SHAZAM! Cartoon

[dgabenski]

We probably all remember SHAZAM! the live action saturday morning show from the 70's with "Billy Batson" and his "Mentor" "travelling the highways and byways of the land on a never ending mission, to right wrongs, to develop understanding, and to seek justice for all." Well I just watched the 1980's cartoon version of the show last night, and I can see why it didn't last.

First off, "Billy" and "Mary" (yes lest we forget billy has a twin sister,)are only supposed to turn into their alter egos "in time of dire need" when watching the open of the cartoon version, they show "Mary" vacuuming her apartment, she tries to move a heavy chair, but she can't budge it.

She ponders the situation, and then yells out SHAZAM! becoming "Mary Marvel." Now correct me if I'm wrong, but not being able to move a heavy chair just to get at some dirt isn't exactly a time of dire need if you will.

secondly, there is a talking tiger dressed up in a suit named "Mr. Tawny." What's up with that. The saddest part of it is he's smarter than Captain, Mary, and Captain Marvel Jr. put together. Excuse me, but if there's a talking cartoon tiger on my TV or computer screen, he better be selling EXXON gas or Frosted Flakes thank you, and lastly let's talk about Freddy Freeman A.K.A. Captain Marvel Jr.

First off he's disabled, So am I, He worships Captain Marvel, So did I. Here's my big problem, he worshipped Captain Marvel, calls out his name and becomes superhuman with no limp. If I called out Captain Marvel's name, I'd still be in my wheelchair, and get locked up in a padded cell. Where are the elders when you need them. The only elders I have around me whine and complain and don't have any power unless they take their Geritol! HA-HA!

 

[oldschooler]

> We probably all remember SHAZAM! the live action saturday
> morning show from the 70's with "Billy Batson" and his
> "Mentor" "travelling the highways and byways of the land on
> a never ending mission, to right wrongs, to develop
> understanding, and to seek justice for all." Well I just
> watched the 1980's cartoon version of the show last night,
> and I can see why it didn't last.
>
> First off, "Billy" and "Mary" (yes lest we forget billy has
> a twin sister,)are only supposed to turn into their alter
> egos "in time of dire need" when watching the open of the
> cartoon version, they show "Mary" vacuuming her apartment,
> she tries to move a heavy chair, but she can't budge it.
>
> She ponders the situation, and then yells out SHAZAM!
> becoming "Mary Marvel." Now correct me if I'm wrong, but not
> being able to move a heavy chair just to get at some dirt
> isn't exactly a time of dire need if you will.
>
> secondly, there is a talking tiger dressed up in a suit
> named "Mr. Tawny." What's up with that. The saddest part of
> it is he's smarter than Captain, Mary, and Captain Marvel
> Jr. put together. Excuse me, but if there's a talking
> cartoon tiger on my TV or computer screen, he better be
> selling EXXON gas or Frosted Flakes thank you, and lastly
> let's talk about Freddy Freeman A.K.A. Captain Marvel Jr.
>
> First off he's disabled, So am I, He worships Captain
> Marvel, So did I. Here's my big problem, he worshipped
> Captain Marvel, calls out his name and becomes superhuman
> with no limp. If I called out Captain Marvel's name, I'd
> still be in my wheelchair, and get locked up in a padded
> cell. Where are the elders when you need them. The only
> elders I have around me whine and complain and don't have
> any power unless they take their Geritol! HA-HA!
>
Maybe you had to have read the actual comic books to get all the background and characters. DC comics recreated the Captain Marvel franchise in about 1974, and titled it "Shazam! The New Adventures of Captain Marvel", or something to that efffect. Besides new stories, they always printed classics. They helped explain why Billy Batson, a down-and-out newspaperboy with a bad leg (read: cripple in 1940's terms), could become his alter ego by shouting out "Captain Marvel"! Mr. tawny was a tiger who took on human characteristics through I-don't-remember circumstances, I think, from some evil scientist...And the list goes on. I used to buy and collect the series when I was a teen, but my memory is fading me. Do a google search, and I'm sure you can learn the legacies given to the characters by their creators. Captain Marvel always was, in the 40's and much more so in the 70's, rather tongue-in-cheek.

As Hawkeye once said to someone on M*A*S*H on an early episode -- "what are you reading? Captain Marvel and his form-fitting underwear?!" LOL!