The Force Phantom

The Force Phantom

September 10, 1966 TV Episode Superman

Studio
Filmation Associates

Synopsis

Invaders from one of Mars' moons sets about using their Force Phantom creature to destroy Earth's defenses, but Superman stops the energy creature, overloading the generator which powers it, which, in turn, destroys the invader's spaceship.

Characters

Clark Kent/Superman, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Damosian Leader

Credits

Directing

Director
Hal Sutherland
Associate Director
Anatole Kirsanoff

Producing

Producer
Norm Prescott, Lou Scheimer
Executive Producer
Allen Duconvy

Writing

Writer
Oscar Bensol
Story Editor
Mort Weisinger

Voices

Voice
Clayton "Bud" Collyer (Clark Kent/Superman), Ted Knight (Perry White, Damosian Leader), Joan Alexander (Lois Lane), Jack Grimes (Jimmy Olsen), Cliff Owens, Julie Bennett, Gilbert Mack, Jackson Beck (Narrator)

Music

Music
John Marion

Art Department

Storyboard
Harvey Toombs, Bob Maxfield
Background Artists
Ervin L. Kaplan, Lorraine Morgan, Ted Littlefield, Takashi Masunaga, Paul Xander
Ink and Paint Supervision
Martha Buckley
Story Consultant
Mort Weisinger

Camera

Camera
Cartoon Camera, Gene Gropper

Editing

Editor
Joe Simon

Music Department

Music Supervisor
Gordon Zahler

Production Management

Production Coordinator
Joe Lynch

Companies and other credits

  • Produced at Filmation Associates in Hollywood
  • Superman and Superboy are copyrighted characters
  • © Copyright 1966 by National Periodical Publications
  • Inc

Production notes

The first season of Filmations' Superman consisted on one "Superboy" sandwiched between two episodes of "Superman."

Just in case you have never watched TV, read a book, seen a movie, or looked at the comics, here is a brief history of Superman:

Shortly before the planet Krypton exploded, Superman (then known by his birth name, Kal-El) was put into an escape rocket by his parents and sent off into space. After crash-landing on Earth, he was discovered by John and Martha Kent, who raised him as their son, Clark Kent. As young Kal-El/Clark grew, he discovered his various talents, such as incredibly powerful strength and the ability to fly. Relocating to Metropolis, Clark began to live a dual life, working as a reporter for the Daily Planet, but turning into Superman whenever trouble surfaced.

The character of Superman first left the comics pages in the 1930's, starring in several animated theatrical shorts. He then moved on to enjoy a successful radio show during the 40's, a popular live-action TV version starring George Reeves in the 1950's, and even a 1966 Broadway musical before returning to the small screen in 1966, this time in animated form.

Almost ten years after the live-action TV show was cancelled, Superman starred in The New Adventures of Superman. The series utilized the same basic cast as the 1940's radio version, and consisted not only of stories about Superman's world-saving exploits, but also of segments that showed him as a boy in rural Smallville. These segments featured super dog Krypto and Clark's first girlfriend, Lana Lang. Bud Collyer, who had provided Superman's voice for both the Fleischer cartoons and the radio broadcast, reprised his role in this version, too.

The strong point of this version was its faithfulness to the comic book. The show featured villains from the printed stories, like Mr. Mxyzptlk and Brainiac.

After one season, the title was changed to The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, and Aquaman, the son of Atlantis, starred in segments of his own. In its last season, Batman was added to the show and given top billing, resulting in The Batman/Superman Hour.

Sadly, Superman was as vulnerable to bad ratings as he was to Kryptonite. Hanna-Barbera's Space Ghost finally proved to be too much competition for the Man of Steel, who left the cartoon airwaves in 1969.

Superman retained his membership in the Justice League, which kept him employed on Saturday morning's Super Friends well into the 80's. CBS gave him another solo shot in 1988, but this version went the way of Krypton, destroyed after one season.

The most recent incarnation of the man with the "S" on his chest came in 1997, with The New Superman Adventures. Animated in the angular, darker style of Batman: The Animated Series, this Superman caught on with 90's kids, becoming a mainstay of Fox Kids' afternoon lineup.

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