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One of my top favorite childhood years was 1978. Why? Well, Superman: The Movie was about to be released in theaters, on Prime TV, you had Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk on Friday nights, not to mention attempts with SpiderMan and Captain America in live action. Saturday Mornings had the New Fantastic Four on NBC and Challenge of the SuperFriends on ABC, and CBS had one of the two best Super Hero variety shows that year. The SuperFriends being the other one. Filmation presented an awesome combination of 6 Super Hero cartoons and one live action show. Looking at them now, they are all cheesy and even stupid, yet there is something memorable and nostalgic about them.Tarzan and the Super 7 was what I flipped over to CBS to watch after enjoying the SuperFriends battling the Legion of Doom on ABC. After the intro, you started off with WebWoman on some weeks, where she battles crime with the power of insects and an alien partner named Spinner ( I hated him) and her mentor Scarab, and WebWoman was voiced over by Linda Gary (Teela from HeMan) and Alan Oppenheimer, another HeMan voice over who was very active with Filmation shows. Only 10 episodes were made. On other weeks, you started out with Super Stretch and Micro Woman, an African American married couple whose identities as Chris and Christy Cross were obviously no secret. I think this segment was played for laughs. This segment had the biggest number, 12 episodes.The second segment each week was the main attraction, Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle. Still going strong, Filmation made Tarzan episodes from 1976 until 1979. It's still fun to watch Tarzan and his monkey friend Nikima swing through the jungle and enjoying that background music. The third weekly segment was the live action space show, Jason of Star Command, a show I haven't seen in well over 20 years.The fourth weekly segment was a rotation between the Freedom Force, a cartoon with Isis, Hercules (from Space Sentinnels), Merlin, Sinbad,(only in one episode) and an Asian kid named Toshi could turn into Super Samuraui. Sadly, only 5 episodes were made of the Freedom Force. On other weeks, it was Manta and Moray, the rarest segment of them all. A cartoon that preaches on keeping the oceans clean and protecting the sea life. I heard Filmation was sued by DC because this segment was too similar to Aquaman. Manta was cool as a water breathing being and Moray,a land girl was voiced over by Joan Van Ark. Their pet friends were a seal named Whiskers and some fish named Guppy. There were only 7 episodes, but of all the Super 7, this was my favorite.Finally, the last segment was a 16 episode rerun series, my all time favorite cartoon show, the New Adventures of Batman series from 1977 with Batgirl, BatMite, and the voices of Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. Although it was only in reruns, I never tired of watching them. They were a compliment to this variety series, and then became the lead attraction on NBC as Batman and the Super 7. In today's time, I believe that DC Comics shows could only run either by themselves or with other DC properties. Batman, being a DC product ran with non DC products in this variety series. I don't know how Filmation got away with it. Personally, I wish Filmation shows like Tarzan and the Super 7 could get released on DVD and I especially wish WB would do the same with the 1977 Batman series. 1978 was indeed a great year!!
... View MoreI watched one episode of this when I was 7 years old...I think it was the Scarlet Samurai episode. All my life the images and ideas from that show, which were so new and fresh (compared to other Saturday morning fare), ran amok in my mind. It may have been what triggered the realization that things weren't quite right, or that the shows on television were not reflections of reality but rather idealized visions of reality, or perhaps attempts at social engineering being foisted upon us unsuspecting children. It was a very traumatic experience. The Super 7 have haunted my dreams and lain hidden in my psyche ever since, colouring my perceptions and inspiring my imagination. I only recently remembered them, as I was musing on shows that I used to like. I found them hidden at the bottom of a heap of other early animated shows that rocked my world (Battle of the Planets, Star Blazers, Voltron & the lions, not the cars, Thundercats, Visionaries, and others). I really wish I could watch this series again. If anyone knows where I can find it on video, please let me know.
... View MoreTarzan and the Super 7 was ninety minutes of solid, slam-bang action from start to finish. Though the stories were pro-social, as was the norm for kidvid of the era, Filmation lavished the shorts with attention, with body rotoscope, motion control, effects animation, and superb background artwork. Each of the 7 segments were solid. Tarzan was beautifully animated, a highwater mark for tv animation up until that point. The New Adventures of Batman weren't quite as good, but respectably so, and a great deal of fun in their own right. Of the original animated segments, it's hard to choose just one favorite. Web Woman, Superstretch and Microwoman, and Manta and Moray were all good shorts with good animation and stories. Jason of Star Command was a wonderful little science fiction serial, with great special effects, and reminiscent of the old sf serials of the 40s like Undersea Kingdom and Flash Gordon.All in all, a spectacular little series, with high quality segments and a pace that doesn't let up from start to finish. The series should be seen again!!
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