash has a table made for a small group of the superheroes he was aided by during the Crisis. When they were chatting, they heard monkey noises, which were from the escaped Gleek (who was introduced in The All-New Super Friends Hour), who's escaped his cage. This was followed by the Super Friends theme song.
  • In the Supergirl episode "Back from the Future - Part One," Winn referred to it on-screen as the Hall of Justice for the first time.
• While not having an official name, the superheroes have both referred to each other and been referred to as the Super Friends.
  • In the Supergirl episode "In Plain Sight," Supergirl told Lena she had become an official Super Friend.
  • In the Batwoman episode "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two," Lex Luthor refers to the superheroes as "Super Friends."
  • In the Supergirl episode "Back from the Future - Part One," both the Martian Manhunter and Winn referred to their group as "Super Friends."
  • In the Supergirl episode "It's a Super Life," Mr. Mxyzptlk referred to Alex and J'onn as Kara's "Super Friends."
  • In the Supergirl episode "Alex in Wonderland," while Alex pretends to be Supergirl, a billboard says that Supergirl is the "#1 Super Friend," and Bonnie calls Supergirl/Alex's friends the "Super Friends."
  • In the Supergirl episode "Welcome Back, Kara!," when William talks about Supergirl and her friends, Andreas gets the idea of calling them "Super Friends."
  • In the Supergirl episode "Dream Weaver," "Super Friends" has apparently become official as Andrea refers to them and even writes on a whiteboard "Superfriends."
  • In the Supergirl episode "Still I Rise," it continues to be used in an apparent official capacity by Supergirl in a vegetable PSA with Brainiac 5.

Smallville

• "Prey:" John Jones (Martian Manhunter) refers to the superheroes led by Green Arrow as the "Super Friends."
• "Absolute Power (Part 1):" Oliver refers to his group as the super friends, while Chloe says they need some standardized trouble alert.
• "Warrior:" Zatanna told Clark "us Super Friends have to watch out for each other."

Teen Titans Go!

Main article: Teen Titans Go!

• The Hall of Justice has appeared several times.
• "Two Parter: Part 1:" There's transition music before the Teen Titans enter the building.
• "Two Parter: Part 2:" Cyborg gives a Narrator-style intro when the team dresses up in the Justice League's clothes. There is also a "shooting stars" scene transition.
• "TV Knight 5:" Batman and James Gordon watch the Teen Titans as Super Friends-like characters fight Richard Nixon who ends up being Fidel Castro in disguise, turning it into an episode of Scooby-Doo.

The Venture Bros.

Main article: The Venture Bros.

• "Handsome Random:" Dr. Monarch allows Captain Sunshine to have his powers at night with artificial sun rays, explained by a Super Friends-style narrator.
• "Rapacity in Blue:" The Monarch and Henchman 21 get a Super Friends-style intro when they dress up as the Blue Morpho and Kano.