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TV Guide Fall Previews • Life & Legend of the Frito Bandito • Nehru Jackets & more!
1 82658 00506 1 Featuring Andy Mangels • Will Murray • Scott Saavedra • Scott Shaw! • Mark Voger • Michael Eury
Super Friends © DC Comics. The Mighty Hercules © Adventure Cartoons for Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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KIRBY COLLECTOR #88 ALTER EGO #183 ALTER EGO #184 ALTER EGO #185 BRICKJOURNAL #82
THE COLLECTORS! Fans’ quest for and Golden/Silver/Bronze Age artist IRV Known as one of the finest inkers in comics Presenting MARK CARLSON-GHOST’s Celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary
purchase of Jack’s original art and comics, NOVICK (Shield, Steel Sterling, Batman, history, the late TOM PALMER was also an stupendous study of the 1940s NOVELTY in LEGO! Disney Castles with MARTIN
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MEN WITHOUT FEAR, featuring Great Hera, it’s the 20TH ANNIVERSARY DC SUPER-STARS OF SPACE! Adam Career-spanning interview with Bane’s WILLIAM STOUT is interviewed about his
Daredevil’s swinging ’70s adventures! OF BACK ISSUE, featuring a tribute to Strange in the Bronze Age (with RICHARD co-creator GRAHAM NOLAN! Plus, STAN illustration and comics work, as well as his
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12
The Crazy Cool Culture

51
We Grew Up With
Issue #28 September 2023
65 Columns and
Special Features
Departments
2
3 Retrotorial
Voger’s Vault of
Vintage Varieties 12
43 The British Invasion
Retro Music
27 of the Sixties
Beatles bootleg
and knock-off LPs
17
Will Murray’s
20th Century Panopticon 27
The Mighty Hercules Retro Television
TV Guide Fall Previews
37
Retro Interview 34
Diamonds Are Forever’s Too Much TV Quiz
37 17 Trina Parks Allan Melvin TV roles
43 63
Scott Saavedra’s RetroFad
Secret Sanctum Nehru jackets
The Life and Legend of
the Frito Bandito
73
Super Collector
51 Popeye and Me
Andy Mangels’ Retro
Saturday Morning
World’s Greatest Super Friends 76
RetroFanmail
65
Oddball World of Scott Shaw! 80
ReJECTED
3 Horror hostess Moona Lisa
73
RetroFan™ issue 28, September 2023 (ISSN 2576-7224) is published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone:
(919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RetroFan, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC
27614.
Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: RetroFan, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email:
[email protected]. Six-issue subscriptions: $73 Economy US, $111 International, $29 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial
office. Wonder Twins TM & © DC Comics. The Mighty Hercules © Adventure Cartoons for Television, Inc./Classic Media. Trina Parks photograph courtesy of Trina Parks.
All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2023 Michael Eury and
TwoMorrows. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Michael Eury BY
MICHAEL
EURY
PUBLISHER
John Morrow
CONTRIBUTORS I made Ringo bald.

Michael Eury Well, not entirely bald. He looked more like a Beatle
Fred Grandinetti whose mop top was cropped.
Michal Jacot It was late 1964, maybe early 1965, and I was a second
grader who—like everyone else with a television set or
Bob Koenig
radio—couldn’t escape the Beatles.
Andy Mangels
I owned a Ringo Starr figurine manufactured by Remco,
Will Murray from the line of four Beatles dolls with “real” hair. Whether
Scott Saavedra this was a gift or something I bugged my parents for has
Scott Shaw! been lost to time.
Anthony Taylor What I do recall is snatching my mom’s pinking shears
Mark Voger from her Singer sewing machine and giving the Beatles’
mop-topped drummer the crew cut my flat-topped dad
and equally flat-topped uncles insisted those “longhairs”
DESIGNER deserve.* Ringo’s shearing earned a lot of belly laughs from
Scott Saavedra my family. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad had also joked
about it to Cecil the barber, another flat-topped guy.
PROOFREADER It didn’t take long before the Chipmunks Sing the Beatles
Eric Nolen-Weathington LP, the Saturday morning Beatles cartoon show, and my
Playtape cassette of songs from the Help! soundtrack cured
me of my desire to cut long hair (including my own) and
SPECIAL THANKS
tuned me into the Beatlemania that dominated the music
Ernest Farino and zeitgeist of the Sixties. As it all came crashing to a halt, Clearly not ye ed’s butchered version,
James M. Fetters but instead a pristine Remco Ringo Starr
the Beatles’ 1970 film Let It Be was the first movie my par-
doll. Courtesy of Heritage.
Hake’s Auctions ents allowed me to see by myself at a theater. I was 12, and
Heritage Auctions this was one of life’s many rites of passage.
King Features Syndicate, I grew up with the Beatles.
Didn’t we all? you might say.
Inc.
Yeah (yeah, yeah), the Beatles have remained a part of our culture long after their breakup.
Marvel Comics
This issue you’ll read about the Fab Four’s foray into global omnipresence, and how Beatlemania
Randy Milholland spawned Britmania and changed the world—including the record bins, which were glutted with
Terence Stanford knock-off records, and the fashion world, including the trendy Nehru jackets, which in part owed
their popularity to the lads from Liverpool.
VERY SPECIAL THANKS You don’t have to be a Beatlemaniac to dig this ish, though. Our contents are as diverse as—well,
Trina Parks the Beatles’ music library.
In the pages that follow, you’ll meet Trina Parks, the dancer/actress who, as the agile Thumper,
threw 007 for a loop. You’ll read about TV Guide’s beloved Fall Previews, the keepsake editions whose
annual arrival was second only to the tome of toy dreams, the Sears’ Christmas Wishbook. You’ll
Don’t STEAL our
learn about the Frito Bandito, an advertising icon that made numerous appearances despite criti-
Digital Editions! cisms of cultural insensitivity. You’ll discover the bewitching Moona Lisa, SoCal’s happenin’ horror
C’mon citizen,
DO THE RIGHT hostess. Cartoon lovers will appreciate our looks at The Mighty Hercules and World’s Greatest Super
THING! A Mom
& Pop publisher
Friends. And if you’ve ever noticed a similarity between The Brady Bunch’s Sam the Butcher and Archie
like us needs Bunker’s Place’s Barney Hefner, then you’ll have a blast with our Too Much TV Quiz.
every sale just to
survive! DON’T So get ready for another groovy grab-bag of the crazy, cool culture we grew up with!
DOWNLOAD
OR READ ILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE!
Buy affordable, legal downloads only at *My wife, Rose, is a fellow doll disfigurer! When she and her older sister Robin were children,
www.twomorrows.com the girls decided that their Barbie was too fat (!) and shaved some “flesh” off her thighs. Liposuction
or through our Apple and Google Apps!
wasn’t an option, I guess.
& DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS

OR POST THEM ONLINE. Help us keep
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2 RETROFAN September 2023

VOGER’S VAULT OF VINTAGE VARIETIES
The British
!
Invasion of
FA B T A S T I C the Sixties—
IT ’ S and the
guitars
heard ’round
the world
Owing to the musical movement known as the “British
BY MARK VOGER Invasion,” we Yanks greeted the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the
Kinks, the Who, the Yardbirds, et al., with open wallets.
Wait. Didn’t our U.S. history textbooks tell us that the British It all began early in the heady year 1964, when Americans
were the bad guys? Let’s see: There was the Stamp Act (“Taxation were still reeling from the assassination of President John F.
without representation is tyranny!”)… the “shot heard ’round Kennedy the previous November. On February 7, the “four
the world” at Lexington and Concord… the Declaration of lads from Liverpool”— John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George
Independence. Harrison, and Ringo Starr (as if you needed reminding)—
And yet, 200 years after King George did all of his “taxating stepped onto the
without representating,” the tarmac at JFK
Brits finally “conquered” us, Airport in New
this time using guitars York City to
instead of muskets. the screams
Paul, smoking? Naughty,

naughty. From left: Paul
McCartney, Ringo Starr,
George Harrison and John
Lennon—collectively
the Beatles—in an iconic
publicity photo from 1963.
© Apple Corps.
RETROFAN September 2023 3

Voger’s vault of vintage varieties
of 3,000 fans, in advance of their (LEFT) Newsweek derided

American TV debut two days later the Beatles in its Feb. 24,
on The Ed Sullivan Show. 1964 edition. © Newsweek.
“It’s probably one of the many
exciting moments I’ve had in my
life,” Starr told me in 2001. “To come they wanted to sell magazines.
to America as a musician from Thus the Beatles became both
England and get that reception was the darlings and the demons of
incredible. And that our records the print-media machine.
were sellin’ in America by then— The Saturday Evening
because we had two that didn’t sell,” Post double-dipped with two
he added with a laugh. “It’s just still covers five months apart.
one of the incredible memories for (The Post’s second Beatles cover
me. I even felt New York while I was had a come-on worthy of 16
on the plane flyin’ into it. I felt it even Magazine: “THE BEATLES—8
from the plane—the engines.” Pages in Color.”) When the
A makeshift press conference Beatles made their pilgrimage
was organized at the airport to India in search of enlight-
beneath prominent Pan Am signage. enment in 1967, Life deemed it
(Product placement out of the cover-worthy.
box—welcome to America.) But the Beatle business was so
reporters were antagonistic, with good, low-rung publishers
questions fixated on the Beatles’ began cranking out one-shots
hair: “Does all that hair help you with suggestive come-ons (“A
sing?” “Are you afraid of what the date with George, John, Paul &
American Barbers Association is Ringo”; “The girls they want”;
going to think of you?” “The love code they follow”;
This didn’t throw the boys a whit. The Beatles merely grinned at “The Beatles answer your most intimate questions”). Lock up your
their sarcastic questions, and volleyed back with better sarcasm. daughters.
The entertainment establishment played ball, if reluctantly.
INITIAL HOSTILITY After the Rolling Stones performed on Hollywood Palace, guest host
Few examples of this initial hostility are clearer than a passage Dean Martin literally rolled his eyes as he said, “Aren’t they great?”
from Newsweek’s February 24, 1964 cover story: “Visually, they Ed Sullivan may not have been a pop fan, but he knew a good
are a nightmare; tight, dandified, Edwardian-Beatnik suits and formula when he stumbled onto one. After scoring ratings gold
great pudding bowls of hair. Musically, they are a near-disaster: with the Beatles—the group’s February 9, 1964 appearance
guitars and drums slamming out a merciless beat that does away attracted 73 million viewers—Sullivan brought on more British
with secondary rhythms, harmony, and melody. Their lyrics… are Invasion acts, one after another. And so the British Invasion was
a catastrophe, a preposterous farrago of Valentine-card romantic officially in full swing.
sentiments.” Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits recalled playing
There was more, lots more. From the cover of the Sullivan, The Danny Kaye Show, and a Martin-hosted
March 21, 1964 Saturday Evening Post: “Exclusive: Hollywood Palace. “It was a fad, remember,” Noone told
Original Beatle fiction by John, the married Beatle. me in 2005. “All of the old-timers, to this day, think it’s
If you think their music bugs you, read this.” (Can a fad. The music you hear today, people still say, ‘Oh,
you think of another instance in which cover type it’ll never last.’ So we were a fad. We were replaced by
actually warns potential purchasers that something the Monkees, who were replaced by the Osmonds.
inside is not worth reading?) Conservative pundit “But I think they had a strange kind of respect
William F. Buckley, Jr. found it necessary to weigh for us, because we were more talented than they
in: “The Beatles are not merely awful; I would consider expected. Dean’s son was a fan of the band.
it sacrilegious to say anything less than that they are Danny Kaye’s daughter was in
godawful.” the fan club. He showed up in a
Still, magazine publishers found that Herman’s Hermits T-shirt and
putting John, Paul, George, and Ringo
on their covers guaranteed a boost in
circulation. And circulation was the TV variety-show
golden calf to said publishers. This host Ed Sullivan
unprecedented situation put mainstream presented the
American magazines in an inconvenient Beatles’ U.S. debut
position. They wanted to maintain their on Feb. 9, 1964.
position of moral superiority. But more so, © CBS Television.

(LEFT) The Beatles’ U.S. debut on The

Ed Sullivan Show was watched by 73
million viewers. © CBS Television. (RIGHT)
Humor magazines often depicted the
Beatles as baldies. Shown: Harvey
Kurtzman’s Help! (Jan. 1964). © General
Promotions Co.
shorts. We showed up in suits, and he was in a T-shirt. Ed Sullivan and “co-star-

took me to church! He said, ‘It’s Sunday, church day. Meet me at ring” Natalie Wood,
Delmonico’s on Park Avenue.’ That’s where he lived. So we went to with “cameos” by
church.” James Stewart,
Barry Goldwater,
IT’S TO LAUGH and Sullivan.
It was a symptom of the times: The editors of American humor Drucker and Frazetta nailed the Beatles’ likenesses, but not
magazines in the Sixties were usually older gents who viewed every artist could be bothered—again, likely owing to the old
British pop bands as a flash in the pan. And yet, the Beatles were guard’s expectation that the boys’ popularity would expire.
catnip to the guys at MAD, Cracked, Sick, etc. The magazines The cover of the June 1964 issue of Sick featured a Davis
frequently riffed on two things about the band: their “long” hair illustration of a Beatle-esque quartet, but not recognizably “the”
and Starr’s big honker. (A recurring device had doctored photos Beatles. In the same issue, Angelo Torres’ illustrations of the
depicting the Beatles with, gasp, bald heads.) Beatles have the same problem: Except for Starr, the “Beatles”
But said magazines fulfilled their important function—not to don’t look like the Beatles. (Given Davis’ and Torres’ well-earned
mention, enhanced their circulation—by the sheer act of chron- reputations as caricaturists par excellence, this just seems wrong.)
icling the fad. If nothing else, the eye-candy artwork by masters As for those bald jokes: The Beatles were hairless in Al Jaffee’s
like Frank Frazetta, Mort Drucker, Jack Davis, Jack Rickard, John foldout for MAD #88 (“Premature loss of the Beatles’ hair ends this
Severin, and Norman Mingo was well worth the cover wild madness”) in 1964. The boys are likewise shorn inside the
price. June 1964 Sick (“Unwanted hair painlessly removed”), and
Frazetta memorably created a portrait of on the January 1965 Help! cover. It might have been
Starr as the face of Blecch, MAD’s parody of funny, were it not so—yawn—predictable.
Breck shampoo’s then-current advertising
campaign. (“Make your hair Blecch! COMIC-BOOK HEROES
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”) Frazetta’s unblinking Liverpudlians. Rock ’n’ rollers. Comic-book heroes.
depiction neither flattered nor ridiculed It’s little wonder that the creators of comics
its subject. used the Beatles as characters in their work.
MAD opted not to parody After all, these four living, breathing human
the Beatles’ film debut, A Hard Day’s beings were always perceived as “characters”
Night, upon its release in 1964. Then anyway. A Hard Day’s Night is often akin to a
again, who ever thought a Beatles live-action cartoon.
movie would be a hit? The oversight was Readers in the Sixties saw the Fab Four enter the
corrected in MAD #93 (Mar. 1965). The five- four-color realm and rub elbows with comic-book
pager “The Flying Ace,” illustrated by Drucker, was characters—typically love-struck teenage girls and
a parody of World War II epics “starring” the Beatles costumed heroes.
One of the Beatles’ earliest appearances in the comics happened
(INSET) Ben Grimm rocks a Beatle wig in Jack Kirby art in Betty and Veronica #104 (Aug. 1964), in an essay titled “Here
from the cover of Strange Tales #130 (Mar. 1965). © Marvel. Come the Beatles.” An uncredited writer notes of the boys: “As a

(TOP LEFT) Another freaky moment from one

of the freakiest comic books of the Sixties:
Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen. Wearing an orange
Beatle wig, Jimmy frugs to the Beatles on TV in
issue #79 (Sept. 1964), in art by George Papp. © DC
Comics. (TOP RIGHT) Artist Joe Sinnott captured the
look of the Beatles in an “official” Dell Giant. © Apple
Corps. (LEFT) Dorrie and Alicia — the girlfriends of
Fantastic Four members Johnny Storm and Ben
Grimm, respectively — meet the Beatles in Strange
Tales #130. Art by Bob Powell and Chic Stone.
© Marvel. (RIGHT) An Ann-Margret lookalike
obsesses over the Beatles on the cover of Girls’
Romance #109 (June 1965), in art by Gene Colan.
© DC Comics.
group they are very talented, haven’t changed with their terrific Beatle drummer!” (You could always count on Superman editor
popularity and acclaim, have an impish philosophy, and are very Mort Weisinger to spell it out for you.)
articulate.” Jimmy’s second Beatles-related—or, at least, Beatles-adja-
Before long, the Beatles became part of the illustrated cent—adventure happened in Jimmy Olsen #88 (Oct. 1965). Despite
stories—“cast members,” if you like. Charlton shamelessly played the promise of a Beatles connection on the cover, there are no
the Beatles card in its romance titles. In stories like “The Beatles Beatles—just Rick Rock and His Rolling Romeos, which Olsen
Were My Downfall” (from Summer Love #46, Oct. 1965) and “The challenges with his own combo, Jimmy Olsen and His Carrot-Top
Beatles Saved My Romance” (from Summer Love #47, Oct. 1966), Cut-Ups. Jimmy arranges a front-page story about his group in The
the heroines learn not to put their unattainable idols ahead of the Daily Planet. So journalistic ethics did not exist in Sixties Metropolis.
actual flesh-and-blood fellows who are right in front of them. Ain’t In Marvel Comics’ Strange Tales #130 (Mar. 1965), the girlfriends
that sweet? of Johnny (the Human Torch) and Ben (the Thing)—Dorrie and
In the Archie Comics line, Betty and Veronica went gaga over Alicia, respectively—have a chance encounter with the Beatles.
the quartet. In Betty and Veronica #105 (Sept. 1964), they attend a Characteristically gruff Ben professes to be a fan of the quartet;
Beatle wig sale. Meanwhile, in another Archie Comics title, Josie #28 dons a Beatle wig; and gushes, “It’s them! My ever-lovin’ idols! Be
(Aug. 1967), Josie’s well-decorated bedroom is a tribute to Herman’s still, my patterin’ heart!” The Torch and the Thing then pursue
Hermits, equipped with a bust of Noone. a trio of thieves who abscond to Coney Island with the Beatles’
Even odder than the romance comic-book appearances payroll—wearing Beatle wigs.
were the Beatles’ crossovers and tie-ins with superheroes. In DC The truest depiction was found in Dell’s “official” 35-cent giant
Comics’ Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #79 (Sept. 1964), Jimmy is comic book The Beatles (1964). Dell—and Beatles fans—hit the
hijacked to the distant past, where he manufactures and sells jackpot with artist Joe Sinnott (1926–2020), a prolific inker for
Beatle wigs to peasants. When Superman sees Jimmy in his red wig Marvel Comics who delineated more than 200 issues of Fantastic
playing a ram’s horn and drum, he exclaims, “You’ve really started Four, and who irrefutably captured the likenesses of Lennon,
a ‘Beatle’ fad here, Jimmy! You seem to be as popular as Ringo, the McCartney, Harrison, and Starr.

KID FRIENDLY Also sold were Milton Bradley’s “The Beatles Flip Your
Beatles manager Brian Epstein (1934–1967) was said to have been, Wig” board game, Aladdin’s Beatles lunchbox, and World
shall we say, overly liberal in approving licensing deals on behalf of Candies’ Beatles candy sticks.
his young charges. In America, where the dollar is king, manufac- Remco’s darling, wiry-haired Beatle dolls were hot sellers, but
turers seemed willing to plaster the Beatles’ names and faces on their likenesses ran hot and cold. John and Ringo were spot-on. But
just about anything. George had King Charles teeth, and Paul resembled a Zanti Misfit.
There were Authentic Beatle Wigs from Lowell; Beatles When Ben Cooper—purveyors of chintzy (but enchanting)
Shampoo (“for all the family”) and Beatles Hair Spray (“brushes Halloween costumes—did the Beatles, they did ’em right. The boys
out instantly”) from Bronson; Beatles magnetic toys from Merit; were represented in good likenesses on BC’s crackly, rigid, nostril-
and Beatles stockings, pens, lariat ties, tie pins, and (note careful blocking, sweat-trapping masks. [Editor’s note: Check out RetroFan
spelling) “Beetle” boots. #2 for our look at Ben Cooper Halloween masks and costumes.]
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10.
(LEFT) Ben
Cooper’s crinkly,
sweat-trapping
mask of John
Lennon (1964).
© Ben Cooper; courtesy
of Heritage Auctions.
(BELOW) Elmer
Lehnhardt’s
artwork graced
Aladdin’s Beatles
lunch box (1965).
© Apple Corps.; © Aladdin
Industries Inc.
(ABOVE) The playing board for Milton Bradley’s “The

Beatles Flip Your Wig Game” (1964). (BELOW) Remco’s
wiry-haired figures of John, Paul, George, and Ringo (1964).
© Apple Corps.; Board game © Milton Bradley. Figures © Remco.
A Ringo Starr
(TOP) and a
Paul McCartney
(BOTTOM) Soaky (LEFT) Candy with packaging art based on the animated
bubble-bath toy Beatles series. © World Candies Inc., © Apple Corps. (CENTER) Wrapper for
from Colgate Topps’ Beatles bubble-gum trading cards (1964). © Apple Corps.; ©
(1964). © Apple Corps.; The Topps Company. (RIGHT) Hasbro’s “Show Biz Babies” figure of
© Colgate. Peter Noone (1967). © Hasbro.

BANDS OF THE BRITISH INVASION
The Rolling Stones: The quintet’s 1998, “where someone sits down

founding line-up is a rock Mount and plays a piano, and someone else
Rushmore: singer Mick Jagger, picks up a banjo. We were used to
guitarist Keith Richards, multi- that. There were a lot of musicians
instrumentalist Brian Jones (who in the family. So [the Kinks] was
died in 1969), bassist Bill Wyman, just an extension of that.”
and drummer Charlie Watts (who
died in 2021). Wyman’s memory of first meeting Jagger, The Who: The first time manic
Richards, and Jones wasn’t exactly wistful. “Brian and Keith drummer Keith Moon met singer
were practically a couple of what we would term ‘beatniks’ Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete
in those days,” Wyman told me in 1999. “They didn’t do Townshend, and bassist John
any work. They stayed in bed all day. They smelled. It was Entwistle, Moon told Daltrey:
disgusting, actually.” “I hear you’re looking for a
drummer, and I’m much better
The Dave Clark Five: Many pop than the one you’ve got.” “He did kind of blow us away,”
stars use their music to break into Entwistle said of the Who’s first gig with Moon. “Because
the movies. Dave Clark did it the he actually tied his drums to this pillar on the side of the
other way around. Prior to pop stage, so he wouldn’t fall over when he played the solo!
fame, he worked as an extra and And the drums were, like, heaving out, sort of, at about 45
stuntman in 40-plus films, and degrees, held together by this big reel of rope.” (Moon died
© Capitol Records.
used the proceeds to fund a DC5 in 1978, Entwistle in 2002.)
demo. “If you sneezed, you’d miss me,” Clark once told a TV
interviewer of his movie days. “[It’s] the equivalent of being The Yardbirds: Three of rock’s
a tea boy in a television studio.” greatest guitarists—Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page—cut
Gerry and the Pacemakers: When their teeth in the Yardbirds,
manager Brian Epstein told singer though not at the same time. Clap-
Gerry Marsden he was planning ton famously quit at the time of
© Epic Records.
a Pacemakers movie, Marsden the band’s first hit “For Your Love,”
replied: “Don’t be daft.” The singer paving the way for Beck. “Everything happened; they had a
was on a dinner date when the hit record (‘Heart Full of Soul’) just after I joined,” Beck told
© Columbia Records.
melody for the title song, “Ferry me in 2011. “And then the tours of America came. We did
Cross the Mersey,” popped into his head. Marsden called two big tours. I say ‘big’ tours; to us they were big, because
his mother and asked her to hold his tape recorder up to we’d never been outside South London.” (Beck died in 2023.)
the phone while he sang the tune. The dinner date was cut
short. (Marsden died in 2021.) The Spencer Davis Group: The
band’s namesake, singer-guitarist
The Kinks: Musical collaboration was in the DNA of the Spencer Davis, once got a lesson in
battling Davies brothers, singer Ray and guitarist Dave. “We how Americans were uninformed
came from a family that’s very musical,” Davies told me in about their own music. “I was
playing ‘Good Night Irene’ on the
© United Artists.
steps of Sacre Coeur in Paris,” Davis

told me in 2007. “An American tourist said to me, ‘Oh, you’re 2007. “Because everybody wants
playing a song by the Weavers.’ I said, ‘No, this song was to have a hit record.” After Laine
actually composed by (bluesman) Huddie Ledbetter.’” (Davis quit in 1966, his replacement Justin
died in 2020.) Hayward composed “Nights in
White Satin.” “It’s a young boy of
The Zombies: During their first 19 speaking,” Hayward told me of
© Decca Records.
rehearsal in 1961, future Zombies writing the lyrics.
singer Colin Blunstone and
keyboardist Rod Argent pulled a Herman’s Hermits: “The idea of
spur-of-the-moment switcheroo. Herman’s Hermits was that we
As Blunstone told me in 2004: were different,” singer Peter Noone
© Decca Records.
“We took a break. Rod went over told me in 2005. “We can’t write
to a broken down old piano in the corner and he started songs as good as the Beatles. We
playing ‘Nut Rocker’ by B. Bumble and the Stingers. I was can’t play rhythm-and-blues as
© Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.
just amazed. I said, ‘You have to play keyboards in the band!’ good as the Stones. We don’t have
He remembers me just singing a Ricky Nelson song and as good a drummer as the Dave Clark Five. We didn’t have
thinking, ‘That was really great. You should be the singer.’ It this sort of sexy, pop-star, lead singer. We had a guy called
was exactly as casual as that.” Herman who was not sexy at all.”
The Animals: The group behind Petula Clark: The singer of

“House of the Rising Sun” and “It’s “Downtown” made her American
My Life” never set out to become TV debut on Ed Sullivan in a hastily
pop stars. “We were deadly serious booked appearance. She recalled: “I
blues guys,” singer Eric Burdon flew in from Paris. I got to the stu-
told me in 2004. “We wanted to dio in New York. I was absolutely
© ABKCO Records. © Warner Bros. Records.
be taken seriously. We wanted to jet-lagged out of my brain. I mean,
change the world, and turn the world onto this new religion I’d had a show the night before in Paris! I walked straight
that we’d found called the blues.” into the studio, into a dress rehearsal, which was done be-
fore a live audience. I had not rehearsed with the band. They
The Hollies: Though Hollies suddenly started playing my music—a bit too fast, I might
founder Graham Nash went on to add. And the place went crazy! It was remarkable.”
more serious work in Crosby, Stills,
Nash and (sometimes) Young, Chad and Jeremy: The duo Chad
he did not denigrate the Hollies’ Stuart and Jeremy Clyde scored
sunny hits like “Bus Stop” and “On seven Top 40 U.S. hits in 1964
© EMI Records Ltd.
a Carousel.” “When the Hollies and ’65. Stuart (who died in 2020)
found music and went down to London and started to reminisced about the duo’s early
record and be on TV and radio and do live shows and just be days when we spoke in 2011. “We
© World Artists.
appreciated, it was an unbelievably happy time in my life,” played at this Italian restaurant
Nash told me in 2002. “I’m glad people feel happy when they near [Clyde’s] apartment,” Stuart said. “They’d give us a free
put that music on. So do I.” dinner and 10 shillings, which is half a pound, which is not
much. We ate a lot of spaghetti in those days.”
The Small Faces: The group scored
hits with “Sha-La-La-La-Lee” and Peter and Gordon: Peter Asher was
“Itchycoo Park.” “The success was into jazz and folk. Gordon Waller
overwhelming,” drummer Kenney (who died in 2009) dug rock ’n’ roll.
Jones told me in 2005. “In the “So we did a mixture of music that
Sixties, don’t forget, I was a kid. I we both liked, though our voices
© Decca Records.
was the youngest drummer in the were quite different,” Asher told me
© Capitol Records.
music business. I had a hit record in the charts when I was in 2011. “Gordon had this big sort
15. I had enough money to buy a car, but I wasn’t old enough of Elvis-y, rock ’n’ roll voice; I had this choir-ish voice. But to
to get a driving license.” our surprise, they worked together. They did seem to form
some kind of an entity.”
The Moody Blues: From pop stars to art rockers, the group
had two distinct incarnations. Guitarist Denny Laine sang
the swoony hit “Go Now!” “That’s, obviously, the most
important period of my life musically,” Laine told me in

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7.
Colgate only rolled the dice on two Beatles in its Soaky line
of bubble-bath toys. The two Beatles depicted by Colgate
will hardly be a surprise: the Cute One, and the One with the
Big Nose. (Pity those who wanted to take a bath with John
or George.)
The Beatles aside, there were fan club buttons for the
Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, Herman’s Hermits,
and others. Remco put out Dave Clark Five figures,
Hasbro released a Peter Noone doll, and Play Pal
released (unconvincing) Rolling Stones dolls.
This kid-friendly vibe spilled into the realm of TV
animation. Try as you might, you cannot hate the
Saturday-morning animated series titled, simply, The
Beatles (1965–1967). Yeah, it’s lame. Yeah, sometimes the
wrong Beatle “sings” a given tune. Yeah, John and George
are inappropriately voiced.
John has the posh “I say” accent, George sounds like an
Irish farmer—nothing against Irish farmers. Paul and Ringo’s
approximated Liverpudlian accents are, eh, passable. But once the
cartoon Beatles plug in and play, it’s… it’s… charming. (ABOVE) The animated series The Beatles (1965–1967) aired
The series was produced by Al Brodax, the animator behind the on Saturday mornings. © King Features Syndicate. (BELOW) Barney,
TV cartoon versions of Beetle Bailey and Barney Google and Snuffy Betty, Wilma, and Fred don Beatle wigs on The Flintstones
Smith—not exactly Disney-level stuff. (Though the Beatles initially (1965). © Hanna-Barbera Productions.
disliked the series, they later OK’ed Brodax to produce their 1968
movie, Yellow Submarine.)
Inveterate TV watcher Lennon later called the shows “a blast.”
Mused Harrison: “They were so bad or silly that they were good, if
you know what I mean.”
[Editor’s note: RetroFan columnist Scott Shaw! went deep-diving
into Yellow Submarine’s history in issue #23. And Andy Mangels will
explore the animated The Beatles—as well as The Jackson 5ive and
other toons based on real-life rockers—coming up in RetroFan #35!]
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

The final entertainment frontier for the Beatles was the moving
picture. Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night is much more than
a mere showcase for a pop band. In depicting the global enter-
tainment phenomenon that was the Beatles, the movie makes
wry commentary on the media machine that cynically enabled
their rise. In two “typical” days in the lives of John, Paul, George,
and Ringo, we see the boys mock reporters at a press reception; Five in Having a Wild Weekend (1965), the Spencer Davis Group in The
let off steam at a dance club; elude their hapless “minders” Norm Ghost Goes Gear (1966), and two starring Herman’s Hermits, Hold On!
(Norman Rossington) and Shake (John Junkin); and perform a set (1966) and Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter (1968).
to a sweaty, teary, packed house for a television broadcast. Hold On! was directed by Arthur Lubin, who earlier helmed
More Invasion bands tried their luck in the movies, such as Gerry Abbott and Costello movies. “Arthur Lubin was really talented,”
and the Pacemakers in Ferry Cross the Mersey (1964), the Dave Clark Noone told me. “He made us better than we actually were, which is
(LEFT) A “flicker”
button of the Beatles.
(CENTER) This button
was an early Rolling
Stones collectible.
(RIGHT) The wearer of
this button proclaims
to the world: “I love
Herman’s Hermits.”

(LEFT) A movie poster for the Beatles’

film debut, Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s
Night (1964). © United Artists. (BELOW) An
advertisement for Arthur Lubin’s Hold On!
starring Herman’s Hermits (1966). © Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer.
what a good director does. I mean, this band was

not exactly ready for Stanislavski.”
In 1971, Dick Cavett commented to Lennon
that many people think of A Hard Day’s Night as a
true reflection of the Beatles. Lennon was having
none of it. “It wasn’t that carefree, ever,” he said.
“It was a lot more pressure. That was a sort of
comic-strip version of what actually was goin’ on.
The pressure was far heavier than that.
“That was written after the author [Alun
Owen] spendin’ about three days with us when
we played in London, and then in Dublin, and
then back in London again. He wrote the whole
of the film based on our characters—you know,
clod-hopping Ringo, sharp John, whimsical Paul,
and stern George. All those Beatle character myths
were formed from three days watchin’ us. Which
was a lot of junk, really.”
It’s not hyperbole to state that A Hard Day’s
Night is as important to the Beatles’ legacy as Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Significantly, the
film represented a turning of the tide, a crossroads,
regarding criticism of the Beatles in the United
States. Reviews of A Hard Day’s Night were generally
glowing. The honeymoon, following a delay, had
finally begun, and it hasn’t let up since.
Lennon was shot dead by a mentally ill fan in
1980. Harrison died from cancer in 2001. McCartney
and Starr, who are in their eighties, both undertook
concert tours in 2022, as did the Stones, the Who, the
Zombies, Eric Clapton, and Noone. Peter Jackson’s
HBO docuseries The Beatles: Get Back reignited interest
in a band that hardly needed reigniting. Sounds like the
opposite of a flash in the pan.
To learn more about the British Invasion, read Britmania (TwoMor-

rows Publishing), Mark Voger’s eye-popping book about All Things
British in the Sixties.
MARK VOGER is the author and designer

of six books for TwoMorrows Publishing,
including Monster Mash (a Rondo Award
winner), Groovy, and Holly Jolly. Barbara
Harris of the Toys once sang “A Lover’s
Concerto” to him. Please visit him at
MarkVoger.com.

RETRO MUSIC
Beatles-Ploitation!
BY BOB KOENIG
The time is January 1964. United States (ABOVE LEFT) For many RetroFans,
businessmen are on the lookout for a new The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles was
fad—something they can manipulate to their first Beatles album! (Coming
hawk product in any way they possibly in RetroFan #31: a look at Ross
can. Little did they know that their dollar- Bagdasarian’s The Alvin Show!) (ABOVE
sniffing noses would point in the direction RIGHT) Consumers looking for Alvin,
of Liverpool, England! Simon, and Theodore may have been
The Beatles were little known when confused by these Chipmunks on this
their first record was released in the U.S. knock-off album. It certainly wasn’t the
in January 1964, but by the end of the year, only peculiar Beatles-ploitating LP of
well over 30 record albums were being its day! (INSET) The real Beatles! The Alvin
peddled with their name on them, with Show © Ross Bagdasarian.
both earnest and suspicious intent.
NOT NECESSARILY THE BEATLES on the record label! The cover, copying its English counterpart
EMI Parlophone had released Please Please Me in England in March With the Beatles, the second album released by EMI Parlophone,
of 1963. EMI then attempted to get its U.S. counterpart, Capitol featured the boys’ shadowy visages rather than a bright, cheery
Records, to issue a Beatles record. Although Capitol of Canada photograph. This image would often be the inspiration for
issued Beatlemania! With the Beatles in 1963, plans for Capitol to copycats later on. While the VeeJay album featured a rather quiet
release in the U.S. ran aground. EMI then located a small label, cover from a rather stiff-looking photo session, Meet was noisy
VeeJay Records, which agreed to take on the task. Introducing the with articles as if it was its own press kit. The cover also stated
Beatles (VJLP 1062) became the first Beatles album to be issued extravagantly that it was the first album by England’s Phenom-
in the States, and consisted primarily of 1963’s Please Please Me enal Pop Combo.
release. Thus begun the Beatle Battle of 1964. What album (or record
This move by EMI caused Capitol Records to change their company) would sell the most albums of the Fab Four?
minds and rush out their own album, Meet the Beatles (Capitol Come February 1964, all hell broke loose! The Beatles appeared
T 2047). Funny enough, both albums included the song “I Saw on The Ed Sullivan Show [see Mark Voger’s column for more info—
Her Standing There” in their music line-up. The initial pressings ed.], making viewer history in the amount of people tuning in that
of Meet didn’t even take the time to post BMI or ASCAP licenses night. If you didn’t own a Beatles album yet, the next day surely the

record departments became swamped with buyers! This caught Capitol issued The Beatles’ Second Album (Capitol T2080) in April
the eye of many a record company. Issue anything with the name 1964. This must have confused the public, since by this time many
“Beatles” on it, and someone will want it! people had likely bought more than one previous “Beatles” LP. It
MGM Records acquired the rights to the Beatles’ 1961 must have been confusing also to find “She Loves You” as one of the
recordings, made when Pete Best was the drummer. Most of the tracks. Didn’t I just buy that record on the Swan label?
tracks also featured Tony Sheridan as the lead singer, a fact that Meanwhile, the hurting VeeJay label wanted to procure as many
the album The Beatles with Tony Sheridan and Guests (MGM E 4215) sales as it possibly could. Their lease of the songs was running out;
mentioned in small, dark print on a dark green cover, while putting but thankfully, their promotional angles were not. Since ATCO
the name “BEATLES” in huge, white print letters. While only having and MGM could make their own compilations and promote their
four tracks that the Beatles actually played on, the rest of the Beatles scraps, why not VeeJay? Out comes Jolly What! England’s
album was filled with tracks by an unknown group, “The Titans.” Greatest Recording Stars THE BEATLES and FRANK IFIELD on Stage
This record could arguably be seen as the first of the exploitation (VeeJay VJLP 1085). This, like the other labels’ LPs, featured only four
of the Beatles’ music, particularly notable for being released by a Beatles tracks, the rest by Ifield. On stage? Did they record together or
major label. Note that later in the year, ATCO tried the same stunt do a show? Nope. All tracks are the familiar initial cuts. If that didn’t
with Ain’t She Sweet: The Beatles and Other Great Group Sounds from hold the public’s interest (it didn’t!), let’s make something the girls would
England (Atco 33-169), displaying a black cover with “Beatles” in bold love to have!
letters, but the rest quite abbreviated. Filling out the record was Songs, Pictures, and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles (VJ 1092) is
recordings by “The Swallows,” who covered many of the Beatles’ actually a well-planned cover. The front cover opens halfway to
own songs! This album also tried to embellish the old recordings reveal Beatle bios and pictures; the back cover has close-ups of the
by having drummer Bernard Purdie record his drums over the Fabs and a spot to put your picture under theirs, putting you with
originals of Pete Best! your favorite Beatle! (“And for you fellows—‘tough luck!’” claims
While this was going on, Swan Records issued a single of “She the bottom of the cover). The problem? The record inside is the
Loves You” (infamous with the “Don’t Drop Out” slogan on the same record as Introducing, so you were just buying the same thing
label). Thankfully, Swan didn’t get ahold of enough tracks to create all over again.
their own album! Try and try again was VeeJay’s opportunist motto. As they
During this time period, the fight over who owned what in the also issued albums by the Four Seasons at the time, how about
VeeJay-Capitol Records war continued to brew. Veejay lost the combining that with the Beatles? Thus, The Beatles vs. The Four
rights to two tracks, and quickly substituted two other songs for Seasons (VJ DX 30) was born. Another fun idea of an album cover,
their Introducing album. the back was a scorecard so you could decide which Beatles or Four

retro Music
Seasons song you liked best, and pick a

winner. The problem was, once again, that
the Beatles record was yet another reissue
of Introducing. If you had it already, you sure
weren’t about to plunk down more money
for two records in this set!
Was VeeJay finished? Almost. While
they had lost their rights to the music and
couldn’t put it out anymore, they rushed
an interview LP, Hear the Beatles Tell All (VJ
Pro202). Their final vinyl release was true
exploitation with The 15 Greatest Songs of
the Beatles (VJ 1101). Although George, Paul,
and John are pictured on the cover, this is
not by the Beatles, but rather sung by “The
Merseyboys.” The saddest part of this release
is the rushed record label. The label states:
“Saluting their return to Amercia.” I don’t
know where “Amercia” is, but I hope they
had a good time touring there! [Editor’s
note: Now I don’t feel so bad about the
bloody typos that creep into RetroFan!]
In the meantime, Capitol Records was
still having fun with their record releases.
It seems, commercial-wise, the Capitol
albums liked to mess with the song order
of the British counterparts, also putting
fewer songs on each album and saving the
remainder for future compilations. When
the film A Hard Day’s Night came out, the
soundtrack of the film was given to the
film distributor, United Artists. Thus, a
soundtrack album was issued—Original
Motion Picture Soundtrack The BEATLES A
Hard Day’s Night (United Artists UAL3366)—
in a bright red cover with four mop-top
heads featured; this would also come in
handy for future copycat records [and this
issue’s RetroFan cover!—ed.]. While the
album featured eight songs by the lads, it
was filled out with instrumental versions
of music from the film. Capitol meanwhile
rushed out the LP Something New (Capitol
T 2018), which included five songs already
issued on the aforementioned soundtrack!
Something new, indeed!
Rounding off the year 1964 for Capitol was a two-record set BUDGET-BIN BEATLES
entitled The Beatles Story (Capitol TBO 2222), and, just in time for We’ve already explored what Capitol, VeeJay, ATCO, and MGM were
Christmas, Beatles ’65 (Capitol T2228). Story, an obvious cash-in to doing. What else was going on in the record bins of 1964?
the radio buzz of the time, could have easily fit on one record, while It was common practice back then with many a “budget” record
’65 did feature a good selection of new sounds and singles that label to issue albums featuring music that was trending and
came out at the time. popular at the time, recorded by an unknown artist or artists, to
So far, we’ve uncovered over ten record albums with Beatles sell at supermarkets, department stores, even drug and hardware
music, during one year! You can see how easily the buying public stores. These albums attracted unwary buyers into purchasing
would be confused over what to buy, what had been bought prior, something at a good, cheap price. Some didn’t care, others felt
and, if a cover caught the eye of an easily duped teenager or parent, cheated, but at that price, likely headed for the junk heap after
who the performing artists actually were. In these short few the first listen. Trends in music pre-Beatles that were treated in
months, other record companies sat in wonder of what they could this fashion were the Beach Boys (The Surfsiders Sing the Beach Boys
do to get that almighty Beatles buck. Songbook features a young Lou Reed on vocals!), the Kingston Trio

retro Music
(by copycat band the Princeton Trio), and even Mitch Miller (Sing songs, and note “with the Manchesters” in small print. Diplomat’s
Along with Art Mooney)! Thus, it was only natural for these labels to fourth effort, Ringo’s Theme (This Boy) and And I Love Her (Diplomat
try to sell their “Bug Music” to the unsuspecting public. DS 2336) is an instrumental album by Al Goodman & His Orchestra.
One of the most popular records of this genre and frequently The red cover and Beatle wig make it look quite like the United
found in thrift stores is The Beetle Beat (Coronet Records CXS-212), Artist LP.
by the Buggs. The front cover features a photo of the “band,” not A similar touch was featured on Wyncote Records’ Beatlemania!
unlike Capitol’s Meet; the album features a shaded back cover photo In the USA (Wyncote W9001) by the Liverpools, again with Beatle
as well. While the album does plainly state it is by the Buggs, as wigs on the cover, and only four Beatles hits mentioned. The hair
does the liner notes, it features two of the Beatles’ big hits at the became the main motif on albums like The Beatle Beat (AA 133) and
time, along with a bunch of unknown tracks. Dance and Sing Mother Goose with a Beatle Beat (Golden LP127). These
Diplomat Records went to town with the Beatle mop-tops on albums follow the trend, yet truly have nothing to do with the
their album covers: Beatlerama (Diplomat D2307), Beatlerama Vol. 2 Beatles’ style of music at all!
(Diplomat 2310), A Hard Days (instead of Day’s) Night (Diplomat D Many of these records were issued combining old trends with
2335). All feature the identifiable hairstyle and list the Beatles hit new. The Bearcuts Swing in Beatlemania (Somerset p-20800) includes
five Beatles hits, yet takes some old surf
instrumentals and gives them new titles
like “Your Barber Is a Beatle, Too.” B. Brock
and the Sultans’ Do the Beetle (Crown
CLP 5399) features instrumentals, each
containing the word “Beetle” in the title.
Some of these companies went to
absurd lengths to release a record, yet fail
in the packaging. The Schoolboys’ Beatle
Mania (Palace 778) was packaged in two
different covers featuring a quintet on the
cover; the label says the album is by the
Moptops. Add to the confusion an album
titled Beattle (yes, it is spelled that way)
Mash (Palace 208) by the Liverpool Kids,
which not only sports an out-of-focus photo
on the cover of three older men in Beatles
wigs, but the record Label says the album is
by “The Schoolboys”!
Bargain-bin absurdities continue
with The Beatle Buddies (Diplomat D 2313).
Never mind the Bangles—this all-female
group look like middle-aged housewives
in a shaded Meet-style photo. Like their
label-mates the Manchesters, the Beatle
Buddies copy some of the same songs
for their record, only with a girl-group
sound on the vocals. The Beagle and the Four
Liverpool Whigs (Sutton ssu 329) displays a
Beatle-wigged foursome with their doggie!
Unknown musicians also trying to get
into the act: The Beatles Song (Globe G-6006),
a full Beatles cover album by Gene and
the Notes; and the You Know Who Group
(International 420), depicting four masked
men with that “great new English sound.”
BEATLES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

Children weren’t left out of the fold, either.
The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits (Sunset
LST7388) was just that—Alvin and his
friends singing in their high-pitched voices.
(This was actually my very first Beatles-ish
recording as a child [you’re not alone!—ed.];
I remember we used to play it slow to try

retro Music
and get the real voices.) Our

favorite cheapo labels chimed
in in this vein also with The
Grasshoppers Sing the Beatles Hits
(Diplomat D2337) and A Hard
Days Night and Others (Wyncote
SW 9037). The Wyncote cover
features four Chipmunks, but
the record does not give them
any title at all!
I’d also add a dishonorable
mention to the major labels cashing in with their own titles. United bombarded by her daughter’s complaints, she tells her she should
Artists issued instrumental albums by the Beatles’ record producer, be glad she has the record at all!
George Martin, using Beatles photos for the cover. Capitol Records My first copy of the B. Brock and the Sultans album had real
shamelessly promoted The Beatles Songbook by the Hollyridge Strings Beatle pictures pasted over it, likely by a disappointed youngster.
(Capitol ST 2116) on the back cover of their Beatles albums. In She must have kept it in the hopes that it might magically become
response, Somerset quickly produced The Beatles Songbook by the the album that she wanted. What teen would buy The Beatle
Mustang (Somerset P-23000). This album’s cover looks exactly like Buddies? It seems likely obvious it was marketed to a father instead.
the Capitol version, only in a different color shade. In an overview, the hastily recorded versions of the Beatles hits
A big boo to the major record labels that exploit anything to the were laughable carbon copies. Picture a group of older musicians
extreme. It’s a Beatle World by Al Fisher and Lou Marks (Swan LP 514) assembled in the studio, trying to sound like a Beatles record but
clearly was a comedic album vying for the trend, but when Santo not understanding the beat, rhythm, and harmony of the Beatles’
and Johnny issued The Beatles Greatest Hits (Canadian American true sound. While the purchaser (or listener) remained disgusted,
CALP 1017) with the title in colorful bold print, even including the the record company’s job was done. You bought the bogus product!
Fabs’ photos on the back, the dirty trick went way too far! Sing a Today, these albums stand the test of time as souvenirs of the
Song with the Beatles (Tower SKAO 5000) and Sing and Play Along Beatlemania of 1964. The mania surrounding the Fabs at the time
Beatles Kit (London LL 3403) further deceived those who might have was unprecedented and incredible, to say the least. (A side note:
thought the Beatles had something to do with the records. Bands like the Rolling Stones never received a budget “tribute,” but
One record which has the distinction of being the first Beatles by the late Sixties, the Monkees had two!)
pirated record is The Original Greatest Hits (Greatest Records GRC The year 1964 brought about an enormous wave of records,
1001). Adorned with Beatle wigs down the left side of the cover, official or not, of Merseybeat music [so named after publisher
this album actually features the true recordings of the Beatles, and Bill Harry’s Liverpool-based music newspaper Mersey Beat—ed.].
was briefly found in record bins before Capitol sued for libel. It is Between the battle over rights between Capitol and VeeJay Records
amazing they didn’t go to court over some of the others, although and the small labels fighting for space in the bins by appropriating
none were quite as blatant as this. familiar songs and titles, a huge body of Merseybeat-ish music was
Discount records that hit the bins to cash in like Beat-A-Mania released in one incredible year, highlighting the popularity of the
(Spectrum SDLP 172), The Liverpool Beats (Rondo R-2026), and The Liver- Beatles… which continues today.
pool Beat by the Weasels (Mercury Wing MGW 12282) get a mention for
adding to the Beatle clutter, if not trying to deceive 100%. BOB KOENIG has a BA in Pop Culture Studies,
While some of these records can be quite awful, some can be and has presented lectures in libraries and
quite good. I can easily see the Buggs, the Manchesters, and even historical societies on topics from suburban
the Liverpools making a home in your Beatle collection. Collectors history to cereal boxes, and drive-in theaters to
may keep those strictly for the novelty. Howard Johnson’s restaurants. His research on
Marketing-wise, these records were more than likely purchased religions led to a chapter in a book on the Greek
by parents or grandparents of kids wanting the real thing. Picture goddess Hera. A ChromeOrange Music artist,
a mom waiting in line at a grocery checkout, observing mop-tops Bob has appeared with his band on both national
on the LP cover and “She Loves You” in the title. She buys it and television and in a comic book! Find Bob on
takes it home, tossing it to her daughter, Here you go! After being Facebook.

WILL MURRAY’S 20TH CENTURY PANOPTICON
The Mighty, Mighty
HERCULES
BY WILL MURRAY Although I later became a film
journalist covering sci-fi and
horror movies for Starlog and
Fangoria, as a kid I rarely went
to the movie theater. Partly
because the long-demolished
Rialto was so far away, but also
because I preferred to spend my
allowance on comic books.
However, I do remember
going with friends to see the
odd film, beginning with
Gorgo in 1961 and various
other Saturday matinee fare,
including some of the beach
blanket movies [see RetroFan
#22—ed.]. I distinctly remember
seeing The Three Stooges Meet
Hercules in 1962, and I think I saw
one of Steve Reeves’ Hercules
epics on the big screen as well. I
certainly saw them on TV when
they came around to the small
screen.
FLEXING HIS BOX-

OFFICE MUSCLE
Hercules was a big deal back in
those days. He was as popular
as monster movies, which were
also huge, in all senses of the
word. But Hollywood monsters
did not have the box-office
success of the first Hercules
films, which launched a new
film genre that was sometimes
called “peplum films” because
its muscle-bound heroes wore
the Greek toga known as a peplos. “Sword-and-sandal movies” is
(ABOVE) Behold, RetroFans, as the Mighty Hercules the term by which they are remembered today.
defends Newton and Tewt from a sea serpent (Cecil’s The sword-and-sandal craze had its genesis in a script written
disagreeable cousin, perhaps?). Detail from the cover of in the mid-Fifties by Italian director Pietro Francisci. Francisci had
Gold Key Comics’ The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963). Artist filmed Attila, Scourge of God and was becoming known as the Cecil
unknown. The Mighty Hercules © Classic Media. B. DeMille of Italy, specializing in historical epics.

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon
Plucking Hercules out of Greco-Roman mythology, Francisci (LEFT) The chiseled pecs of movie Hercules Steve Reeves
penned a script with that storied Roman demigod as the (who’ll appear in these pages in RetroFan #35) made the
protagonist of the classic story, The Argonauts. But he couldn’t find sandaled superman a Sixties media sensation. © Warner Bros.
a suitable Italian actor to play the lead role. The tall ones lacked the (RIGHT) The aptly named Samson Burke played the hero
necessary imposing physique, and the strong ones were too short. in 1962’s The Three Stooges Meet Hercules. © Columbia Pictures. Both,
Yet, he persisted for five years until his teenaged daughter saw courtesy of Heritage.
Steve Reeves in a 1954 film called Athena.
Reeves was a bodybuilder from Montana who had won the
Mr. America contest in 1947 and went on to become Mr. World the chance, Reeves started growing a full beard, which along with his
following year and Mr. Universe in 1950. Drifting into acting, Reeves hair had to be dyed black for the role, and flew to Rome.
got bit parts on television and was cast but then lost the lead in The production cast Sylva Koscina as Hercules’ love interest,
Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and Delilah. “DeMille thought I was too Princess Iole, and Gabriele Antonini as his young companion,
inconsistent a performer,” Reeves related, “so he paid me off for my Ulysses, of Homer’s Odyssey and Trojan War fame. The three
contract and I went on my way.” Five years later, the bodybuilder spearheaded the quest for the Golden Fleece, along with Jason
landed a supporting role in the physical-culture musical, Athena, and the other Argonauts of the original tale—which originally had
where most of the characters had names borrowed from Greek nothing to do with Hercules. More authentic elements taken from
mythology. the Hercules myths are sprinkled in, although watered down. To a
Francisci’s daughter told the director that she had found student of classic Greek literature, it would be like having General
the perfect Hercules. After watching the film, he agreed. He George Washington leading the charge at Gettysburg.
telegrammed Reeves in the U.S., but Reeves didn’t take the offer After working in Hollywood, Reeves experienced culture
seriously. The telegram was followed by a letter that included shock filming in Italy. “Filmmaking in Europe was a little different
a $5,000 advance and plane tickets to Rome. Deciding to take a from working in the United States,” he related. “There’s a scene

in Hercules where I am in chains—they looked like steel, but they when we were showing it, the titles were bad, it was in Italian, and I
were actually made of wood—and I had to swing these chains at couldn’t understand it, but there was something about it that made
my supposed enemies who were advancing towards me. Well, I me realize there was a potential fortune tied up in it.”
didn’t want to really strike someone, so I kind of held back with Levine spent a ton of money rehabbing and redubbing the
my motions. The director yelled, ‘Swing those chains! Swing them film. Explaining the real reason behind his investment, he stated,
hard!’ I said, ‘I don’t want to hurt someone.’ And the director yelled “I saw in Steve Reeves, who plays Hercules, a man whose physical
back, ‘If they don’t get hurt, they don’t get paid!’” attributes, ability, and enormous strength appealed to the women.”
Hercules was a smash hit throughout Europe and the world, Shot in Eastmancolor and dubbed into English by radio actors
playing several times a day, but not in the U.S. That would soon hired for the job, Hercules was released in the United States in
change, thanks to a promoter named Joseph E. Levine, who had the summer of 1959 and electrified American audiences, grossing
earlier brought Godzilla to America. $5,000,000. And so began the great beefcake gold rush of
“Joe Levine owned a theater in Boston,” explained Reeves. muscleman movies.
“Through a friend of his, he used to buy films from Europe. I think Francisci set to work on a sequel. Hercules Unchained came out
the biggest one he bought before Hercules was Attila the Hun with the following year.
Anthony Quinn. They were making pretty good money over here Now married and accompanied by new wife Iole and Ulysses—
compared to what he paid for them. So his friend told him that both played by their original actors—Hercules becomes embroiled
Hercules was outselling every other picture, and that the people with a power struggle between two brothers over who will
who made it had sold it to every country in the world except ultimately rule the city of Thebes. During this adventure, Hercules
America, and that in Bombay it had played four times a day for drinks from a magic spring and loses his memory, becoming the
two years. Knowing it was a winner in other countries, he bought slave of Queen Omphale of Lydia. Ulysses helps Hercules regain his
it for the States, then put money behind it and did a great job memory by getting him to demonstrate his superhuman strength,
promoting it.” just in time to save Iole from three tigers set upon devouring her in
“When I was told about Hercules, which was made in Italy,” the Theban king’s arena.
reminisced Levine, “I flew over to look at it. The picture broke down This sequel is widely considered superior to the first film. Fran-
cisci abstracted the storyline from two classical Greek works, Seven
Against Thebes and Oedipus at Colonus. The Queen Omphale interlude
is another borrowing from Hercules’ mythic story cycle.
Two 1961 promos from television trade journals

promoting the then-forthcoming Mighty Hercules
cartoon. The Mighty Hercules © Classic Media. Both, courtesy of Will Murray.

Hercules Unchained also broke box-office records. Wasting no time, Released in 1965, Hercules, Ulysses and Samson follows the
Francisci put together another sequel, but Steve Reeves had already comrades’ voyage to hunt down a sea monster, during which they
committed to a different film. So Francisci went ahead with Italian are shipwrecked in the Holy Land, where Hercules is mistaken for
bodybuilder Kirk Morris as the lead. The parts of Ulysses and Iole wanted strongman, Samson. Serious complications follow.
were also recast, undercutting continuity with the previous outings. As with the previous films, historical reality is completely
ignored. These personalities all lived in different
eras, B.C. Of course, none are believed to have been
real people.
Although Francisci abandoned Hercules after
this ad-hoc trilogy, other filmmakers picked up and
ran with the character, which was, after all, in the
public domain, having preexisted all copyright and
trademark laws. Consequently, the early Sixties
saw such cinematic concoctions as Hercules Against
the Moon Men, Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis,
The Loves of Hercules, and the aforementioned Three
Stooges Meet Hercules, in which the Sixties Stooges go
back in time to meet the demigod, here played by
Canadian Samson Burke.
(LEFT) 1963 trade journal clipping touting the

premiere of The Mighty Hercules. (BELOW)
During the super-hero craze of the mid-Sixties,
Hercules shared this 1967 trade ad with the
wielder of the bag of tricks, Felix the Cat. Felix the
Cat © Dreamworks Animation LLC. The Mighty Hercules © Classic Media.
Courtesy of Will Murray.
FAST FACTS
THE MIGHTY HERCULES

f No. of seasons: Three
f No. of episodes: 130 (five minutes each episode)
f Original run: September 1, 1963–May 1, 1966
f Director: Joe Oriolo
f Studio: Adventure Cartoons for Television, Inc.
f Theme song: “The Mighty Hercules” performed by
Johnny Nash
PRIMARY VOICE PERFORMER CAST

f David Hartman: Hercules
f Jimmy Tapp: Hercules
f Jack Mercer: Daedalus, Newton
f Gerry Bascombe: Daedalus, Newton
f Helene Nickerson: Helena, Wilhelmine

But none of them enjoyed the global success of the first two Steve Reeves’ meteoric career barely survived the Sixties. His
Hercules epics. The absence of Steve Reeves was the chief reason. downfall commenced early on, while shooting The Last Days of
Although his classic physique was the result of exercise and weight Pompeii in 1959.
training, he seemed born to play the legendary son of Zeus. “I hurt my shoulder when my chariot crashed into a tree,” he
“Some persons are made for a certain role,” Reeves once mused. revealed. “I don’t duel or fight anymore.” [Editor’s note: Want to
“Clint Eastwood was made for [The Man with No Name], Stallone learn more about this hunky movie Herc? A vintage Steve Reeves
was perfect for Rocky. I was perfect for Hercules.” interview is scheduled to appear in these pages next summer in
When asked why, the Herculean actor could only speculate. RetroFan #35!]
“I don’t really know,” he demurred. “Maybe it was because I had Some claimed that the rise of the Beatles and other longhaired
a very symmetrical physique, accompanied by a noble face. Maybe rock groups [explored elsewhere in this very issue!—ed.] led to a
that was a good combination. Maybe it’s a certain aura you give off, redefining of the global masculine look in the latter Sixties, making
a certain look you have in the eye. We don’t know what these things Reeves look passé. But I think it was that the Hollywood sword-
are.” and-sandal cycle had run simply its course. As future adaptations
Whatever the magic was, Reeves’ success was an inspiration to proved, beardless and longhaired interpretations of Hercules
bodybuilders around the globe and set the stage for later gener- worked just as well.
ations of huge-muscled leads, including Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Lou Ferrigno [see RetroFan #1—ed.], and others down to this day. THE CARTOON TRIALS OF HERCULES
Somehow, they always got cast as Hercules. For more than 60 The immense success of the Hercules films unquestionably led
years, a revolving door of actors has assumed the iconic role. to The Mighty Hercules, an Oriolo Studios/Adventure Cartoons for
As for Reeves, he went on to play other European strongman Television syndicated series that debuted in September 1963. I
roles, such as Goliath in Goliath and the Barbarians and Aeneas of remember watching episodes on Rex Trailer’s Boomtown, a WBZ
Troy in two other films. For a time, he was the highest-paid actor kiddie variety show back then, but some stations ran the series in
in Europe. “Muscles didn’t sell before I came along,” Reeves once its own half-hour afternoon slot.
quipped. Set in the Kingdom of Calydon in mythical Lernaean Valley
No one—including Reeves himself—attributed his interna- in ancient Greece, The Mighty Hercules pitted the super-strong
tional success to his acting abilities. “It’s difficult to act with your demigod of Greco-Roman myth against a number of perennial
shirt off,” he said half in jest. Not to mention all the times the foes, chiefly the hooded wizard Daedalus. This cartoon interpre-
director had Reeves wrestle tigers or other wild animals on camera. tation was sans beard and wore what looked suspiciously like a
“I’ll admit I wasn’t a Shakespearean actor,” Reeves told a Newsday Mr. America champion belt, pointing to the already-obvious Steve
reporter in 1997. “I didn’t win any Oscars, but I did the best I could. Reeves influence.
Even if a tiger is tranquilized, when his paws are on your shoulder The first episode begins with Hercules involved in a series of
and he’s breathing in your ear, it’s pretty scary.” contests with his best friend, Theseus, high up on Mount Olympus.
Separated at birth?
Fleischer Studios’
barrel-chested
Superman and
Trans-Lux TV Corp.’s
barrel-chested
Hercules, with their
respective insignias.
Superman TM & © DC Comics.
The Mighty Hercules © Classic
Media. Animation cels courtesy
of Heritage.

When he defeats Theseus in wrestling,

Hercules stands before Zeus, who asks
his son what he wishes for a reward. The
demigod replies that he wants to go to
Earth and help those who are in need.
Zeus warns Hercules that he will lose his
godly powers on Earth. Seeing his son’s
disappointment, he creates a magic ring
that will enable Hercules to activate his
mighty strength when needed. Normally as
strong as an ox, Hercules only has to raise
his magic ring to the sky and it appears to
attract revivifying lightning bolts called
the “thunder of Zeus,” which increases his
more-than-mortal strength whenever
needed.
Armed with a bow-and-arrow and crude
war club, Hercules descends to Earth. The
first person he encounters is the beautiful
blonde Helena, whom he finds crying
because a giant named Cacus has stolen
the family sheep. This conflict is straight
out of Roman myth. Hercules goes in search
of the giant, who he finds carrying a couple
of bulls, not sheep, but never mind. When
challenged, the giant summons a fire-
breathing dragon. After plucking his ring
from his wide belt and donning it, Hercules
clobbers them both, saving the day for the
first time. But not the last.
With the second episode, Hercules’
face is redesigned to give him a bigger jaw.
Although he retains his blue peplos, his belt
and wristbands turn black. The “H” emblem
on his belt becomes red against a yellow
field. Deliberately or not, this ensemble
mirrors the color scheme of Superman’s
outfit, right down to the chest insignia. This
is not a coincidence. Artist and animator
Joe Oriolo, who produced and directed the
series, is credited with having done some
prop drawing on the Fleischer Studios
Superman theatrical cartoons of the Forties
[covered by this very columnist back in
RetroFan #25—ed.]. Oriolo claimed that The
Mighty Hercules was the first TV cartoon
to show realistic characters, but in that
assertion he was in error. Clutch Cargo and
Space Angel predated the show.
Although The Mighty Hercules was
recorded in Montreal, many of the creative
people were based in New York City. All “Hero of ancient glory”—and star of
130 five-minute episodes were scripted Sixties merchandising! Are any of
by a team of DC Comics writers, George these Mighty Hercules items in your
Kashdan and Jack E. Miller. collection today? The Mighty Hercules © Classic
“The Mighty Hercules we wrote for a Media. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, Hake’s Auctions,
producer named Joe Oriolo,” recalled and Will Murray.
Kashdan. “He had drawn Casper the

Friendly Ghost and Felix the Cat. He was a

very excitable man, and quick to threaten the use of his fists. He he also has a shield emblazoned with the red H emblem, which he
was lucky he didn’t get his teeth knocked down his throat with all employs when necessary.
those threats. He couldn’t express himself in correct English. He One episode shows Hercules’ stone house in Mount Olympus.
would get angry, and when he complained about a story that he Along the walls are his various weapons, including the shield, a
didn’t like, it didn’t come out in civil language. Poor Joe is dead now. sword, his bow-and-arrow set, and a special whistle that summons
We remained friends after the series.” the winged Pegasus. Pegasus was sometimes seen hitched to a
George C. Peed, who had worked on Fantasia in the Forties, was flying chariot with the big red H on the front.
credited with character design. DC artist Dick Dillin executed the Daedalus, king of the winds, was introduced in the fifth episode
storyboards. Dillin was moonlighting from drawing Blackhawk, and became Hercules’ chief recurring foe.
and later drew Justice League of America for a record-setting period When Daedalus uses the wind to beach a galley on which
of time. Helene is traveling, the oracle
of Olympus, Dodonas, shows
HERCULES’ FRIENDS Hercules images of her plight on
AND FOES his crystal rock, and the son of
In The Mighty Hercules, Hercules Zeus descends to Earth to take
is often accompanied by the on Daedalus for the first time.
beautiful Helena of Calydon— In later episodes, Daedalus’
whom he often rescues from mastery over the wind is not
danger—a young centaur called emphasized, and he seems
Newton, and Tewt, an idealized more like an evil magician than
juvenile satyr with green hair. anything else. Daedalus does
The innocent charm and classic possess the power of flight, but
simplicity of this series holds he usually prefers to fly around
up well in contrast with later inside of a sinister black cloud
animated action adventures. from which he would emerge,
Most of Hercules’ foes and trials and usually steal something
were extracted from Greek valuable before retreating into
mythological sources, although its cloudy concealment.
they were often recycled and In one episode, Daedalus
reinterpreted for modern visits the underground chamber
audiences, not as part of the of an inventor named Midas,
ancient saga’s continuity, but who gives him a ring he forged
as separate challenges in indi- that duplicates Hercules’ own
vidual episodes. These included ring. After Daedalus challenges
the Cretan Bull and the Nemean Hercules to a physical battle, it
Lion. The cartoon series played proves difficult for our mighty
fast and loose with the Hercules hero because Daedalus’ dupli-
myths much in the way the cate ring has other properties,
Italian films had. including hurling fiery lightning
In the second episode, bolts against which Hercules is
Newton the centaur is powerless, even after he puts on
introduced as Hercules’ his own ring.
perpetual sidekick. He has Turning to Newt, Hercules
an annoying habit of saying asks for his shield. The centaur
“Suffering Psyche!” in echo of Marvel Comics’ version of Hercules—seen here slugging it pulls it out of a hollow tree that
Wonder Woman’s “Suffering out with the Mighty Thor on the Jack Kirby–drawn cover just happens to be near the
Sappho!” and also of voicing of Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965)—is probably better battleground, and Hercules
his lines twice, in an excited known among more RetroFan readers than the Sixties uses it to protect himself
juvenile voice. There’s no formal cartoon Mighty Hercules. But then again, Marvel’s Herc from the ring’s barrage of
meeting—Newton is just doesn’t have his own theme song performed by Johnny bolts—after which he makes
present when Hercules takes Nash. The Mighty Thor and Hercules TM & © Marvel. short work of Daedalus, then
possession of a formidable pulverizes the ring in one hand.
sword forged to defeat the It seemed that no matter where
Lernaean Hydra. However, the sword is broken before he can he was, Hercules had only to request a weapon like his shield and
bring it to bear. Hercules must then defeat the creature with a Newton produced it, often out of thin air.
combination of his formidable strength and agile wits. In later episodes, Newton wears a belt whose buckle device
The club seen in the first episode seems to have become conceals the Moonstone. When he flips it open, a moonbeam is
forgotten in the episodes that follow. Hercules usually battles his projected up to Mount Olympus, thus summoning Hercules back to
foes using only his strength and occasionally his arrows. However, Earth. It was his equivalent to the Bat-signal.

At one point, Hercules gives similar belts to a group of boys, led allies must devise increasingly ingenious methods of getting the
by a youth named Timon, turning them into the Greek equivalents Mask of Vulcan off the blacksmith’s head so they can subdue him.
of Jimmy Olsen, who summoned Superman with an ultra-sonic For one story, Daedalus and the Mask of Vulcan join forces
signal watch in those days. to steal the throne of King Dorian. Daedalus hurls fireballs upon
One story has Timon guarding Hercules’ sword and shield. But the kingdom, and only the Mask can withstand them. Once
Daedalus tricks him and manages to make off with both. With more, Hercules’ shield is brought to bear as he again brings the
a swipe of the sword, he deprives the son of Zeus of his belt and devilish duo to book. In this episode, they end up in what looks
ring. But Timon redeems like a modern jail, a
himself in the end. development that was
Other recurring long overdue. In previous
characters are young encounters, the Mask
King Dorian of Calydon seems to have been
and the Owl-Man of allowed to return to his
Parnassus, a seer whom ordinary life, although
Hercules consults when the helmet seems always
he is stuck on a problem. available for his misuse
Wilhelmine the Sea and exploitation. (Logic
Witch debuted in an was not a strong point
early episode, I suspect when you had only five
because Daedalus was minutes in which to tell a
already being overused. narrative.)
She isn’t much more than
a female Daedalus. In one HERO OF SONG
memorable episode, she AND STORY
sneaks into Zeus’ Olympic Broadway and television
stables and steals the actor David Hartman,
winged horse, Pegasus. later known for Good
Hercules is sent to Morning America, orig-
recover the horse, which inally voiced Hercules.
of course he does before Jimmy Tapp took over
the five minutes are up. after nine episodes.
This was the episode Popeye voice actor Jack
that introduced Newton’s Mercer played both
diminutive sidekick, Newton and Tewt, as well
Tewt, a juvenile pan-like as the evil Daedelus, but
figure who never speaks was replaced by Gerry
but communicates Bascombe around the
through his panpipes, same time, after the
whose notes only voice recording shifted
Newton understand. to Canada. Helene
He didn’t have anything Nickerson was Helena,
particular to do in this who, in emulation of Lois
episode except to give Lane’s unrequited crush
Newton someone to talk on Superman, forever
to. He appeared in most pined for the love of
episodes thereafter, handsome Hercules.
rarely contributing much Hercules’ battle cry
more than some side was a drawn-out trailing
business as a counter- Hercules in New York introduced a new actor to the pantheon of stars “Olympia!” It was usually
point to Newt’s endless portraying the famed demigod: Arnold Strong (you may know him heard after he had done
vocal repetitions, which better by his actual name Arnold Schwarzenegger). © RAF Industries, Inc. his good deed for the
were toned down after a episode and went leaping
while. back to Mount Olympus.
Another recurring Singer Johnny Nash—not
villain is a nameless blacksmith who looks exactly like an earlier foe to be confused with Johnny Cash—sung the stirring Hercules theme
named Murtis. He forges an iron helmet that he calls the Mask of song, titled “The Mighty Hercules,” which many Baby Boomers can
Vulcan. When he puts it on his head, he becomes invulnerable. The still recite from memory. The series ran three seasons.
helmeted villain, up to his usual mischief, returns in the following The influence of Superman had a postscript: When artist Bruce
episode and periodically over several installments. Hercules and his Timm was developing designs for Superman: The Animated Series,

he struggled to produce a look that he thought would carry the legendary strongman on the big screen. Kevin Sorbo starred in the
show. Then one day a director brought into the office a videotape Nineties television series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. There
of The Mighty Hercules. Timm realized that here was the perfect look was a 1997 Disney animated Hercules movie and more recently
for the Man of Steel. Even if he didn’t necessarily realize that that Dwayne Johnson, better known as the Rock, played the role.
chesty physique went back to Mr. Universe, Steve Reeves.… During the time of Disney’s animated Hercules, Steve Reeves
The Mighty Hercules ceased production in 1965 as the sword-and- stated, “A friend of a friend of mine works at Disney, and he said
sandal cycle started winding down in films. But Hercules was not that while they were doing the animation they had a big picture of
one to be retired. me on the wall as Hercules. Not that they tried to make Hercules
That summer, Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did some- look exactly like me, but at least I gave them an inspiration.”
thing even more audacious than Pietro Francisci ever imagined. In For the record, Disney’s Hercules was smooth-chinned. In subse-
Journey into Mystery (Thor) Annual #1, they had the Norse thunder quent cinematic incarnations, Hercules has been at times bearded,
god, Thor, encounter the Greco-Roman Hercules, whom Kirby but as often as not is clean-shaven. His hair color and outfit change
gave a stylized mace to stand against Thor’s hammer. As it was a with every new reimagining, but it seems certain that, like Tarzan
Marvel comic, they naturally battled it out before coming to terms. of the Apes, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, and very few others, as
Hercules must have struck a chord with Marvel readers, because long as films and TV shows are being made, the next Hercules has
five months later he returned in the pages of The Mighty Thor for already been born.
a thundering seven-issue epic, in which Thor became entangled As for the first Hercules of film—who many maintain was the
with the other gods of Mount Olympus and had to rescue Hercules greatest of them all—Steve Reeves died in 2000 at the age of 74.
from the clutches of Pluto, Lord of the Underworld. Marvel’s Thor His ashes were scattered over Montana’s Big Snowy Mountains—it
has appeared frequently in the decades that followed, including wasn’t Mount Olympus, but it was close enough.
membership in the Avengers. Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein,
appeared in a post-credits scene in the 2022 film Thor: Love and WILL MURRAY is the writer of the Wild
Thunder and will no doubt be seen in future Marvel Cinematic Adventures (www.adventuresin-
Universe outings. The Marvel Hercules’ resemblance to Steve bronze.com) series of novels, which stars
Reeves’ personification of the character is so marked that coinci- Doc Savage, The Shadow, King Kong, The
dence appears improbable. Spider, and Tarzan of the Apes. He also
Other versions of Hercules have been seen from time to created the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl with
time. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno both played the legendary artist Steve Ditko.
A must-read for classic TV fans and nostalgia buffs!

Sitcom Writers Talk Shop: Behind the Scenes with Carl
Reiner, Norman Lear, and Other Geniuses of TV Comedy
takes you behind the scenes of your favorite classic TV sitcoms.
Features in-depth interviews
with the legendary writers
and/or creators of such
shows as The Honeymooners,
The Dick Van Dyke Show,
Mary Tyler Moore, All in the
Family, Taxi, Cheers, Every-
body Loves Raymond, Frasier,
Seinfeld…
Forewords by Ed Asner and
Carol Kane.
Endorsed by Jay Leno, Paula

Poundstone, Valerie Harper,
Richard Lewis, Fred Willard,
Georgia Engel, and Mike Farrell.
As the daughter of Honeymooners writer
Herbert Finn, author Paula Finn grew up in the
Published by culture, surrounded by the brilliance and wit
Rowman & Littlefield. of her father and his colleagues.
Available on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2tWBXah

or through the publisher at Rowman.com.
TwoMorrows 2023
www.twomorrows.com • [email protected]
THE BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S
MAINLINE COMICS by JOE SIMON & JACK KIRBY

Introduction by JOHN MORROW
In 1954, industry legends JOE SIMON and JACK KIRBY founded MAINLINE PUBLICATIONS to publish their own comics during
that turbulent era in comics history. The four titles—BULLSEYE, FOXHOLE, POLICE TRAP, and IN LOVE—looked to build off
their reputation as hit makers in the Western, War, Crime, and Romance genres, but the 1950s backlash against comics killed
any chance at success, and Mainline closed its doors just two years later. For the first time, TwoMorrows Publishing is compiling
the best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline comics work, including all of the stories with S&K art, as well as key tales with contributions
by MORT MESKIN and others. After the company’s dissolution, their partnership ended with Simon leaving comics for advertis-
ing, and Kirby taking unused Mainline concepts to both DC and Marvel. This collection bridges the gap between Simon & Kirby’s
peak with their 1950s romance comics, and the lows that led to Kirby’s resurgence with CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN
and the early MARVEL UNIVERSE. With loving art restoration by CHRIS FAMA, and an historical overview by JOHN MORROW
to put it all into perspective, the BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S MAINLINE COMICS presents some of the final, and finest, work
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(256-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $49.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-118-9
DESTROYER DUCK by JACK KIRBY & STEVE GERBER
GRAPHITE EDITION
Introduction by MARK EVANIER
In the 1980s, writer STEVE GERBER was embroiled in a lawsuit against MARVEL COMICS over ownership of his cre-
ation HOWARD THE DUCK. To raise funds for legal fees, Gerber asked JACK KIRBY to contribute to a benefit comic titled
DESTROYER DUCK. Without hesitation, Kirby (who was in his own dispute with Marvel at the time) donated his services for
the first issue, and the duo took aim at their former employer in
an outrageous five-issue run. With biting satire and guns blazing,
Duke “Destroyer” Duck battled the thinly veiled Godcorp (whose
infamous credo was “Grab it all! Own it all! Drain it all!”), its evil
All characters TM & © their respective owners.
leader Ned Packer and the (literally) spineless Booster Cogburn,

Medea (a parody of Daredevil’s Elektra), and more! Now, all five
Gerber/Kirby issues are collected—but relettered and reproduced
from JACK’S UNBRIDLED, UNINKED PENCIL ART! Also included
are select examples of ALFREDO ALCALA’s unique inking style
over Kirby on the original issues, Gerber’s script pages, an historical
Introduction by MARK EVANIER (co-editor of the original 1980s
issues), and an Afterword by BUZZ DIXON (who continued the
series after Gerber)! Discover all the hidden jabs you missed when
DESTROYER DUCK was first published, and experience page after
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ISBN: 978-1-60549-117-2
ALTER EGO
COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS
By overwhelming demand, editor ROY THOMAS has compiled all the material on the founders of the Marvel Bullpen from
three SOLD-OUT ALTER EGO ISSUES—plus OVER 30 NEW PAGES OF CONTENT! There’s the STEVE DITKO ISSUE (#160
with a rare ’60s Ditko interview by RICHARD HOWELL, biographical notes by NICK CAPUTO, and Ditko tributes)! The STAN
LEE ISSUE (#161 with ROY THOMAS on his 50+ year relationship with Stan, art by KIRBY, DITKO, MANEELY, EVERETT,
SEVERIN, ROMITA, plus tributes from pros and fans)! And the JACK KIRBY ISSUE (#170 with WILL MURRAY on Kirby’s
contributions to Iron Man’s creation, Jack’s Captain Marvel/Mr. Scarlet Fawcett work, Kirby in 1960s fanzines, plus STAN
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(256-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $35.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-116-5
CLIFFHANGER! CINEMATIC SUPERHEROES OF THE

SERIALS: 1941–1952 by CHRISTOPHER IRVING
Hold on tight as historian CHRISTOPHER IRVING explores the origins of the first on-screen superheroes and the comic cre-
ators and film-makers who brought them to life. CLIFFHANGER! touches on the early days of the film serial, to its explosion
as a juvenile medium of the 1930s and ‘40s. See how the creation of characters like SUPERMAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, SPY
SMASHER, and CAPTAIN MARVEL dovetailed with the early film adaptations. Along the way, you’ll meet the stuntmen,
directors (SPENCER BENNETT, WILLIAM WITNEY, producer SAM KATZMAN), comic book creators (SIEGEL & SHUSTER,
SIMON & KIRBY, BOB KANE, C.C. BECK, FRANK FRAZETTA, WILL EISNER), and actors (BUSTER CRABBE, GEORGE
REEVES, LORNA GRAY, KANE RICHMOND, KIRK ALYN, DAVE O’BRIEN) who brought them to the silver screen—and how
that resonates with today’s cinematic superhero universe. NOW SHIPPING!
RETRO TELEVISION
AND THAT’S THE WAY IT IS
The
Television was a huge part of my childhood. I watched its
programs as well as its history. I watched as genres peaked,
Fall
faded, and sometimes returned.
I watched the gimmick sitcoms, comedies with a twist: a
family of Universal monsters, a man married to a witch, a beau-
tiful genie in a bottle (who I had/still have a tremendous crush
Guy
on). Yes, I even watched a couple of episodes of a guy whose
mother was reincarnated as an automobile.
I watched Westerns dominate the airwaves. I watched the
saga of the Cartwright family and thrilled to Marshall Dillon’s
escapades.
And boy-oh-boy, did I watch those Irwin Allen sci-fi dramas!
Hapless people adrift in space, tossed through time, stranded
among giants… I didn’t watch that stuff, I absorbed it. These
A Retro-Spective shows captured my imagination and held it hostage.
I kept track of it all because my parents subscribed to TV
on TV Guide’s Fall Previews Guide. This digest-sized booklet had great articles on my favorite
shows. And, as a kid, there was an added bonus. When the week
ended, I got to confiscate the magazine, where I would gleefully
BY MICHAL JACOT blacken out teeth and add stitches and devil horns to the photos
of those glamorous television stars. (Ha!
How about that, Marlo Thomas? Not so
cute with crossed eyes and an Alfred E.
Neuman smile, are you?)
But there was always one issue I never
defaced. That was the one that arrived
around the first week of September. The
TV Guide Fall Preview.
As a TV addict, I was obsessed with the
Fall Preview. It was a peek into the future,
what to expect in the next few weeks. The
spotlight on each new show detailed the
plot, the characters, the stars, and a cool
photograph of the cast.
The fun of Fall Previews is seeing the
progression of television history. Keeping
RetroFan in mind, this article will mainly
focus on those issues from the beginning
to the early Eighties. You know—those
years with all the good TV.
WHO LOVES YA, BABY?

The first Fall Preview (1953) was a huge
hit with fans, and it didn’t take TV Guide
long to plan this as an annual affair.
That inaugural edition clocked in at a
mere 32 pages. Stations generally began
broadcasting at around 7:00 a.m.; some
didn’t begin their day until 9:00. Most
closed up shop around midnight or 1:00
a.m. Because of the sparse schedules, that
first Fall Preview looked a lot different
(LEFT) A TV Guide Fall Preview

sampler. All scans accompanying
this article are courtesy of Michal
Jacot. © TV Guide.

retro television
than current offerings; new shows were briefly mentioned in short be boxing on Wednesday nights. But not every Wednesday. Berle
articles that covered several similar programs. will appear every other week. The fights will be absent every fourth
week.”
WELL, ISN’T THAT SPECIAL? At a time when there were only three networks, this must have
Now that television was established, it branched out to more been “confusing.” Today, with hundreds of channels broadcasting
creative programming. Specials lured viewers in, but there was one 24/7, seasons that take months-long breaks in the middle, and
mother lode yet to be mined. shows that bounce from network to network… I don’t think they
Showing movies on television was unexplored territory. Some had any idea back then of how confusing it could all get.
studios refused to sell their film broadcasting rights to this upstart
medium, thinking it would cheapen the movie experience. And IT KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING…
there were some TV executives who didn’t think movies belonged The 1964–1965 Fall Preview predicted a programming format
on the small screen and, in fact, considered them a step down from that would become a standard of television: the serial. Producer
their own television programming. Said one exec, “Surprisingly, Herbert Brodkin belittled the 30-, 60-, and 90-minute time limits
many people consider old movies to be on a par with the best imposed on televised dramas, calling them “artificial barriers
entertainment on the air.” Who knew movies would become a blocking the creation of good drama.” His solution was a program
staple of TV programming? called The Quest, an hour-long series where episodes “won’t
In those early days, TV Guide could have benefitted from necessarily end when the hour is up. It will be carried over from
a crystal ball to get a glimpse of how television would morph week to week until it reaches its natural conclusion.” This concept
into something they could never have imagined. In the 1954 Fall was nothing new—serialized radio dramas and soap operas had
Preview, they talked about the perils of confusing programming been around for years. But it was radical thinking back then; these
schedules: concepts represented state of the art, innovative broadcasting.
“The season will be a confusing one for viewers. [Milton] Berle
will still be a Tuesday attraction. But not every Tuesday. There will WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
Vintage Fall Previews are a great place to chart the progress of
television technology. The biggest advancement of the era was
the development of color programming. 1956’s edition happily
announced that “color TV sets dip below the $500 mark.” That was
(LEFT) The first Fall Preview was a rather skimpy affair at

only 32 pages; there simply wasn’t much happening on the
airwaves. (ABOVE) Since there weren’t enough new shows
to highlight individually, Fall Previews just covered the
programming by genre, as they did with this section on
kiddie shows. © TV Guide.

retro television
a lot to pay just to see what shade of red

Lucy’s hair was; adjusting for inflation,
$500 in 1956 equates to $5,314 in today’s
world. Still, 100,000 U.S. homes had a
color TV that year.
In its infancy, programming relied
heavily on stage plays, operas, and
ballet. The arts were a good source of
material for this nascent medium. The
1957–1958 season listed a plethora of
fairy-tale based spectaculars such as
Pinocchio, Hans Brinker, and Beauty and the
Beast, but barely a mention of The Wizard
of Oz. Oddly enough, the perennial
favorite made its TV debut the year
before, and the 1956 Fall Preview didn’t
say a word about it!
SURPRISE, SURPRISE,
SURPRISE
Trends in programming peaked and
dipped through TV history, reflecting
American tastes and culture. From cops
to country cornpone, from defective detectives to weird families, (ABOVE) By 1959, the Fall Previews included group shots
just about every genre has had its moment (some more briefly than of new casts. If you liked Westerns, you were a happy
others). viewer. (BELOW) You can occasionally get a glimpse
Westerns were the next big thing in 1957, and cowboys ruled into history beyond television. The week’s listings in the
the airwaves for years. The 1959–1960 Fall Preview showcased 29 1960–1961 edition featured the televised Nixon-Kennedy
oaters that season, with ten of them premiering that season (with debate. © TV Guide.
Bonanza being the most notable)—and eight of them ran an hour
in length. Those are staggering numbers considering the limited
broadcasting time. Family, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. all debuted in that single season.
[Editor’s note: Just in time for Bewitched’s 60th anniversary, its
HEH-HEH-HEH star, Elizabeth Montgomery, will be profiled in our pages in
My TV viewing kicked into high gear in the Sixties with the advent RetroFan #31!]
of oddball comedies, overshadowing the cowpokes that ruled the This was when I was young enough to laugh at the antics on
video roost. And the Fall Preview was there to foresee it all. these shows but old enough to be a smart-alecky kid and get
In the 1964–1965 season, comedy was king. 22 of the 35 new curious about details. Like everyone else, I wondered how a group
shows were comedies. Classics like Gilligan’s Island, The Munsters, of castaways could create a radio from coconut shells but couldn’t
Bewitched (whose beautiful witch was named Cassandra instead wrap their heads around fixing a hole in their boat. In an interview
of Samantha in the first draft of the pilot script), The Addams on The Rosie O’Donnell Show decades later, Gilligan himself, Bob
Denver, answered that burning question: “There weren’t any nails
on the island.”
WE’RE MOVIN’ ON UP
A fun aspect of Fall Previews is seeing the rise of your favorite
stars. The 1962–1963 issue previewed a sitcom called I’m Dickens…
He’s Fenster, featuring John Astin, before he grew a mustache and
became crazy-eyed Gomez Addams two years later. [Editor’s note:
Join us for a John Astin profile in RetroFan #35.]
1965’s “As We See It” editorial column was less than amused
about the trend to light comedies (including I Dream of Jeannie,
Green Acres, Hogan’s Heroes), and hoped that high end programming
such as documentaries and plays might offset the overload of
sitcoms. The editors dismissed Get Smart by saying “some of the
plots… are preposterous.” Well, yeah, but wasn’t that the point? In
spite of TV Guide’s brush-off of these shows, they are iconic today
and still entertain in reruns.

retro television
CHEERS AND JEERS:

TV GUIDE FALL PREVIEW PREDICTIONS
THAT HIT (AND MISSED) THE MARK
Fall Previews told us what was new, what to watch, and
what to avoid. Most of the time they were right on target…
but not always.
CHEERS:
“The sanctity of the law is upheld by such shows as
Dragnet.” (1954)
“Finally, color television is here.” (1955)
“A big gunfight follows as Pa and boys come to the rescue.

If it survives this melee, Bonanza should prosper.” (1959)
(Of Bugs Bunny cartoons) “They’re well-written, tastefully

done, and pretty darn funny.” (1960)
(Of The Flintstones) “Something new in the

trade—an adult cartoon.” (1960)
(Of the new host of The Tonight Show) “[Johnny]

Carson is more incisive, sharper, quicker than [former
host Jack] Paar. But will the ladies love him?” (1962)
“This is the year of the chuckle.” (1964, the year that

brought us Gilligan’s Island, Mr. Magoo, The Munsters,
Bewitched, The Addams Family, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.)
JEERS:
(On the new concept of Theater TV, where movie the-
aters would broadcast special-event TV programming
simultaneously onto their big screen) “Some 100 the-
aters in 60 cities currently are equipped for big-screen
TV shows… linked for each of the big TV events coming
up this fall.” (1954)
Hey, how’d that investment work out for you?
(TOP) Schedule grids became a welcome feature. Of course,
it was a lot easier when there were only three networks! (On the quality of new programming fare) “The day of
(BOTTOM) 1961’s Fall Preview introduced us to The Dick the we’ll buy-anything attitude at the networks is about
Van Dyke Show [see RetroFan #7—ed.]. Rob and Laurie Petrie over.” (1955)
lived at 448 Bonnie Meadow Road in New Rochelle, New Wellllllll…
York. Creator Carl Reiner changed one number of his New
Rochelle home residence for the Petries’ address. The Dick Van “The new Western hero… is a man no one but his agent
Dyke Show © CBS. had ever heard of. His name is James Garner.” (1956)
Give him a chance; he might make a name for himself.
One new show of the 1966 season featured a “startling char-
acter” with “pointy ears, slant eyebrows and Beatle bangs.” TV Guide From the letters column: “Dick Clark’s only
didn’t think this show was boldly going anywhere: “The sky’s not crime is the promotion of a casual stupidity.”
the limit on this Trek.” Whatever that means. (1960)
That laughing you heard for the next 52 years was
WE’VE GOT A REALLY BIG SHOW Dick Clark walking to the bank.
The 1967–1968 book ballooned to 68 pages; spending half a page
detailing how a nun could fly might explain the need for expansion. (On the new TV show The Aquanauts) “You’d be surprised
By 1969, the Fall Preview was up to 80 pages. how exciting it is.” (1960)
Yes, it was exciting. All one season of it.
retro television
(LEFT) By 1965, Fall Previews eschewed group shots for separate

photos of new shows and their stars. © TV Guide. (BELOW) Gilligan’s
Island and its earworm theme song premiered in 1964. Tina
Louise’s contract stated that she would be billed fifth in the
roll call of castaways, and that nobody would be billed after
her (perhaps so her name, being the last one heard, would be
remembered). Russell “Professor” Johnson and Dawn “Mary
Ann” Wells arrived late to negotiations to find their characters
couldn’t be named before or after Louise’s, so they became “…
and the rest.” Fortunately, the song was corrected by the next
season and the duo got their well-deserved name-check. (Source:
televisionacademy.com.) Gilligan’s Island © Warner Bros.
format; with more TV to

cover, Fall Previews got
thicker and thicker. Since
their switch to standard
magazine size, we no
longer see these chunky
annuals. Personally, I
miss the digest-sized
issues.
HOW SWEET IT IS
I reached adulthood
(maturity came later) and
struck out on my own. I
got an apartment slightly
“As We See It” made a rather dramatic larger than my car, and as
prediction: “This season could mark either the a newly minted Respon-
beginning of TV’s second Golden Age or the end sible Adult, I started my
of serious efforts to upgrade the medium with own subscription to TV
special programming.” While it wasn’t exactly a Guide.
serious effort, there was one show that debuted There was my weekly
in the Summer of Love that changed television dose of TV info, delivered
habits in a roundabout way. right to my door. But it wasn’t Mom and Dad’s magazine any more.
By 1969, everything was groovy and TV was just starting to reflect Now I was getting those Fall Previews, and they were mine, all mine.
real-life issues in their situation comedies. Producer Sherwood I kept that first Preview issue from my subscription, from
Schwartz read that 29% of all marriages included a child or children 1977. Then I kept the next year. And the next. And just like that, a
from a previous marriage. With that in mind, The Brady Bunch was collection started.
announced in the 1969 Fall Preview. While it was still the same fluff Soon I was married, and my wife knew my special TV Guide
that had always been on TV, it was an attempt to depict trending would arrive every September, and that I would add it to my
family dynamics and a subtle step in a direction that would lead to burgeoning collection. I regretted not saving all of those great
meatier fare like All in the Family and Maude in just a few short years. issues when I was growing up. My dream was to have every Fall
An interesting missive in that issue’s letters column showed that Preview, starting with their first one in 1953. I searched comic-cons,
viewers were taking their TV seriously. William Cook wrote, “Why antique stores, and flea markets, with very few “hits.”
can’t more TV shows follow the fine example set by The Fugitive? And then eBay came along. Ah, yes… online auctions and my
Instead of just ending the season with another rerun, why couldn’t disposable income. What a combination.
shows like The Time Tunnel film a special episode and save it for the
end of the season? … There are, have been, and will be many more WOULD YOU BELIEVE…?
shows that could end with a real ending.” By the late Seventies, the Fall Previews edition was easily the
Mr. Cook echoed my sentiments. I still think of those people still figure of authority when it came to television viewing. 1977’s
stranded on Gilligan’s Island, the Robinson family still Lost in Space, annual offering told readers that “in place of violence, you’ll find
and the crew of the Spindrift still getting trampled in a faraway Land more comedy, more fantasy, more family drama—and more sex.
of the Giants. Onscreen advisories about ‘adult’ content will be very much in
The 1980–1981 issue was a bulging 84 pages, and the last one to evidence.” While my parents bemoaned this trend toward “Jiggle
be spine-stapled. The next year, it would change to a squarebound TV,” my 20-year-old raging hormones just said, “Bring it on!”

retro television
Fall Previews
employ
distinctive
cover art with
various graphic
designs.
Collectors
should be wary
of the 1973–1974
issue, which
uses the same
design as the
previous year’s
edition. © TV
Guide.
OUTSTANDING, NOTABLE, AND NOTORIOUS U.N.C.L.E.; The Munsters; Bewitched; Jonny Quest; The Add-
TV SHOW PREMIERES ams Family; Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Some of these shows bring up fond memories, whether it f 1965–1966: I Dream of Jeannie; Get Smart; The FBI; F Troop;
was the characters, the plots, their place in TV history, or My Mother, the Car; Lost in Space; Green Acres; I Spy; The Wild,
even a theme song you can’t get out of your head. Which Wild West; Hogan’s Heroes
ones did you grow up with? f 1966–1967: Mission: Impossible; The Monkees; Family Affair;
Star Trek; That Girl; The Green Hornet; The Time Tunnel; Tarzan
f 1953–1954: Danny Thomas’ latest fare, Life with Danny; f 1967–1968: Mannix; The Carol Burnett Show; The Flying Nun;
Crusader Rabbit Ironside
f 1954–1955: The Mickey Rooney Show; Father Knows Best; Dis- f 1968–1969: Adam-12; The Ghost and Mrs. Muir; Land of the
neyland Giants; The Mod Squad; Hawaii Five-0
f 1955–1956: The Mickey Mouse Club; Sheena; Captain Kangaroo; f 1969–1970: Love, American Style; The Courtship of Eddie’s Fa-
The Honeymooners ther; The Brady Bunch; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Sesame Street
f 1956–1957: Playhouse 90; Tic Tac Dough; Circus Boy f 1970–1971: The Mary Tyler Moore Show; The Odd Couple; The
f 1957–1958: Bachelor Father; Pat Boone; Have Gun Will Travel; Flip Wilson Show; The Partridge Family
Leave It to Beaver; Perry Mason; Zorro f 1971–1972: Cannon; NBC Mystery Movie; The New Dick Van
f 1958–1959: Milton Berle returns to TV; The Donna Reed Dyke Show
Show; The Rif leman; 77 Sunset Strip; Concentration 1972–1973: Kung Fu; The Bob Newhart Show; M*A*S*H;
f 1959–1960: Bonanza; Dennis the Menace; The Many Loves of Maude; The Waltons
Dobie Gillis; Rocky and His Friends; The Twilight Zone; Quick f 1973–1974: The Six Million Dollar Man; Kojak; Police Story;
Draw McGraw; The Untouchables Star Trek: The Animated Series; Super Friends
f 1960–1961: The Andy Griffith Show; Bugs Bunny; My Three f 1974–1975: Rhoda; Get Christie Love!; Little House on the Prai-
Sons; The Flintstones rie; Planet of the Apes; Police Woman; Shazam!; Chico and the
f 1961–1962: The Bullwinkle Show; Car 54 Where Are You?; Walt Man; The Rockford Files
Disney’s Wonderful World of Color; The Dick Van Dyke Show; f 1975–1976: Welcome Back, Kotter; Starsky and Hutch; Space:
The Alvin Show; Password 1999
f 1962–1963: The Jetsons; McHale’s Navy; The Virginian f 1976–1977: Charlie’s Angels; Alice; Baa Baa Black Sheep; The
f 1963–1964: My Favorite Martian; The Outer Limits; The Fugi- Muppet Show
tive; Petticoat Junction; The Patty Duke Show f 1977–1978: Sha Na Na; The Love Boat; Soap; Lou Grant; The
f 1964–1965: Flipper; The Adventures of Mr. Magoo; Gilli- Man from Atlantis
gan’s Island; Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea; The Man from

retro television
“The season ahead clearly promises more than a few surprises,”

TV Guide’s editor said of the upcoming 1979–1980 offerings. The
season gave us forgettable programming like:
f Working Stiffs, an early Michael Keaton vehicle that aired four

episodes before vanishing into limbo;
f A New Kind of Family, which was yanked off the airwaves and
quickly re-tooled halfway through its first season (always a bad
sign) but still lasted only ten episodes;
f California Fever, starring Marc McClure, a.k.a. Jimmy Olsen in the
Christopher Reeve Superman films, that limped along through
ten episodes;
f Struck By Lightning, a comedy about Frankenstein’s monster that
aired three of its 11 episodes. Bulgy-eyed, grizzled Jack Elam
played the part of the monster, without the need for make-up!
f Eischeid, a cop show. Inexplicably, NBC reran all 13 episodes in its
original Friday night time slot during the summer of 1983, almost
four years after it had been cancelled; and
f Big Shamus Little Shamus, a turkey that CBS cancelled after
broadcasting only two episodes.
This “season of surprises” was the equivalent of getting under-

wear for Christmas instead of those Star Wars action figures you
wanted. Still, this season brought us
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, so it
wasn’t all bad.
An actor’s strike delayed the
debut of many new shows and (ABOVE) From 1976: Look at these stars!
threw a monkey wrench into the (LEFT) In these days of grids crammed with
1980 Fall Preview’s reputation for information, it’s hard to believe a time when
accuracy. Debut dates couldn’t be TV Guide gave up this much copy space for one
listed simply because networks had show. Sometimes the “capsule descriptions”
no idea when (or if) a show would took up nearly one-quarter of the entire page!
begin. “It’s possible that some of © TV Guide.
the new season’s shows will be
postponed—or even canceled—
because of the strike.” In spite of the shaky start, we eventually got can look back and see my beloved stars as their careers took them
solid shows from that season, such as Hill Street Blues, Too Close for from show to show. Whenever I saw a favorite actor starring in a
Comfort, Bosom Buddies, and Magnum P.I. new show, I played a fun game in my head: imagining them as the
The 1982 Fall Preview debuted a new feature, “Editor’s Choice,” same character from their old show, continuing their adventures
where the editor predicted the winners among the new batch of somewhere else.
shows. Most of the time the selections were on target, as with In my mind, I was saddened to know that Rob and Laura Petrie
this year when they selected Cheers, Newhart, Family Ties, and St. eventually divorced, but knowing that Laura moved to Minneapolis
Elsewhere. The following year they chose For Love and Honor and to begin life anew as an associate producer at WJM warmed my
AfterMASH (two notorious duds) as breakout hits. But overall, their heart. And it was obvious to me that mental patient Buddy (“I’m
prediction rate was pretty solid. feeling much better now”) from Night Court was simply Gomez
Addams in his later years. Sure, the characters’ names changed, but
I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER we TV fanatics… we knew. We knew.
I’d bet that at least 95% of RetroFan readers know the rush of Although their original purpose was to give us a sneak peek
completing a collection, that satisfied flash of pleasure that comes into the future, TV Guide Fall Previews are a terrific time capsule
when you find that Holy Grail you needed for the final piece of a of television’s past. I look through them
set you’ve been working on. So, after filling in the holes for years, often… that is, when I’m not watching
imagine the sense of fulfillment that came over me when I found retro TV.
a copy of the 1955–1956 Fall Preview, the last one I needed to
complete my set of over 60 Fall Previews. MICHAL JACOT is a writer and illustrator
TV Guide has been a mainstay in my home for my whole living in Michigan. He believes Paul Lynde on
life, and I still eagerly look forward to the Fall Preview every The Hollywood Squares is the funniest man
September. In addition to the rich, colorful history of television, I in history.

If your old man used to gripe that you’d
never learn anything with your nose
Too
glued to the boob tube, here’s your
chance to prove him wrong. (Father
Much
doesn’t always know best.)
The TV character played by actor
TV
Allan Melvin in Column One corresponds
to a TV show/episode in Column Two.
Match ’em up, then see how you rate!
COLUMN ONE
1) Sgt. Charley Hacker
2) Recruiting sergeant
3) Fred Plummer
4) Sam Franklin
5) Sam Pomerantz
6) Clyde Plaunt
7) Barney Hefner
8) voice of Drooper
9) Hotel detective Bardoli
10) Arthur “Art” Miller

The Andy Griffith Show; Archie Bunker’s Place; The
Dick Van Dyke Show; Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.; The Joey
Bishop Show © CBS Television Distribution. The
Banana Splits © Hanna-Barbera Productions. The
Brady Bunch © Paramount Pictures Television. All
Rights Reserved.

RetroFan Ratings
10 correct: Fine-Tuned RetroFan
Sock it to me, baby! I bet you know theme
I song lyrics too!
think my 7–9 correct: Rabbit-Eared RetroFan
boyfriend Dy-no-mite! You wasted your childhood with
the rest of us!
suffers from 4–6 correct: Fuzzy-Receptioned RetroFan
multiple Up your nose with a rubber hose ’til you spend
more tube time!
personalities...
0–3 correct: Tuned-Out RetroFan
Ya big dummy! Put down that book and go
watch some classic TV!
COLUMN TWO
A) The Brady Bunch
B) The Banana Splits

Adventure Hour
C) The Joey Bishop Show
D) The Dick Van Dyke Show
E) “Andy and Barney in the Big

City,” The Andy Griffith Show
F) “Barney’s Uniform,” The

Andy Griffith Show
G) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
H) “Howard’s Main Event,” The

Andy Griffith Show
I) Archie Bunker’s Place
J) “Ernest T. Bass Joins the

ANSWERS: 1–G, 2–J, 3–F, 4–A, 5–D, 6–H, 7–I, 8–B, 9–E, 10–C
Army,” The Andy Griffith Show
TwoMorrows 2023
www.twomorrows.com • [email protected]
THE
PACIFIC COMICS

COMPANION by STEPHAN FRIEDT & JON B. COOKE
Author STEPHAN FRIEDT shares the story of the meteoric rise of the Schanes brothers’ California-based imprint
PACIFIC COMICS, which published such legends as JACK KIRBY, SERGIO ARAGONÉS, STEVE DITKO, NEAL
ADAMS, MIKE GRELL, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, and DAVE STEVENS. From its groundbreaking 1981 arrival in
the fledgling direct sales market, to a catastrophic, precipitous fall after only four years, THE PACIFIC COMICS
COMPANION reveals the inside saga, as told to Friedt by BILL AND STEVE SCHANES, DAVID SCROGGY, and
many of the creators themselves. It also focuses on the titles and the amazing array of characters they intro-
duced to an unsuspecting world, including THE ROCKETEER, CAPTAIN VICTORY, MS. MYSTIC, GROO THE
WANDERER, STARSLAYER, and many more. Written with the editorial assist of Eisner Award-winning historian
JON B. COOKE, this retrospective is the most comprehensive study of an essential publisher in the development
of the creator’s rights movement. Main cover illustration by DAVE STEVENS. SHIPS NOVEMBER 2023!
(160-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $29.95
(Digital Edition) $15.99
ISBN: 978-1-60549-121-9
WORKING
WITH DITKO
Shade TM & © DC Comics.
by JACK C. HARRIS
WORKING WITH DITKO takes a unique and nostalgic journey through
comics’ Bronze Age, as editor and writer JACK C. HARRIS recalls his
numerous collaborations with legendary comics master STEVE DITKO!
It features never-before-seen preliminary sketches and pencil art from
Harris’ tenure working with Ditko on THE CREEPER, SHADE THE
CHANGING MAN, THE ODD MAN, THE DEMON, WONDER WOMAN, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES, THE
Star Guider TM & © Jack C. Harris.

FLY, and even Ditko’s unused redesign for BATMAN! Plus, it documents their work on numerous independent
properties, and offers glimpses of original characters from Ditko’s drawing board that have never been viewed
by even his most avid fans! This illustrated volume is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the creative
comic book process by one of the industry’s most revered creators, as seen through the eyes of one of his most
frequent collaborators! SHIPS OCTOBER 2023!
(128-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $24.95 • (Digital Edition) $13.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-122-6
THE CHILLINGLY
WEIRD ART OF MATT FOX by ROGER HILL
MATT FOX (1906–1988) first gained notoriety for his jarring cover paintings
on the pulp magazine WEIRD TALES from 1943 to 1951. His almost primitive
artistry encompassed ghouls, demons, and grotesqueries of all types, evoking
a disquieting horror vibe that no one since has ever matched. Fox suffered
with chronic pain throughout his life, and that anguish permeated his classic
1950s cover illustrations and his lone story for CHILLING TALES, putting them
at the top of all pre-code horror comic enthusiasts’ want lists. He brought his
evocative storytelling skills (and an almost BASIL WOLVERTON-esque ink line
over other artists) to ATLAS/MARVEL horror comics of the 1950s and ’60s, but
since Fox never gave an interview, this unique creator remained largely unher-
alded—until now! Comic art historian ROGER HILL finally tells Fox’s life story,
through an informative biographical essay, augmented with an insightful intro-
duction by FROM THE TOMB editor PETER NORMANTON. This FULL-COLOR
HARDCOVER also showcases all of the artist’s WEIRD TALES covers and inte-
rior illustrations, and a special Atlas Comics gallery with examples of his inking
over GIL KANE, LARRY LIEBER, and others. Plus, there’s a wealth of other
delightfully disturbing images by this grand master of horror—many previously
unpublished and reproduced from his original paintings and art—sure to make
an indelible imprint on a new legion of fans. SHIPS SEPTEMBER 2023!
RETRO INTERVIEW
Getting the Best of Bond
Trina P ark s
BY ANTHONY
TAYLOR
Fore ve r!
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) marked a return to form
and the end of an era for the James Bond franchise;
after producers refused to meet leading man Sean
Connery’s salary demands following You Only Live Twice,
he was replaced by Australian model George Lazenby
for 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. While the 1969
film is one of the best in the series, audiences just didn’t
take to the new guy onscreen. When Lazenby went
rogue and announced he wouldn’t return to the part
of the world’s most famous secret agent, producers
Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman found themselves
over a barrel; they needed a Bond, and quickly—a Bond
who could right the franchise’s sinking prospects as
the Sixties spy craze waned and drew its final breaths.
The duo lured a visibly aging Connery back for one last
hurrah as MI6 agent 007, and sent him stateside to
get to the bottom of a diamond smuggling ring that
smacked of old nemeses SPECTRE [Special Executive
for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and
Extortion; herewith Spectre—ed.]. Along the way, Bond
gets pulled into their bid to use the assets and influence
of reclusive billionaire Willard Whyte to hold the world
hostage with a killer laser weapon satellite made with
the diamonds.
Kidnapped by Spectre commander Ernst Stavro
Blofeld (who has been impersonating him), Whyte
has been imprisoned in a fabulous modern home in
the Nevada desert, watched over by a pair of lovely
but deadly jailers, Bambi and Thumper. The pair are
ultimately subdued after throwing Bond into the pool, but before Watch out, 007, here comes Thumper!
that they savagely—and stylishly—beat him to within an inch of Signed Trina Parks publicity photo from
his life. Gymnast Lola Larson acquits herself well as Bambi, but the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are
the real standout in the scene is Thumper, as portrayed by dancer Forever. © Eon Productions. Unless otherwise noted, all
and actress Trina Parks, who became the first Bond girl of color in images accompanying this article are courtesy of Anthony Taylor
this movie. and/or Trina Parks.

retro interview
DANCING QUEEN pher Donald McKayle, in whose company she had danced following
Trina Parks was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 26th, the return of the Dunham troupe from Europe. “That was the first
1947. The daughter of renowned Jazz saxophonist Charles Henry time I’d gone to Los Angeles, and I loved it!,” she says. “I loved the
“Charlie” Frazier, it was inevitable that she would eventually pursue weather, never liked the cold, so I stayed and created my own act
a career in the arts. Frazier was a Cotton Club regular, and played at the Ulysses Club in Beverly Hills, and that’s how I got an agent
for and with such luminaries as Cab Calloway, Jimmy Dorsey, Dizzy in Hollywood.” First up for Trina was a background part dancing in
Gillespie, Count Basie, and many more. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
From a very young age, Trina loved to Soon, she landed a co-starring part
dance. “My father started taking me to the alongside David Carradine and David
Brooklyn Academy of Music to start ballet McCallum, in an episode of Night Gallery
classes when I was about six,” she says. “He called “The Phantom Farmhouse,” directed
was out of town a lot [performing], but when by Jeannot Szwarc. “I didn’t have too much
he was home, he always made sure to take interaction with David Carradine except for
me there himself. I’ve been dancing ever the scene of all of us in the trees, but I really
since.” enjoyed working with both of them,” Parks
Continuing with her studies, she moved reveals.
into Jazz and African dance classes, eventu- Then came Bond. Trina got a call
ally auditioning for the High School for the from her agent, Marty Klein, saying the
Performing Arts (of Fame fame), to which she producers of Diamonds Are Forever were
was admitted enthusiastically. As she matric- casting the character of Thumper, and he
ulated there, she also began taking classes felt she might be right for it. “He knew I had
several afternoons a week at the Katherine dance experience but he didn’t know if I
Dunham school a few blocks away, where her knew karate,” she recalls. “So I said, ‘Yeah!
talents bloomed. Dunham was one of the I know Haitian karate,’ which I had learned
most popular dancers, choreographers, and from Ms. Dunham.” Klein forwarded her
dance teachers of the time. She originated bio, and she was interviewed, screen-
the role of Georgia Brown in the Broadway production of Cabin in tested, and producers Broccoli and Salesman were sold. They
the Sky. She and her dance troupe performed in many theatrical offered her the role that would be her signature performance. “I
shows and reviews both in New York and across the country, and had so much fun doing that part. And it was the first time I had
in motion pictures such as Star Spangled Rhythm, Pardon My Sarong been on a set where there was more than just a few people—there
(with Abbott and Costello), and Stormy Weather. Dunham became were a lot of people on this set!”
Trina’s mentor. Trina has high praise for producer Cubby Broccoli, director
“You always wish to be younger, but if I had been younger I Guy Hamilton, and especially stunt coordinator Bob Simmons.
would never have had the opportunity to study with Ms. Dunham,” “[Simmons] said, ‘I’m not a dancer, so show me what you have, show
she muses. “I feel so lucky that I was able to learn from her.” After me what you can do’, and that was for the shots where I was on
graduating high school, Trina joined the final iteration of the the floor stalking Sir Sean,” she remembers. The pair tried several
Dunham dance troupe, performing all across
the country and eventually spending a year
in Paris. Parks has been engaged as choreog-
rapher for the upcoming film Eartha Kitt C’est
Si Bon, a biopic of Kitt who was another of
Dunham’s protégés. Ashlee Olivia Jones will
portray Kitt, with Robert Beltran set to play
Orson Welles. As a dance instructor herself,
Trina has taught the Dunham technique
since 1970, honoring the legacy of Katherine
Dunham who passed away in 2006.
A part as a dancer in Martin Ritt’s film The
Great White Hope brought Parks to California
in 1970, under the supervision of choreogra-
Parks (RIGHT) with David Carradine

and David McCallum in a screen
capture from “The Phantom
Farmhouse,” Season 2, Episode 5 of
television’s Night Gallery. Original
airdate: October 20, 1971. © Universal.

retro interview
Parks poses in
character as
Thumper. © Eon
Productions.
Bond gains the

upper hand. © Eon
Productions.
(COLUMN ABOVE) Sean Connery’s reluctant turn at

Bond, 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, pitted the super-
spy against the fancy footwork of Trina Parks as
Thumper and Lola Larson as Bambi. © Eon Productions.
Poster courtesy of Heritage.
different combinations of moves and actions, and Broccoli and double and he really looked like him on camera!” Butler took all the
Hamilton picked what they liked for the scene. The company then punishment dished out by the ladies, including several wicked kicks
took the better part of two days to block all the movement and and judo tosses.
camera coverage and shoot the bulk of the scene before breaking The Elrod House in Palm Springs, California, was used for the
for the weekend, to return Monday for the final day of shooting in location, and the modernist masterpiece home kept cast and crew
the swimming pool. “Lola did all of her own stunts because she was entranced… and on their toes. “Those were all real rocks in the
a gymnast, my stunt lady had to do the dive into the pool because scene, the house was built on them. If anyone took a tumble the
I was SAG (Screen Actors Guild, the actors union) and Lola wasn’t wrong way, it could have been really dangerous,” Trina recalls. The
at the time, so she was performing ‘Taft-Hartley’ (a SAG permit circular, vault-like living space is as unforgettable as the action that
that producers file for non-union performers with special skills) takes place within it in the film. The house was designed in 1968 by
and she was just wonderful. Richard E. Butler was Sir Sean’s stunt John Lautner, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright, and commissioned

retro interview
become called “Blaxploitation”—a term coined by Junius Griffin,

president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch of the NAACP at
the time—ushered a new era of films into theaters which catered
to audiences predominantly of color. [Editor’s note: See RetroFan
#27 for a look at the Seventies Kung Fu craze and issue #10 for
a history of Shaft and Blaxploitaion.] Though Griffin meant the
term to be pejorative, many of the films were among the first to
show African-American characters as the protagonists rather than
villains, or worse—tertiary characters inserted for comic relief. The
great majority of Blaxploitation films were action films centered
around street life and crime, or horror movies. The proliferation of
available roles for people of color—and especially strong, dynamic
women—offered Trina new opportunities in the film business;
especially since she had just made history as the first black woman
in a James Bond film. And oh, by the way—she kicked Bond’s ass to
boot. Doors that would have never opened for her before Diamonds
Are Forever were suddenly opened… a bit.
Calls to her agent for her services became more frequent,
and she found she no longer had to audition for parts. She
appeared as both an actor and dancer on television, on shows
such as The Hollywood Palace and To Tell the Truth (as herself, the
first African-American Bond girl), and on variety specials for Dick
Shawn, film composer Michel LeGrand, and Telly Savalas (himself
a Bond alumni, from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), as well as
(LEFT) Parks commanded the screen as the sultry siren

Syreena in the 1975 Blaxploitation movie, Darktown Strutters.
© New World Pictures. (RIGHT) The women-in-prison action movie
The Muthers, from Roger Corman contemporary Cirio H.
Santiago, featured Parks as a high-kicking convict on the
run. © Dimension Pictures. Posters courtesy of Heritage.
by Arthur Elrod, a prominent interior designer at the time. Elrod

was killed in an automobile accident in 1974.
Sir Ken Adam, the late production designer whose work is
synonymous with the James Bond franchise, told journalist Ben
Williams that the home was “absolutely right for the film. It was
a reinforced concrete structure, very modern and fabulous,” he
explained. “I said, ‘This is as though I designed it. I don’t have to do
anything.’” (The amazing house was listed for sale recently, with
a $10.495 million dollar asking price.) Later, Trina would return to
Palm Springs, where she lived for eight years, performing in the
Palm Springs Follies.
THE BLAXPLOITATION CRAZE

Around 1972, America became inundated by films depicting heroes
and heroines from other cultures. The Kung Fu movie craze began
with the influx of martial arts films from China, and what would

retro interview
(TOP) Trina and (LEFT) Jayne Kennedy in The Muthers.

© Dimension Pictures.
(CENTER) Trina’s last movie role as of this writing was
in the 2012 vampire flick Immortal Kiss: Queen of the Night,
alongside Jerrell Pippens and Jonathan Davis. © Rapid Heart
Pictures. Courtesy of Anthony Taylor.
Dionne Warwick, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. She also made
appearances in the pilot for the series McCoy with Tony Curtis.
In 1975, Trina starred as Syreena, the leader of a gang of
tri-wheeled biker girls investigating the disappearance of her
mother in Darktown Strutters. The film might look like a typical
action picture of the time based on its poster, but because of
writer George Armitage and director William Whitney (a veteran
of many Westerns and Republic serials like Zorro’s Fighting Legion,
Mysterious Doctor Satan, The Adventures of Captain Marvel, and The
Crimson Ghost), Darktown Strutters became something more—a
cross between a Blaxploitation movie and a Keystone cops comedy
of the Thirties. Many modern reviews of the film posit a direct link
between it and Keenen Ivory Wayans’ I’m Gonna Git You, Sucka some
13 years later. “Over the top” hardly begins to describe it.
“It was fun to do. I got to play a few different characters, and
the crazy melodramatics,” Trina laughs. “I mean ,we got captured,
we’re in jail, and there are glitter curtains behind us!” She also
(BOTTOM LEFT AND RIGHT) A dynamite double dose of

Seventies-vintage publicity photos of Trina Parks, actress
and dancer. Courtesy of Trina Parks.

retro interview
enjoyed working with the cast, which included Magnum P.I.’s Roger The Muthers was Trina’s last film until 2012’s Immortal Kiss: Queen
Mosley, Stan Shaw, Dwayne Jesse (Otis Day from Animal House), of the Night, in which she played Amina, the queen of the vampires.
and the great Dick Miller. Produced by Gene Corman and released In between, she stayed busy on television, Broadway, and stages
through his brother Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, the film all around the world. These days she spends time with her
was a box office disappointment despite being ahead of its time in grandchildren, she works when she feels like it, and enjoys meeting
its treatment of adult subject matter including reproductive rights fans at conventions and events. Though dance is her first love, her
and race relations. connection with the James Bond franchise will always be what she
The following year, Trina set sail for the Philippines to co-star is known for most. It continues to resonate and have impact on her
with Jayne Kennedy, Jeannie Bell, and Rosanne Katon in The life 50 years later.
Muthers from prolific Filipino exploitation filmmaker Cirio H. “It has been so amazing to my life, my experience! I had no idea
Santiago, a regular Roger Corman collaborator on films such as what kind of impact we made at the time. I had no idea who Sean
The Hot Box, Savage!, and Ebony, Ivory & Jade. Once again the actress Connery was… I had never seen a James Bond film before. I didn’t
found herself behind bars, being exploited as a worker and inmate know what an iconic movie series it was,” she says. “I had no idea I
on a female prison farm. Caught up in a breakout, Trina’s character was the first black Bond girl until a friend called and told me when
Marcie sees a lot of action. the film opened. All ages and cultures and creeds come to me at
“Cirio was fabulous!” she recalls. “And he was very well known events and tell me how much they loved Thumper. It’s so humbling
in his country. We shot mostly on location in Manila and Batangas, and I love meeting all of them.”
and it was so hot there! I did all the stunts and fight scenes myself. Trina Parks was dynamite with James Bond… and beyond!
They were not as difficult as Diamonds—no diving over rocks.” The
foursome of ladies all became good friends and comrades in arms ANTHONY TAYLOR is a writer and film historian. His retro film
during shooting, and the film opened to decent reviews and did on high-definition media-review column “Apes on Film” appears at
well at the box office. In 2019, director Quentin Tarantino called it ATLRetro.com and NerdaltertNews.net. He is the author of Arctic
one of his favorite movies. He arranged a special screening of it at Adventure!, an Official Thunderbirds novel based on the iconic
his Los Angeles theater, the New Beverly, and had Trina, Jeannie television series by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson; The Future Was
Bell, and Jayne Kennedy in attendance for a question-and-answer FAB: The Art of Mike Trim; and articles and features for a host of
session with the audience. “That was the first time either of us had television and film magazines and publications.
seen it on a big screen,” remembers Trina.
SCOTT SAAVEDRA’S SECRET SANCTUM
The Life and Legend of

the Frito Bandito
BY SCOTT SAAVEDRA
The story of the Frito Bandito (a one-time cartoon mascot for Mitchell (World Trade Press, 2001) should give you a hint of the
Fritos corn chips), my father’s short stint as a Keystone Cop, and Frito Bandito’s final fate. He may not have been an active mascot
me meeting the widow of Pancho Villa all happened within the for long, but he refused to leave the party for longer than anyone
space of a few years. The events, disconnected though they may expected.
seem, are related by forces beyond my control. Actor Ricardo
“Khaaaaaan!” Montalbán makes an appearance, as do a couple of THE COMING OF THE BANDITO
extremely honked–off bulls and Mae West’s apartment (but not The Frito-Lay company, makers of yummy Fritos corn chips and
all at the same time, I mean, be real). Also, there is a hairbreadth other salty snacks, had hit a bad patch of publicity in the Sixties
escape from jail and a futile hunt for a bandit. that they wanted to put in the memory hole. There were claims
Corn chip background: Mx. Granger/Wikimedia.
I will not be making any of this up. against the company for overcharging smaller business partners,
Here at the Secret Sanctum, a lot of time is spent thinking about indictments for extortion, and a grubby little episode involving
the past. Most memories make me smile or make me shake my peanut oil (it was an
head, dumbfounded. The Frito Bandito story manages both. Smiles attempt to corner Frito-Lay’s Frito Bandito quickly
because the Frito Bandito’s commercials had a catchy jingle [see the market—what became a large headache for the
RetroFan #25 for more catchy commercial jingles—ed.], and I shake were you thinking popular snack company. Production
my head because, boy, the minds behind this cartoon mascot really of?). Management cel from an animated commercial,
weren’t reading the room (the room being the Sixties). The fact that felt that the compa- circa 1969. © Frito-Lay North America, Inc., a
his appearance made the pages of A Short Course in International ny’s reputation Division of PespiCo (herewith Frito-Lay). Courtesy of
Marketing Blunders: Learn from the Mistakes of Others by Charles needed a spit-shine, Heritage.

scott saavedra’s secret sanctum
and Fritos corn chips became a part of that effort. Frito-Lay both
retired its first mascot, the Frito Kid, and introduced the Frito
Bandito in 1967.
The Bandito was dressed in a simple white outfit and armed
with a couple of pistols. He had two bandoliers wrapped across
and around his chest. His smile was menacing, highlighted by a
gold tooth, and adorned with a long, pencil-thin mustache. He
was unshaven and wore a large sombrero. He spoke with a very
exaggerated South of the Border accent. And—at gunpoint—the
Bandito wanted to take your Fritos, which he liked because they
were “croonchy.”
And now, the jingle:
Ay, ay, ay, ay! I am dee Frito Bandito. I like Frito’s corn chips. I love
them, I do. I want Frito’s corn chips, I’ll take them from you.
The jingle is sung to the tune of the traditional Mexican song

“Cielito Lindo” (also know as the “Ay-ay-ay-ay” song), and it or Screen capture of an early Frito Bandito commercial for
variations were heard in various Frito Bandito commercials. kids. The “Ai Yi” is spelled phonically. © Frito-Lay.
The target audience was kids. The jingle was just a happy, easily
repeatable song that was supposed to pop into our heads when we
saw a bag of Fritos corn chips. And it did. The reaction was strong Promotion, a trade publication, reported in its September 1969
enough that Frito-Lay expanded the advertising campaign beyond edition that American Motors pronounced with a straight face
commercials on children’s programs toward a general audience. that its offensive characters were not Mexicans, but rather Turks or
The Frito Bandito was not particularly unique in the advertising maybe Hungarians.
world. Other companies used exaggerated Mexican or other But here’s the key thing about cartoon mascots and selling
Latino characters selling their products, too. Bill Dana, in the guise product: You want an appealing character that makes consumers
of his popular Bolivian “José Jiménez” character, shilled for the think positively about your product. If we learned anything during
Yellow Pages. Mexican-style bandits appeared in commercials for the Sixties is that voices for better, fairer representation were
products like cigarettes and underarm deodorants (“If it works for growing and getting louder.
them, it’ll work for you”). The Frito Bandito was designed, first and foremost, to provide
Responding to growing concerns about his dimwitted Latino char- a positive association to corn chips. It’s true that all cartoon
acter, Dana, who was of Hungarian Jewish “extraction” (as we used characters are exaggerations or simplifications of one sort or
to say), announced the end of “José Jiménez” at a Mexican-American another. But the Bandito (more properly “bandido” in Spanish)
pride festival in 1970, performing as his career-defining creation was a “cute” rendition of a Mexican revolutionary, circa 1910–1920
only one more time after that. Dana also wrote the “Sammy’s Visit” of which Pancho Villa was the most famous. Villa was beloved by
episode of All In the Family (you know,
the one where Sammy Davis, Jr. kisses
bigot Archie Bunker—television’s other
big biracial kiss of my youth).
American Motors was another
company knocked for its use of bad
cultural stereotypes in its ads, but
denied the claim. Advertising and Sales
(RIGHT) Pancho Villa in popular

culture: Publisher Avon’s Pancho
Villa one-shot comic book (Nov.
1950), with cover art by painter
of presidents Everett Raymond
Kinstler; and the poster for the
Wallace Beery picture Viva Villa!
(1934), the second time the actor
portrayed the bandit, having
previously done so in the silent
film Patria (1917). Viva Villa! © MGM.
Courtesy of Wikimedia.

some as a hero who helped remove a dictator from power… but he companies acted more swiftly in removing unwelcome depictions
was also a thief, a kidnapper, and a killer (just sayin’). Villa’s violent
of Mexican-Americans and Latinos.
reputation was such that my wife Ruth’s paternal grandfather Frito-Lay was a very successful company. It was a combination
was released from a Mexican jail along with another American of two snack producers, the Frito Company (makers of Fritos corn
national (there is a story here, but no one in the family knows it)chips) and H. W. Lay & Company (makers of Lays potato chips), that
because it was rumored that Villa and his men were heading to merged in 1961. Four years later, Frito-Lay became a subsidiary of
town. The jailer was afraid that the Americans would be killed, so the Pepsi-Cola Company, which then became PepsiCo. Like many
he let them go. success stories, the rise of the Frito-Lay company is a tale of pluck
Villa actually attacked America. In March 1916, his forces hit and luck. And that tale begins with a desire to go home to Mexico.
Columbus, New Mexico, a border town. Some two-dozen American San Antonio, Texas, resident Gustavo Olguin wanted to return
military and civilians were killed or wounded. Villa lost about oneto Oaxaca, a Mexican state. Not much is known about Olguin, a
hundred of his men. cantina or restaurant owner (accounts vary) who may have had a
Within the week of the attack, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson business partner, name unknown. For his customers he created a
sent Brigadier General John J. Pershing on what was originally fried corn chip made from masa, the same type of dough used for
called the “Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army.” Included in the expedi-
tamales (hmmm, tamales). Along with the recipe he had a list of
tion were Pershing’s aide, Lt. George S. Patton (yeah, that guy from
clients and a customized potato ricer for making the chips. Olguin
World War II) and Capt. Nolan W. Ferguson, later to become my placed an ad in the July 10, 1932 edition of the San Antonio Express:
“Corn chips business for
sale, a new food product,
making good money. Must
sacrifice.”
Nearby, Charles Elmer
Doolin, whose family
owned a confectionary
shop, wanted to diversify
his family’s offerings and
saw the ad. Doolin had
tasted Olguin’s chips before,
either while eating a sand-
wich or as part of another
dish (again, accounts vary).
Doolin paid Olguin the $100
(about $2,200 in today’s
dollars) asking price, using
money loaned to him from
his mother after she sold
her wedding ring.
Doolin made improve-
ments to Olguin’s recipe
and equipment. Originally,
the chips were produced
in his parents’ home, with
family members providing
labor. They were marketed
as something to add to
recipes but really took off
when sold as a separate
snack. The Frito Company’s
(LEFT) Fritos magazine advertisement, circa 1970. success led it to buy compa-
(RIGHT) A Fritos magazine ad from 1949, aimed at families and minus mascots. nies with food-canning
© Frito-Lay. Via Archive.org. expertise. This, in turn, led
to Doolin wanting to see if
wife Ruth’s great-grandfather. The Expeditionary Force spent six “Mexican-Style” food in a can would sell, and it did.
months chasing Villa through Mexico but he evaded capture, which Doolin was always interested in new ways to promote his
only added to his legend at home. products. Fritos’ first mascot, the Frito Kid, appeared to be a child
The Villa-adjacent Frito Bandito quickly pushed enough buttons cowboy with blond hair that shot out dramatically from under his
that advocacy groups wanted the cartoon mascot withdrawn. cowboy hat and a tongue that was perpetually licking his lips. Kid
Frito-Lay was not willing to end the campaign even while other first appeared in 1952 and was designed to appeal to children, their

The slightly unnerving Frito Kid, the mascot that preceded

the Frito Bandito. © Frito-Lay. Courtesy Spacemountainmike/wikimedia.
and National Mexican-American Anti-Defamation

Committee (NMAADC), wanted better and more varied media
representation because they found it demeaning to be seen as
only sleepy peasants, bandits, and sexy señoritas. Frito-Lay did not
directly engage the groups or admit that they had done anything
wrong.
However…
Frito-Lay gave the Frito Bandito a bit of a low-key remodel. Gone
was the gold tooth. He became friendlier, clean-shaven, his accent
less extreme. His guns disappeared. It’s been claimed that the
assassination of Bobby Kennedy in 1968 was responsible for that
adjustment. And the Bandito straight-up stopped trying to steal
Fritos corn chips. He would now use guile and trickery.
target market. The Fritos Company was an early investor in Disney- A 1969 commercial featured the kinder, gentler Bandito as a
land, and opened the Casa de Fritos restaurant only a month after “parking attendant” on the Moon (you heard me), requesting that
the park itself opened in 1955. The Casa served “Mexican-style” the Apollo astronauts pay him with corn chips. At the time it was
food: Charles Elmer Doolin’s canned Mexican-style food. And, no considered risky to use the upcoming Moon landing in ads in case
surprise, Fritos corn chips. There you could buy the corn chips from something went wrong. Another commercial had the Bandito as
a Frito Kid audio-animatronic figure standing at a small mining a magician, using stage magic to turn the audience’s Fritos into his
operation. If you put a nickel in the appropriate slot, the Kid moved Fritos (that’s still stealing, right?).
its eyes back and forth and licked its lips, which I’m very certain had We RetroFans may not have noticed it at the time, but parts of
to look weird as heck. Then the Kid would call out to a miner named our childhood were quietly being put away. Buck-toothed Joe Jitsu
Klondike who, we are to believe, was busy mining “golden” corn and sombrero-wearing Go Go Gomez—both with exaggerated
chips deep in the earth. From these depths he shot a bag down a accents—from The Dick Tracy Show (1961–1962) vanished as the
ramp to the delighted purchaser (imagine having a fun experience cartoon was slowly pulled from syndication beginning in the
at Disneyland for only a nickel). The Casa de Fritos was next door to mid-Seventies for reasons similar to Disney keeping the movie Song
Aunt Jemima’s Pancake House. of the South out of active circulation. Looney Tunes’ Speedy Gonzalez
Where were we? Oh, yeah, stereotypes.
The Frito Kid was retired and headed off into the sunset (or
down into the mines with Klondike). Enter the Frito Bandito.
Promotional items:
THE BANDITO ARRIVES (RIGHT) Frito Bandito
The pedigree of the minds behind the Frito Bandito was top-notch. pencil topper. Similar
The advertising campaign was the creation of advertising agency promotional toppers
Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB); other FCB clients during this era exist for W. C. Fritos
included Coors Brewing Company, AT&T, and Mattel. The Bandito and the Muncha
was visualized by Tex Avery, an influential animation director who Bunch. (BELOW) A
was the king of high-energy Warner Bros. and MGM theatrical seed packet from 1969,
cartoon shorts where old-timey car horn “arroogah” sounds can featuring the Bandito.
be heard. At the time he was working on commercials for Cascade © Frito-Lay. Topper and seed
Studios, which animated the ads. Voice actor Mel Blanc (Bugs packet ourtesy of Worthpoint.
Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Barney of The Flintstones, etc. to
infinity) spoke for the Bandito, sounding much
like the Warner Bros. cartoon character Speedy
Gonzales, whom he also vocalized. More about
good ol’ Speedy in a bit.
In an early move in the campaign to
introduce the kids to their new mascot, a Frito
Bandito Club was created. Members were
known as “Little Banditos.” The membership kit
came with a cardboard mustache.
The groups with concerns about the Frito
Bandito, like Involvement of Mexican-
Americans in Gainful Endeavors (IMAGE)

cartoon character was also seen as potentially offensive and his My father noticed the demands for change as he and a partner
appearances were scaled back. attempted to start a magazine about this Mexican-American
As it happens, there are many Mexican-Americans who community, his community even if he had previously not paid
love Speedy Gonzales. I love Speedy Gonzales. Do you? (Yeah, much attention to it. The publication was called New Chicano
c’mon, you know you do.) In theatrical cartoons—his last was in magazine, “Chicano” being a term that was once derogatory to
1968—this small village mouse (albeit a hyper-fast one) always Mexican-Americans but later reclaimed. My dad was born in
bested the larger, stronger cat, Sylvester. Sure, Speedy appears in a America of Mexican parents. Spanish wasn’t spoken in our home
cliché Mexican village outfit complete with sombrero, but it works when I was growing up except by my California-born mom whose
because he’s portrayed as a capable hero. It’s not that nobody Irish-Scottish parents came from the Midwest. The less said about
notices his stereotypical appearance or his accent, but mainly he’s her Spanish, the better (love you, Mother). But the Sixties… boy,
a positive, winning character. He’s not that dissimilar from Bugs that shook things up. And I’m not exactly sure what changed for my
Bunny, who, I believe, is from Brooklyn. And not everybody from dad—I was too busy watching television—but something stirred
Brooklyn talks like the rabbit (they want us to believe). But Bugs, within him that allowed him to see that the country of his birth and
while being a rascally rabbit, is still the good guy and a little stinker the country of his parents
simultaneously. Wit and brains and some cartoon magic makes for had a joined value.
a fantastic character. Speedy may not be a primary Warner Bros. The process of starting
cartoon property, but he’s still around. a magazine, what little I
As the Frito Bandito continued to not go away, the groups saw of it, enthralled me. I
pushing for more positive and fairer representation like IMAGE and was able to see paste-ups
NMAADC tried to keep up the pressure. A member of Congress of spreads in progress
weighed in on the issue. Here’s a quote from the June 17, 1969 back when preparing a
Congressional Record, part of a (really long!) statement by U.S. magazine for print was a
Senator Joseph M. Montoya of New Mexico: very hands-on experience.
“This past year we have seen the Spanish-speaking American What investors there were
thrust upon us in nationally televised advertising as a ‘mañana- bailed and that was that
type’ revolutionary advertising L&M cigarettes; again as a for New Chicano.
Frito-bandito [sic]; and as an ignorant peon who calls the Yellow But there was real value
Pages ‘Jello Pages.’ The Spanish-speaking American appears in in the effort.
commercials, true, but never with dignity.” The magazine doesn’t
So now the Frito Bandito as a bad character was forever part of exist today beyond some
America’s Permanent Record. photographs and inter-
(ABOVE) Speedy
Gonzales is alive
and well in this
Mexican comic
book from 1987.
(LEFT) A Speedy
Gonzales model
sheet from 1960.
(BELOW) Speedy
Gonzales stars in
Dell’s Four Color
#1084 (Mar.–May
1960). © Warner Bros.

views my dad and his partner conducted with various Mexican-

American performers, including Ricardo Montalbán. RetroFans
most likely know Montalbán from car ads touting “Corinthian
leather” interiors, as Mr. Roarke of Fantasy Island, and as a vengeful
Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
(If you want a real treat, watch “The Night of the Lord of Limbo,”
Episode 15, Season Two of The Wild, Wild West. Montalbán, who was
born in Mexico, plays a magician and former Confederate (!) Col.
Noel Bartley Vautrain, a man with the ability to send people and
things to another dimension. His magic gestures are intense. I say
this respectfully. It’s certainly not the typical “Latin lover” type role
he wanted to avoid, so good on him.)
The Montalbán interview was recorded and then transcribed
longhand in pencil by my mother. The actor had founded a group
called Nosotros (meaning “us” in Spanish), along with Harry Darrow
(from The High Chaparral) and others who were vocal in the industry
about needing better roles for Latino actors. In the interview he
spoke of his group’s goals to lift Mexican-Americans and other Latin
minority populations up in the greater society, and, in doing so, he
mentioned my father’s magazine.
About New Chicano, Montalbán said to my father, “The oppor-
tunity is very clear. You and your magazine can do a great deal
of explaining and appealing to the pride of Mexican-Americans,
anyone with Mexican blood in them, and any Latin-American—we
have pride, thank God. We are not servile. We have a sense of
humility, but we are not servile.”
My dad was certainly disappointed to not have gotten New
Chicano out, but I’m pleased to get even this tiniest sliver of his
unfinished effort into print for the first time.
THE LAST ROUND-UP

More and more, Frito-Lay was feeling the heat. The company
conducted a survey that showed a super-majority of Mexican-
Americans thought the Frito Bandito was just fine. Why, some of
their best employees were Mexican-Americans (sadly, I am not (ABOVE) Having run out of monsters to encounter, Abbott
kidding). and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (Universal, 1955). © Universal
Pictures. Courtesy of Heritage. (LEFT) The author’s father dressed
as a Keystone Cop in preperation for a parade appearance
sometime in the early Seventies. He is surrounded by most
of his children. Courtesy of the author’s mother.
Activist groups began demanding equal time wherever

the Fritos commercials were shown, pressing their “Fairness
Doctrine.” Since there were only three major networks as
gatekeepers for national conversation, the doctrine grew out
of concern from the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to provide for opposing viewpoints to have access to the
public airwaves on matters of public importance. Not long after,
Frito-Lay caved.
It was announced that the Frito Bandito was no more.
And yet, believe it or not, we are still not finished with the Frito
Bandito. Nor, as it would turn out, with Pancho Villa, either.
In gathering interview subjects for his New Chicano magazine,
my dad had heard about a Mexican-American who had followed
Pancho Villa around as a cameraman’s assistant and translator to
Villa during the Mexican Revolution and had worked in the silent
film industry. His name was Edward LeVeque, an American of

French and Mexican heritage. Everyone called him Eddie,

but he was more commonly known as “The Last Keystone
Cop.”
The Keystone Cops (sometimes spelled “Kops”) comedic
film shorts were a product of the Mack Sennett Keystone
studio. Most often the Keystone Cops were background
characters played by various actors, including LeVeque.
After Sennett died in 1960, LeVeque acquired the rights to
the Keystone Cops name. Was this a great business move?
I can’t really say, but by the time my dad met the man, the
Keystone Cops were very old, old news. Abbott and Costello
Meet the Keystone Kops (1955) was pretty much the last
“major” screen appearance of the silent movie icons—and
they truly are—but they were played by stunt men and not
comics. The original name of the movie was going to be
Abbott and Costello Meet the Stuntmen. My dad, a lifelong film
fan, was intrigued by LeVeque and wanted to tell his story.
LeVeque wanted to tell his story, too.
One way LeVeque kept the Keystone Cops alive was by
having them appear as part of public events like parades.
My dad ended up as an honorary Cop for a couple of parades, one Perversion for Profit was a documentary from Citizens for
was the famous Rose Bowl parade held on New Year’s Day in the Decent Literature narrated by Los Angeles area newscaster
early Seventies, which we all excitedly watched from home trying George Putnam. The author and Putnam were technically
to see our dad. We didn’t. And the other parade somehow involved in a parade together.
George Putnam, a Los Angeles local news anchor and a well-known
lover of Dalmatians, in some fashion (the details escape me). For
reasons unknown I got to be in the parade and had to sit in a slow- something of the Frito Bandito. Another attempt at replacing the
moving car with my sister, waving at people along the parade route, Bandito was the Muncha Bunch, a group of Western cowboys with
while my father assayed the role of a Keystone Cop, pretending to boundary issues.
bop people on the head with a limp police baton. Speaking of Mae West, and we were, Eddie LeVeque showed
Two more things about George Putnam: Nationally he is better me how he could see her apartment from his backyard during a
known for hosting a notorious propaganda film Perversion for Profit visit. Kind of neat in retrospect, I guess, but I had no idea what I
in 1963 and was part of the inspiration for Ted Knight when creating was supposed to do with the information at the time. I was at his
his newscaster character Ted Baxter for The Mary Tyler Moore Show home with my parents to record an interview for the proposed
(nailed it—if you grew up watching TV in the Greater Los Angeles book about his life. We got a short tour of where the Sennett studio
area, the impression is hilarious). was (some of it still exists as a production studio next to a Jack in
A year after Frito-Lay claimed to abandon the Frito Bandito, he the Box and a Public Storage facility). The most striking memory
was still selling corn chips. A $610 million lawsuit for the “defama- that I carry from that visit is of the stacks of hand-painted title and
tion of character” of all of the Mexican-Americans in the country dialogue cards from silent movies stacked on end around the living
was threatened by NMAADC and other groups. The individual
awards would amount to $100 per each Mexican-American in the
country. The lawsuit never happened, and I didn’t get my 100 bucks
(that would have been 666 comic books in 1970). A painful loss to
me personally, for sure.
More condemnation in the press: Newsweek noted pointedly
that Frito-Lay seemed to be okay with offending a group as long as
profits weren’t being affected, and industry sources like Advertising
Age denounced the company’s “lack of good faith.” In 1969, Frito-Lay
brought out an alternate mascot based on W. C. Fields, who, as it
happens, is one of my all-time favorite old-timey film comedians.
His comedies with Mae West are legendary. He had a drinking
problem and a reputation for hating children (probably an act,
but still)… so who better to be the model for a cartoon mascot
aimed at kids? His name was W. C. Fritos, and he was the cousin or
W. C. Fritos, replacement for the Frito Bandito, in a 1973

commercial screen capture. © Frito-Lay.

and dining area. LeVeque’s wife in Beverly Hills), whose career began
Florence painted them. So cool. in 1923. “He’s so big on screen and
The LeVeque book never so small in person!” was my mom’s
came out, and the notes from the observation. And I got to meet Doña
interview were passed on to another Luz Corral de Villa, the last surviving
writer who wrote a chapter about Pancho Villa wife (he had four and
LeVeque for a book about old Holly- wasn’t fussy about exclusivity) at a
wood, possibly You Must Remember fundraiser.
This by Walter Wagner (Putnam, The least explicable fundraising
1975). One of my brothers thinks he event that my dad was involved in
has the original interview tapes, so was an attempt to bring Spanish-
maybe someday the Secret Sanctum style bullfighting to America. In a
will be able to share more about the regular bullfight, the bull usually
story of the Last Keystone Cop. doesn’t go home at the end of the
exhibition (if you take my meaning).
RIDING OFF INTO That’s illegal in America. So, the
THE SUNSET notion was to have a bloodless
The reign of the Frito Bandito was bullfight. In a bloodless bullfight,
formally, if quietly, ended in early the bulls get angrier and angrier
1971 after stations in Washington, over the course of the event until it
Oregon, and California banned the looks like the bullfighters won’t be
commercials and the NMAADC going home at the end of the exhi-
lawsuit was announced. The most bition. Basically, the day went from
generous defense of the Frito interesting to completely terrifying,
Bandito was that it was a misreading and I still live with the sound and
of shifting cultural currents. I don’t sight of a large bull slamming a
believe that anybody was being medium-sized bullfighter into a
evil. In his autobiography That’s Not wall (he survived, and the bull got a
All Folks (Warner Books, 1988), Mel stern talking-to).
Blanc explained why he chose the So was the whole Frito Bandito
accent he used for the Bandito. Long hoo-hah worth it for Frito-Lay?
ago he was enchanted by the accent As one company executive put it
of a man, part of the crew building to Advertising and Sales Promotion
his home, who spoke with a broad magazine in 1969 as criticism was
accent. And sure, that’s fine. But he growing, sales were not what “Frito
used that basic voice each time he has hoped.”
needed a Mexican character. There is The Frito Bandito has not been
no one Mexican voice any more than forgotten. Essentially an abandoned
there is only one American voice. (TOP) Cover to Accidental Ambassador Gordo by trademark, he appears in repro-
Blanc said he was hurt by the R. C. Harvey and Gus Arriola (University Press of ductions on buttons and T-shirts,
reaction to the Frito Bandito, and Mississippi, 2000). Arriola’s long-running comic and vintage Frito-Lay promotional
that “had it been another time” strip Gordo celebrated Mexico and its culture as few merchandise can be found on eBay
there’d be less “extreme sensitivity” other cartoons have. © EW Scripps. (ABOVE) In Season and the like. You might even be able
to the character. Well, yeah. I guess Two, Episode 4 of Arrested Development, the family’s to uncover a mint Frito Bandito Club
people didn’t complain about Aunt patriarch, George Bluth, created the Cornballer, kit and get yourself a cardboard
Jemima in “another time,” either. a device so dangerous it was banned in America. mustache.
That said, he was literally the “voice” But George kept selling the Cornballer in Mexico, My dad passed in 2001. At his
of my generation growing up. My where he earned the nickname “Frito Bandito.” funeral, a mariachi band played
fondness for his cartoon work is © 20th Century Netflix. traditional music under a tree on a
undiminished. hill.
I got to meet interesting Latinos
and Mexican-American creatives during the Seventies. We went to SCOTT SAAVEDRA is a Retro Explorer oper-
Monterey, California, to meet Gus Arriola, who created the comic ating from his Southern California–based
strip Gordo (it’s the Spanish word for fat), a positive look at Mexican Secret Sanctum. He is a writer (more or less),
culture, very rare during most of its run (1941–1985). We went artist (occasionally), and graphic designer
to Hollywood to see Bill Melendez at his eponymous animation (you’re soaking in it). Check out his Instagram
production studio that worked on the Peanuts animated specials of thing, won’t you, at instagram/scottsaav/
our youth. I met film star Gilbert Roland (born in Mexico and died

ANDY MANGELS’ RETRO SATURDAY MORNING
PART
3
BY ANDY MANGELS THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERFRIENDS

The blaring orchestra and William Woodson’s narration opened
Having debuted in 1973 on ABC Saturday mornings, the Super the new series on September 22, 1979: “It’s The World’s Greatest
Friends series had already gone through four iterations of the SuperFriends! Batman and Robin… Superman… Wonder Woman
show—and one brief cancellation—by 1979. And although DC’s and Aquaman… the Wonder Twins… banded together to protect
pantheon of Justice League members were well represented by the universe from the forces of evil. The SuperFriends! Dedicated
Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman— to Truth, Justice, and Peace for all mankind! The World’s Greatest
and aided by the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, with their space SuperFriends!”
monkey, Gleek—every new Fall season seemed to bring another The World’s Greatest SuperFriends series was one hour long, with
title change and another tonal switch for the heroes. the first half consisting of reruns from previous seasons (mostly the
From 1979 to 1983, though, the SuperFriends series—now with a half-hour episodes from the 1977–1979 seasons), and the second
single-word name—would not only undergo four different titles, half of it being a new 22-minute show. Scheduled early in the
but also saw syndication expand their market, the network cancel morning, World’s Greatest SuperFriends led into another show based
them again, and an animation studio committed to not let the
ending be “the end.”
In the last two issues, we examined the first two versions of Second revised title card for The World’s Greatest
Super Friends, ABC’s 13-year Saturday morning hit, and now we’ll SuperFriends. (TOP LEFT TO RIGHT) Apache Chief, the
look at the middle seasons. And watch for the next issue of RetroFan Atom, El Dorado, Black Vulcan, Samurai, and (BOTTOM
as Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning wraps up your guide to the LEFT TO RIGHT) Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman,
longest-running animated super-hero series ever! Superman, and Aquaman. © DC Comics.

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning
Hall of Justice interior background

painting. (BELOW) Superman in his
flying Supermobile. © DC Comics.
on a DC Comics property, The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show.

That series starred the stretchable hero who first appeared in 1941
adventures for Quality Comics, before being purchased by DC and
reintroduced in the pages of 1966 comics. He had also had a guest
appearance in the first season of Super Friends.
For reasons lost to time, Hanna-Barbera decided to produce
only eight new episodes for the World’s Greatest SuperFriends
season, about half of what a normal order would be. The choice
was made to do full-length stories that followed the core Super
Friends, as they had mostly done in the second half of the
Challenge of the SuperFriends stories. Interspersed between each
story were short interactive segments with the characters often
speaking directly to viewers: Safety, Health, and Crafts reels.
Sadly, these shorts were cut from the DVD
later release, and are not commercially
available.
Writer Jeffrey Scott wrote the scripts
for the World’s Greatest SuperFriends
episodes, though he took story direction
from comic-book creators Rick Hoberg and
Will Meugniot, as well as Don Sheppard,
Emilie Kong, and Larry Latham. Comic
artists Jack Kirby and Mike Sekowsky also
contributed character designs; although
Kirby wasn’t known at the time for the
mainstream DC characters, Sekowsky was
a longtime penciller of the Justice League of (LEFT) Jayna encounters the shrunken Bottle City of Kandor. (RIGHT) The fifth-
America series! dimensional imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk. © DC Comics.

Taking a page from Challenge, more lore from DC Comics mobile multiple times around the Earth (a nod to the time-re-
was incorporated in the storytelling, including the return of versing end of the film).
Superman’s flying Supermobile (for when he was depowered); his The stories for the season were mostly literary-based with the
Fortress of Solitude; and the Bottle City of Kandor (both making heroes facing an Aladdin-like evil genie on the planet Zaghdad,
their first appearance), a city of Kryptonians shrunken to ant-size. battling the space knights of Camelon—with Batman showing his
Superman villains Lex Luthor and fifth-dimensional magical imp proficiency in fighting with a lightsaber… er, “laser lance”—and
Mr. Mxyzptlk also bedeviled the heroes, and in a nod to the smash helping the trolls of Middle Earth capture a special ring to help
1978 theatrical Superman film, not only did Lois Lane (redesigned defeat an evil sorcerer and his dragon. A quartet of tiny super-
to more closely resemble Margot Kidder) and Jimmy Olsen make powered Kandorians helped some of the SuperFriends face the
an appearance (his only one), but so too did Luthor’s dimwitted evil Captain Nimoy and his watery plans for dominion, and when a
henchman Orville Gump, who looked and acted suspiciously descendant of Dr. Frankenstein created a rampaging Super-Mon-
exactly like Ned Beatty’s bumbling live-action Otis. Even Luthor’s ster—imbued with the powers of Superman and Wonder Woman,
underground lair from the film was used, including a familiar and the costume of Superman and Batman—Robin helped to save
hanging missile, and at one point, Superman flew his Super- the day.
FAST FACTS Lex Luthor in his then-current

comic-book look is up to no good
with his henchman Orville Gump.
© DC Comics.
© DC Comics.
HANNA-BARBERA’S THE WORLD’S

GREATEST SUPERFRIENDS
f No. of seasons: One
f Original run: September 22, 1979–September 27, 1980
f No. of episodes: Eight
f Studio: Hanna-Barbera Productions
f Network: ABC
PRIMARY VOICE PERFORMER CAST

f Bill Woodson: Narrator (ABOVE)
f Danny Dark: Superman Middle Earth
f Olan Soule: Batman versions
f Casey Kasem: Robin of Batman
f Bill Callaway: Aquaman, Orville Gump and Wonder
f Shannon Farnon: Wonder Woman, Lois Lane Woman. Gleek
f Louise Williams: Jayna remains Gleek.
f Michael Bell: Zan, Gleek (RIGHT)
f Stanley Jones: Lex Luthor Sometimes,
f Frank Welker: Mr. Mxyzptlk being a man
f Also featuring Marlene Aragon, Pat Fraley, Bob Holt, of steel really
James Reynolds, Stanley Ralph Ross, Michael Rye, and blows. © DC Comics.
Vernee Watson.

(LEFT) The Wonder Twins, Jayna and Zan, with Gleek are aghast. (RIGHT) Gleek dresses for Drag Monkey Story Time. © DC
Comics.
In a season in which nearly every episode had duplicates of the

heroes or transformations into trolls or monsters, two stories took
the plot to the extreme. In “Universe of Evil,” Superman accidentally
switches to a parallel universe in which the SuperFriends are
the rotten-to-the-core “Super Enemies!” You can tell they’re evil
because Aquaman has an eye-patch, Robin has a moustache,
Wonder Woman has wrinkles, and all the costumes are dingy
colors. The final show for the season, “The Planet of Oz,” found Mr.
Mxyzptlk casting three heroes into the otherworldly realm of
L. Frank Baum’s fictional creation, and turning Wonder Woman
into the Lion, Superman into the Tin Man, and Aquaman into the
Scarecrow!
In addition to the other Justice League members being
missing—and the Hanna-Barbera diverse super-heroes out—one
peculiarity for this season was that almost every show had a reason
for characters to be absent. The Wonder Twins went on a visit to
their home planet of Exxor, Superman and Wonder Woman went
(ABOVE) Super Enemies Wonder Woman and Aquaman on a space mission for one show, and Aquaman visited Atlantis in
in “Universe of Evil.” (BELOW) SuperFriends in the land another.
of Oz: Superman is the Tin Man, Wonder Woman is the The World’s Greatest SuperFriends ran through September 27, 1980,
Cowardly Lion, and Aquaman is the Scarecrow. © DC Comics. when it was transitioned into the next version of the show. One key
element of the series did make a later appearance
though: Hoyt Curtin’s main title theme was repur-
posed when Fisher-Price’s Imaginext toy line wanted
an animated short film to go on a DVD with one
of their toys. The result was 2010’s direct-to-video
animated short titled DC Super Friends: The Joker’s
Playhouse.
THE SUPERFRIENDS HOUR

For Fall 1980, the ABC series’ title was switched
to The SuperFriends Hour, although it was mostly
referred to that only internally, occasionally in
the press, or by the show’s announcer in episode
previews. On the television screens though, fans
only saw the title of SuperFriends. The new narration,
over a brighter-and shorter 30-second version of
1977’s The All-New Super Friends Hour, showed that the
diverse heroes were back in the game: “Superman…
Wonder Woman… Batman and Robin… Aquaman…

Black Vulcan… Samurai… Apache Chief! Together they form the

world’s greatest force of good ever assembled, dedicated to truth,
peace, and justice for all mankind! These are… the SuperFriends!” FAST FACTS
Eight new half-hour shows were produced by Hanna-Barbera;
each was split into a trio of seven-minute short stories, similar to
The All-New Super Friends Hour. Each of the stories generally featured
only three to four heroes, generally someone from the core group
and guest heroes from the Justice League. In addition to the return
of Hanna-Barbera–created Black Vulcan, Samurai, and Apache
Chief, viewers also saw the return of Flash, Atom, Hawkman and
Hawkgirl, Rima (the Jungle Girl), and Green Lantern. A few episodes
featured a first for any DC media adaptation: Batman without
Robin!
© DC Comics.
Familiar villains included Riddler, Bizarro, and Mr. Mxyzptlk,
while other elements from DC lore appeared, including Wonder
Woman’s mother, Queen Hippolyta; the Batcave (complete with
Bat-Computer and giant dinosaur); and the returning Supermobile HANNA-BARBERA’S THE
and Fortress of Solitude. Other menaces included an alien tribe SUPERFRIENDS HOUR
of Bigfoots, motorcycle gang Highway Angels, trance-inducing f No. of seasons: Three
Rock and Roll Space Bandits, Vampiress the Voodoo Vampire, f Original run: October 4, 1980–September 3, 1983
the Termites from Venus, the Incredible Crude Oil Monster, and f No. of episodes: 14
the IBN-created evil super-computer named Romac. One story f Studio: Hanna-Barbera Productions
guest-starred both General George Washington and Blackbeard f Network: ABC
the pirate!
With its first half full of reruns—the new shows aired in the PRIMARY VOICE PERFORMER CAST
second half-hour—The SuperFriends Hour a.k.a. SuperFriends ran f Bill Woodson: Narrator
from October 4, 1980 to September 19, 1981. At that point, ABC f Danny Dark: Superman
would have ordered another eight new episodes for another season, f Olan Soule: Batman
except the real world intruded. A 13-week strike of the Writers Guild f Casey Kasem: Robin
of America—from April 11 to July 12, 1981—disrupted all scripted f Bill Callaway: Aquaman, Bizarro
f Shannon Farnon: Wonder Woman, Lois Lane
f Louise Williams: Jayna
f Michael Bell: Zan, Gleek, Riddler
f Stanley Jones: Lex Luthor
f Frank Welker: Mr. Mxyzptlk
f Janet Waldo: Hawkgirl
f Mike Rye: Apache Chief, Green Lantern
f Jack Angel: Flash, Samurai, Hawkman
f Buster Jones: Black Vulcan
f Fernando Escandon: El Dorado
f Wally Burr: The Atom
f Also featuring Michael Ambrosini, Norman Alden,
Marlene Aragon, Lewis Bailey, Jared Barclay, Greg
Burson, Kathy Carver, Ted Cassidy, Melanie Chartoff,
Henry Corden, Regis Cordic, Peter Cullen, Takayo
Doran, Patty Dworkin, Richard Erdman, Al Fann,
Aileen Fitzpatrick, Ruth Forman, Pat Fraley, Peggy
Frees, Phil Hartman, Bob Hastings, Bob Holt, Jane
(ABOVE) Yet another James, Joyce Jameson, Morgan Lofting, Allan Lurie,
weird transformation Joyce Mancini, Larry D. Mann, Ken Mars, Ross Martin,
for Wonder Woman Amanda McBroom, Chuck McCann, Chuck McClen-
and Superman. (LEFT) nan, Julie McWhirter, Don Messick, Richard Paul, Vic
Madam, you are Perrin, Barney Phillips, James Reynolds, Andy Rivas,
attired in naught but Mike Road, Renny Roker, Paul Ross, Stanley Ralph
your patriotic corset! Ross, Dick Ryal, Rick Segall, Michael Sheeham, Andre
General Washington Stojka, Lee Thomas, Vernee Watson, Jimmy Weldon,
meets Wonder Woman. Lynnanne Zager, and Marian Zajac.
© DC Comics.

shows, including animation. Thus, Hanna-Barbera was only able The SuperFriends gather in the Hall of Justice in an epic
to go into production on the six shows they had completed at the pan shot. (LEFT TO RIGHT) Wonder Woman, Green
time of the strike. Even that was threatened because the Motion Lantern, Superman. Flash, Apache Chief, El Dorado, Atom,
Picture Screen Cartoonists Local 839—the animator’s union—was Aquaman, Black Vulcan, Robin, Batman, Samurai, and
threatening to strike the studios over “runaway animation” being Hawkman. © DC Comics.
sent to companies outside the United States.
ABC didn’t officially change the title, but what had been The
SuperFriends Hour was now, generally, called only SuperFriends.
Another change was perhaps a contractual one given the new
union rules for writers; the writers were credited on almost every
episode!
Another Hanna-Barbera hero was introduced in these shows,
though he only appeared in a few stories, and always alongside
Wonder Woman: El Dorado was a Mexican hero, meant
to provide even more cultural diversity. The hero
didn’t make his first appearance until the second
produced episode, in a seven-minute segment
titled “Alien Mummy.” He had strength, some
kind of growth power, telepathy, “hologram
vision” with which he could cast realistic
illusions, and his cape gave him the ability to
teleport. Interestingly enough, El Dorado
was added to the title card as of the second
episode, as well as receiving his
own quick name-check (ABOVE) Apache Chief can grow to unbelievable
and scene in the heights because... because he can. (LEFT) Black
opening Vulcan blasts his way toward danger. © DC Comics.

Samurai
wields his
energy
sword. © DC
Comics.
El Dorado
rescues
Superman
and Wonder
Woman. © DC
Comics.
credits (replacing some of Apache Chief’s time). The first episode I created a character that went deep into the history of Spain and
had the same opening as the previous season, though the end Mexico, the mythology of the past. He wasn’t the stereotypical
credits for all six were new. Mexican. It was kind of the combination of a lot of Spanish cultures.
Writer David Villaire was the creator of El Dorado. In an I remember giving this character a lot of power and he was admired
interview with Marc Tyler Nobleman, Villaire wrote, “One of the by the others.”
producers said we’re thinking about adding a Latino character— El Dorado was not the only powerful hero, as Samurai, Apache
can you come up with ideas? I said sure. I thought of the name Chief, and Black Vulcan were all “powered up,” saving the regular
right away. I put together his super-powers. I threw some premises DC heroes multiple times, and even the entire Earth once or twice.
together. They bought the whole thing… They were getting a Samurai got a glowing green energy sword and could become
growing Latino audience and there was no Latino Super Friend… fire, Apache Chief could grow almost 1/3 the size of the Earth, and

Black Vulcan could survive in space with only a face-mask and his episode’s writer, Michael Reaves, would admit to recycling the
bare-legged costume. Still, the heroes were important. It was a plus exact same plot for an issue of the Superman Adventures comic
for young viewers of color to finally see themselves represented book years later). Weirdly, one episode “The Iron Cyclops,” makes
as heroes in anything other than a Filmation show (that company a dreadful dark joke that flew past the censors. Superman stops a
had been featuring multiple ethnicities in its show casts for over a truck labelled “Gacy’s Boy Wear”; serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who
decade). had preyed on young males, had been sentenced to death shortly
As with the first season of this incarnation, each entry began before this episode was created.
with a trailer for the three episodes to follow, and ended with Repeating from 1977, the half-hour animated series, The New
one of eight new Health, Safety, and Craft tips. Sadly, these too are Adventures of Batman, was also on the air on Saturdays from
missing from later home-media releases… made more frustrating Filmation, giving fans the chance to watch the Dynamic Duo
because several of them were hosted by Samurai, Apache Chief, or twice those days; it was a segment on NBC’s Batman and the
Black Vulcan. Super 7 anthology series, which ran from September 12, 1980
A few elements of note happened this season: Apache Chief is to September 18, 1981. [Editor’s note: See RetroFan #15 for Andy
revealed as only one of other super-powered Native Americans, Mangels’ Super 7 history.]
as Walking Eagle can transform into an eagle; Casey Kasem Although it is possible that six new half-hour SuperFriends
breaks out his Shaggy voice from Scooby-Doo for one scene where debuted on September 12, 1981, this is based on other shows
the Riddler turns Robin stupid; and the villain Zycree from the starting their runs then, and not on any evidence (internet sources
Phantom Zone not only looks and dresses like General Zod from are notoriously wrong with animated airdates). What is clear is
the Superman films, but he’s named after writer Marc Scott Zicree, that SuperFriends remained an hour-long series (including reruns)
who wrote one of the episodes this season (the Phantom Zone until October 18, 1981, after which it was preempted regularly by
(ABOVE LEFT) Superman battles

a General Zod look-a-like named
Zycree (named after SuperFriends
writer Marc Scott Zicree).
(ABOVE RIGHT) The sign on the
truck (“Gacy’s Boy’s Wear”) is an
unusually dark reference for a
kids’ show as John Wayne Gacy
was a convicted serial killer of
young boys. (RIGHT) Batman and
Robin are the prisoners of the
Legion of Doom. (BACK LEFT TO
RIGHT) Toyman, Gorilla Grodd,
Solomon Grundy, Sinestro, Lex
Luthor, and (FRONT LEFT TO
RIGHT) Giganta, Captain Cold,
Brainiac, Black Manta, Riddler,
and Cheetah. © DC Comics.

NCAA Football until December 13, then continued to May 29, 1982.
Beginning June 5th, the show was cut to a half-hour, and the writing
was on the wall.
Hanna-Barbera made the decision not to order any new
episodes of SuperFriends for the 1982–1983 season, instead choosing
to air half-hour reruns from the 1977–1979 catalogue under the
title The Best of the SuperFriends, although nobody ever used that
name except internally. The shows aired were only the 22-minute
episodes; none of the seven-minute shorts were used. The series
limped along until September 3, 1983 when the last ABC airing of
SuperFriends as fans knew it, was shown.
MEANWHILE… IN THE PAGES OF THE COMICS

Before we get to “what came next?” we would be remiss not to
mention the other major incarnation of Super Friends: the comic-
book series! Under an imprint called “DC TV”—which also featured
Shazam!, Isis, and Welcome Back, Kotter—DC Comics published Super
Friends beginning in November 1976. Super-fan-turned pro writer/
editor E. Nelson Bridwell wrote the series, which followed both the
animated continuity (loosely) and DC comic-book continuity (more
firmly). Bridwell was a natural choice; he had functioned as DC’s
story advisor to Hanna-Barbera for the animated series. Longtime
DC artist Ramona Fradon was tapped as the series regular artist
(although Ric Estrada penciled the first two issues).
Though it was supposedly aimed at younger readers,
throughout its four-year run Super Friends led readers throughout
the DC universe, and introduced its own set of multicultural
heroes. A one-shot treasury edition of Super Friends was produced
by DC in late 1975 [published as Limited Collectors’ Edition
#C-41—ed.]. A framing story by E. Nelson Bridwell
featured art by Alex Toth (who had, of course, designed
the animated series), and it showed the introduction of
Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog to the Super Friends…
known more specifically as the Justice League here.
The comic itself was more cleanly drawn than other DC
books at the time. Ramona Fradon said that, “I think they
figured it was aimed at a younger audience and my style
is pretty open and simple and I think they felt it was good
for a younger audience. They wanted something that
would vaguely approximate TV, you know, the simplicity
of animated drawing so I think that’s why they picked me.”
The series had a key element from Bridwell: a letters
page, here titled “Super Fans.” In it, he obsessively
detailed how he made sense of Wendy and Marvin’s
historical relevance to the DC Universe, and recapped
the origins of the heroes and villains of the series for new
readers.
Super Friends #7 (Oct. 1977) was a continuity-shaking issue, as Adventures of comic-book characters turned into
it introduced the Exorrian Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna and their animated cartoons and then returned to comic books.
space monkey, Gleek. Although some sources claim that Bridwell Cover artists (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) Alex Toth,
created the Wonder Twins, he credits Norm Maurer and his team Ramona Fradon and Bob Smith, and Ernie Chua. © DC Comics.
at Hanna-Barbera for the duo in the text page in Super Friends #9. Original cover art courtesy of Heritage.
However, Bridwell was excited to have costumed, super-powered
teenagers to use in his series. “Here was just what the mag needed,”
he wrote. “A change of direction to bring it into line with the other Issue #7 also debuted four new multicultural heroes: the Seraph
DC books. I saw many possibilities. The kids would be new to Earth; (Israel), Godiva (England), Impala (South Africa), and Owlwoman
they’d have to learn about it gradually—as the TV show could (Oklahoma). As if that wasn’t enough, it also guest-starred JLA
never depict.” members Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Green Arrow,

Elongated Man, and Flash! The following issue introduced more

foreign heroes: Rising Sun (Japan), Jack O’Lantern (Ireland),
Tuatara (New Zealand), Bushmaster (Venezuela), and Thunderlord FAST FACTS
(Taiwan). Issue #9 concluded the three-part story, and
introduced Tasmanian Devil (Australia), Little Mermaid
(Denmark), the Olympian (Greece), and Ice Maiden
(Norway). This story also saw the exit from the series
of Wendy and Marvin as they went off to college, while
Zan and Jayna became super-hero trainees.
Bridwell refused to write in the Hanna-Barbera-
created multicultural heroes from the TV realm. In
#20’s letters column, he wrote, “Black Vulcan seems
little more than a hyped-up version of our own Black
Lightning, Apache Chief an Indian version of Colossal
Boy, and Samurai? His power seems rather vague,
© DC Comics.
though last season he was turning into anything
he said in Japanese. Must make it hard to carry on a
conversation in his native language—or to order in a
Japanese restaurant.” It was one of the many jabs he took at the HANNA-BARBERA’S SUPERFRIENDS
animated series; if fans watched his comments carefully, they could f No. of seasons: One
tell that he didn’t actually like working with Hanna-Barbera very f Original run (Australia): September 1983–September
much, and preferred to write his own ideas. 1984
The Super Friends series continued through issue #47 (Aug. 1981), f Original run (U.S.): 1995–? (USA Network)
during which time the heroes had met heroes from many other f No. of episodes: Eight
countries. Many of those characters were later brought into a group f Studio: Hanna-Barbera Productions
at DC called “Global Guardians,” and a few of them are in use today. f Network: ABC
The Wonder Twins also were used throughout the next decades
at DC, and recently appeared in their own excellent maxi-series. PRIMARY VOICE PERFORMER CAST
(For much more about the Super Friends comic, check out the f Bill Woodson: Narrator
TwoMorrows magazine Back Issue #30, where I take a deep dive into f Danny Dark: Superman
that series.) f Olan Soule: Batman
f Casey Kasem: Robin
SYNDICATION AND CANCELLATION f Bill Callaway: Aquaman, Bizarro
Back to TV… f Shannon Farnon: Wonder Woman, Lois Lane
Part of the reason that ABC quit the SuperFriends gig was due to f Louise Williams: Jayna
the staggering amount of material that had been produced to that f Michael Bell: Zan, Gleek
date: 58 hours of the show had been produced! f Stanley Jones: Lex Luthor, Jor-El
“SuperFriends not only saw a number of iterations, but it also f Frank Welker: Mr. Mxyzptlk
experienced some ups and downs with ABC, the network that f Janet Waldo: Hawkgirl
broadcast the show,” says Michael Swanigan, a Hanna-Barbera f Michael Rye: Apache Chief, Green Lantern
artist and animation historian. “The show was first cancelled after f Jack Angel: Flash, Samurai, Hawkman
one season but was saved by strong ratings for its reruns. It was f Buster Jones: Black Vulcan
then cancelled again after the 1982–1983 season (which had already f Fernando Escandon: El Dorado
only been consisting of repeats, as The Best of The SuperFriends), f Wally Burr: The Atom
which had never really aired any new episodes. Hanna-Barbera put f Jerry Dexter: Superboy
together a syndicated package of the series’ earlier episodes, but f Victor Perrin: Sinestro
ABC decided not to finish with them.” f Stanley Ralph Ross: Gorilla Grodd, Brainiac
The syndication package was assembled by Lexington Broad- f Jimmy Weldon: Solomon Grundy
casting Services Company, Inc., also known as LBS. The company f Joanie Gerber: Giganta
had been founded in 1976, and often bartered for time with smaller f Also featuring Marlene Aragon, Jared Barclay, Philip
syndicated television stations which were not network affiliates. Lewis Clark, Peter Cullen, Jeff Doucette, Fernando
The syndicated stations could—and did—usually air animated fare Escandon, Brian Fuld, Nicholas Guest, John Hostetter,
either every weekday morning, before kids were going to school, or Erv Immerman, David Joliffe, Zale Kessler, Bill Mar-
in the afternoons, after the kids got home. tin, Pat Parris, Patrick Pinney, Tony Pope, William
LBS contracted with Hanna-Barbera to syndicate the Super Ratner, Andre Stojka, Robert Strom, Matthew Tobin,
Friends/SuperFriends series from 1982–1985, with guaranteed Janis Ward, Jeff Winkless, and Marian Zajac.
ads, contests, and cereal-box prizes from General Mills cereal
company. The company edited all of the episodes, cutting some

of them completely, removing most of the An industry trade ad usually

short tips and trailers, and chopping the unseen by regular viewers
hour-long first-season episodes down into announcing the syndication of
half-hour stories. half-hour SuperFriends episodes.
In total, what LBS offered was 110 half- © DC Comics.
hour shows, to start in fourth quarter 1982
in certain markets (Los Angeles, Chicago,
and Philadelphia among them), then All of the episodes were written by
expanding to nationwide coverage in April Jeffrey Scott. Scott reunited the Legion
1983. The early stations did well with the of Doom for one amazing episode, as
series, as confirmed by the November 1982 well as featuring individual villains
Nielsen Report on Syndicated Programs; such as Grodd, Giganta, Bizarro, and
SuperFriends was the #2 syndicated show Brainiac from the Legion of Doom.
in the nation, beating out The Flintstones, Other DC comic-book elements
Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, The Pink included Mr. Mxyzptlk coming back
Panther, Tom & Jerry, The Brady Bunch, The again, the return of the Supermobile,
Muppet Show, and Happy Days Again. The Superman encountering his parents
only show to beat it? That would be another Jor-El and Lara, and Superman
Hanna-Barbera series, Scooby-Doo! teaming up with his younger self,
In the major markets from Fall 1982 on, Superboy! The opening credits for this
SuperFriends had gone from only airing on season are identical to those of the
Saturday mornings on ABC to a six-days-a- previous SuperFriends series, but the
week audience on ABC and syndicated stations. As ABC saw it, their end credits have a new backdrop of the Hall of Justice building.
own reruns were essentially rendered worthless by the syndicated One short, “Bulgor the Behemoth” is based on an in-joke. At
programming, and thus, the network made the decision to drop Maurer Animation Studio (named after animation producer/writer
the series from the 1983–1984 Saturday morning line-up as of Norman Maurer), writer “Jeff” (Maurer’s son, writer Jeffrey Scott) is
September 3, 1983. asked by his boss Ray (probably supervising director Ray Patterson)
SuperFriends was officially cancelled for the second time… when he’s going to go home. Shortly after, while writing an episode
…except, it wasn’t. of his cartoon, a strike of lightning turns him into a raging monster.
It is unknown if Scott and Patterson voiced themselves.
THE (LOST) SUPER FRIENDS Although the eight episodes of this season were not broadcast
“Hanna-Barbera kept putting out fresh episodes, either in the hopes in the United States, if you were a fan in Australia—and some
of getting another renewal or perhaps in the hope that they would other countries—there was no gap in airing. The shows aired in Fall
entice a future syndication contract,” says Michael Swanigan of one 1983, just as they would have if the series had not been cancelled
of the most unprecedented events in animation history. Hanna-Bar- in America! “The 1983 episodes weren’t even broadcast in America
bera moved forward on eight new half-hour episodes of SuperFriends, until a select few of them were included in the 1984 season of Super
even though they didn’t know where, or when, they were going to air. Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show,” says Michael Swanigan.
Although there have been television episodes produced before that “Until the USA Network aired a collection of DC Comics cartoons
didn’t air, in television history, it’s hard to find an entire
season that was produced with no promise of airing!
Although some sources claim that Hanna-Barbera
did this alone, in a Back Issue interview Swanigan’s
occasional co-writer and animator, the late Darrell
McNeil, said that “Hanna-Barbera did nothing about
the Super Friends without ABC’s approval… or money,
since they financed the show. The network ended up
not using them? Why? Don’t know… and we didn’t care…
we got paid!”
Each of the eight new half-hours was similar to the
final season of SuperFriends, with three seven-minute
segments. The middle section always saw the Wonder
Twins teaming up with other characters. In addition to
the core five members, Justice Leaguers Atom, Flash,
Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl appeared,
though that latter heroine was saddled with a hideous “Bulgor the Behemoth” featured a character based on
new costume. Hanna-Barbera heroes Apache Chief, SuperFriends writer Jeffrey Scott, who turns into a monster
Black Vulcan, Samurai, and El Dorado reappeared as following a lightning strike. © DC Comics.
well.

A selection of SuperFriends
episodes collected for your
viewing enjoyment. © DC
Comics.
(including Filmation ones) in a series titled The Superman/Batman So, with SuperFriends dead and cancelled by the end of
Adventures in 1995, the totality of the 1983 episodes had never been 1983—and only airing in syndication—what would come next for
televised.” Hanna-Barbera and DC’s favorite band of super-heroes? Be sure
The Superman/Batman Adventures was a catchall anthology to tune in to the next issue of RetroFan as we complete our look
that mixed together animated adventures from throughout DC’s at the legendary animated shows and their tie-ins to the Super
animated history, whether from Filmation or Hanna-Barbera. Powers toy line!
Included in the mix were stories from the 1983 “lost” series. Fans We’ll see you next issue as we dive into the final seasons of Super
who weren’t aware of those shows’ existence were shocked to see Powers shows!
“new” stories! The Superman/Batman Adventures aired on USA from
1995 to at least 1999, and was also aired on Cartoon Network and For those who want a real examination of the minutia of each Super
Boomerang. Friends episode, I highly recommend the thick, two-volume The Ulti-
mate Super Friends Companion by Will Rogers with Billie Rae Bates,
ARCHIVED AT THE HALL OF JUSTICE available on Amazon.
Fans looking to watch any or all of these incarnations of SuperFriends Unless otherwise credited, artwork and photos are courtesy the
have a few options, although, sadly, they are not complete (they collection of Andy Mangels. Marc Tyler Nobleman’s website quoted with
are missing their Safety, Health, and Crafts shorts). SuperFriends: The permission above is at www.noblemania.com
Lost Episodes was released on DVD on August 11, 2009. The World’s
Greatest SuperFriends was released on DVD by Warner Home Video ANDY MANGELS is the USA Today
on April 23, 2013 as a Target exclusive, and on November 12, 2013 bestselling author and co-author of 20
at all retail outlets; both releases are titled SuperFriends: And Justice books, including the TwoMorrows book
for All on the covers. The SuperFriends Hour was released on DVD Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation
as Super Friends: A Dangerous Fate on July 23, 2013. The 1981–1982 Generation, as well as Star Trek and Star
season of SuperFriends was released as SuperFriends Legacy of Super Wars tomes, Iron Man: Beneath the Armor,
Powers on DVD on October 8, 2013, completing the entire series. No and a lot of comic books. He wrote the
explanation was ever given as to how or why Warner released Super bestselling Wonder Woman ’77 Meets the
Friends in such a haphazard way, but fans were delighted to finally Bionic Woman series for Dynamite and DC Comics, and six Fractured
have the shows in their original mostly unedited form. Fairy Tales graphic novels for Junior High audiences, released by Abdo
The four DVD sets are still available through retailers, but in Books in 2021. He is currently working on a book about the stage
June 2021, Warner released high-definition versions for HBO Max, productions of Stephen King, as well as Bookazine projects (available
digitally restored and looking better than they had when they were at any grocery store checkout) on Ant-Man, Iron Man, The Little
broadcast. Curiously, in addition to the missing Safety, Health, and Mermaid, Chadwick Boseman, and others. Additionally, he has
Crafts tips, many of these were also missing “Coming up on Super- scripted, directed, and produced Special Features and documentaries
Friends” intros. Whether these hi-def versions will ever be released for over forty DVD releases. His moustache is infamous. www.
on Blu-ray—or in complete form—is unknown, but for now, fans at AndyMangels.com and www.WonderWomanMuseum.com
least have choices.

RETROFAD
Nehru Jackets BY MICHAEL EURY

The Fab Four and the Rat Pack were both cool in their own way. But were derived from
other than fame, these Sixties celebs had very little in common. Indian meditation beads),
Except for their closets. as well as sandals. Indian music
Each of the Beatles and the Rat Pack’s Sammy Davis, Jr. and and philosophy accompanied the
Frank Sinatra wore Nehru jackets. trend. While briefly popular for the adventurous American dresser
So did James Bond, the Monkees, Riverdale’s Archie and Reggie, (including women), with Simplicity and other companies producing
late-night TV host Johnny Carson, and several super-villains. Nehru jacket sewing patterns,
Previously, the fashion norm for men in the Western world had the style was more popular in
been the traditional suit and tie. If you don’t believe me, ask Ward Jawaharlal the United Kingdom and of
Cleaver. Nehru. course in India than the U.S.A.
Courtesy of
But by the mid-Sixties, Ward’s monochromatic, button-down Heritage.
By the early Seventies, Nehru
“Pleasantville” was being shoved aside by a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod jackets’ popularity had peaked
world. Color television was becoming commonplace and and the style was passé.
offering viewers a window into faraway places. Western The wrinkle in this story
audiences became fascinated by Eastern culture, from is, the inspiration for the
martial arts (the subject of last issue’s “RetroFad”) to Nehru jacket technically never
fashion. wore one. India’s first prime
Enter the Nehru jacket, the hip, hip-length minister, Jawaharlal Nehru,
tailored men’s coat (sometimes with matching helmed the newly indepen-
slacks) with no lapels and a high, squared-off dent nation from 1947 to 1964.
“Mandarin” collar. Topping off the look for As reported on Utsavpedia.com,
many wearers was a men’s necklace with a “The eponymous upper-body
medallion, or beads. Even square ol’ Ward garments worn by Nehru
Cleaver would’ve looked with-it in this groovy during his public life are three
getup! in number: a kurta (tunic), and worn over it a bundi (vest)
According to Encyclopedia.com, the style’s in summer or an achkan in winter, variously also called jama in
origin stitches back to a collarless jacket offered Indian languages, and in Colonial English, Pharsi-fashion coat,
by clothing designer Pierre Cardin in his 1964 or long coat.” This tunic-topped look dated back to the 10th
“Space Age” collection. The look caught the eye of Century India. It became more visible to global audiences
Britmania music artists including the Beatles, who during the mid-20th Century when Prime Minister Nehru
began wearing tailored collarless suit jackets with interacted with other world leaders before the bright lights of
ties. Soon other fashion designers began modifying newspaper and television cameras. Helping pave the way for
Dr. Evil © Captain Action Enterprises. The Monkees © Rhino Records. Courtesy of Heritage.
the look with different fabrics including velour, and the inspiration of the Nehru jacket was a 1962 meeting between
the traditional men’s suit ensemble began to morph the prime minister and the United States’ resident fashion icon,
into a trendy shirt-centered look. “Formal dressing in First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
tunics à la Yves Saint Laurent and others provided What Prime Minister Nehru did by wearing what became
nonsuit alternatives for formal male attire,” his signature style was to wrestle from the Western world its
reported Encyclopedia.com. stranglehold on the suit and tie as the business standard.
You can thank the Beatles for propelling the Nehru While there’s an argument to be made that the pendulum
jacket into the forefront of fashion after has swung too far (come on, people—do you really think
their 1966 sojourn to India influenced you’re properly dressed when wearing your pajamas to
the group’s music and clothing. The the grocery store?), he set a new standard.
in crowd stood up and noticed the Like so many of the crazes we chronicle in this
stand-up collar of the Nehru jacket. column, the Nehru jacket has refused to allow itself to
Sixties swingers from the Fab Four to be tossed onto the clothes pile of yesterday’s styles.
college professors to Hollywood icons It has become a classic, a retro fashion across the
donned Nehru jackets, some in globe. Time magazine included it in its 2012 listing
silky solids, some in professional of “The Top 10 Political Fashion Statements.” And
plaids, some in psychedelic its brief popularity opened the door in America
paisleys. Often the look was to an embrace of Indian culture, which has only
complemented by neck-draped intensified in recent years. Not a bad pedigree for
jewelry, including beads (which a flash-in-the-pan fashion!

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THE ODDBALL WORLD OF SCOTT SHAW!
‘Ha ppy Ha l l u cinations... Honeys!’
Hos tes s
Moona Lisa Ho r r o r
, SoCa l ’s
BY SCOTT SHAW!
Lisa Clark as When I was a kid, I wanted to have one of four profes-
Moona Lisa. sions when I grew up: a paleontologist, a cartoonist, a
Digitally enhanced kids’ show host who aired cartoons on TV, or a weirdo
image. All images who would introduce and make fun of monster movies
accompanying this
on TV as a horror host.
article are courtesy of
Scott Shaw!
Of course, I never grew up. Ask my family! At least
one of those goals worked out for me.
So, what was it like to be a 12-year-old monster-boy
when an attractive horror hostess from the Moon
provided the finest cheese of low-budget sci-fi enter-
tainment every Saturday afternoon? I should know. It
was the same year that I read my first issue of Famous
Monsters of Filmland (specifically, the 22nd issue, cover-
dated Apr. 1963) when, in March 1963, Science Fiction
Theater premiered on Saturday afternoons at 4:00
P.M. on KOGO-TV, Channel 10 in San Diego, California.
The show ran Fifties-vintage monster/horror/sci-fi
RETROFAN
The oddball world of scott shaw!
movies. Moona Lisa was its female horror hostess. And if you ever crypt with his departed wife “My Dear” and his lab assistant Igor. In
watched her host Science Fiction Theater, it’s very likely that you 1958, thanks to his college pal and American Bandstand creator Dick
never forgot her. Clark—who christened Zacherle (also spelled “Zacherley”) as “The
In case you missed RetroFan #2 (cover-featuring Elvira) and #6 Cool Ghoul”—with the assistance and backing of Clark in 1958, he
(with Svengoolie), here’s a bit of history that should explain what recorded a 45rpm record, “Dinner With Drak,” which broke the Top
horror hosts are and how they were spawned. Ten nationally.
The first TV horror host was actually a horror hostess, Los The monster craze began to accelerate. Before long, most of
Angeles’ Vampira, portrayed by Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi, a.k.a. America’s major cities had at least one local horror host to call their
Maila Nurmi. Vampira very own.
hosted The Vampira But the lucrative (ha!)
Show (KABC-TV, horror-host industry was
1954–1955), in which occupied almost entirely
she introduced scary, by men, even though
suspenseful movies and a woman created the
appeared in commercial concept. Horror hosts
breaks. She also was were primarily men
seen in the films The who already worked
Beat Generation and Ed for a local television
Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer station—announcers,
Space. Her make-up and weathermen, and kids’
costume were closely show hosts were often
based on cartoonist approached—who were
Charles Addams’ gaunt offered the job because
beauty Morticia, a they were naturally
decade before the 1964 funny guys who were
debut of ABC’s The open to putting on a
Addams Family. costume and telling
In October 1957, corny monster jokes
Universal Studios on Saturday nights
released 52 pre-1948 in exchange for a few
monster/horror/ more bucks—very
suspense films through few!—added to their
Screen Gems for syndi- pay envelope. Some
cation on television. horror hosts, like Ernie
Local stations that Anderson and Gene
bought the package Moss, went on to very
aired the movies in legitimate careers doing
two-hour slots (with voiceover announcing
commercials) on week- for major TV networks.
ends, usually late at But that was many
night, under the blanket Moona Lisa with Famous years ago. Now, for the
title Shock Theatre. In Monsters of Filmland editor most part, local stations
1958, 20 more films Forest J Ackerman. barely have the funds for
from those genres were competent news shows,
released to television let alone horror hosts.
as Son of Shock. Teenage Fortunately, we still have
monsters, atomic MeTV’s Svengoolie, a
mutants, and sky-high kaiju had been the stars of a popular wave beloved Chicago horror host portrayed by Rich Koz, who’s enjoyed
of new and profitable low-budget movies since the early Fifties [see fame and rubber-chicken pelting after over 40 years of playing
last issue’s Teenage Monsters article for more info—ed.]. Svengoolie. There are a lot of other new horror hosts out there, all
There was one problem. Most of the movies in both releases on the Internet.
were far less than two hours in length, and a few were barely
an hour long. Even after the time consumed by multiple TV WHO WAS THE MYSTERIOUS COSMOSINA?
commercials, there was still a significant amount of time to fill. The horror-host craze included the San Diego television market,
And that’s when someone thought that a having a spooky “host” to with a lovely lady named Moona Lisa who lived on the Moon. She
introduce and joke about whatever movie was scheduled. A New had long, straight, black hair with bangs and wore stiletto heels
York City actor named John Zacherle was hired to be Roland, the and a mod, black catsuit that showed a bit of cleavage, accessorized
horror host of WCAU’s Shock Theater, which first aired on October with a live python wrapped around her lithe body. Moona Lisa
7, 1957. Dressed like an unhealthy undertaker, Roland lived in a hosted her program from her Moon Base, with the Earth seen in
66 RETROFAN September
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the lunar sky through a circular window. With a soft, seductive stint performing as the Doublemint Twins to promote the sale of
voice, she introduced and commented on sci-fi, horror, and chewing gum. Oh, the glamour of entertainment! In 1953, Jeanne
monster movies while sitting on a set resembling the crater-pocked Romer and her sister Laura also appeared in the “One Plus One”
surface of the Moon, with dry ice “smoke” curling around her feet. episode of Fireside Theater anthology TV series. Laura also appeared
That’s why she preferred to be described as a “heavenly host.” in a number of films and TV shows without Jeanne.
There is no recorded information regarding when or where By 1958, Jeanne/Lisa came down to San Diego along with her
the actress who played Moona Lisa—Jeanne Romer, later known announcer-husband Jeff Clark to work at KOGO-TV, Channel 10. The
as Lisa Clark—was born, or anything about her youth. Thanks to two did an afternoon show together called News and Previews, along
Terence Stanford, who interviewed Lisa Clark in 1993, we do have with a Sunday talk show and various commercials.
her own words that describe her experiences in entertainment. Science Fiction Theater aired on Saturday afternoons at 4:00
“My twin sister, Laura Elliot, and I were always in drama school, on Channel 10 from March 2 to May 1963... but Moona Lisa was
acting, or dance class,” nowhere to be seen.
she told Stanford. “Our The show’s first horror
encouragement to go Moona Lisa hostess was a lady
into films, stage, and on her set at named Cosmosina.
TV was precisely the KOGO-TV in San And here’s another
opposite. A heady dose Diego. (INSET Moona-mystery:
of discouragement BELOW) The No one seems to
from older members sisters (no, we know who portrayed
of the family. All in the don’t know Cosmosina! The
professions— ‘respect- who’s who in promotional photo for
able.’ Show business? this photo; do the show definitely
‘Never heard of it.’ you?) in the wasn’t Lisa Clark, but
“Besides, what could 1942 shocker the shtick was the
two skinny twins have Saboteur. Saboteur same: a body-hugging
to offer anyway? Well, a © Universal Pictures. space costume,
meaty part as Siamese references that she
twins in a Hitchcock was living in outer
film, Saboteur (1942), for space, appearances in
their introduction into all of the commercial
show business. And all breaks, an opening
of this from a chance that synched with the
meeting in Del Mar at end segment, and
the races with a major an announcement of
Hollywood agent, Lou Science Fiction Theater’s
Irwin, who was sure next week’s movie.
we were absolutely Whoever it was who
right for the part. portrayed Cosmosina,
Fortunately, Alfred Lisa Clark’s husband
Hitchcock agreed.” Jeff recalled that
Hitchcock’s Saboteur Cosmosina, a young
is about a man (played and beautiful lady, had
by Robert Cummings) worked at a resort spa
who’s been framed in Tecate, California,
for setting fire to a Los and was spotted by a
Angeles munitions KOGO executive. He
factory and killing his asked her if she would
best friend in the process. He’s on the run to escape police custody like to be on TV, but when the show quickly became a hit, she asked
and at one point in the story, winds up hiding with a traveling for a substantial raise and was denied. Moona Lisa was immedi-
circus. Among others he meets there are conjoined twins in the ately brought in to replace Cosmosina, although the character
circus’ freak show; one twin wants to help the guy, but her sister occasionally appeared on further episodes of Science Fiction Theater.
wants to expose him. I’m sure that playing a conjoined twin for Now she was Moona Lisa’s cousin, portrayed by Lisa Clark’s twin
Alfred Hitchcock was good training to become a horror host! sister Laura Elliot.
Fortunately, it led to more roles for Jeanne in motion pictures,
including Swing Out the Blues (1943), Easter Parade (1948), The MOONA LISA, MEN ADORE YOU
Great Gatsby (1949), The Big Heat (1953), and The Bowery Boys Meet But let’s get back to Jeanne Romer, who by this time had a new
the Monsters (1954). Ironically, in 1947, Jeanne and Laura Romer name, Lisa Clark, and a new job offer that came with a rather
and Maila “Vampira” Nurmi were all showgirls in “Ken Murray’s shocking surprise. As she told Terence Stanford, “In 1963, the
Blackouts” live stage show. Later on, Jeanne and Laura had a station bought a package of science fiction and horror movies.
RETROFAN
They asked me if I would be interested in hosting these movies. cinations… honeys!” She had been using that psychedelic sign-off
I said that appealed to me strongly since part of my background from Moona’s first appearance, but by the time the series ended in
was as an actress.” June 1971, it had finally gained relevance to some of our lives!
The show, Science Fiction Theater—no relation to the Fifties Ziv Lisa Clark as Moona Lisa had a wit and style that predated Elvira
television series of the same name— began its Saturday after- and post-dated Vampira. Moona Lisa was definitely sexy—espe-
noon run in September 1963. “Frankly, I expected that I would be cially her voice!—but airing during a daytime slot with a viewership
handed a script when I first started, and I discovered that there of pre-adolescent boys, she never flaunted her exceedingly healthy
was none,” Lisa revealed. “It was up to me to provide the material. body. Moona Lisa’s vibe was to be genuinely cool, clever, and
I discovered that many times in a two-hour time slot the movie unique. She quickly became a local cult icon and the main attrac-
would only be 70 minutes long. What did this mean to Lisa Clark? tion that led to Science Fiction Theater’s high ratings. She proved that
It meant that she had to write all the copy to fill in that amount of it wasn’t necessary for every horror host to be a monster, misfit,
time. After the first few shows I found it to be quite challenging count, or mad scientist.
and rewarding, because James M. Fetters, author
I didn’t know if I could of Creatures of the Night
write this type of show.” Moona Lisa with (LEFT) writer That We Loved So Well: TV
Elsewhere, Lisa said that Robert Bloch and (RIGHT) Forry Horror Hosts Of Southern
when KOGO Channel 10 Ackerman. California, wrote, “Moona
asked her if she wanted Lisa was San Diego’s only
to host a sci-fi movie ‘real’ horror host and that
show, she jumped at the made her special to San
chance, thinking, “My God, Diegans! She was our
that’s my kind of show!” answer to all the hosts from
Another source quoted Lisa, Los Angeles. As long as she
regarding her script writing, aired on KOGO-10 there
“When I finally got the were no other hosts, in
words all going, it was like San Diego, challenging her
travel through space.” reign. She was fun to watch
So, why did she pick the and had her own unique
name “Moona Lisa”? hosting premise. Moona
“There was all the talk was the first, in Southern
about going to the Moon, California, to take horror
and that absolutely caught hosts out of their dungeon,
my imagination,” Lisa told attic, haunted studios and
Terence Stanford. “I came become more of a sci-fi host
up with the name Moona than horror… a host that
Lisa—obviously a steal from was alien and lived on the
Mona Lisa. One of the lines I moon!”
had written was, ‘I’m Moona
and she’s Mona; she’s that FLY ME TO
young upstart who hangs THE MOONA
out at the Louvre.’ I really felt “The show turned out to be
I lived there and built a life the highest-rated program
for myself on the Moon.” we ever had in San Diego,
Moona Lisa was still and that record holds
appearing as Lisa Clark true today,” the Moona
on various KOGO shows, Lisa actress told Stanford.
often with her husband Jeff. I also remember watching her as “Channel 6 put football on to challenge me for ratings, but they
newscaster on Sundays. Looking back, her situation seems like the didn’t make a dent in Moona Lisa. The show was both a challenge
real-life version of SCTV’s newscaster Floyd Robertson (created and an enormous effort because I had to screen the movie, had
and portrayed by Joe Flaherty), who’s paid so poorly that he’s also them put in the stop-downs where I felt they should go, and looked
the host of the fictitious Monster Chiller Horror Theater, Count Floyd at the commercials so I could find something to lead into after I
(also Joe Flaherty). Years later, Count Floyd, like Shrimpenstein! [see did my shtick. So it was bits and pieces I put together to go in and
RetroFan #24—ed.], wound up as the host of a kiddies’ show on perform live.”
Hanna-Barbera Productions’ The Completely Mental Misadventures Lisa also wrote continuity between the films and the commer-
of Ed Grimley. [Editor’s note: I must say, Ed Grimley and other SCTV cials. During one break, she read a poem about vampires. Then, a
characters will be explored by Scott Shaw! in the forthcoming (fake) bat flapped over and kissed Lisa on the neck. Now exhibiting
RetroFan #36!] fangs, Lisa turned to the camera and said, “If he kissed you once,
Moona Lisa started every show saying, “Hello, Earthlings,” and will he kiss you again?” This led into a Certs breath mints commer-
as I mentioned earlier, ended by wishing everyone, “Happy hallu- cial, which had the exact same motto.
September2023
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In 1965, Moona Lisa presented her own rock group on the show, designed everything. … It was a wonderful time in television to do
intended to rival the Beatles. “The Roaches,” four guys dressed in this kind of show because people came with ideas.”
multi-arm catsuits and oversized sunglasses, would sing (usually Of course, with any show that had the longevity of Science
slow ballads) to Moona Lisa during the breaks. Unfortunately, their Fiction Theater and a star who was willing to do whatever it took to
time on the show was short-lived. be entertaining, it’s not surprising that Lisa Clark remembered a
Moona Lisa loved to write alliterations into her scripts. Here’s a number of unexpectedly funny experiences while horror hosting.
sample of her writing style, from her introduction to Science Fiction “Someone took a skeleton from one of the science departments
Theater’s airing of 1959’s The Giant Behemoth: at SDSU,” she recalled. “In the control room were some floorboards
“Well, I was about to throw an extraterrestrial tantrum, but that could be lifted up to repair wires and there was enough room
now that you’re back, I’ll save it. For the next time you threaten to put a full-length skeleton. They knew someone would open the
with going to Venus instead of the Moon—extraterrestrial traitors, floorboards early in the morning to do some work, and there was
we do not abide! But enough of this Moon-mash mish-mash! Join the skeleton! I had nothing to do with it, but I was blamed. I believe
me now in a stupendous salutation as we greet and meet that the skeleton found its way back to SDSU.”
superlative of all beasts, the superior and very substantial Giant An iguana borrowed from the San Diego Zoo sparked another
Behemoth!” memory. “When I was driving from Channel 10 to the zoo, the
During many of the iguana got out of its bag
commercial breaks on and grabbed my right
Science Fiction Theater, ankle. I had to get it
Moona Lisa would back to the zoo quickly.
comment on the I was pulled over by a
atrocious films while policeman who asked
dealing with a large snake me why I was speeding.
wrapped around her I told him to look at my
body. It’s not unusual to feet. He looked and not
see cold-blooded reptiles only saw those claws on
in entertainment—after my ankle but this huge
all, Hollywood is full of tail behind the driver’s
’em—but where did Lisa seat. He then said,
find that? ‘You’re Moona Lisa, GO!
According to Lisa, GO! GO!’ He wanted out
“Whenever there was of there fast.”
a show that had to do A borrowed prop
with snakes, reptiles, or head of Macbeth with
creatures that roamed which Moona Lisa
the night, I would borrow conversed on a few
Baby Clarence [the snake] episodes was the source
from the San Diego Zoo. of another of the actress’
I would go to the zoo remembrances: “I was
early Saturday and then taking the head up to
to Channel 10 and return L.A., to use in a show,
him after the show. The Moona Lisa as drawn by when I was pulled
late Chuck Shaw, curator over at the San Onofre
of Reptiles, was married immigration stop. The
to a girl who was a producer at Channel 10. He was very gracious officer was very polite and asked me to open the car trunk. I said,
about letting me borrow Baby Clarence. Later they gave him to me ‘I’d be glad to.’ I opened the trunk with great flourish and there
because they were tired of getting him ready for me to take him. He was this head there all by itself. The officer actually turned white.
lived with me for quite a few years. He was a nine-foot-long hybrid He recovered and said, ‘You’re Moona Lisa.’”
gopher/bull snake. I did return him to the zoo, and unfortunately he
lived only a few months after that. They said he missed me terribly; OVER THE MOONA FOR LISA CLARK
I like to think that’s true.” Here’s how KOGO described Lisa Clark’s duel jobs in a publicity bio
Considering its low budget and an absence of Hollywood from February 1966:
professionals, as years passed, Science Fiction Theater began to “Lisa Clark has made a great success out of being two-faced! A
look better and better. “The show was black and white when we KOGO-TV personality for nine years, she plays both her charming
started,” according to Lisa. “When we went to color, we also got self and Moona Lisa, the only yet revealed ‘Inhabitant of the Moon!’
some of the more advanced electronic goodies such as the ability to As hostess of Channel 10’s Saturday ‘Science Fiction Theatre’ [sic],
chroma key.” she both performs and writes her ‘far-out’ antics that have made
As Lisa explained, the Channel 10 “floor men were graduates of her one of San Diego’s favorite personalities!
San Diego State University (SDSU), and this was their only creative “Lisa is a top commercial spokeswoman, having represented a
outlet. Other than the fact that I wanted a mysterious setting, they multitude of national and local television commercial accounts.
RETROFAN
“Lisa, and her husband Jeff, co-host the award-winning public whenever I wanted to ‘sparkle.’ I was gobsmacked—I couldn’t
affairs show, ‘KOGO’s Corner,’ broadcast each Sunday. This is the believe that this very cool lady would take the time to write to an
show, with guest stars, that announces San Diego’s community awkward little girl. Thank you, Moona Lisa!”
activities. In 1970, I was on the founding committee for the first San
“Miss Clark, a native of San Francisco, began her professional Diego Comic-Con—or, as it was called then, San Diego’s Golden
career in Hollywood. Later she moved to New York and studied State Comic Mini-Con. We planned to do this one-day try-out
at the Neighborhood Playhouse while continuing her theatrical, show on March 21, 1970, at the U.S. Grant Hotel to test the
motion pictures, and television work. She has appeared on almost waters regarding local fans’ interest and at the same time, teach
all the national dramatic shows. ourselves how to put on a con. I was the publicist and left flyers all
“Lisa is an identical twin of Laura Mason (now working in over town. Seeking free publicity, a small group of us —consisting
Hollywood as an actress). At one time the twins worked in pictures of teenage boys and slightly older hippie-types like me—made an
and in ‘Ken Murray’s Blackouts’ in New York for five years.” appointment to visit KOGO-TV’s studio. When we arrived at the
“She has appeared in local San Diego theatre productions, place, which was right next to Highway 94, we were greeted in the
perhaps the most outstanding being her appearance at Old Globe lobby by… Lisa Clark! I had seen her on some of the other KOGO
in ‘The Gazebo,’ opposite Victor Buono. shows she and Jeff did, and of course I was a huge fan of Moona
“Lisa and Jeff are the parents of David Lucien Clark, 6 years old.” Lisa! Prior to meeting with someone to discuss getting a bit of
That reference televised publicity,
to Lisa and Jeff’s Lisa gave our
son reminds me motley crew a tour
that David Clark of KOGO’s studios.
attended Clairmont During it, I quietly
Christian School told Lisa how
and his mom, in much I enjoyed her
full Moona Lisa on Science Fiction
costume, visited Theater. She coolly
the school! She also responded, ‘That’s
appeared in person not me.’ I pushed
at the 1968 Boy further. ‘Uhhh,
Scout Fair in San Moona Lisa doesn’t
Diego’s Del Mar. wear a mask,
Other San and believe me,
Diegans of a certain it’s impossible to
age well remember forget your face!’ I
the experience of assumed that she
meeting Lisa Clark. thought that this
“A friend and I 18-year-old hippie
drove to the local was attempting to
KOGO TV station (LEFT) Promotional photo of Victor Buono and Lisa Clark in The Gazebo. flirt with her, so I
in San Diego, just (RIGHT) Newspaper clipping about the play and its stars. gave up trying to
off the 94 freeway, have a conversation
walked in and told about her self-
the receptionist we were fans of Moona and asked if we could meet written scripts for Moona Lisa. Even more disappointing, I didn’t
her,” said John L. “The next thing you know, a very pleasant and realize that Science Fiction Theater was only a few months away
gracious Lisa Clark (in character) greeted us, gave us a tour of the from cancellation.
studio and her Moon Base set, gave us an autograph and posed for
pictures.” DARK SIDE OF THE MOONA
Joanne Marshall was another San Diego kid from the Sixties Science Fiction Theater ended in June 1971, but a year later a new
who anxiously awaited each Saturday afternoon’s Science Fiction opportunity for Lisa dropped by, with an offer that seemed to
Theater. “I don’t believe there was ever an ‘official’ explanation of be doable, despite having to commute to another city to replace
who [Moona Lisa] was or where she came from, but really, who another popular SoCal horror host. Although Larry Vincent, a.k.a.
cared? She was both sultry and funny with her sexy voice and horror host Seymour, left KHJ-TV to work at KTLA-TV Channel 5, he
double entendre sense of humor. She was articulate and ladylike. did a promo that introduced Moona Lisa as his replacement at the
The little boys loved her. Little girls wanted to look like her. end of his last show for the station.
Especially me. I wrote her a fan letter expressing my admiration According to Lisa, “When I was hired and signed the contract, it
and asked how she got her hair to sparkle like it did. I really wasn’t was only supposed to be one movie every Saturday night. Instead,
expecting a response but within a week the mailman delivered a it turned out to be two or three movies every Friday night, which
big envelope with a letter from Moona Lisa, an 8x10 glossy photo meant I had to write copy for everything which wasn’t exactly what
and a bag of silver glitter. The letter was kind and encouraging. I had been hired to do.” Fright Night aired late on Saturday nights
She ended it by telling me to put a little bit of the glitter in my hair on KHJ-TV Channel 9 (now KCAL) in Los Angeles, and was hosted
September2023
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by Moona Lisa from January 29, 1972 to October 1973. That’s how very aware of the seriousness of his illness and this undoubtedly
she met Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine editor Forrest J colored his whole response to whatever was happening. I’m glad
Ackerman and author Robert (Psycho) Bloch. I worked with him, it was fun to do, and it would be nice if he was
The aforementioned promo wasn’t the only time that Larry still with us.”
Vincent and Lisa Clark worked together. Their next new project, Sadly, Larry “Seymour” Vincent died on March 8, 1975.
later that year, was a live performance titled The Seymour/Moona Lisa’s next series was Moona Lisa’s Creature Features, which aired
Lisa Show (it was not broadcast). As Douglas McEwan, line on Saturday afternoons on KFMB-TV Channel 8 in San Diego
producer and writer for Seymour Productions, explains, “It was from 1975 to 1976. The series didn’t last long, but Lisa was soon
Knott’s Berry Farm’s idea to offered a new gig… one that
hire Moona Lisa to augment involved interstate travel
Larry’s 1974 Halloween to St. Louis, Missouri. She
show. She was no longer on starred in Moona’s Midnight
the air in Los Angeles, but Madness, which aired on
she’d been on the air here Friday nights at 12:30 a.m.
recently enough that she on KMOX, Channel 4 in St.
was still remembered. And Louis, from 1975 to 1976.
she was very well known in “I was asked to host
San Diego, and it was hoped movies at CBS station
her being in the show would [KMOX] Channel 4 by
draw people up from San General Manager Tom
Diego to see the show.” Baptista, who had worked
Seymour’s feathers were at Channel 10 in San Diego
apparently ruffled by Moona and remembered Moona
Lisa. “Larry wasn’t actually Lisa,” the actress recalled.
pleased to have a competing “His hope was to syndicate
horror hostess in ‘his’ show. Moona Lisa on at least
‘Why do we need her?’ he five other stations. But
complained. But he only general managers are very
complained privately. He protective of their turf. This
was completely professional did not work out. I lived
and welcoming to her.” in San Diego but flew to
But Lisa’s inclusion St. Louis to tape the show,
helped McEwan in his which ran for about a year.
writing of the live produc- It was really tough and
tion. “On the TV show, we not at all that rewarding
had Banjo Billy to be a because I never got to see
nemesis and annoyance the show, do many personal
for Seymour, but since appearances, or meet many
Larry played in both roles, people.
we couldn’t use Billy in “All in all, Moona Lisa
the stage show. Moona lived for 15 years, and anyone
Lisa worked perfectly for who worked in television
a nemesis/foil for him. when you were your own
And everyone at Knott’s Promotional photo of Moona Lisa—in color! everything can appreciate
assured him that he was the what the sense of accom-
star. I kept her part small. plishment and stresses are.”
Basically, she popped up now and then, as though trying to crash Since Lisa Clark ultimately wrote and performed the role of
the show like Lucy trying to get into Ricky show on I Love Lucy, Moona Lisa in three different SoCal cities with four different
while Seymour squawked every time she showed up, climaxing series for three different audiences, which location was her
with her being the stage assistant for magician Chuck Jones, with favorite?
the Mummy and Frankenstein’s Monster doing the old sawing-a- “I have a great warmth and fondness for San Diego, because
woman-in-half bit using Moona Lisa as the woman sawed in half. it was the most creative,” she said. “It was a live show and I did it
But then, once she was separated, out strides Seymour, smug and for eight years. The people at Channel 10 loved it, because they
triumphant.” warmed to it. It gave them an outlet for what they were doing
Lisa Clark recalled that she and Vincent had good chemistry. which in turn enhanced what I was doing, and I had a terrific
“He came out of the hospital to do the show and we had a audience.
marvelous time. He was obviously a sick man at the time. I really “The first thing I had to overcome at Channel 9 in L.A. was the
don’t know too much what he was like. We didn’t get that close fact that there was a lot of, ‘What could little San Diego show us?’
or that friendly. I was willing to be his admirer, but I think he was Well, as a matter of fact, the production values we had in San Diego
RETROFAN
so overwhelmed anything they had in L.A. … The people at Channel In her later years, Lisa once said, “It was a wonderful experience,
9 were bored and disinterested until we got Jaime Shandera, who and in some ways I would enjoy still doing it. I gave my best to it. I
directed the show in San Diego. Then all of a sudden it was, ‘Look at feel I had class. I’m ready to go any time they call me back.”
what little San Diego can do!’” She still owned her original Moona Lisa wig and dress, too.
DANCING IN THE MOONALIGHT Many thanks to Terence Sanford and James M. Fetters for their essential
Although she was no longer performing as Moona Lisa, Lisa Clark quotes and information.
remained working for KOGO-TV for 15 more years.
“I left the station in 1985 and still occasionally work with a For 50 years (and counting), SCOTT SHAW!
company every now and then in L.A., but then just as producer, has written and drawn underground
writer and also voiceovers. But my career as Moonling, although it’s comix, mainstream comic books, comic
in my heart and soul, ended there.” strips, graphic novels, TV cartoons, toys,
At some point after 1985, Lisa and Jeff Clark moved to Northern advertising, and video games. He has worked
California to raise horses. She had a son and two grandchildren. She on such characters as Captain Carrot and his
and her husband enjoyed travel and tennis at the Kona Kai Club. She Amazing Zoo Crew (which he co-created with
was constantly recognized and was happy to share the memories Roy Thomas), Sonic the Hedgehog, the Flint-
with her adoring fans. Lisa Clark died on December 13, 2012. stones, the Jetsons, the Simpsons, the Futurama gang, the Muppet
Looking back on her days as Moona Lisa, Lisa described what Babies, Garfield, the Garbage Pail Kids, and yes, even Annoying
was behind the appeal of horror hosts. Orange. His career has garnered him four Emmy Awards, an Eisner
“I think people liked to be scared. Not deadly scared with Award, and a Humanities Award. Scott is also known for his “Oddball
guns and killing. I think people like mystery. I loved Nancy Drew Comics Live!” visual presentation of “the craziest comic books ever
mysteries as a child. The mystery of walking into a haunted house. published” and for his regular participation in “Quick Draw!” with
I think there’s an element of loving to be scared by lightning or Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés. He was also one of the teenagers
thunder. We respond to it. We know it’s an innocent horror, people who co-created what is currently known as Comic-Con International:
are compelled to follow it. San Diego, America’s biggest annual fan event. He can be reached
“The host brings an immediacy to it and takes us on our tour at shawcartoons.com.
to something wonderful. It can be funny, it can be spooky. It’s the
child in all of us that still loves Halloween.”
SUPER COLLECTOR
Popeye
and Me
Popeye preservationist Fred Grandinetti and his spinach-powered
hero, in a 2022 illustration by Randy Milholland, current artist of the
Sunday Popeye newspaper strip. Popeye © King Features Syndicate, Inc. All images
accompanying this article are courtesy of Fred Grandinetti.
BY FRED GRANDINETTI I headed for our gifts and I walked right past a Popeye bop bag by
Coleco. I had to explain to my bewildered father that I heard him
I can recall in 1964 sitting with my father when we lived in Newton, blow it up the night before.
Massachusetts. I was trying to draw Popeye’s face by making On Saturday mornings, my brother Dominic (Dom) and I always
circular shapes. My father suggested I put the circles together, watched Rex Trailer’s [kids’ television show] Boomtown, which aired
adding a sailor’s cap and pipe. This was one of my earliest attempts several different cartoons. When I was a Cub Scout, our troop was
at doodling Popeye. on an episode of the long-running series. The director told the
I was the first one to grab the Record Advertiser newspaper in scouts to watch the children playing a game. My back was turned
the evening, looking for the comic strips. I avidly followed Popeye’s around watching the cartoon “Popeye and the Pirates” on a small
newspaper adventures by Bud Sagendorf. black-and-white television set. Oddly enough, the morning this
Relatives always kept my passion for Popeye alive. My Aunt episode was broadcast, Boomtown aired all-color Popeye theatricals
Rose Rizzo worked for Red Cross Pharmacy, located in Waltham, from Famous Studios. My mother said they did it because I was on
Massachusetts. She would bring me home Popeye toys usually sold the show.
on the spin racks. When I was three years old, I needed my tonsils
taken out, and my Aunt Kaye DeMeo bought me an Olive Oyl doll MY HERO!
while I was recovering. Going through the Watertown public school system was difficult.
I recall some of my earliest Popeye items being Popeye’s Playbook I was brutally bullied for being involved in art and theater. I was
by Whitman (1961) and the colorful Popeye Trace and Erase Slate Book tossed against lockers, tripped in the halls, pushed down flights
by Mego (1966). of stairs, and had gum thrown in my hair. I would come home
When we moved to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1966, our very depressed, but thankfully a Popeye theatrical cartoon was
new home was closer to nearby big department stores. My parents always waiting for me to watch on WMUR-TV’s The Uncle Gus Show.
let me roam the toy departments, and I yelled “Popeye!” whenever I I would put a sketchpad on my lap and attempt to draw what I was
saw him on the shelf. Zayres, located in Waltham, and Child World, watching. At an early age I recognized what the word “animator”
in Natick, were big suppliers of meant, and it was this person, or
Popeye merchandise. I fondly persons, who decided what Popeye
remember my father bringing me looked like in a particular film.
home the Talking Popeye hand When I discovered the book Popeye
puppet by Mattel in 1967. Uninten- the Sailor by Nostalgia Press (1971)
tionally, he proved to me who was and the work of the sailor’s creator
the real Santa Claus. In 1968, while E. C. Segar, a new Popeye universe
in bed on Christmas Eve, I heard had opened up for me. From Segar
my father huffing and puffing. I read the works of Bela Zaboly,
The next morning my brother and Tom Sims, and Ralph Stein. Each of
these talented individuals put their
own spin on Popeye’s comic strip
Fred Grandinetti in 1967, adventures.
holding the Mattel Talking Near the holidays in 1984,
Popeye doll given to him by I came across a publication
his father, Dominic. that listed the names of people

Super Collector
3
1
selling old toys. One had several Popeye coloring books

published by LOWE. That began my tradition, which
continues to this day, of buying old Popeye items, wrap-
ping each up, and opening them Christmas morning.
Unique items from my collection include: 4
1. A series of small books published by Euro Kids from
2012. The images were pulled from the cartoons pro-
duced by King Features Syndicate during 1960 and 1961. Popeye’s film career, emphasizing this historic
The titles are County Fair, Strange Happenings, Gem Jam, Aladdin’s achievement. Eventually I had articles published in Animato!,
Lamp, Voo-Doo to You Too, and Track Meet Cheat. Hollywood Then & Now, and Filmfax magazines.
2. Popeye #7, a comic book published in 1959 by L. Miller & Sons Soon my articles on the sailor man were appearing in different
from the United Kingdom. The issue featured a storyline begin- periodicals and newspapers. In 1993, when the sailor celebrated
ning in December of 1954 through early 1955 written by Ralph his 60th anniversary in film, the Associated Press interviewed
Stein with artwork from Bill Zaboly. This team’s run of the comic me and took photographs of my memorabilia. A photo of myself
strip has yet to be reprinted in the United States. surrounded by Popeye merchandise was published in hundreds of
3. A Popeye merchandise catalog from 1962, which was produced newspapers.
by King Features Syndicate. It featured 70 different products While researching Popeye’s animated career I wrote to Jackson
that were available to retailers. Beck, who was the voice of both Bluto and Brutus. I asked him
4. A series of small Popeye paperback books from Japan’s 21st the reason for the change in name. The information he provided
Century Publishing House. These books printed in English Bud led to solving this often-asked question. It was due to Paramount
Sagendorf’s Sunday pages, beginning from the early Sixties, in Pictures believing that the character of Bluto was created for the
black and white. The series, printed in 2009, concluded with the Fleischer cartoons, when actually he first appeared in the comic
first year of Sunday pages by Sagendorf’s successor, Hy Eisman. strip by King Features Syndicate. When
Eisman’s artwork was featured on each cover. King Features began producing Popeye
5. Toys For All Seasons produced a rack toy called Brutus Construc- cartoons for television, to be safe, they
tion Company, where the bearded brute was the star! renamed the character Brutus.
6. H-G Toys’ Popeye’s Pop Gun, from the Sixties, consisting of a red My first publication on the sailor man
plastic gun and cork which could shoot up to 20 feet. was called Popeye: The Collectible (1950
7. Also from the Sixties: M. Schimmel Son’s Popeye Stuff and Lace to 1990), from Krause Publications. This
Dolls, depicting the swab in a blue sailor’s uniform. was followed by Popeye: An Illustrated
8. The same toy company produced a Popeye Printing Set in 1957. Cultural History (McFarland, 1993); Popeye
The stamps were images of Popeye, Rough House, J. Wellington Le Marin (Dreamland, 1996); an updated
Wimpy, Swee’pea, Olive Oyl, and the “Mean Man”! This item was version of Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural
produced during the time the name Bluto could no longer be History, also by McFarland, in 2004; He
used. The moniker Brutus had not yet been decided upon. Am What He Am: Jack Mercer, the Voice of Popeye (BearManor Media,
9. In 2015 my brother Dom visited Popeye’s Emporium in Anchor- 2007); and Popeye the 1960s TV Cartoons (BearManor Media, 2022).
age, Alaska. He brought back a Popeye doll constructed entirely Over the years, my articles on Popeye and his crew have been
of colored wires. seen on numerous websites including Boomer Magazine, The Film
Detective, Animation Scoop, Skwigly Animation Magazine, i-Italy,
HE YAM POPEYE’S HISTORIAN Cartoon Research, Bleeding Cool, Entertainment Magazine, CBR.com,
My writing career began after reading Popeye was featured and Searchmytrash.
in 454 animated cartoons. This was an amazing achievement In 1992, I began hosting and producing a cable-access series
not mentioned in the mainstream press. I began writing about called Drawing With Fred. The award-winning program features

Super Collector
5 6 7 8 9
drawing lessons, original water safety and fitness tips, and then-president
animated cartoons. of King Features
For several years I dressed up as Popeye for Watertown’s discovered I was the
Memorial Day Parade. I often doodle the sailor and his crew to raise one asking people
money for veterans and animal shelters. My Popeye activism began to help, I was hardly
when animation historian and author Jerry Beck informed me that his best friend.
the Cartoon Network was planning on airing restored versions of Eventually, in 2007, the Fleischer Popeye theatricals were
the sailor’s black-and-white films. However, the network was not released on DVD, followed by the films produced by Famous
going to provide the funding needed for this project. I was asked to Studios. A press release announcing the first DVD release stated:
do so, and the series went into production. The Popeye Show not only “Popeye is the only major theatrical franchise in film history that
featured classic cartoons but provided background information never received a legitimate home video release. For years Warner
on each film aired. Unfortunately, because the network made no Bros. had been inundated by consumer letters demanding the
licensing revenue from Popeye, they began airing the program release of Popeye, an underdog, a hero, a character who always
Monday mornings at 1:30 a.m. I quickly took out advertisements represents good, and WHV is proud to bring this illustrious collec-
in several film-related magazines asking viewers to contact the tion to DVD.” The current personnel at King Features Syndicate
Cartoon Network’s public relations department, asking for an have worked with Warner Bros. and released future editions.
earlier time period. Cartoon Network received hundreds of emails, My most gratifying experience with Popeye happened by acci-
and the series moved to 9:30 p.m. and later 7:30 p.m. on Sunday dent. I donated a Popeye doll that was a duplicate in my collection
evenings. What the network originally planned as a 13-week series to a local children’s hospice. The woman who received it called me
led to a three-year run airing 135 cartoons. and said the terminally ill children hug the doll for strength. That
Unfortunately, the black-and-white Popeye cartoons produced remark gave me pause, but then I remembered in the comic strips
by the Fleischer Studios never received an official home video and animated cartoons the sailor was always doing things without
release. Although Warner Bros. owned the films, the studio expecting a reward. Since then, I have donated a number of Popeye
believed they had to strike a deal with King Features Syndicate, items to children’s hospitals and hospices. I cannot picture Bugs
copyright holder of the Bunny or Mickey Mouse
Popeye characters. For having the same effect.
unknown reasons King Because of the
was dragging their feet, intense bullying I
while more and more received growing up
cartoon characters were and into my early adult
having their library of years, I was not a happy
films released to the young man. However,
home viewer. Leonard whether it was reading
Maltin wrote in Animato! the sailor in the funnies
magazine that it was or watching his antics
King Features Syndicate on television, Popeye
who was blocking the brought me much
release of these classic (LEFT) One of several ads paid for by the needed comfort. I owe the
cartoons. I was getting author to have The Popeye Show moved one-eyed sailor man a lot!
early-morning phone to an earlier time period on the Cartoon When asked why I
calls from fans wanting Network. (RIGHT) Article spotlighting spend so much time,
to know what the holdup was. As with my work on The Grandinetti’s efforts to have the Fleischer money, and effort on
Popeye Show, I wrote articles on this subject and asked Popeye cartoons released on DVD. From the keeping Popeye out there,
people to contact the public relations departments Star Gazette’s January 13, 2006 edition. Popeye my response is, “I Am
at both Warner Bros. and King Features. When the © King Features Syndicate, Inc. What I Am.”

Aside from considerations of content and
tone, I think we did improve on one aspect of
the production. In the original series, the live
action was matted into miniature settings. In
the Nineties version, we did just the opposite:
The January 2023 issue of RetroFan (#24) In any case, referring to the 2009 Will Farrell the dinosaurs were matted into real locations
featured an article on the TV series Land of feature film version, original TV series star and settings (our treehouse set located in the
the Lost (1974–1977). This brought back a lot of Wesley Eure said, “Like the Nineties version, “jungle” of the Descanso Gardens, a 150-acre
memories; at that time I had just started to Land of the Lost had lost its magic.” Naturally, Mr. botanical garden in La Cañada Flintridge,
get involved in doing stop-motion animation Eure has an understandable bias for his own California, in the hills above Los Angeles). I felt
myself, so a weekly dose of animated dinosaurs series, and likewise, I do for ours. I think both this approach made for a more “naturalistic”
was must-see-TV. As it happened, my interest versions co-exist on their own terms, and each look, but I suppose it could be argued that
in Land of the Lost came full circle years later series can be enjoyed for various reasons. The the opposite configuration contributed to the
when, in 1991, I was hired to direct episodes of Seventies series obviously carries a genuine “storybook” magic of the original series.
the “reboot” version. I ended up directing a total feeling of nostalgia as we look back on it now, ERNEST FARINO
of seven episodes, including the pilot episodes and it was certainly unique among Saturday
for both seasons. Having done a fair amount of morning family fare at the time. But I do think How nice to hear from one of RetroFan’s former
animation by then, I was able work closely with that our Nineties series was equally enjoyable, columnists! Thank you for this information,
the Chiodo Brothers in establishing and staging and we consciously strove to achieve the “magic” Ernie, and for the photographs and captions that
the stop-motion dinosaur effects. inherent in the very concept of the show. follow.
(LEFT) Spencer Milligan (as Rick Marshall), Wesley Eure (as Will Marshall),
and Kathy Coleman (as Holly Marshall) ride a raft on blue-screened rapids
in Gene Warren, Sr.’s Excelsior! visual effects studio on LaBrea Avenue in
Hollywood.
(BELOW) Ernest Farino directs Ed Gale inside the baby dinosaur suit (“Tasha”)
while Jenny Drugan (as Annie Porter) looks on.

Timothy Bottoms (as Tom Porter) dangles
precariously from the treehouse as a T-rex
snaps at his heels. Opposite to the Seventies
version, the stop-motion dinosaurs were
added to the live action as filmed on real
locations.
Your “RetroFad” article about Cabbage Patch P.S. I remember the first time I saw a Cabbage spend their money on! It reminded me of one of
Kids (issue #24) was enjoyed. Each Cabbage Patch doll in a store window, before the craze my favorite books, Mail Order Mysteries by Kirk
Patch doll came with its own birth certificate. began. I thought, “Who would buy such an ugly Demarais, which I cannot recommend enough.
You may wish to know that the Cabbage Patch doll?” Apparently, many little girls mimicking If you liked Scott Saavedra’s column this issue,
dolls were not the first dolls that came with motherhood! you’ll love this book.
“birth certificates.” I’d like to see an article on my second-
There was once in Barberton, Ohio, a As the writer of that “RetroFad” article, your favorite Irwin Allen show, Land of the Giants.
company named the Sun Rubber Company, postscript prompts a confession. My first draft Interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and
which began business on April 4, 1923. At first of the column described Cabbage Patch Kids as how did they make all those giant props (and
they manufactured toy hot water bottles, then “butt ugly.” I deleted that in a concession to the what became of them)?
progressed to produce rubber dolls and squeak dolls’ mass appeal and to avoid re-triggering Keep up the great work!
toys. (During World War II, the Sun Rubber the decades-dormant hysteria that fueled MICHAL JACOT
Company produced about 1,000 Mickey Mouse this craze in the first place. Thanks for the
gas masks.) informative toy history, Dan. Michal, I echo your endorsement of Mail Order
The Sun Rubber Company was of the first Mysteries. Hopefully we’ll be able to provide a
manufacturers to produce a baby doll that was look back at Land of the Giants in an upcoming
Black. The Amos ’n’ Andy radio episode “The Birth issue.
of Amos and Ruby’s Third Child,” originally aired Another delightful issue of RetroFan! I enjoy all Readers familiar with Mr. Jacot’s name
on February 20, 1949, inspired the Sun Rubber things Lost in Space, so the Angela Cartwright/Bill from RetroFan’s letters column (and his
Company to produce a doll based on Amos and Mumy interview was a highlight. “Celebrity Crushes” guest column in issue #22)
Ruby’s baby daughter, named Amosandra. The I have a minor quibble, though. Mr. Mumy should take note that he is the writer of this
1949 Amosandra doll was approximately ten says the expanded version of Lost (and Found) in issue’s excellent retrospective of TV Guide Fall
inches tall, with a soft rubber, jointed body, Space is “more than twice as long as the first.” Preview editions!
molded and painted hair, painted or glassine Which makes me wonder, why didn’t they
eyes, an open-mouth, drink-wet doll. Its head simply release a second book? The expanded
was marked with a Columbia Broadcasting edition is great fun for fans, but for guys like
System copyright. Its box states, “The doll is an me who bought the original version, it means Since I have so many magazines that go back to
Amos ’n’ Andy article conceived by T. W. Smith, paying for the first book again to see the new 1973, I thought it was time to stop and only get
Jr., designed by Ruth E. Newton, and manufac- material. I would have gladly bought a second the ones with rare photos and subjects. There
tured under a design copyright by Columbia all-new book. was something missing from all those mags,
Broadcasting System, Inc.” Amosandra came Leave It to Beaver was slightly before my time, though, and I decided to make a scrapbook for
with accessories such as a baby bottle and but I was familiar enough with the show to get material I thought should be covered. I made
gold-embossed birth certificate, over 35 years a kick out of Mark Voger’s look at the classic. five large scrapbooks with 50 pages each. It was
before Cabbage Patch Kids were marketed with I remember seeing a rerun when I was a kid, a lot of hard work and also very expensive.
birth certificates. and the vivid image of Beaver stuck in the giant Then one day I saw a new mag called
I’m not stating that the Amosandra doll was coffee cup has stayed with me; it looks like I RetroFan! Why did it take so long for some-
the first doll to have a “birth certificate,” but that remembered a classic episode! body to do a mag like this one?
it had one before the Cabbage Patch Kids did. “Christmas Gifts You Didn’t Want” was I now have all the RetroFan issues. I went
DAN PAULUN hilarious. It’s a hoot to see what people would back to see my scrapbooks, and to my surprise

I decided to remove what was now printed in I enjoyed the article on [Rankin/Bass Produc- was the melody of the theme song (though
more complete form in this mag. Hope you will tions’] The Little Drummer Boy [in RetroFan #24]. I not all the words) and Simon Bar Sinister
still be there for a long time, since it’s the only was surprised to learn that the reason it is rarely malevolently announcing, “Simon Says: Go
American magazine I buy. (The other two are shown is due to religious programming. I heard Snow!” The creators noted that, after a point, it
from the U.K. are Cinema Retro and Infinity.) that it was due to the fact that all the Arabs were all came together and was relatively easy. That’s
PIERRE POULIOT portrayed as villains. Some of these programs fine. No one says creativity necessarily has to
P.S. It would be very fun to see my letter start to show their age when compared with be aggravating or brutal. If it worked out well,
in “RetroFanmail.” modern thinking. without crises or headaches, so much the better.
ROBERT BECKER Then everyone—creators and viewers—had a
We’re hoping you’re happy, Pierre, since your good time. It was fun to learn they based the
letter has now appeared in print! There may be several reasons for the rare character Underdog on Wally Cox, who gladly
Thank you for sharing these photos from replays of The Little Drummer Boy, Robert. accepted the role, rather than a more generic
your scrapbooks… Nonetheless, you can bank on Rankin/Bass approach where anyone could have stepped in.
historian Rick Goldschmidt gracing our pages As a kid I’d watched Leave It to Beaver in
once a year with a look back at a holiday classic syndication, and remembered enjoying it.
(next up: Frosty the Snowman, in issue #30). More recently, thanks to the pandemic, I got
You bring up a valid point: The mores of to watch every episode of all six seasons again.
past generations often don’t jibe with contem- What I particularly liked about the show was
porary attitudes. Since RetroFan views pop no one side—the parents’ or the kids’ —had a
culture through the rearview mirror, we will monopoly on being correct. Both sides could,
occasionally show character depictions that and did, learn from the other. The main thing is
might not be regarded as acceptable in today’s that—thoughtful, moral and compassionate—
culture. However, we will endeavor to do so they all tried to do right by each other. They
with sensitivity, as has Scott Saavedra with this frequently made mistakes, but then strived
issue’s history of the Frito Bandito. to correct them. It was nice to see the various
players, aside from Eddie Haskell, so polite and
supportive. If only real life were as warm, right?
Enjoyed the commentary from Jerry Mathers
Waited a whole year, since I saw the cover [of and the late Tony Dow. That the situations and
issue #24] in preview form, and it was worth it. A dialogue were all planned out but seemed so
really strong issue that exceeded expectations! real or spontaneous that viewers might have
Remembered Underdog from when I was believed otherwise. Cool that they kept in touch
young, but haven’t watched since. All I recalled and remained friends as adults. Also got a kick

out of the Leave It to Beaver comic-book covers. reply. “But Angela Cartwright was just a young Hey, Michael! Just finished RetroFan #24, and
A nice memento and the one thing you couldn’t girl,” he responded. (“What, no Raquel Welch?” had to congratulate you on another great issue.
see on television: the Cleavers in color. he was likely thinking.) To which I said, “Hey, I Your editorial and Mark Voger’s wonderful
My favorite coverage, naturally, was the was just a young boy, too.” feature about “Beaver Fever” brought back a
spotlight on Bill Mumy and Angela Cartwright And a most perceptive young boy, as well. very fond memory of interviewing Tony Dow
from Lost in Space. Not only did I love them both I would still pick Angela Cartwright over some for Filmfax in 2016. What many fans may not
in that, but roles before and after. Plus, they glamour girl like Raquel Welch. know is that Tony was a very accomplished
made themselves available to interact with fans By the way, I also added Lucie Arnaz to my sculptor whose work was exhibited at several
at conventions. Meeting them and other cast reply that day. (I can still remember feeling so prestigious galleries, including the Carrousel du
members, after so long, was the biggest kick. sad in 1971 when she got married.) Louvre—a shopping center and exhibition space
Great memories I carry with me. Others who I had fallen in love with during that’s near the main museum in Paris. Tony was
Appreciated the October ’65 studio school my youthful days living in TV fantasy land were understandably very proud of his art, and told
photo of them in civilian Earth clothes. That Kathy Cody (Hallie/Carrie on Dark Shadows) me that in many ways he found it much more
always throws me and elicits a smile. I’m so used and Candy Moore (Lucy’s TV daughter on The satisfying than acting.
to them in velour or silver. Even in the episode Lucy Show, then being rerun weekday mornings I also tremendously enjoyed Mike Clark’s
“Visit to a Hostile Planet,” to see them here on article about Bill Mumy and Angela Cartwright.
Earth, as opposed to in caves or a futuristic Bill was another lengthy interview for Filmfax
The Brady Bunch © Paramount Television.

backdrop, always seemed jarring and highly (a very long time ago) and what sticks with me
unusual. today is his absolute hatred of Alfred Hitchcock.
Funny to see Angela on the Make Room for While filming the “Bang, You’re Dead” episode
Daddy comic cover and Guy Williams, smiling, on of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bill—then just seven
the Zorro comic. years old—was fidgeting on his mark while they
Even though I’d seen Lost in Space on set up the lighting for some close-ups. Hitchcock
Wednesday nights during the original airings, approached Bill and whispered in his ear, “If you
I still raced home from the school bus, years don’t stop moving, I’m going to nail your foot
later, when LIS was on in syndication. Didn’t to the floor and the blood will flow like milk.
want to miss a minute! Thankfully, in 1983, I So stop moving!” Terrified, Bill did as he was
bought a Beta VCR. The idea that I could record told. But he never forgave Hitchcock, who could
and watch such a favorite, at my convenience— have easily made things right with a smile and a
finally—was so astounding… and welcome. quick “Just kidding, Bill!” A lot of F-bombs were
With their books and Blu-ray release, it’s nice dropped during our conversation about the
to know that even after so long, LIS fans weren’t esteemed British director.
forgotten. Just as fans still regard them fondly, DON VAUGHAN
it’s reciprocated.
And you had a nice surprise in your Too Much
TV Quiz: all Bill Mumy roles. I didn’t recognize
the names—except for Darrin and Googie—but on CBS) as well as plenty of other young guys’ Tell your friends about us, and share your
chose to match the shows to the photos. As fave, Maureen McCormick (Marcia on The Brady comments about this issue by writing me at
there’s not a cash prize, that’s not cheating. Bunch). [email protected].
What shocked me is how Bill could have So, anyway, thanks for jogging those MICHAEL EURY
been on I Dream of Jeannie. I didn’t know that. pleasant memories. Editor-in-Chief
Figured it had to be in a later episode, after LIS JOHN N. FISHEL
concluded. No, it’s from the same era. Could it
have been filmed much earlier in 1965? During a And thank you, John, for your letter, which NEXT ISSUE
break? Not unprecedented, I suppose. Werner serves as this issue’s unofficial “Celebrity
Klemperer made an appearance on Lost in Crushes” column! (A reminder to readers:
Space concurrently with doing Hogan’s Heroes. A “Celebrity Crushes” is our reader-written
sudden window of opportunity? Thank you for column featuring your 600-word-maximum
pointing that out, along with a few other roles personal recollections of the famous folks your
I haven’t seen. I’ll be hunting them on YouTube heart beat for back in the Sixties, Seventies,
shortly. and Eighties. If you remember pining over, say,
JOE FRANK that cute Linc Hayes from The Mod Squad or the
fabulous and aforementioned Raquel Welch—
whom we lost on February 15, 2023—or any
other retro celeb, contact ye ed at the email
Thanks for the coverage of Angela Cartwright in address below.)
issue #24 of RetroFan. I must confess that I had a Another bonus from your letter, John: You
big crush on Angela when Lost in Space was first mentioned Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! Count me
airing and I was about ten years old. among the many boys of the RetroFan era who
Several years ago, as a coworker and I were were absolutely ga-ga over the eldest of the
reminiscing about our younger days, he posed girls “with hair of gold (like their mother).”
the question to me as to which celebrities I had Which reminds me: Our own Mark Voger
found desirable as a kid. My first response was will be profiling Brady matriarch Florence
“Angela Cartwright.” He was perplexed by my Henderson in RetroFan #30!

ReJECTED!
Not every great idea is successful, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate the also-rans, the nearly-made-its, and the ReJECTED.
With almost 14 hours of broadcasting time to fill, the need for quality programming is great even when the shows aren’t...
BY SCOTT SAAVEDRA
Your Local Guide for TV

Monday
stage: The
“tunes” for “the gang.” On , and the
9:45 10 FASHION FANDANGO—Style Wal- Beatle Beat, the Beatle Budd
ies
st: Mike
Nehru jackets discussed. Ho You Know Who. (90 min.)
Pe ter Ustinov. TERNOON MOVIE
lace. Guests: Andy Warhol, 1:00 3 MOONA’S MID-AF
(90 min.) MONSTER FANDANGO
RTOON —Bad Movie Discussion
10:00 33 FRITO BANDITO CA ement
HACIENDA—Product Plac NG HERCULES
Charlie, and 1:05 14 THE MIGHTY BORI
The Frito Bandito, Chun King from the —Lightly Animated
wn
Spaghetti Otis save Food To 1:15 14 CELEBRIT Y ROUN
DTABLE
Masticators. (90 min.) —Current Events
19 LEGISL ATIVE JUMBLE—G
ame re discussed
event ques- Transportation infrastructu
Politicians answer current me game Guests: Jo
with host Gene Rayburn.
ho
tions for prizes. A copy of the ek: Barry , and Brett
Anne Worley, Nipsey Russell
Th is we arles Nelson
given to all participants.
ey. (Live: 90 Somers. Commentary by Ch
Goldwater, Hubert H. Humphr Reilly. (15 min.)
CK SURPRISE
min.) 1:30 21 POPEYE’S POOPDE
11:00 1 SUPERFRIENDS DOGS HIGH —Animated
SCHOOL—Animated 28 TALK TIME—Discussion
tt, and Won- nace?” The
Super Pup, BatDog, Aqua Mu “British Invasion: Threat or Me of Amer-
rld and get y
der Weimaraner save the wo min.) ongoing battle for supremac ten our
(90 ea
teased by the Cool Canines. ican music continues to
thr
VIE—Action nel: Robert
11:15 8 AFTERNOON SPY MO iliar secret youth. Can they be saved? Pa and Brit-
James Bond’s latest is a fam ger Die ll,
McNamara, Norman Rockwe on with
r Fin ils
agent thriller “Let Thunde ish Prime Minister Haro ld W
and women.
Forever,” a blend of noise the opposing view. (90 min.)
again and
Bond must save the world mebacks
co
does so with vaguely saucy na Parks EMENT
s. Tri LeROYAL HAIR REPLACHT at 9
and unsurprising escape
tist/dancer Comedy Hour TONIG
returns as Thumper, a scien Barnsley,
in
and former assassin. Filmed
UK . (90 min.)
58 ALLAN MELVIN PRESENTS
—Live
n.)
“To Kill a Mockin’ Bird” (90 mi ounds
ANGO—S
12:00 12 TEEN MUSIC FAND chor Tom Mel-
Action 12 News Squad An
ening duties
lon takes time off of his ev
” and “fab”
to present the latest “gear

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What magazines are featured in the catalog?

What magazines are featured in the catalog?

What articles are highlighted in issue #183 of Alter Ego magazine?

What articles are highlighted in issue #183 of Alter Ego magazine?

Sept./Oct. 2023 No. 28 $10.

WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER FRIENDS

All characters TM & © their respective owners.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES ECONOMY US PREMIUM US INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL ONLY

Alter Ego (Six print issues) $73 $100 $111 $29

The Crazy Cool Culture

Issue #28 September 2023

CONTRIBUTORS I made Ringo bald.

& DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS

2 RETROFAN September 2023

Paul, smoking? Naughty,

RETROFAN September 2023 3

of 3,000 fans, in advance of their (LEFT) Newsweek derided

4 RETROFAN September 2023

(LEFT) The Beatles’ U.S. debut on The

shorts. We showed up in suits, and he was in a T-shirt. Ed Sullivan and “co-star-

RETROFAN September 2023 5

(TOP LEFT) Another freaky moment from one

6 RETROFAN September 2023

(ABOVE) The playing board for Milton Bradley’s “The

RETROFAN September 2023 7

BANDS OF THE BRITISH INVASION

The Rolling Stones: The quintet’s 1998, “where someone sits down

8 RETROFAN September 2023

The Animals: The group behind Petula Clark: The singer of

RETROFAN September 2023 9

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

10 RETROFAN September 2023

(LEFT) A movie poster for the Beatles’

what a good director does. I mean, this band was

To learn more about the British Invasion, read Britmania (TwoMor-

MARK VOGER is the author and designer

RETROFAN September 2023 11

12 RETROFAN September 2023

RETROFAN September 2023 13

Seasons song you liked best, and pick a

14 RETROFAN September 2023

BEATLES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

RETROFAN September 2023 15

and get the real voices.) Our

16 RETROFAN September 2023

The Mighty, Mighty

FLEXING HIS BOX-

RETROFAN September 2023 17

18 RETROFAN September 2023

Two 1961 promos from television trade journals

RETROFAN September 2023 19

(LEFT) 1963 trade journal clipping touting the

THE MIGHTY HERCULES

PRIMARY VOICE PERFORMER CAST

20 RETROFAN September 2023

RETROFAN September 2023 21

When he defeats Theseus in wrestling,

Kashdan. “He had drawn Casper the

22 RETROFAN September 2023