Lightning’s First Strike: Remembering Filmation’s “Shazam!”

By Michael Lyons

Believe it or not, there was a time, only four decades ago,  when super heroes were not the subject of big-budget movies blockbusters.

Nope, back then, they were fodder for low-budget Saturday Morning TV Shows.

Heavy hitters like Batman and Spider-Man were relegated to minimally animated shows that were consumed by young viewers, as quickly as they consumed overly sweetened cereal.

This weekend’s latest entry in the movie box-office race from DC, “Shazam!” Is no different and was once a part of the CBS Saturday Morning line-up from 1974 through 1976.

Starting life of course as a comic book in 1939, “Shazam!” Was adapted for TV by Filmation Studios, the folks responsible for “Archie” and “Fat Albert.”

“Shazam!”  Was somewhat unique for the animation studio Filmation, in that it was primarily a live-action show, with some animation added for effects.

As in the comic (and the new movie), the TV Show told of the adventures of young Billy Batson (Michael Gray) who had the power to change into the superhero Captain Marvel (played first by Jackson Bostwick and then John Davey in later seasons).

Billy travels the world in a 1973 Dodge Motorhome (don’t ask, no reason is ever given), with his mentor, whose name is actually Mentor (played by veteran actor Les Tremayne).  Together, they look to fight injustices and help those innocents who can’t help themselves.  

“Shazam!” the show is interesting for a number of reasons.  It’s one of the few instances outside of the early comic books, in which the character is referred to as Captain Marvel (the name eventually ceased being associated with “Shazam” after legal entanglements with Marvel Comics).

Also, Captain Marvel never battles a super villain, but instead each episode is about helping out a young person who has “gone astray,” maybe falling in with the “wrong crowd” or possibly even (gasp) cheating on a school exam.

With this, “Shazam!” Has a moral attached to each episode.  A prime example of safe, watered down Saturday Morning TV that was so prevelant in the ‘70’s.

And speaking of the ‘70’s, this is one kid’s show that’s a true time capsule of the disco decade: from the cars, to the clothes to the California setting, it’s all just so, so...well...so ‘70’s.

Add to that very limited animation of the Council of Elders who advise Billy and some threadbare special effects and Filmation’s “Shazam!” Takes on an innocent charm that brings an immediate smile to the face.

So, as 2019’s “Shazam!”  Conquers the box office this weekend, remember that there were once humble beginnings when the superhero fought crime not with a mammoth budget, but with a motorhome!

Sources:

Wikipedia