Shazam! (TV series)

Shazam!
Also known as The Shazam!/Isis Hour
Starring Michael Gray
Les Tremayne
Jackson Bostwick
John Davey
Voices of Lou Scheimer
Norm Prescott
Adam West
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 28 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Norm Prescott
Lou Scheimer
Dick Rosenbloom
Production company(s) Filmation
DC Comics
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network CBS
Original release September 7, 1974 (1974-09-07) – October 16, 1976 (1976-10-16)
Chronology
Related shows The Secrets of Isis

Shazam! was a half-hour live-action television program produced by Filmation (the studio's first such program), based on the superhero Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, of Fawcett Comics' comic book series Whiz Comics (now owned by DC Comics).[1] The program starred Michael Gray as Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform into the superhero Captain Marvel, originally played by Jackson Bostwick and later by John Davey, by speaking the magic word "Shazam!" With his guardian "Mentor" (Les Tremayne), Billy travels the country in a 1973 Dodge Open Road motorhome, looking for injustices to resolve.

The show ran from 1974 to 1976 on CBS's Saturday morning lineup. From 1975 to 1977 it was known as The Shazam!/Isis Hour and included The Secrets of Isis, about an Ancient Egyptian superheroine resurrected in the body of a schoolteacher, as the second half of the hour. Joanna Cameron, the star of The Secrets of Isis, appeared as Isis, and her alter-ego Andrea Thomas, on three episodes of Shazam!, and John Davey likewise appeared as Captain Marvel in three episodes of Isis.

This is one of the first Filmation productions to carry the producers' wheel at the start instead of appearing at the end.

Home video releases

The pilot episode, "The Joy Riders", was released as Warner Bros. Television Commemorative DVD Volume 8: Shazam, part of a DVD series designed to promote 50 years of Warner Bros. Television and to promote other TV shows that were not yet released on DVD. It was included with the release of the third season of Wonder Woman in 2005 in North America. Meanwhile, the rights to The Secrets of Isis remained with Filmation's successors Entertainment Rights, Classic Media, and DreamWorks Classics; that series was released on DVD in its entirety in 2007, including the three episodes featuring Captain Marvel.

On October 23, 2012, Warner Bros. released Shazam!—The Complete Live Action Series on DVD via its Warner Archive Collection.[2][3] This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively in the US and only through Warner's online store, as well as Amazon.com through its CreateSpace service.[4] Paul Mavis, reviewing the set for DVD Talk, wrote: "Essential viewing for fans of Filmation's house style, for comic book/superhero fans, and for lovers of 1970s Saturday morning TV."[5]

Broadcast history

After its original network run, Shazam! was brought back for reruns from January 5 through August 30, 1980. A handful of episodes appeared on TV Land infrequently throughout the 2000s, originally appearing on the "Ultimate Fan Hour" in early 2004 as part of the "TV Land Kitschen" lineup.

Episodes

References

  1. ↑ "The History of DC Comics on TV". IGN. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  2. ↑ "Shazam! DVD news: Announcement for Shazam!—the Complete Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2007-05-25. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  3. ↑ Lambert, David. "Shazam! – Delivery Date Delay for DVDs of The World's Mightiest Mortal". TVShowsOnDVD.com website. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  4. ↑ Shazam!—The Complete Live Action Series at Amazon.com
  5. ↑ http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/59075/shazam-the-complete-live-action-series/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.