Oh My Gods: The Offbeat and Forgotten Saturday Morning TV Show, "The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!"

 

by Michael Lyons

 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods opened last weekend, and the eagerly awaited sequel to 2019's film starring DC's most lovable superhero was said to have a surprisingly lackluster performance at the box office, bringing in "only" $30 million.

Those who may feel this is disappointing and strange for such a popular part of DC's canon of characters have never seen The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!

This short-lived Saturday morning TV show combined live-action and animated segments, along with a musical variety show vibe, providing Shazam! with a most offbeat backdrop.

While Shazam! Fury of the Gods continues its run in theaters; it seems the perfect time to re-visit the superhero's somewhat forgotten entry on Saturday mornings.

Produced by Filmatuion studios (who brought Shazam! to Saturday mornings in a live-action 1974 show and gave us such shows as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and He-Man) The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! debuted in 1981.

The show centered on two animated segments; one was Hero High, which was about high school superheroes (who looked like Archie Andrews and the gang with capes), and the other was the adventures of Shazam! a/k/a Captain Marvel and his family (or "Shazamily") of superheroes, such as Mary Marvel and Uncle Marvel, as they square off against enemies, such as Black Adam.

What was unique about The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! was that live-action segments introduced the animation. These resembled the Donny and Marie variety show, where live-action counterparts of the Hero High cast appeared on a stage (in front of an audience of cheering kids) like a rock band wearing superhero costumes, playing their latest tune.

And the superhero names? They all seem like something out of a DC brainstorming session: Captain California, Weatherman, Misty Magic, Glorious Gal, Punk Rock, Rex Ruthless, and even Dirty Trixie (!).

Thrown in for good measure were some groan-filled jokes:

Rex Ruthless: "What kind of job is easy to stick with?"

Weatherman: "What kind?"

Rex Ruthless: "Working in a glue factory!"

[Cut to the audience of kids laughing hysterically while a laugh track blares]

At least the Shazam! animated segments of the show feel more aligned with traditional superhero adventures. Oh sure, there's plenty of mildness to action (this was Saturday morning, after all) and cute "cartoony-ness" thrown in. But Filmation's animation, which always seemed a little "fuller" than other TV fare at the time, combined well with a traditional comic book feel.

Long before comics books meant movie franchises and mega-box-office, The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, even with all of its quirks, is a fun flashback to a comforting era when heroes had the power to make Saturday mornings super.

Looking for more of my articles and podcasts? Head over to my website: Words From Lyons !

My book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance is now available at Amazon , with signed and personalized copies available at Words From Lyons !

 

 

Gold at the End of the Rainbow: The Oscars and Irish Films

 by Michael Lyons

When it comes to movies about Ireland and Irish culture receiving recognition by Academy Awards, there truly is a lot of luck there...as well as a lot of deservedly recognized talent.

Through the years, films about the "Emerald Isle" have had a long relationship with Oscar, as evidenced by last year's The Banshess of Inisherin, which has received nine nominations, including Best Picture.

The story of two friends (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason) living in a small isle on the coast of Ireland, whose crumbling relationships sets in motion a battle that becomes the focal point of their small town, is a powerful parable for everything from toxic relationships to civil war.

It's one of many films set in Ireland that has not only enchanted audiences but the Academy, as well.

With the Academy Awards and Saint Patrick's Day coming up next week, it's the perfect time to look back at Irish films that struck Oscar gold.

 

Belfast (2021)

Kenneth Branagh deservedly won the Oscar for Best Screenplay for this heartbreaking story of a family trying to live their life during "The Troubles," the civil war raging in the city of Belfast in 1969.

Filmed beautifully in black-and-white, Belfast also received seven nominations, including Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Ciaran Hinds), and Supporting Actress (Dame Judi Dench), as it told much more than political history, but is also about familial power and the difficult decisions that must be made to keep a family together.

In the Name of the Father (1993)

Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite both received acting nominations in this re-telling of the true story of four men wrongly accused and convicted of car bombings by the Irish Republican Army in 1974.

This compelling, frustrating film earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, for Jim Sheridan, who had just been nominated three years prior for...

My Left Foot (1989)

Daniel Day-Lewis won his first of three Oscars, and received a standing ovation on awards night, for his stunning performance in this true-life story of Christy Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy. Brown could only use his left foot and went on to a career as a painter and writer.

It's staggering to watch Day-Lewis in My Left Foot, as well as Brenda Fricker, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, as Christy's mother, Bridget, who shared her son's strength and determination.

Ryan's Daughter (1971)

This epic of Ireland came from director David Lean, who gave audiences such sprawling films as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965).

Set in an isolated village in County Kerry, Ireland, a married woman named Rosy (Sarah Miles) begins an affair with a British Major (Christopher Jones) that culminates in scandal in their small town.

Ryan's Daughter features some opulent sequences of the Irish countryside that won cinematographer Freddie Jones that year's Oscar.  Additionally, veteran actor John Mills took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his touching performance as Michael, the (for lack of a less offensive term) "village idiot."

The Quiet Man (1952)

A staple of Saint Patrick's Day each year, director John Ford's masterpiece was also a major contender at the 1953 Oscars, taking home awards for its cinematography by Winton Hoch and earning Ford his fourth Best Director Oscar.

The story is about an American, Sean Thornton (John Wayne), who returns to the small town of Inishfree, in Ireland, where he was born, and falls in love with a local girl, Mary Kate (Maureen O'Hara). In the process, their romance wreaks havoc on the small village.

Featuring one of film's most extraordinary ensemble cast, including Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen, and Ward Bond, The Quiet Man illuminates the magic and majesty of Ireland, its culture, and its people like no other film.

 And so, as red carpets give way to green shamrocks, these are just some of many films that can help us all celebrate an Oscar-winning Saint Patrick's week!

 

 

My book,“Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance" is celebrating its one-year anniversary!

 

To commemorate the anniversary, there will be a promotion on signed and personalized copies of "Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance,” purchased on my website: Words From Lyons

 

Now through Friday, March 10th, when you purchase a signed and personalized copy of my book, “Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance,” enter promotional code DRAWN1 and receive 15% off your total purchase!

 

Again, from March 6th (starting at midnight EST) through Friday, March 10th (ending at midnight EST), enter the promo code:

 

DRAWN1

 

And receive:

 

15% off your total purchase of a signed and personalized copy of “Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance” at Words From Lyons !

 

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