Shazam! (TV series)
| Shazam! | |
|---|---|
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|
| Also known as | 'The Shazam!/Isis Hour' |
| Starring |
Michael Gray
Les Tremayne
Jackson Bostwick
John Davey
|
| Voices of |
Lou Scheimer Norm Prescott Adam West |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 28 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer Dick Rosenbloom |
| Production company(s) |
Filmation DC Comics |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 7, 1974 – October 16, 1976 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Secrets of Isis |
Shazam! is a half-hour live-action television program produced by Filmation (the studio's first such program), based upon DC Comics' superhero comic book series of the same name. The program starred Michael Gray as Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform into the superhero Captain Marvel, originally played by Jackson Bostwick and later by John Davey, by speaking the magic word "Shazam!" With his guardian "Mentor" (Les Tremayne), Billy travels the country in a 1973 Dodge Open Road motorhome, looking for injustices to resolve.
The show ran from 1974 to 1977 on CBS' Saturday morning lineup. From 1975 to 1977 it was known as The Shazam!/Isis Hour and included The Secrets of Isis, about an Ancient Egyptian superheroine resurrected in the body of a schoolteacher, as the second half of the hour. Joanna Cameron, the star of The Secrets of Isis, appeared as Isis, and her alter-ego Andrea Thomas, on three episodes of Shazam!, and John Davey likewise appeared as Captain Marvel in three episodes of Isis.
As in other media, when he spoke the magic word "Shazam!" Billy would be struck by a magic lightning bolt and would be transformed via animation and special effects into Captain Marvel, the World's Mightiest Mortal.
However, the television version of Shazam! departs notably from the comic book version of the character. The eponymous wizard Shazam, who empowers Captain Marvel in the comic book and serves as his mentor, does not appear in the series. Teenaged Billy instead speaks directly to the elders that empowered him (who appeared as animated characters): Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury) via a communication device. Instead of being based in any one particular city, Billy (Michael Gray) and his traveling companion Mentor (Les Tremayne) travel through California in an RV, interacting with people in various towns where they stop. Whenever a potentially dangerous situation arises, Billy becomes Captain Marvel to save the day. In an era before cell phones were commonly used, Mentor would make phone calls from the RV on a type of mobile phone, asking a "mobile operator" to dial the number.
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