Legends of the Super Heroes

Here's a re-post from October 2010.

Not a bootleg. Not an imaginary story. Not a hoax.

Yes. The notorious two-part NBC special from 1979 that has lived on in infamy as a bad childhood memory is now officially out on DVD thanks to The Warner Archive Collection. 

Part 1 is "The Challenge" in which several Justice Leaguers take on a cadre of super-villains. Part 2 is "The Roast" where the villains go all "Dean Martin" on the heroes' asses.

This videotaped canned-laughter oddity from Hanna-Barbera brought your Saturday-morning cartoon favorites to life in living color played by actual living, breathing actors!

Adam West, Burt Ward and Frank Gorshin of BATMAN fame recreated their roles from the 1960s ABC campfest. 

They are joined by TV stalwarts Jeff Altman (as the Weather Wizard), Charlie Callas (as Sinestro), Gabriel Dell (as Mordru), Ruth Buzzi (as Aunt Minerva) and Ed McMahon (as the host of the "roast" portion).

Lesser known actors brought the JLA heroes Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and The Atom to life. Also featured (in the place of Superman and Wonder Woman) were Captain Marvel and newcomer The Huntress. 

The Black Canary was played by someone named Danuta - who never acted again. Imagine that.

On the villain side, Dr. Sivana, Solomon Grundy and Giganta (played by transexual performer A'leshia Brevard) rounded out the cast.

Other characters appearing included the ridiculous and offensive Ghetto Man, the cringe-inducing Retired Man (aka The Scarlet Cyclone) and Pat Carroll as Hawkman's mother! 

NIGHT COURT's Marsha Warfield has an uncredited cameo as "the phonebooth woman".

As for the storylines, special effects and writing - the less said the better. LEGENDS OF THE SUPER HEROES is best viewed as a product of its time - a time when just about anything could get onto primetime TV. These were the days of the STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL, THE PAUL LYNDE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL and PINK LADY & JEFF (starring the Weather Wizard himself!).

So if you are like me and can't get enough vintage bad TV and men in tights - check out LEGENDS - the legendary program so unwatchable that it HAS TO BE SEEN!

Random Christmas Crap

I know I've been neglecting my readers lately with mostly wordless posts and reruns from years gone by. I don't want to become the NBC of Blogger, so while I devise a plan to come up with some new and exciting topics, here's a bunch of random Christmas crap that I've collected over the years.

Wow DC Comics gave us SHAZAM! for Christmas one year...and history seems to be repeating itself because this year SHAZAM is coming back for another issue. In January, SHAZAM #1 will arrive, continuing the tale of current Captain Marvel Freddy Freeman, powerless former Cap Billy Batson and his sister Mary. Black Adam, Isis and back-from-the-dead Osiris also figure into the plot! Let's hop it's good and leads to an ongoing series!

If superhero zombies aren't your cup of nog, perhaps a yuletide-themed Frankenstein cover of Monster World magazine is more your speed. What an awesome cover, I so wish I had this framed on my bathroom wall. Gotta love all that hand-drawn blood-dripping typography. Nothing says Scary Christmas like monsters, ghouls, zombies and vampires...and not those soft-core porn TWILIGHT vampires!

Yikes! Speaking of scary...how many poor defenseless animals were slaughtered so Mr. Showmanship can pose for this horrifying holiday portrait? I'm so sure it must have been below zero when he stepped out of this Palm Springs home for this snapshot. Well, if Lee was still alive, I'd be first in line to toss a bucket of red paint on that atrocity. Twas the night before Christmas, and all through Lee's house, not a creature was furry, not even a mouse!