Shazam! and Mighty Isis

[roses714]

Does anyone recall these super heroes, besides me?!

[realchic1999]

I think you mean Isis.

[roses714]

Yes, that's probably correct---I just never recalled having seen it spelled. I guess I'm not alone afterall! I always thought her outfit was cool and her turquoise jewelry...ah the stuff we remember from childhood...

[Rob1]

These characters bring back fond memories for me. I remember getting up very early on Saturday mornings just to watch Shazam! I think that Isis was on much later in the day. I rooted for my heros very loudly, which sometimes REALLY annoyed my parents. Both of these shows had some kind of moral every episode, like being honest, and having respect for others, no matter what race or religion they were. These messages were important then, and are just as important now. I was in a comic book store in Manhattan recently, and I saw some old Shazam! tapes. I eagerly bought some, and smiled when I came home and watched them. One thing that I didn't remember very much : the show wasn't violent at all, and I was still entertained. Maybe some tv producers can watch them, and learn from them. Later in the day, my nephew came over, and I let him see some of the episodes of the show. He rooted for his hero very loudly, and annoyed his parents (my brother-in-law, and my sister), just as I bugged mine. Some things just never change.....

[realchic1999]

Actually, I haven't seen either show...I can't say that I'm too young...but I don't think they ever repeated them during my time. I just know of them.

[bry]

i want to know why nobody will show these shows. TV Land showed SHAZAM for a month awhile ago at midnight (who's watching then?????) it's ridulous. i know a lot of people who liked thes and want to see them but can't.
while you are descibing ISIS, please dont forget that those incredible legs.

[TMC]

http://www.tvparty.com/rec-shazam.html

"It was a precedent setting case at the Screen Actor's Guild, and Filmation had to pay me for all the shows they didn't use me on, plus residuals. Still, these clown's actions doomed a marvelous show. It wasn't John Davies' fault that he was suddenly thrown into the part of Captain Marvel. It was a rush job. I was fired at 1:00 PM that day, and he was out on the set at 3:00 PM. That's pretty darn fast, I'd say. One of the Execs' reasoning was "The kids'll never know the difference." Riiight. John's a fine actor, but he's no more Captain Marvel than I am Wonder Woman."

[ABlairican Pie]

"Oh Mighty Isis!!!"

About forty years ago, she was definitely the reason to be up for Saturday morning cartoons. She was HOT.

Ironically, she wouldn't get much attention given the tumultuous, barbaric group gaining all the headlines in the Middle East in the news as of late.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by TMC

http://www.tvparty.com/rec-shazam.html

Were you a fan of the comic book superheroes when you were younger?


Very much so. In fact, "Captain Marvel" was my favorite comic book from the Golden Age. That was something that made playing the character even more meaningful to me. How often does one get to play his childhood hero in real life? The Lone Ranger, Tarzan and The Phantom were my other favorites.

The way you played the role was very earnest and it worked. It didn't come across as campy. Shazam was one of the few truly effective live-action shows on Saturday Mornings. Any thoughts on that?


I had always remembered the effect The Lone Ranger TV show had on me as a kid. Clayton Moore was the perfect Masked Man (and a very good friend). I tried to bring to the part of Captain Marvel what Clay brought to the Lone Ranger character; something I hoped the audience could pick up on and would identify with like I did with him. I, also, tried to slip people the message of the show without being preachy. Johnny Wiesmueller as Tarzan was right-on. So was Lex Barker. The campy "Batman" TV show did not appeal to me. I thought Chris Reeve did a good job with Superman in the 1st movie. His Clark Kent was a little over the top, but who's being picky. I did not think any of the three "Batman" movies did the character any justice.



Did you film one episode at a time, or several in a block?

We turned out two episodes a week. The message at the end of the show was my idea, but it was not in the first four months that the show aired in '74. They later came back and told me they had decided to put it in, because people had wanted to see more of the Big Red Cheese. We filmed all fifteen of those tags for the first year in one day. You may, also, notice that after I was replaced, they used Billy Batson instead of Marvel for the tags. Hmmm, I wonder why?

What was Les Tremayne like to work with?

No problem. Other than, I was later told that he, absolutely, hated me. No kidding. Apparently, he was extremely jealous of all the press coverage and media attention I was getting. How sad.

Any funny stories while filming?

I had a lady come up to me on Ventura Blvd. in Encino on the first day of preproduction filming. We were waiting to to get the Camera car rigged for some low level flying shots when she walked up from out of nowhere to the producer, Bob Chenault, and myself, and scolded, "Who does he think he is? A grown man, out in public ,dressed up in a silly costume like this at his age. Stupid, " then she turned and marched away. Must have been a "bad hair" day.

Do any of the guest stars stand out?

Jackie Earl Hailey, later of "The Bad News Bears," was fun. So was Lance Kerwin, "James at Sixteen," and Lisa Eilbecker from "Beverly Hills Cop." I remember, Patty Eltage, the stuntwoman and I performed a wonderful gag with snagging her from a horse running at full gallop. She was super.

The show was a huge hit. Why were you replaced while season two filming was underway? The guy who replaced you wasn't nearly as good.

The "brilliant" Executive Producers at Filmation thought I was holding out for more money when I didn't show up on the set one day at the start of the second season. In fact, I had injured myself doing a takeoff the day before, and was at the doctor's office. The stunt boxes had collapsed on my landing, and I had snagged my eye and busted a blood vessel underneath it as I went piling through the cardboard onto the asphalt. I had the nurse call the studio to tell them where I was that morning at 9:00 AM, but Filmation said they never got the message. I go into detail of this event in my forthcoming book, "Myth, Magic, and a Mortal."

It was a precedent setting case at the Screen Actor's Guild, and Filmation had to pay me for all the shows they didn't use me on, plus residuals. Still, these clown's actions doomed a marvelous show. It wasn't John Davies' fault that he was suddenly thrown into the part of Captain Marvel. It was a rush job. I was fired at 1:00 PM that day, and he was out on the set at 3:00 PM. That's pretty darn fast, I'd say. One of the Execs' reasoning was "The kids'll never know the difference." Riiight. John's a fine actor, but he's no more Captain Marvel than I am Wonder Woman.


Do you get recognized as Captain Marvel today?

I would say remembered. Of course, after they are told it's me, then it's "Oh, my God, I used to watch that show all the time! It is you! Look, honey, it's Captain Marvel, etc."

[DJM77]

Originally Posted by ABlairican Pie

"Oh Mighty Isis!!!"

About forty years ago, she was definitely the reason to be up for Saturday morning cartoons. She was HOT.

Ironically, she wouldn't get much attention given the tumultuous, barbaric group gaining all the headlines in the Middle East in the news as of late.

RTV was airing Isis on Saturdays for a while, even after the terrorist group of the same name started getting a lot of headlines. Sadly, I didn't discover the show until about three episodes before RTV stopped airing it.

[visaman666]

I was 11 years old when the two shows debuted. Clearly it was a ripoff of Wonder Woman. Another similar show was Electra Woman and Dyna Girl.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by visaman666

I was 11 years old when the two shows debuted. Clearly it was a ripoff of Wonder Woman. Another similar show was Electra Woman and Dyna Girl.

I was the same age when the shows debuted. I never saw Isis as a ripoff of Wonder Woman anymore than I saw Batman as a ripoff of the Green Hornet.

[Regulus]

Shazam! is available from "The Big River" for a little over $30.00. Sadly, the same can't be said for The Secrets of Isis. "The Big River" has it on their "Marketplace", for at least five times the price of the former series.

[opus]

We were just briefly talking about Shazam and Isis over on another thread. I used to watch both shows.

[Regulus]

Originally Posted by opus

We were just briefly talking about Shazam and Isis over on another thread. I used to watch both shows.

I still watch them (I have both series).