''The All-New Super Friends Hour'' is an American

animated television series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

about a team of

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es which ran from September 10, 1977, to September 2, 1978, on ABC. It was produced by

Hanna-Barbera Productions Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

and is based on the

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

and associated

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

characters published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

Summary

The popularity of TV's ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

'' and ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin ...

'' spurred network interest in reviving the ''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...

'' program, which had run in the 1973/1974 season. When it was again unveiled in 1977, more young children and teenagers than before tuned in, making ''The All-New Super Friends Hour'' a huge ratings success. The success prompted the ABC television network to plan a new and even more innovative series for the fall of 1978.

Characters

In this particular incarnation of the ''Super Friends'', the DC Comic book legends

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest r ...

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 ...

return to fight for justice. However, this time, they get help from the shape-shifting super-teens The Wonder Twins, along with their space-monkey Gleek.

Format

''The All-New Super Friends Hour'' featured 60 animated shorts and 15 regular episodes per program which followed a basic format each week. The first segment of every show featured two of the heroes (for the purposes of the team-ups in the first and fourth segments, Batman and Robin were considered one hero) teaming up in a separate mini story. The second segment featured a story with the Wonder Twins. The typical plot is that teenagers engage in a specific discouraged activity like vandalism or hitchhiking, and the Twins are summoned to deal with it. Inevitably, the misbehaving teenagers find themselves in danger as a consequence of their misbehavior and the Twins rescue them. The third segment was considered the "primary" adventure of the week which featured the entire Super Friends roster (including the Wonder Twins) in a longer adventure. The fourth and final segment featured a story with one of the primary lineup along with a special guest star. The fourth segment typically featured a problem which was solved using the guest star's unique abilities. In addition, there were additional short spots between segments with members of the Super Friends giving basic safety lessons, basic health and first aid advice, magic tricks, craft projects, and a two-part riddle featuring the week's primary plot line.

Syndication/cable

The 15 hour-long shows were later cut into half-hour installments for local

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

in the early 1980s. Episodes from the 1977 series were included in ''

The Superman/Batman Adventures ''The Superman/Batman Adventures'' is a television series that aired on USA Network in 1995. It was later aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. The episodes were edited from various seasons of the Hanna-Barbera-produced ''Super Friends'', as well ...

'', which aired on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

in 1996 and later on the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

and

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

, which would air the original hour-long shows from 1977 in their entirety (save for the next week's previews) in July 2004 and again in June 2008.

Character lineup

* The Wonder Twins ** Zan ** Jayna ** Gleek

Guests

Black Vulcan Black Vulcan is an African-American superhero on the animated series '' Super Friends'' created by Hanna-Barbera, voiced by Buster Jones. Fictional character biography Black Vulcan debuted on the Super Friends show (''The All-New Super Friends H ...

Apache Chief Apache Chief is a Native American superhero from the various Hanna-Barbera ''Super Friends'' cartoons and the DC comic book series of the same name. He was one of the new heroes added (along with Black Vulcan, Rima the Jungle Girl, El Dorado an ...

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

* Hawkgirl * Rima the Jungle Girl *

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with actu ...

The Atom The Atom is a name shared by five superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by writer Bill O'Connor and artist Ben Flinton and first appeared in All-American Pub ...

( Ray Palmer) *

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

(

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in ''Sh ...

) *

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

( Barry Allen)

Black Manta Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, and first appeared in ''Aquaman'' #35 in September 1967. He has since endured as the archenemy of the s ...

appeared on the episodes "The Whirlpool" and "The Water Beast", where he was referred to simply as "Manta" and his suit color was now olive brown.

Gentleman Ghost Gentleman Ghost is a supervillain appearing in books published by DC Comics publications. Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert, the character first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #88 (October 1947). Fictional character biography ...

appears in the episode titled "Ghost." In this show, he is referred to only as "Gentleman Jim Craddock" instead of "Gentleman Ghost." A man casts a spell to bring Gentleman Ghost to the living so that he can take revenge on

and

for imprisoning his spirit. He uses his powers to turn U.N. representatives into ghosts and later turns Superman and Wonder Woman into ghosts. The curse is eventually broken, after which the Super Friends used the mystical Rods of

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 ...

to send Gentleman Ghost back to his grave, never to return.

List of episodes

Voice Cast

Norman Alden Norman Alden (born Norman Adelberg, September 13, 1924 – July 27, 2012) was an American character actor who performed in television programs and motion pictures. He first appeared on television on ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' in 1957. He ...

, Caller, Professor Rogers (in "Will the World Collide?"), Gruth (in "The Ghost") *

Jack Angel Jack Angel (October 24, 1930 – October 18, 2021) was an American voice actor, comedian, and radio personality. He provided voice-overs for animation and video games. Angel had voiced characters in shows by Hasbro and Hanna-Barbera such as '' S ...

, Dr. Lau (in "Time Rescue"), Professor Price (in "Forbidden Power") * Michael Bell - Zan, Gleek, Mechanic (in "The Brain Machine"), Jeff (in "Joy Ride"), Kalmo (in "The Mysterious Time Creatures"), Sully (in "Runaways"), Gary * Wally Burr -

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, a ...

, The Enforcer (in "The Enforcer"), Peterson (in "The Invisible Menace"), Dr. Pisces (in "Attack of the Giant Squid"), Newton's son (in "The Collector"), Zeno Leader (in "Exploration Earth"), Lionex (in "The Lion Men"), Bus Depot Master (in "Runaways") *

Ted Cassidy Theodore Crawford Cassidy (July 31, 1932 – January 16, 1979) was an American actor noted for his tall stature at and deep voice. He tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as ''Star Trek'' and ''I Dream of ...

- Crag the Earthor (in "Invasion of the Earthors") * Regis Cordic -

Manta Manta or mantas may refer to: * Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta'' Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications * Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the Bri ...

(first appearance), Nemus (in "The Invisible Menace"), Professor Martinez (in "The Water Beast"), Jules (in "The Marsh Monster") *

Henry Corden Henry Corden (born Henry Cohen; January 6, 1920 – May 19, 2005) was a Canadian-born American actor, best known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed's death in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was in the 1 ...

- Vika (in "Tibetan Raiders"), Rudolph Korloff (in "The Mummy of Nazca") *

Danny Dark Danny Dark (December 19, 1938 – June 13, 2004) was an American voice-over artist. For nearly four decades, he embedded pop culture with memorable lines in advertisements for Budweiser ("This Bud's for you"), Raid Ant & Roach Killer ("Raid - Kil ...

* Shannon Farnon -

, Rima, Hawkgirl, Drowning Boy, Susan (in "Tiger on the Loose"), Newton's daughter (in "The Collector"), Medula (in "The Mind Maidens"), Dr. Taylor (in "The Fifty Foot Woman") *

Wendie Malick Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom '' Dream On'', and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC si ...

Pat Fraley Patrick Howard Fraley (born February 18, 1949) is an American voice actor and voice-over teacher, known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones, Baxter Stockman and numerous other characters in the 1987 '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated te ...

- Ron (in "Handicap"), Jack (in "Cheating") *

Bob Hastings Robert Francis Hastings (April 18, 1925 – June 30, 2014) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Lt. Elroy Carpenter on '' McHale's Navy'' and voicing Commissioner James Gordon in the DC Animated Universe. Early life Ha ...

- Corky (in "Joy Ride"), Scott (in "Handicap") *

Buster Jones Edward L. Jones (December 12, 1943 – September 16, 2014) was an American voice actor and television host. He is probably best known from his roles as Black Vulcan in '' Super Friends'', Blaster in '' The Transformers'', Doc in '' G.I. Joe: A ...

* Jane Jones - Jody (in "Hitchhike") *

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

, Police Officer (in "The Brain Machine"), Tour Guide (in "Invasion of the Earthors"), Mr. Brown, Guest, Justice League Computer, Secret Four Member #3 (in "The Secret Four"), Dictor (in "The Mysterious Time Creatures"), Insecta (in "Coming of the Antropods"), Brunette Scientist (in "The Marsh Monster"), Mr. Thompson (in "Doctor Fright"), Professor Larvey (in "Will the World Collide?) * Joyce Mancini - Mary Nelson (in "Tiny World of Terror") * Ross Martin - Secret Four Member #1 (in "The Secret Four"), Professor Strickland (in "Tiny World of Terror") * Chuck McClennan - Earthor #1 (in "Invasion of the Earthors") *

Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s, and he has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New Yor ...

- Dr. Cranum (in "The Brain Machine"), (in "The Secret Four"), Hydronoid #2 (in "Invasion of the Hydronoids"), Doctor Fright (in "Doctor Fright"), Wolfman (in "The Man Beasts of Xra"), The Marsh Monster (in "The Marsh Monster"), Captain Shark (in "The Protector"),

(in "The Ghost"), Scientist (in "The Ghost") * Richard Paul - First Mate (in "The Whirlpool") *

Barney Phillips Bernard Philip Ofner (October 20, 1913 – August 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Barney Phillips, was an American film, television, and radio actor. His most prominent roles include that of Sgt. Ed Jacobs on the 1950s '' Dragnet' ...

Flash (Barry Allen) The Flash (comics), Flash (Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #4 (October 1956), created by writer Robert Kani ...

Mike Road Mike Road (born Milton Brustin;The Boston Advertiser, June 29, 1958 March 18, 1918 – April 14, 2013) was an American voice actor and Warner Bros. television series contract player whose television career dates back to the 1950s and in f ...

- Varko (in "Planet of the Neanderthals") * Michael Rye -

, Abominable Snowman (in "Alaska Peril") *

Olan Soule Olan Evart Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films. Soul ...

, Police Officer (in "The Brain Machine"), Secret Four Member #4 (in “The Secret Four”) Professor Wong (in "Tiny World of Terror"), Professor Fearo (in "Will the World Collide?") * John Stephenson - Hydronoid Captain (in "Invasion of the Hydronoids"), Police Officer (in "Doctor Fright"), Dr. Droid (in "The Monster of Dr. Droid"), Pantherman (in "The Man Beasts of Xra"), Sculpin (in "Frozen Peril"), Freighter Captain (in "Frozen Peril") *

Richard Steven Horvitz Richard Steven Horvitz (born July 29, 1966) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his voice work in animation and video games. His voice credits include the original Alpha 5 on ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', ''Power Rangers Zeo'' an ...

- Klarion the Witch Boy *

Jean Vander Pyl Jean Thurston Vander Pyl (October 11, 1919 – April 10, 1999) was an American voice actress. Although her career spanned many decades, she is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon '' The Flintstones''. In ...

- Dr. Xra (in "The Man Beasts of Xra"), Magda Duval (in "The Marsh Monster") * Liberty Williams -

Jayna Jayna is a female given name. It may refer to: * Jayna Altman, a U.S. beauty queen * Jayna Hefford (born 1977) a Canadian women's ice hockey player * Jayna Murray (died 2011) a murder victim killed by a coworker at a Lululemon store in Bethesda, ...

, Little Sister * Bill Woodson - Narrator, Captain Croner (in "The Whirlpool"), Dr. Scat (in "The Brain Machine"), Police Chief (in "The Brain Machine"), Earthor #2 (in "Invasion of the Earthors"), Secret Four Member #2 (in "The Secret Four"), Professor (in "Doctor Fright"), Boris (in "The Monster of Dr. Droid"), Professor Fairweather (in "The Invisible Menace"), Newton Domehead (in "The Collector"), Professor Dalton (in "Alaska Peril"), Professor Zarkoff (in "Forbidden Power"), Mutant (in "Forbidden Power"), Dr. Markham (in "The Man Beasts of Xra"), Jay's Pop (in "Runaways"), Cleazor (in "Will the World Collide?"), Professor Comstock (in "Time Rescue")

Home media

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

(via DC Comics Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) released ''The All-New Super Friends Hour – Season 1, Volume 1'' on DVD on January 8, 2008, containing 7 uncut, original episodes (28 cartoon segments), restored and remastered, and presented in its original, unedited hour-long version and original broadcast presentation. However, the episodes are not in their original airdate order just as they originally aired on ABC. On January 27, 2009, Warner released ''The All-New Super Friends Hour – Season 1, Volume 2'' featuring the remaining eight episodes.

''DC Super Friends''

Despite using the main theme from '' The World's Greatest Super Friends'', the 2010 '' DC Super Friends'' "The Joker's Playhouse" shares several elements of its opening sequence with ''The All-New Super Friends Hour'' including introducing several of the Super Friends by name.

References

External links

Superman Homepage: Hanna Barbera's Super Friends – The All-New Super Friends Hour

at

Big Cartoon DataBase The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, Feature film, animated feature films, Animated television series, animated television shows, and cartoon Short film, shorts. The BCDB proj ...

*
The All-New Super Friends Hour
@ Legions of Gotham {{DEFAULTSORT:All-New Super Friends Hour 1977 American television series debuts 1978 American television series endings 1970s American animated television series 1970s American science fiction television series American animated television spin-offs American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated science fantasy television series American children's animated superhero television series Animated television shows based on DC Comics English-language television shows Television series by Hanna-Barbera Television series set in 1977 Television series set in the 4th millennium American Broadcasting Company original programming Animated Batman television series Animated Justice League television series Animated Superman television series Wonder Woman in other media Super Friends Twins in fiction Television series about shapeshifting