Filmation Favourites
Judging by the tremendous amount of feedback I got on my review of Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation
, I can honestly say I am not alone in my adoration of this once great studio. If anything, I’m part of a mob, it feels pretty great.
, I can honestly say I am not alone in my adoration of this once great studio. If anything, I’m part of a mob, it feels pretty great.
I’ll announce the winner of the contest below but I felt like talking about my personal Filmation favorites, no real reason other than reading the book has reignited my interest and it’s my blog, so feast upon my rambling.
In no particular order:
Shazam!
I never saw the Adam West Batman series much as a kid, maybe twice, so this larger than life show was my first introduction into superheroes. A boy never forgets his first man in tights. I went close to madness to find these on bootleg VHS in the 80s, one dealer tried to convince me they were all destroyed. Luckily the Warner archive finally released these on DVD this year with morals intact.
I never saw the Adam West Batman series much as a kid, maybe twice, so this larger than life show was my first introduction into superheroes. A boy never forgets his first man in tights. I went close to madness to find these on bootleg VHS in the 80s, one dealer tried to convince me they were all destroyed. Luckily the Warner archive finally released these on DVD this year with morals intact. 
I have no idea why Filmation’s Tarzan isn’t on DVD in it’s entirety, this series gave me a lifetime love for the character and I’d argue it’s one of the best adaptations going. This wasn’t the “Me Tarzan, You Jane” dolt, this was a smart calculating, adventurer Tarzan who often found lost worlds. Lou Scheimer’s daughter told me once that he was a big Tarzan fan and it showed.
Jason of Star Command grabbed my attention every week and gave me an early crush in Nicole Davidoff. The show also featured 70 exploitation film stars Tamara Dobson and Sid Haig, nothing to sneeze at. I can still pop in the Jason DVDs and be thoroughly entertained.
Speaking of childhood crushes, there was a lot to love about Filmation’s New Adventures of Flash Gordon, especially the amazing detail and credence that was paid to the original Alex Raymond strips. As a bonus, their interpretation Princess Aura gave me an appreciation for red heads that often clouded my judgement for the next 10 years.
I absolutely know there is never any hope for all of the Super Seven segments to find their way to DVD but I hold a special place in my heart for them. The Freedom Force, Manta and Moray, Super Stretch and Micro Woman were can’t miss shows in my book. Then there’s Web Woman, my absolute favorite of the bunch for….well…. obvious reasons (see Princess Aura).
Ark 2 was kind of like if Logan’s Run and Space:1999 had a baby. It was another show I had a real tough time tracking down and one of the few post apocalyptic kid’s shows. It was a head above a lot of Saturday morning shows and definitely fostered my early love for Sci Fi.
But enough about me, let’s get to the drawing.
First off, who are all you people? I had no idea you were reading and I’m excited. There was no solid consensus or wrong answer (unless you chose Sport Billy, which I’m glad to say none of you did) but everything from Archie to She Ra was submitted showing the massive appeal these programs really had.
Without further adieu the winner of the book as drawn by my daughter is….
Steven M who wrote:
I would have to say Tarzan, but it is a tough call.
Honorable mentions go to Shazam and Fat Albert.
Good choices Steve, enjoy the book. To everyone else, thanks for playing, we’ll be doing another contest in the very near future.
Ark 2! That brings back some fun memories 🙂
I talked to the head of the Edger Rice Burroughs' estate, and he said Warner Brothers has the rights, and they were cleaning up the episodes for release.
That is fantastic news!
Are Manta and Moray, Super Stretch and Micro Woman and Web Woman available anywhere? I've been looking for them for ages!
Congrats to the winner!
Jason of Star Command can be found on Netflix, Just an FYI to anyone who has it.