Shazam Saturday Morning TV Facts

On this video we remember the classic Saturday morning Shazam TV series from the 1970’s with some cool facts of the show you may not have heard anywhere else and some facts you probably know by heart, but it's fun to reminiscence about.

Shazam, of course, was based off the comic book series that featured Captain Marvel as a Superman like hero. Comic fans probably know the story how Captain Marvel was so big back in the 40’s he got as popular as Superman for a time before DC Comics decided to sue and ended up taking the rights of Shazam. Captain Marvel even had a black and white movie serial just like Superman.

The 70’s were kind of a revival for Captain Marvel. DC was printing a new Shazam comic series at the same time the tv series was running.
The story revolves around Billy Batson traveling the country in a motor home with his mentor named Mentor. That really was the name they went with. In the comics he would have been known as Uncle Dudley. Any kid who grew up in the 70’s likely loved this show back in the day. For it’s time it was amazing.

Mentor was played by actor Les Tremayne. Did you know he once played Boss Hogg’s Dad on the Dukes of Hazzard season 5 episode, Big Daddy in 1982? Turns out Boss’s dad was even more crooked than he was.

Tremayne had played on a number of movies and shows before Shazam and after Shazam he went on to do a lot of voice work on Saturday morning series like Godzilla, Gobots, Scooby Doo, and the Smurfs.

In the show Billy is just like the comic version he gets his powers from classic heroes from the ancient world like wisdom of Solomon, strength of Hercules, speed of mercury, and so forth. In the show unlike the comics, Billy is always talking to these ancient heroes known as the elders on the series.

Jackson Bostwick played Captain Marvel until he was fired after missing a day after sustaining an injury. The producers believed he was just holding out for more money.

After that John Davey took over as Captain Marvel for 11 more episodes.

Michael Gray played Billy Batson. I was very surprised to see him do a cameo on the new Shazam movie sequel wearing his classic TV shazam shirt. Did you know he also appeared on a episode of the Brady bunch on the episode, "Marcia Gets Creamed" in 1973.

Did you ever notice that the Shazam logo was right on the face of the motor home even though Captain Marvel’s identity was supposed to be a secret?

They explained that the reason Billy and Mentor were traveling the country was that Billy Batson's radio show had sent him on a roving assignment, to do stories about American youth, with Mentor as an advisor.

Every episode ended with a moral segment where Captain Marvel or Billy Batson would explain that episode’s life lesson. The moral was always something basic and simple like listen to your parents and don’t lie. Simple morals that may sound corny by today’s standards but still very powerful morals.

Surprisingly for a Saturday morning series, they didn’t shy away from dealing with the difficult subject of drugs in the first season episode, “The Lure of the Lost”. I can remember a few other Saturday morning series that warned against drugs back then. After all, there was a drug epidemic going on at the time.

The wizard is never mentioned in the series, but some folks think that perhaps Mentor was the Wizard due to one scene where seems to pop up in a tree without explanation, and a line from Billy where he states that Mentor has a way of popping up when you least expect him, and then there was line Mentor gives jokingly that he has mystic powers in the episode, The Lure of the Lost” .

Here's some guest stars that appeared on Shazam.

Jackie Earle Haley from other comic book related properties like the Watchmen, and the Human Target was on the on the episode, "The Delinquent" season 1 ep 12 in 1974.

On that same episode, Hilly Hicks guest starred. He went on to do the voice of Brock on the 70’s Hanna Barbera Godzilla cartoon and played Robbie Robertson on an episode of the Amazing Spider-man.

JoAnna Cameron guest starred as Isis on Shazam at least 3 times and had her own Saturday morning show.

Isis and Captain Marvel did the occasional crossover and their shows were combined into an hour as the Shazam Isis Hour.

Carol Anne Seflinger was on two episodes of Shazam. You may remember her as Susan on the Krofft Supershow’s Wonderbug.

Danny Bonaduce from the Partridge Family was on the episode, Speak no evil.

Dabbs Greer who was the pastor from Little House on the Prairie guest starred on the episode, Shazam episode, Fools, Gold.

You can get the entire series on DVD at Amazon. I’ll put a link in the description below. I get a commission from any purchases through my Amazon links.
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