''Tarzan and the Super 7'' is a
Saturday morning cartoon
"Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a br ...
series, produced by
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...
and originally airing from 1978β1980 on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.
The show consisted of separate installments featuring seven groups of adventurers:
* ''
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seas ...
''
* ''
The New Adventures of Batman''
* ''
The Freedom Force'' β
Isis
Isis (; ''Δse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: π€π€, romanized: ΚΎs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...
, Super-Samurai,
Sinbad,
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and leg ...
, and
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
* ''
Jason of Star Command
''Jason of Star Command'' is a 1978-1979 live action television series by Filmation. The series revolves around the exploits of space adventurer Jason (Craig Littler) and his colleagues, including Professor E.J. Parsafoot (Charlie Dell) and the ...
'' β the only live-action segment
* ''
Manta and Moray Manta and Moray are a pair of amphibious superheroes who first appeared in a segment of the omnibus animated TV series ''Tarzan and the Super 7'' from 1978 to 1980. Filmation produced seven eleven-minute episodes, which were mixed with several other ...
''
* ''
Superstretch and Microwoman''
* ''
Web Woman''
The show was an updating of ''
The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour'' which aired on CBS Saturday mornings during the 1977β1978 television season. That series featured separate half-hour episodes for each hero, with each show having its own opening and closing credits. The two series had previously run separately as ''
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seas ...
'' (1976) and ''
The New Adventures of Batman'' (1977).
''Batman and the Super 7''
During the 1980β1981 television season,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
ran repeat episodes under the title ''Batman and the Super 7''. The
Dynamic Duo's lone crusade on NBC Saturday Morning, this hourlong series featured all of the original βSuper 7β segments except ''Jason of Star Command'' and ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' (The Tarzan show continued airing repeats on CBS as part of ''
The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour
''The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour'' is an animated television series produced by Filmation that aired on CBS during the early 1980s.
The series consisted of reruns of ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' paired with new episodes of Filmation's ver ...
'' (1980β1981), later renamed ''The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour'' (1981β1982)).
However, entire half-hour episodes of ''
The New Adventures of Batman'' were heavily condensed into weekly 10-minute two-parters.
Home media
To date, the only segment released in North America is the five episodes produced of ''The Freedom Force'' as well as the live-action series, ''Jason of Star Command''. Warner Home Video released the ''Batman'' series in June 2007.
* ''Space Sentinels & Freedom Force'' β The Complete Series - August 22, 2006
* ''Jason of Star Command'' β The Complete Series DVD Set - May 8, 2007
* ''The New Adventures of Batman'' β The Complete Series DVD Set - June 26, 2007
DC Comics sued Filmation in 1978 over ''Superstretch and MicroWoman'' and ''Manta and Moray'' being trademark infringements of ''
Plastic Man
Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the fi ...
'' and ''
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...
'' respectively, winning both a 1980 decision and a 1986 appeal.
References
External links
*
*
*
Jim's Tarzan and the Super 7 Page
{{Children's programming on CBS in the 1980s
1978 American television series debuts
1980 American television series endings
1970s American animated television series
1980s American animated television series
Animated Tarzan television series
NBC original programming
CBS original programming
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated adventure television series