SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

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SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984)
Original Channel:	ABC
Originally Aired:	1984
Number of Episodes:	16
Production
Created by:
Written by:	Alan Burnett Gerry Conway Rich Fogel Cynthia Friedlob Glenn Leopold William M. Marston Al Milgrom John Semper Joe Shuster Jerry Siegel Jeff Segal Marc Scott Zicree
Directed by:	Oscar Dufau Gordon Hunt (recording director)
Creative Director:
Produced by:	Hanna-Barbera DC Comics
Executive Producers:	Joseph Barbera William Hanna
Chronology
Previous Series:
1983 Shorts - Did not air in the USA (1983)
Next Series:
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985)

Contents 1 Series Summary 1.1 Notes 2 Intro and Cast 2.1 SuperFriends Cast 2.2 Also starring 2.3 Cameo Appearances 3 DVD / Media info 4 Episode List: 5 References

[edit] Series Summary

Episode Lengths: 30 minutes

The ABC Network corrected their goof of the previous year and returned the Super Friends to its 8:00 slot on Saturday mornings. The Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show was the first Super Friends series in a new format since 1979’s The World’s Greatest Super Friends.

This series consisted of 16 short episodes, treating us to 2 episodes weekly, which are approximately eleven minutes in length.

It ran from September 1, 1984 to October 27, 1984.

Unlike previous series, this one was produced as a tie-in with the Kenner Toys Super Powers line. These action figures were sculpted perfectly, had power action and contained a mini comic book and a file card as well.

This series was more in line with the very popular Challenge of the SuperFriends series, in that it also featured actual DC super-villains from the comics as regular adversaries.

[edit] Notes

• This series is perhaps best known for introducing the first animated version of Firestorm (we see him in his two secret identities quite a bit).
• Olan Soule (formerly Batman) voiced over Professor Stein in this one season when Adam West took over as Batman.
• Superman, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman were in the lineup.
• For some odd reason, despite his appearance in the intro riding his seahorse Storm, Aquaman does not appear in any episodes of this series.
• The, Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman were reduced to one cameo.
• Shannon Farnon after 10 yrs. as the voice of Wonder Woman was also re-cast in favor of the new voice, Connie Cawlfield. Connie ended up voicing Wonder Woman in this series only.^[1]
• The four ethnic heroes, Black Vulcan, Samurai, Apache Chief, and El Dorado were major players in this series and for the most part were usually the heroes who saved the day in the end.
• We are treated to a new Brainiac (despite him appearing in his original form in the opening credits)
• There were vehicles of the Supermobile and the Batmobile, Lex Luthor had his own vehicle, the Lex Soar 7.
• The Super Powers was so successful that several comic book mini series were spawned and in 1984, it caused a resurgence of popularity with the Super Friends.
• Hanna-Barbera made new episodes for two more years which not only kept to tradition, but tied into the Super Powers toyline.
• With the introduction of Darkseid the Super Friends series finally had some genuine conflict.
• Other than NBC airing reruns of Spiderman and His Amazing Friends and the animated adventures of the Incredible Hulk by Marvel/Sunbow Productions, this SuperFriends series had no serious competition on the other networks.
• These three episodes from the 1983 lost episodes aired in 1984 as part of the Legendary Super Powers Show the following year:
  • Mxyzptlk's Revenge
  • Roller Coaster
  • Once Upon a Poltergeist

[edit] Intro and Cast

• Narrator – voiced by William Woodson (1977-1985)

[edit] SuperFriends Cast

• Superman – voiced by Danny Dark (1973-1985)
• Batman – voiced by Adam West (1984-1985)
• Robin – voiced by Casey Kasem (1973-1985)
• Wonder Woman – voiced by Connie Cawlfield (1984-1985)

• Firestorm – voiced by Mark L. Taylor (1984-1985)

• Samurai – voiced by Jack Angel (1977-1985)
• Black Vulcan – voiced by Buster Jones (1977-1985)
• El Dorado – voiced by Fernando Escandon (1980 -1985)
• Apache Chief – voiced by Michael Rye (1977-1985)

[edit] Also starring

Junior SuperFriends:

• Wonder Twin, Jayna – voiced by B.J. Ward (1984)
• Wonder Twin, Zan – voiced by Michael Bell (1984)
• Gleek – voiced by Michael Bell (1984)

• Desaad – voiced by Rene Auberjonois (1984-1985)
• Darkseid – voiced by Frank Welker (1984-1985)
• Kalibak – voiced by Frank Welker (1984-1985)

[edit] Cameo Appearances

• Hawkman – voiced by Jack Angel (1980 -1983)
• Green Lantern – voiced by Michael Rye (1980 -1983)
• The Flash – voiced by Jack Angel (1980 -1983)

• Lois Lane voiced by Mary McDonald Lewis

• Brainiac – voiced by Stanley Ralph Ross (1980 -1983)
• Lex Luthor – voiced by Stan Jones (1978 -1985)
• The Riddler – voiced by Michael Bell (1978, 1984)

[edit] DVD / Media info

This DVD series is available through Amazon – The Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show - The Complete Series (DVD - 2007).

[edit] Episode List:

Ep #	Full Length Episodes	The Shorts	Air Date
1	The Bride of Darkseid (Part One)	The Bride of Darkseid (Part Two)	September 8, 1984
2	The Wrath of Brainiac	Reflections in Crime	September 15, 1984
3	No Honor Among Thieves	Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Magic Lamp	September 22, 1984
4	The Case of the Shrinking Superfriends	The Mask of Mystery	October 1, 1984
5	Darkseid's Golden Trap (Part One)	Darkseid's Golden Trap (Part Two)	October 8, 1984
6	The Island of the Dinosoids	Uncle Mxyzptlk	October 15, 1984
7	The Case of the Dreadful Dolls	The Royal Ruse	October 22, 1984
8	The Village of Lost Souls	The Curator	October 29, 1984

Previous Series: Super Friends: The Shorts, Part Three, The Lost Episodes – Did not air in the USA (1983)	Next Series: The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985)
SuperFriends Series

[edit] References

1. ↑ It has been commonly believed that Connie got the role because she was dating the voice director, probably due to the Shannon Farnon interview. This is not correct. The casting director was a women and Connie was married at the time and still is. She auditioned along with over 300 other actresses. They sent her audition to the networks and ended up casting her because they "liked the little crinkle in her voice."