mrizaj Reviews

Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor (1967–1969)

Another Unusual Superhero Pairing from Hanna-Babera

[9/10 · 18 March 2022]

During its superhero cycle of 1966-1969, Hanna-Barbera did unusual pairings on their superhero shows. It was how we got such shows as SPACE GHOST AND DINO BOY, FRANKENSTEIN JR. AND THE IMPOSSIBILES, and BIRDMAN AND THE GALAXY TRIO. One such pairing brought together a modern-day version of Herman Melville's Moby Dick but as a heroic guardian to two boys sandwiched between two cartoons featuring a pre-historic superhero. That pairing first aired on CBS in September of 1967 under the title of MOBY DICK AND THE MIGHTY MIGHTOR.

The first series, Mightor, is an excellent example of Golden Age styled comic book plotting in an animated cartoon context. Taking place in a fantasy version of the Stone Age, cave boy Tor (Bobby Diamond) and his pet winged dinosaur Tog saved an aged hermit from becoming an allosaurus' dinner. The grateful hermit gave Tor a club which possessed great powers that were unleashed when Tor raised the club and shouted the word "Mightor". And in one explosive flash, Tor was transformed into a larger, more powerful version of himself called Mightor (with his superhero form wearing a horned animal skin which acted as a cape and cowl) and Tog was transformed into a larger version of himself. As Mightor, he possessed super strength, super speed, flight, and limited invulnerability and his club could fire blasts of energy, create force fields, and could even act as an X-ray device. Tog in his super-powered form had super-strength, can fly at super speeds, and could breathe fire. In a sense, Mightor was very much a primitive version of the original Captain Marvel with elements of Thor and Space Ghost thrown in for good measure.

As Mightor, Tor protected his village and the surrounding areas from prehistoric threats. His cast of characters were rounded out by Sheera (Patsy Garrett), the daughter of the village leader Chief Pondo (John Stephensen), and her brother Little Rok (Norma MacMillian). It was Little Rok - clad in a junior version of Mightor's costume - along with his bird Ork who tried to act as a help to Mightor. But for Mightor, Little Rok was clearly more of a hinderance than a help.

It's safe to view Little Rok as a thinly disguised ploy by the show's writers to stretch scripts. He could unintentionally allow a villain to escape to forestall the inevitable end or get captured by a villain to allow for a rescue (the villain in one cartoon actually took advantage of the fact that Little Rok follows Mightor around). In fact, two cartoons were devoted to Little Rok constantly getting into situations in which Mightor had to bail him out of.

As far as threats go, Mightor found himself fighting threats to the village and his friends from various prehistoric super menaces. Among them included Korg the Monster Keeper, Kragor and his Cavern Creatures, Rog and his Stone Men, the Serpent Queen, the Vulture Men, the Storm King, and the Sea Slavers. All in 36 seven-minute cartoons (two per episode).

In the second segment MOBY DICK, Tom and Tubb found themselves be cast adrift from their uncle's vessel in a sudden typhoon and found themselves surrounded by a school of menacing sharks. They were rescued by the giant white whale Moby Dick and along with the seal Scooby, they patrolled the seas together. The super whale and his companions found themselves fighting such menaces as the Shark Men, the Manta Menace, Captain Squid, and Moraya the Eel Queen. All in 18 seven-minute cartoons sandwiched between the two Mightor cartoons.

All in all, MOBY DICK AND THE MIGHTY MIGHTOR aired on Saturday mornings on CBS from September 7,1967 to September 9, 1969. It would be revived as part of the syndicated series HANNA-BARBERA'S WORLD OF SUPER ADVENTURE in the late 1970's and would pop up on both the Cartoon Network and the Boomerang Network. The series is available on DVD from Warner Home Video's Warner Archives MOD DVD releases as part of the Hanna-Barbera Golden Classics collection.

Gatchaman (1972–1980)

The Electrifying Sequel to the Original SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN

[10/10 · 7 October 2021]

Back in 1972, Tatsunoko Productions launched the classic animated series SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN. Around the time that Sandy Frank Productions was adapting the original GATCHAMAN into BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, Tatsunoko launched the sequel to the original series in the form of GATHCAMAN II. Some people in Australia and the US may know of the series as EAGLE RIDERS, but what I'm writing about is the original GATCHAMAN II as it aired on Japanese TV in 1978-1979.

Taking place two years after the events of the original series, Dr. Nambu is forced to reunite the surviving members of the Science Ninja Team - Ken the Eagle, Jun the Swan, Jinpei the Swallow, and Ryu the Owl - to fight the threat of a rejuvenated Galactor organization led by Leader X and his new subordinate Gel Sadra. Dr. Nambu brought in a new G-2 - replacing Joe the Condor who had perished in final episode of SNTG - in the form of Hawk Getz who turned out to be a Galactor agent who lured the the other four into a Galactor deathtrap. The Gathcaman squad - or G-Force if you prefer - were saved by what they thought was the now dead Joe who also killed Getz with a feathered shuriken. It went for the first few episodes before they learned that Joe was still alive.

It turned out that Joe's life was saved by a Doctor Rafael, who turned out to be a former Galactor scientist and wanted to find and destroy Leader X. Joe's life was saved at the cost of him being transformed into a cyborg and giving him the possible suicide mission of destroying Leader X. Joe tried to hide the fact he was now a cyborg, but it was inevitably revealed to the rest of the squad.

Not only did the squad acquire new weaponry in their fight against Galactor; they would acquire new mecha, a new base, and a new ally as well. Besides a new version of the God-Phoenix which had a robot named Pima to take over piloting while they left to fight, the avian avengers acquired new G-machines that fit their distinctive bird-themed uniforms (Ken getting the Eagle Sharp jet, Joe getting the Condor racer, Jun getting the Swan Cycle, Jinpei getting the Swallow Copter, and Ryu getting the Owl Tank). They would acquire a new base in the form of G Town which was a movable undersea base. They would acquire a new ally in Dr. Nambu's assistant, Dr. Pandora who surprisingly has a connection to Gel Sadra.

GATCHAMAN II of course was adapted into 1996's EAGLE RIDERS, but there were some major changes made to make it palatable to younger audiences. Most notably the removal of scenes depicting mass destruction and mass violence. And this wasn't the G. I. JOE type violence of laser blast shootouts. Leader X and company were committing mass destruction on apocalyptic levels. And the Gatchaman squad themselves were doing their fair share with the amount of Galactor bases, mecha, and personnel destroyed. And this would lead to a devastating conclusion as the SNT - and surprisingly Gel Sadra - learn of Leader X's apocalyptic master plan that threatens Earth itself and led to a final showdown with Leader X.

GATCHAMAN II would by adapted into the 1996 tv series EAGLE RIDERS by Hiam Saban (the same man behind the MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS series and adapting Marvel's X-MEN to animation). The EAGLE RIDERS series was shown in its full form in Australia but was cancelled in the States after 13 episodes. Sentai Filmworks released the entire series in the original Japanese with English subtitles in.2017 along with its sequel, GATCHAMAN FIGHTER (1979).

Yogi's Gang (1973–1975)

A Product of Its Time

[17 July 2021]

The best line of critical defense on the subject of YOGI'S GANG is that it was a product of its time. And YOGI'S GANG was that in more ways than one. And not all of them were positive.

For one, the influence of the organization Action for Children's Television (which was at the height of its power during the 1970's) and the effect it had on network programming and animated television production was keenly felt by the people at Hanna-Barbera Productions. It was ACT's pressure on the networks that forced many shows of the period to have educational messages. And that pressure was clearly shown on YOGI'S GANG as Yogi Bear and company had to abandon the zippy one-liners and slapstick gags that made those early Hanna-Barbera cartoons featuring those characters funny in favor having them get involved with social and cultural issues (particularly dealing with such human issues as greed, bigotry, envy, and wastefulness). It's those attempts at being socially relevant - which at times bordered on preachiness - due to the influence of ACT that caused the show not to age as well as some of Hanna-Barbera's other series during the period.

Another way the times affected the show was the beginning of ecological awareness that was occurring during the 1970's. The pilot film for the series - 1972's YOGI'S ARK LARK - had such old school Hanna-Barbera characters as Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Wally Gator, Peter Potomus, Snagglepuss, and many others coming together to embark on a journey in a flying ark (actually an ark shaped helicopter powered by Magilla Gorilla on a treadmill) in search of "the perfect place" which was free of pollution and other forms of mankind's despoilment. The YOGI'S GANG series continued that idea in the form of encountering such characters as Mr. Smokestack Smog and Lotta Litter (voiced over to perfection by Rose Marie).

And that's where we get to the positive way that the show was a product of it's time. During the late 1960's and early 1970's, Hanna-Barbera was experimenting with formats trying to find a winning formula. The ABC Television Network gave the company a vehicle to allow for experimentation in the form of THE SATURDAY SUPERSTAR MOVIE which was a juvenile version of their popular ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK series of made-for-TV movies. YOGI'S ARK LARK - which first aired on September. 16, 1972 - proved to be one of the most popular of those movies due to the fact that it teamed many of Hanna-Barbera's most famous characters in one story. That idea and the success of YOGI'S ARK LARK led to ABC commissioning Hanna-Barbera to create a series continuing where the original film left off. The result was that YOGI'S GANG debuted on September 8, 1973 as part of ABC's Saturday morning lineup.

Taking up where YOGI'S ARK LARK left off, Yogi and his gang traveled around the world in their flying ark and found themselves confronting such characters who represented the worst of human faults and vices along with ecological threats. And that included such characters as Dr. Bigot, the Greedy Genie, the Gossipy Witch, Mr. Waste, the Envy Brothers, and the Sheik of Selfishness. And this allowed for guest voices from such people as Tom Bosley, Rose Marie, and Paul Winchell. All in 15 half-hour episodes and a two part episode that repeated the original pilot bookended with new footage which brought the series to 17 episodes.

All though it left the airwaves in the Fall of 1975, the influence of YOGI'S GANG outlived the show. The idea of teaming many classic Hanna-Barbera characters in one show would be repeated in such later shows as LAFF-A-LYMPICS (later in the 1970's) and YOGI'S TREASURE HUNT (in the 1980's) as well as a series of specials produced by Hanna-Barbera during the 1980's. The series itself would air in syndication and on the Cartoon Network and is currently available on home video - as a MOD set of DVDs - on Warner Home Video as part of the Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection.

Great Mazinger (1974–1975)

The Electrofying sequel to MAZINGER Z

[9/10 · 23 December 2018]

Many people of a certain age here in the United States became acquainted with the robot Great Mazinger via being part of Mattel's Shogun Warriors toy line (in which he was known as Great Mazinga). But for much of the rest of the world (including surprisingly, the state of Hawaii), GREAT MAZINGER became familiar via the Toei produced cartoon series which was based on Go Nagai's comic strip of the same name which was also a sequel to his MAZINGER Z series. In fact, GREAT MAZINGER started off with the final episode of MAZINGER Z.

In that episode, the original Mazinger Z and its pilot Koji Kabuto was overwhelmed by the mechanical war beasts of the Mycenae Empire in which Mazinger Z was badly damaged. He was rescued and aided by the more powerful Great Mazinger and its pilot Tetsuya Tsurugi. That series ended with Koji and his female partner Sayaka Yumi (the pilot of Aphrodite A and later Diana A) going to America to study and leaving Tetsuya and Great Mazinger to defend Japan against the threat of the Mycenae Empire.

In the new series, Tetsuya is aided by Jun Hono who pilots the super robot Venus A and by the director of the Science Institute Dr. Kenzo Kabuto (Koji's father) who designed Great Mazinger. Four other characters from MAZINGER Z pop up in the new series. First, Boss and his two colleagues Mucha and Nuke who pilot the robot Boss Borot were back as comic relief and often acting as slightly more of a hinderance than a help to Tetsuya and Jun. And Shiro Kabuto (Koji's brother) returned as well and occasionally assisted Tetsuya and Jun with his own super robot, Robot Junior.

The new threat faced by Great Mazinger and company is the Mycenae Empire controlled by the Emperor of Darkness and top henchmen the Great General of Darkness and Minister Argos. They were aided by the Seven Generals along with Duke Gorgon and Lady Janus, not to mention various mechanical war beasts under their command. The one thing that gave Great Mazinger and company enough breathing room to be able to defeat them with each encounter is the fact that each of the generals along with the General of Darkness and Argos were practically at each others throats due to internal struggles for power. Even the General of Darkness wasn't immune to those struggles as he was killed in battle with Great Mazinger midway through the series and replaced by a resurrected Dr. Hell (from the original MAZINGER Z) now called the Great Marshall of Hell In the final episodes, it took the combined efforts of Great Mazinger, Mazinger Z, Venus A, and Diana A to finally defeat the Mycenae Empire. All in 56 episodes.

Although GREAT MAZINGER never achieved the very high level of popularity of MAZINGER Z, it proved to be popular enough to run for a successful 56 week run. It even had a few theatrical released movie featurettes teaming the character with other creations of Go Nagai's such as GETTA ROBO G and UFO ROBO GRENDIZER (a series it paved the way for) not to mention a line of best selling toys and merchandise. Recently, Discotek Media released the entire GREAT MAZINGER TV series on DVD.

The Herculoids (1967–1969)

Somewhere Out in Space Live the Herculoids!

[10/10 · 11 July 2016]

Between 1964 to 1969, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced its first wave of action-adventure oriented cartoons. Of those series, two have been fully acknowledged as true classics of science fiction oriented animation. The first of the two series was the original JONNY QUEST which first aired in prime time on ABC back in 1964. The second series - in an ironic twist - made its debut around the same time that JONNY QUEST was beginning a Saturday morning run on CBS during the fall of 1967. That series was THE HERCULOIDS.

THE HERCULOIDS were the collective name of the super-powered creatures that starred in the series along with their human leaders. The five Herculoids were Zok, a dragon-like creature who could fire laser beams from his eyes and tail; Igoo, a gigantic gorilla-like creature with a stone body who possessed great strength and the ability to turn anything - usually boulders and trees - into weapons; Tundro, an armored rhinoceros-like creature that could fire energy rocks from a hollow horn on his head and ten legs for locomotion; and finally Gloop and Gleep, protean blob-like creatures who stretch long distances, can dived themselves, and change into various implements. They were led by the human Zandor (voiced over by Mike Road) who along with his wife Tara (Virginia Gregg) and their son Dorno (Teddy Eccles), led the five Herculoids to fight threats against their home planet of Amzot (Quasar in the later SPACE STARS revival) from menaces that threatened their home world.

Quite a few reviewers have noticed similarities between Zandor and his family to Tarzan and his family (Jane and Boy {or Korak if you prefer}). In fact, Zandor is much closer to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original conception of Tarzan than he was portrayed in much of the films up to that time (with elements of Burroughs' John Carter thrown in for good measure) as a highly intelligent jungle lord. To Zandor, his chief weapons - a slingshot (which he uses to fire energy rocks) and a disc-shaped shield (which he sometimes threw as an offensive weapon ala Captain America) was just as effective as a ray-gun. Riding on the backs of Zok or Tunndro - or his other favorite method of travel, sling-shooting himself on vines - was just as effective as flying a spacecraft. In other words, Zandor and his family weren't slaves to technology; they simply used their natural abilities, their wits, and the powers of the Herculoids not only to survive on Amzot; but to protect it as well.

As far as threats to their home world went, Zandor and the Herculoids faced menaces to their home world from inside and outside. From within Amzot itself, they faced attempted conquests from such races as the Spider Men of the Endless Caves, the Mole Men, the Reptons, the Laser Lancers, and such villains as Malak and Queen Skorra among others. From other planets came threats from Volton and his Electrode Men, Darkkon and his Faceless Ones, the Mutoids, not to mention such villains as Sta-Lak, Torrak, and the Sky Pirates among others. And on two occasions, Zandor and the Herculoids were forced to travel to other worlds to fight threats to them. All this was done in 36 11 minute cartoons, two per half-hour show.

Credit should also go to the character design work of Alex Toth the artist who was practically responsible for the distinctive look of Hanna-Barbera's action-adventure cartoons. His designs for the characters, machines, and scenery in THE HERCULOIDS gave the series its distinctive look.

THE HERCULOIDS originally aired on CBS during Saturday mornings from September of 1967 to September of 1969. The series would be revived during the late 1970's on NBC and in syndication during the early 1980's as part of HANNA-BARBERA'S WORLD OF SUPER ADVENTURE (a series that re-broadcasted all of Hanna-Barbera's 1960's superhero series sans THE SPACE KIDETTES and YOUNG SAMSON & GOLIATH). A further 10 cartoons would be done Hanna-Barbera's SPACE STARS series back in 1980, but are not on the level of the original 1967 series. THE HERCULOIDS also aired on the Cartoon Network during the 1990's and early 2000's and occasionally appears on the Boomerang Network. The original series is currently available on MOD DVD through Warner Home Video's Warner Archives as part of the Hanna-Barbera's Golden Classics series.

The Space Kidettes (1966–1967)

"They're Just Little Kids!"

[5 April 2015]

The title of this essay is the lament of a space pirate named Captain Skyhook on why he can't do anything really mean to get the best of four kids - Scooter, Jenny, Countdown, and Snoopy - and their dog Pupstar, all known collectively as THE SPACE KIDETTES.

When Hanna-Barbera Productions was launching their action-adventure/superhero cycle with SPACE GHOST in 1966, they were trying to make the transition from the humor-oriented series that made the studio's name to a more action-oriented style. there were two series that year that allowed them to make that transition. One was FRANKENSTEIN JR. AND THE IMPOSSIBLES on CBS and the other was THE SPACE KIDETTES on NBC.

For the record, the title characters were an Our Gang styled group of kids that consisted of Scooter (Chris Allen), the leader; Jenny (Janet Waldo), the token girl; Countdown (Don Messick), the brainy kid; and Snoopy (Lucille Bliss), the youngest of the bunch. Together with their dog Pupstar, they travel around space having many adventures.

But knowing that a show concerning four tykes would get boring exceedingly fast, the writers gave them a treasure map which gave motivation for a pair of space pirates named Captain Skyhook (Daws Butler) and Static (Don Messick) to go after them and try to steal their map. The only thing that keeps Captain Skyhook from doing anything really mean to the Kidettes is the fact they are just that, a bunch of little kids. Something he keeps reminding his partner Static whenever he gets the idea to do something mean to them(often with a well placed bonk on the head).

Besides having to deal with those two pirates, the Space Kidettes found themselves having to deal with such baddies as a mole-man creature, a laser breathing dragon, a wicked witch, and various other baddies. All in the space of 20 cartoons, each ten minutes in length.

Although THE SPACE KIDETTES was not as notable as Hanna-Barbera's other superhero series during the 1960's, it did manage to last two years on NBC until 1968. In the 1967-1968 season, THE SPACE KIDETTES was teamed one of Hanna-Barbera's more serious superhero series, YOUNG SAMSON & GOLIATH. And it is this teaming that both series are currently shown under in syndication and on DVD from Warner Home Video as part their Hanna-Barbera's Golden Classics series of DVDs.

Birdman (1967–1987)

Hanna-Barbera's Winged Wonder

[9 December 2014]

Back in 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions began its superhero cartoon cycle with the launch of SPACE GHOST & DINO BOY. By September 1967, they had superhero series on all three major networks. And BIRDMAN AND THE GALAXY TRIO (to use the series full title) which aired on NBC was one of the most popular and memorable of those series.

Like another Hanna-Barbera series that aired on NBC, YOUNG SAMSON & GOLIATH (which I have reviewed earlier), BIRDMAN was an good example of Golden Age styled comic book plotting used in an animated cartoon context. In the first of the two segments of the series, the winged wonder known as Birdman (voiced over by Keith Andes) was summoned into action by Falcon 7 (John Stephenson) to take on the latest threat to national or international security. With his pet eagle Avenger at his side, the winged wonder flew off from Bird Lair (an extinct volcano) to challenge the threat. In a few episodes, he would aided by a teen-aged sidekick Birdboy (Dick Beals) who had similar powers.

For the record, Birdman's super-powers were flight (Thanks to his wings naturally!), super strength, and the ability to file blasts of solar energy from his hands (not to mention the ability to create "solar shields"). His powers come from exposure to the rays of the sun (which could explain why his headquarters is located in the crater of an extinct volcano), but also gives him an easily exploitable weakness which the writers liked to use throughout the run of the series. He loses his powers if he is out of the sun for too long and has to recharge by exposure to sunlight (but then again, he's lucky to have Avenger to help bail him out of those situations).

For the most part, Birdman fought villains that were associated with the organization FEAR (his most frequent foe being its leader, Number One). Among them included such baddies as Dr. Freezoids, Nitron, the Ringmaster, and Vulturo among others. He managed to fight against foes that weren't allied with FEAR including Morto the Marauder, the Constrictor, Medusa, and Dr. Millennium among others. All in the space of 40 seven minute cartoons.

The second segment was The Galaxy Trio which consisted of a trio of superheroes who patrolled space in their spaceship Condor One in the fight against evil. The three heroes were Vapor Man (Don Messick) who could into vapor at will and fire blasts of different vapors; Meteor Man (Ted Cassidy) who had the power expand his size at will; and Gravity Girl (Virginia Eiler) who had the power to control gravity. And they were to need those powers to fight the worst menaces the universe has to offer in 20 seven minute cartoons that were sandwiched between the two Birdman cartoons in each half hour episode.

All in all, BIRDMAN AND THE GALAXY TRIO was one of Hanna-Barbera's most popular series and was only dropped by NBC in late 1968 mainly due to the backlash against TV violence during that period. Fortunately the show was brought back in 1979 as part of the syndicated series HANNA-BARBERA'S WORLD OF SUPER ADVENTURE (which brought back most of Hanna-Barbera's superhero series) and current pops up now and then on the Boomerang Network. It is also available on DVD via Warner Home Video.

The Untouchables (1959–1963)

A Band of Tough Law-Enforcers for a Tough Age

[10/10 · 5 November 2014]

The above title describes THE UNTOUCHABLES in a nutshell.

When Desilu Productions decided to adapt Eliot Ness and Oscar Frawley's 1957 memoir THE UNTOUCHABLES as a two part episode of the DESILU PLAYHOUSE anthology series in 1958, they didn't know that they were about to give birth to a classic TV crime series. So a year after the two part DESILU PLAYHOUSE episode aired, THE UNTOUCHABLES debuted on ABC in the Fall of 1959 and came on like gangbusters.

Here's the series in a nutshell, at the end of the original pilot, Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness (Robert Stack) and his hand-picked group of agents known as "The Untouchables" continued their war on what was left of the Capone Organization led by Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon). And also found time to go after such notable underworld figures as Dutch Shultz, Charles "Lucky" Lucianno, Jack "Legs" Diamond, the Genna Brothers, and Ma Barker among others who the real Eliot Ness never encountered. Not to mention a variety of would-be underworld kingpins, vice lords, and drug traffickers, many which often end trying to go for "gangster martyrdom" (dying with guns blazing during battle with the Untouchables)not before committing more than a few acts of violence before Ness and company catch up to them. All in 118 1 hour episodes that mixed the machine gun paced style of the 1930's gangster movies with the gritty edge of 1940's & 1950's film noir and pushed along by the staccato narration of Walter Winchell.

For the record, Eliot Ness - real life - disbanded the Untouchables after Al Capone was put away, but that didn't stop Hollywood from doing this show and creating the situations. And remember, Hollywood has a bad habit of playing fast and loose with history. But that doesn't keep this from being an enjoyable show.

For the record, Ness' agents were Jack Rossman (Steve London), Enrico "Rico" Rossi (Nicholas Georgiade), William Youngfellow (Abel Fernandez) for all four seasons with agents Cam Allison (Anthony George) and Martin Flaherty (Jerry Paris) both replaced by Lee Hobson (Paul Picerni) in the second season. A group of incorruptible agents in a time when cops and politicians "on the take" were the rule rather than the exception to the rule (this was the era of Prohibition). Considering the times (the late 1920's and early 1930's), Chicago and the rest of America needed a tough group of law-enforcers for such a tough age.

In the hands of such writers as Leonard Kantor, Harry Kronman, and John Mantley among many others and directors such as Walter Grauman, Tay Garnett, Ida Lupino, and Paul Wendkos among others; THE UNTOUCHABLES became one of the true classics of the crime television genre. Not to mention at time one of the most violent series ever. But quite a few time during the run of the series, they showed that violence made more of an impact when the gory details weren't shown on screen. Examples of this include "The White Slavers" when a massacre of prostitutes were shown from the reaction of a character shielding his eyes and also in 'The Lily Dallas Story" when the title character machine guns a fence to death by showing a close-up of the tommy-gun being fired followed by a reaction shot of the title character. I could name a lot more incidents, but it would take a lot more space.

During its four year run (1959-1963), THE UNTOUCHABLES ended up becoming one of the most memorable TV series ever to come out of any era. And its healthy afterlife in syndication (currently appears on ME-TV) and all four seasons being released on DVD (by CBS Video) ensured THE UNTOUCHABLES position as one of television's most unforgettable series.

Gatchaman (1972–1980)

One of the True Classics of Japanese Animation

[10/10 · 16 December 2013]

When I was a child growing up in the 1970's, I remembered watching a series called BATTLE OF THE PLANETS. I later learned that it was a edited version of a Japanese animated series titled SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN (the translation of the title from the Japanese) and had my interest peaked by the existence of the original. In the 1990's on the Cartoon Network, I got to see another attempt to adapt the original GATCHAMAN called G-FORCE: GUARDIANS OF SPACE. But recently, I got the chance to finally see the original GATCHAMAN in its unaltered form (except for the dubbed English dialog) and the original is far superior to the two American adaptations.

If you are familiar with both early American adaptations of GATCHAMAN, you know the series' premise. If not, here's how it went. In the 21st. Century, the nations of Earth are under constant attack by Galactor, a ruthless terrorist organization led by Berg Katse (who actually the stooge of a being known only as Leader X). Using super-advanced machinery and technology, they were able to commit acts of mass destruction at will in attempt to conquer the world. The only thing that stood between the Galactor Organization and world conquest was five youths known as the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (or G-Force if you prefer).

The Gatchaman squad were Ken the Eagle aka Gatchaman (G-1), the leader of the team; Joe the Condor (G-2), the rebellious second in command; Jun the Swan (G-3), the pretty demolitions expert; Jinpei the Swallow (G-4), the youngest member of the team; and Ryu the Owl (G-5), the team strongman and pilot of their aircraft the God-Phoenix. All five clad in colorful superhero-type uniforms (birdstyles) which feature glider wing like capes that allow them to soar through the air and distinctive helmets with beak-like visors which vaguely resemble the heads of birds. All five were trained in a superhuman form of martial arts which allows them to perform tremendous superhuman feats. And four of the team utilize special vehicles that when combined with the God-Phoenix turn it into a super weapon.

The Science Ninja Team were led behind the scenes by Dr. Nambu, a scientist from the International Science Organization (ISO) who developed their distinctive weaponry and vehicles. They also were occasionally aided in their fight against Galactor by the Red Impulse squadron, a trio of pilots whose commander turned out to be the father of one of the Science Ninja Team's members.

But what separate the original series from its two American adaptations were two major things. One was the massive violence and scenes of mass destruction and loss of life which was edited out in BATTLE OF THE PLANETS and restored in part in G-FORCE. The other was the in depth characterization of not only the heroes of the series, but the villains and supporting characters in each of the episodes. A thing that would become more common in the action-adventure series that would come out in the 1990's but was light years ahead of what was going on in animation stories during the 1970's.

In conclusion, if you want to enjoy this classic series it's best to watch the original series in either the original Japanese or the current dubbed English version. Because the original GATCHAMAN is obviously the best of the bunch.

Four Days in November (1964)

Four of the Darkest Days in American History

[10/10 · 21 November 2013]

The title of this essay above is an apt description for the film FOUR DAYS IN November. For this film was a chronicle of four of the darkest days in American history.

And those four days were between November 23-26, 1963 which started on the 23rd at 12:30 PM, Dallas Time when President John F. Kennedy was gunned down in Dealey Plaza as his motorcade approached the Texas School Book Depository and ended with the burial of President Kennedy on the 26th. And in between those events, we see history rapidly unfolding. First the murder of Officer J. D. Tippit by Lee Harvey Oswald; his eventual capture in a movie theater; and his eventual murder at the hands of Jack Ruby two days later. During that time, we also see the hastily arranged inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson aboard Air Force One; the preparations for the funeral of the slain President; and the day of the funeral which ended with President Kennedy's final journey to Arlington Cemetery for burial and the lighting of an Eternal Flame by his widow. All the while, we see the reactions to the events from a stunned America and a stunned world.

By using news footage from both local and international sources, director Mel Stuart made a documentary that is still as compelling today as it was back in 1964. Even watching it half a century after the events, one can still feel the immediacy of those turbulent four days and still feel the sense of loss and shock that occurred on that fall day in Dallas. Shocks that still reverberate to this day, even to those who weren't born until after those Four Days in November.

Young Samson & Goliath (1967–1968)

Time for Samson Power!

[20 August 2013]

Of all of Hanna-Barbera's superhero cartoons of the 1960's; YOUNG SAMSON & GOLIATH (to use the series' full title) was not as well known as such contemporary Hanna-Barbera superhero series such as SPACE GHOST, BIRDMAN, and THE HERCULOIDS; but was just as enjoyable and memorable none the less. It stands out as one of the best examples of Golden Age styled comic book plotting in an animated cartoon context.

The premise was simple. Teen-age hero Samson (voiced over by Tim Mathieson) traveled around the country - or other parts of the world - on his motorcycle accompanied by his dog Goliath. And when a major menace bursts on the scene, he raise his wrists and strikes the magic bracelets on them together (often accompanied by the phrase "Samson Power". His favorite variation being the title of this essay) transforming himself into a modern day incarnation of his Biblical namesake. A second strike of the bracelets transformed his dog Goliath - a dog with the heart of a lion - into a super-powered lion. In their superhero forms Samson had super-strength (naturally!), could leap tremendous distances, had limited invulnerability, and could defy gravity for short periods. While Goliath had super-strength, could leap great distances, fire "power beams" from his eyes, had claws that could rip through steel, and a roar that could shatter a mountain. And they were to need all that power to kayo the menaces they were to face.

(SPOILER ALERT!) In the space of twenty ten-minute cartoons Samson and Goliath faced a variety of menaces. Among them; a prehistoric monster controlled by a witch doctor; a killer robot in the form of a six-armed bronze idol; an animated Colossus of Rhodes; a creature composed of energy from the Aurora Borealis; and a monster let loose by an aborted missile test. Not to mention such villains as Salamandro, Baron Von Skull, Zarno the Cruel, and the agents from PERIL among others (all designed by the brilliant Alex Toth). All threats that could have only be handled by the power of these two heroes in twenty pieces of pure, old-school super-heroic adventure. (END SPOILER!)

YOUNG SAMSON & GOLIATH first aired on the NBC network in September of 1967, but would disappear from TV screens in late 1968 due to the backlash against violence on children's television. But the series was surprisingly syndicated during the 1970's (along with THE SPACE KIDETTES) and would eventually appear on the USA Networks' USA CARTOON EXPRESS and recently been shown on the Turner owned Boomerang Network and is available on DVD through the Warner Archives. Oddly enough, YOUNG SAMSON & GOLIATH was paired with 1966's THE SPACE KIDETTES for most of the series revivals (a pairing that was started as early as 1967 by NBC). And it's this pairing is how it is currently being made available through home video.