The Mighty Hercules

The Mighty Hercules
Created by	Adventure Cartoon Productions
Directed by	Joe Oriolo
Voices of	Gerry Bascombe ; Jimmy Tapp ; Helene Nickerson
Country of origin	Canada ; United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	128
Production
Producer(s)	Joe Oriolo
Running time	5 minutes (usually compiled into 30-minute omnibuses)
Production company(s)	Adventure Cartoons For Television, Inc.
Distributor	Trans-Lux Television
Release
Original network	first-run syndication
Original release	September 1, 1963 – May 1, 1966

The Mighty Hercules is a Canadian/American low-budget animated series based loosely on the Greek mythological character of Heracles, under his Roman Mythology name, Hercules. It was created in 1962 and then debuted on TV in 1963 and ran until 1966 coinciding with the sword and sandal genre of films popular at the time. Each standalone episode runs five-and-a-half minutes, and in syndication were aired either as part of a block with other cartoons, or several episodes together to fill 30-minute timeslots (including commercials).^[1]

Summary

The cartoon features Hercules, the legendary hero, who dwells on Mount Olympus. Villains threaten the people of ancient Greece, often in the kingdom of Calydon, and Hercules comes to the rescue. When in serious danger, he puts on his magic ring from which he gets his superpowers. Once wearing the ring and raising his fist, the ring is struck by flashes of lightning (referred to as the Thunder of Zeus in several episodes), and Hercules is then endowed with super-strength. He does battle with nemeses such as Daedalus, an evil wizard who is the chief villain (sometimes accompanied by his pet cat Dydo). Other villains include Wilhemine the Sea Witch (accompanied by her pet bird Elvira) and Murtis, who was invulnerable due to wearing an iron helmet known as the Mask of Vulcan.

Hercules's friends and allies are:

his main sidekick Newton, the helpful boy centaur who has a habit of repeating himself every time he speaks
Helena, Hercules's girlfriend
Prince (later King) Dorian of Calydon
Tewt, a small satyr who vocalizes only by playing his syrinx
Timon, a young human from Calydon
Pegasus, Hercules's winged steed.

Also featured atop Mount Olympus are Hercules's father Zeus and Dodonis with his crystal rock of seeing. Both often warn Hercules of the troubles going on down below in and around the Kingdom of Calydon or deep in the Lernaean Forest.

The original episode has relatively lavish animation by John Gentilella. In it, Hercules beats his friend Theseus in a foot race and a wrestling match, and for his victory is granted any request by Zeus as a reward. Hercules wishes to go to Earth to fight evil and injustice, but Zeus reminds him that going to Earth would cause him to lose his godly powers and become a mortal. Zeus then creates a magic ring that allows Hercules access to his godly strength while on Earth. The rest of the cartoon involves Hercules meeting Helena and fighting a giant named Cacus and the giant's pet dragon. None of the other familiar characters make an appearance in this episode, and it features different character designs for Hercules and Helena.

The show generally used real Greek myths for their inspiration, but used the influences oddly. Daedalus is the evil wizard who is Hercules's most frequent foe, but Daedalus was a mythological artificer who wasn't a villain at all. Cacus is the giant in the first episode, based on the mythological monster Cacus. Other recurring creatures were taken directly from Hercules's Twelve Labors, such as the Nemean Lion, the Lernaean Hydra, the Erymanthian Boar, and the Stymphalian Birds; but most weren't presented as trials for him to overcome.

In addition to the ring, later episodes added new equipment for Hercules and his friends to use, such as a "moon stone" beam in his belt, and an invulnerable sword and shield. Episodes invariably ended with Hercules racing towards Mount Olympus and shouting "Olympia!" after defeating the villain.

Background

128 episodes of approximately 5 minutes each were produced. Adventure Cartoon Productions made the series in connection with Trans-Lux Television, the same people who later brought the anime series Speed Racer to U.S. audiences. Joe Oriolo was producer-director, and many of the animators were veterans of the New York animation scene, including Grim Natwick, Frank Endres, John Gentilella, George Germanetti, Reuben Grossman, and George Rufle.

The theme music is credited to Winston Sharples (as Win Sharples) who spent more than two decades at Paramount Pictures composing background music for the Superman and Popeye theatrical cartoons produced by the Fleischer brothers. However, the transformative "ring anthem" frequently used as Hercules slips on the ring given him by Zeus, along with several bridges of music used throughout episodes, are taken from the 1954 film The Black Shield of Falworth, the music credited to Joseph Gershenson but really composed by Hans Salter, Herman Stein and Frank Skinner, the long time in-house film composer for Universal Studios.

The show also featured two different sets of voices for the characters. There was no gradual change - most of the early episodes had one set of voices, the rest have the second set. The most noticeably different voice was Newton: his original voice sounds as if he has just hit puberty, with his voice constantly cracking, while the later episodes give him a high-pitched Mickey Mouse-like voice. The animation for the "putting on and charging up the ring" sequence also subtly changed with the voices. For an example of the former style and voices, see the episodes "The Minotaur" or "The Chair of Forgetfulness"; for an example of the latter, see "The Nemean Lion" or "The Chameleon Creature". In "Double Trouble", the voices actually change right near the end of the episode, with Newton speaking a line in his original cracking voice, and the very next line in his second high-pitched voice. Hercules's final two lines of the short are likewise in his second voice.

Although there are two voices, Hercules's voice actor is always credited as Jimmy Tapp. Daedalus' voice actor, depending on the episode, is Jack Mercer or Gerry Bascombe. Early episodes feature Jack Mercer voicing Newton and other incidental characters. The series also features a theme song sung by singer Johnny Nash, the American reggae singer-songwriter best known for 1956's "A Very Special Love" and 1972's "I Can See Clearly Now". The theme's lyrics were written by Winston Sharples's son Winston Sharples, Jr. under the pseudonym "Win Singleton" (his first and middle names). The voice actress for all the female voices is Helene Nickerson. The theme song was covered in 2009 by Canadian jazz musician John Stetch on his album TV Trio.^[2]

In 2005, the series was re-issued to television in a newly remastered version and was reformatted, and in the process, replacing the familiar theme music with new title music by an unknown singer. The version airing as of 2015 on the Canadian network Teletoon Retro, however, uses the original Nash theme music.

Episode list

Season 1
1. Hercules Comes to Earth 2. Hercules vs. the Hydra 3. Hercules and the Stolen Ring 4. Hercules and the Magic Arrows 5. Daedalus Kidnaps Helena 6. Theft of the Magic Seal 7. Double Trouble 8. Hercules Rescues Timon 9. The Chair of Forgetfulness 10. The Strength Potion 11. Hercules vs. the Hideous Bird Beast 12. Pegasus Kidnapped 13. The Invisible Potion 14. Medusa's Scepter 15. Search for the Golden Apple 16. The Thieving Bird Hoard 17. Daedalus Becomes a Giant 18. The Stolen Treasure 19. The Cure 20. The Thunderbolt Disc 21. Sun Diamond of Helios 22. Hercules Lends a Hand 23. The Defiant Mask of Vulcan 24. The Golden Goblet 25. The Lexas Lagoon 26. Guarding of the Olympic Torch 27. Helena Cries Wolf 28. Hercules Saves the Villagers 29. Hercules and the Magic Arrows 30. Hercules Battles the Krudes Beast 31. The Cave of Death 32. Medusa's Sceptre 33. The Bewitch Birds 34. The Enchanted Pool 35. The Endless Chasm 36. Hercules Protects Helena and Newton 37. Hercules Helps King Neptune 38. The Return of the Mask 39. Hercules Saves Helena 40. The Magnetic Stone 41. The Magic Rod 42. The Minotaur 43. Hercules and the Eternal Sleep

Season 2
44. The Clutching Clay Pool 45. Princess Rhea 46. The Valley of Whirlwinds 47. The Wild Boar 48. The Magic Belt of Hercules 49. The Errand of Mercy 50. The Nemean Lion 51. The Magician 52. Dorian's Wreath 53. The Unicorns 54. Wilhelmine 55. The Witch and the Magic Ring 56. Diomedes' Evil Plot 57. Hercules' Unwanted Powers 58. The Enchanted Wolf 59. Hercules and His Two Rivals 60. Hercules Saves the King 61. The Thracian Army 62. The Gems of Venus 63. The Golden Torch 64. Hercules vs. Teron, the Evil Spirit 65. Hercules Saves the Kingdom 66. Kidnapped by Wilhelmine 67. The Chameleon Creature 68. Earthquake Valley 69. Newton the Centaur 70. Helena Kidnapped - Hercules to the Rescue 71. Hercules and His Friends 72. The Magic Sword 73. Timon's Grandfather and Hercules 74. Hercules Loses His Memory 75. The Hall of Justice 76. The Cave of Callisto 77. The Powerless Hercules 78. Omar, the Sultan's Champion 79. Sandals of Electra 80. The Sea Witch 81. The Giant 82. Helena's Beauty 83. The Island of the Miros Monster 84. Hercules and the Fireball 85. Hercules Outwits the Magician 86. The Evil Weapon

Season 3
87. The Giant Ruby 88. The Owl Man 89. The Chameleon Man 90. Hercules Foils the Mask of Vulcan 91. The Exploding Diamond 92. Hercules and the Sea Witch 93. The Magic Lamp 94. The Owl-Man of Parnassus 95. The Eruption of Mount Sirius 96. The Deadly Gift 97. The Thesian Thunderhorn 98. The Dreaded Beast of Charon 99. Hercules, Newton, and the Evil Magician 100. The Fiery Abyss 101. The Giant Dragonfly 102. Tewt's Magic Wand Trouble 103. The Wings of Mercury 104. The Sea Beast 105. Prometheus in Dire Danger 106. The Crafty Chameleon 107. Kingdom Under the Glass Dome 108. The Fantus Beast 109. The Lyssidian Locusts 110. Hercules Saves Caledon 111. Helena's Jinx 112. The Sinister Statue 113. Friend or Foe of Centaur 114. The Young Olympians 115. The Feast of Calydon 116. The Lava Flow 117. The Dreaded Draught 118. Underwater Battle 119. The Sidian Illusion Stone 120. Timon to the Aid of Hercules 121. The Fiery Pits of Pyros 122. The Clovis Creature 123. The Valley of Storms 124. The Centaur on Mischief Day 125. The Throne of Calydon 126. Battle of the Magic Rings 127. Diomedes and His Warriors 128. King for a Day

DVD release

On October 4, 2011, Classic Media (now DreamWorks Classics) brought the series to DVD for the first time with a single-disc selection entitled The Mighty Hercules, in Region 1. All 20 episodes are from season 1, the last one being episode 40.^[3]

References

↑ The Mighty Hercules at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016.
↑ "TV Tunes swing on new CD". The Tucson Citizen, February 10, 2009.
↑ Lambert, David (July 13, 2011). "The Mighty Hercules - Single-Disc DVD Release Announced for the Classic '60s Cartoon". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-19.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[toon-1] The Mighty Hercules at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016.

[2] "TV Tunes swing on new CD". The Tucson Citizen, February 10, 2009.

[3] Lambert, David (July 13, 2011). "The Mighty Hercules - Single-Disc DVD Release Announced for the Classic '60s Cartoon". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-19.