SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

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Channel:

ABC

Aired:

1984

Episodes:

16

Production

Writer(s):

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

Director(s):

Oscar Dufau
Gordon Hunt (recording director)

Creative Director:

Produced by:

Hanna-Barbera
DC Comics

Executive Producers:

Joseph Barbera
William Hanna

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Seasons

Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4
Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7
Season 8 • Season 9

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Chronology

Previous Series:

1983 Shorts - Did not air in the USA (1983)

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Next Series:

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985)

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.

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 director’s girlfriend, Connie Cawlfield. Connie only ended up voicing Wonder Woman in this series only.
• 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

Intro and Cast

thumb|400px|right|Intro to the 'Superfriends: Legendary Superpowers Show' (1984)

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

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)

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)

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)

DVD / Media info

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

Episode List:

1. The Bride of Darkseid, Part One
2. The Bride of Darkseid, Part Two
3. The Wrath of Brainiac
4. Reflections in Crime
5. No Honor Among Thieves
6. Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Magic Lamp
7. The Case of the Shrinking Superfriends
8. The Mask of Mystery
9. Darkseid's Golden Trap Part One
10. Darkseid's Golden Trap Part Two
11. The Island of the Dinosoids
12. Uncle Mxyzptlk
13. The Case of the Dreadful Dolls
14. The Royal Ruse
15. The Village of Lost Souls
16. The Curator

Season 1 (1973)   Season 2 (1977)   Season 3 (1978)   Season 4 (1979)   Season 5, 1980 Shorts Season 6, 1981 Shorts   Season 7, 1983 Shorts   Season 8 (1984)   Season 9 (1985)
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)