In the 1960's the animation company Filmation Associates persuaded DC Comics to allow them to do a Superman cartoon series. The New Adventures of Superman debuted on the American network CBS on September 10, 1966. In the second season, the show was renamed The Superman-Aquaman Hour of Adventure adding adventures with other DC Comics heroes. In 1968, the show format again changed becoming The Batman-Superman Hour which ran until September 6, 1969 when the show was cancelled partly from protests by Action For Children's Television because they were deemed too violent.Hanna-Barbera cartoons such as Space Ghost, Birdman, Mightor and the Herculoids also got the axe for the same reason.
In the first season, the show had two 6 minute Superman cartoons bracketing a Superboy cartoon. Superman comics editor Mort Weisinger served as story editor, while several Superman comics writer also scripted some of the cartoons. The first season had 18 half-hours. The second and third seasons each had eight more made. In the third season,the show was again renamed to The Batman/Superman Hour. The artwork was updated to imitate Superman artist Curt Swan's style, and the Superman episodes now were 2-part Superman adventures. The cartoons used the familiar "Faster than a speeding bullet..." used previously in the 1940's Fleisher cartoons, the serials and 1950's television show The Adventures of Superman with a snappy little sing song in the back ground of "it's Superman, Super , Super Superman! Within the cartoons, Superman used his familiar "Up, up, and away" and "This is a job for Superman" phrases, as well as the often used "Great Scott."
From the radio show returned actors Clayton "Bud" Collyer as Superman/Clark Kent and Joan Alexander as Lois Lane, with Jackson Beck as narrator. Bob Hastings played Superboy/Young Clark Kent. The director of the cartoons was Hal Sutherland.
uperboy/Young Clark Kent. The director of the cartoons was Hal Sutherland. |
