Godzilla (Hanna-Barbera series)
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Godzilla (ゴジラ, often referred to as The Godzilla Power Hour due to the hour-long time slot the series used to hold in its initial airings and also known retroactively as Godzilla: The Original Animated Series, was a Saturday morning animated series co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Gojira)Toho, and Benedict Pictures Corp. Two seasons of 13 episodes each were produced, which were broadcasted on NBC in the United States from September 9, 1978 to December 8, 1979. Despite Toho's involvement, the series was never shown on television in Japan.
Plot
The series followed the adventures of a team of scientists on the research vessel called the Calico which was headed by Captain Carl Majors. The rest of the crew included Dr. Quinn Darian, who is a female scientist, Brock Borden, who is her African-American assistant and Carl's first mate, and her teenage nephew Pete Darian. Also along for the ride was Godzooky, the nephew of Godzilla and Pete's best friend who had a light-hearted role in the show. He could fly using his small wings under his arms, though his Uncle Godzilla was unable to fly. Whenever he tried to breath fire, he just coughed up smoke rings and he never seemed to have the ability to shoot laser beams from his eyes.
The group would often call upon Godzilla by using a special communicator known as the "Godzilla Signal" when they were in peril, such as attacks by other giant monsters. If the communicator was not present or lost, Godzooky would use a special "howl" to summon him. Godzilla's size in the animated series shifted radically, sometimes within a single episode or even one scene (for instance, Godzilla's claw will wrap around a large ship, and only minutes later the team of scientists fit rather neatly on Godzilla's palm). In addition, Godzilla's trademark atomic breath was altered so he breathed simple fire. He could also shoot laser beams from his eyes, much like Superman's heat vision.
Episodes
Season 1
- "The Firebird" (September 9, 1978)
- "The Eartheater" (September 16, 1978)
- "Attack of the Stone Creature" (September 23, 1978)
- "The Megavolt Monster" (September 30, 1978)
- "The Seaweed Monster" (October 7, 1978)
- "The Energy Beast" (October 14, 1978)
- "The Colossus of Atlantis" (October 21, 1978)
- "The Horror of Forgotten Island" (October 28, 1978)
- "Island of Lost Ships" (November 4, 1978)
- "The Magnetic Terror" (November 11, 1978)
- "The Breeder Beast" (November 18, 1978)
- "The Sub-Zero Terror" (November 25, 1978)
- "The Time Dragons" (December 2, 1978)
Season 2
- "Calico Clones" (September 15, 1979)
- "Microgodzilla" (September 22, 1979)
- "Ghost Ship" (September 29, 1979)
- "The Beast of Storm Island" (October 6, 1979)
- "The City in the Clouds" (October 13, 1979)
- "The Cyborg Whale" (October 20, 1979)
- "Valley of the Giants" (October 27, 1979)
- "Moonlode" (November 3, 1979)
- "The Golden Guardians" (November 10, 1979)
- "The Macro-Beasts" (November 17, 1979)
- "Pacific Peril" (November 24, 1979)
- "Island of Doom" (December 1, 1979)
- "The Deadly Asteroid" (December 8, 1979)
Specials
- "Godzilla vs. Y2K Bug" (1999)
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Jeff David as Captain Carl Majors
- Al Eisenman as Pete Darian
- Hilly Hicks as Brock Borden
- Brenda Thomson as Doctor Quinn Darian
- Ted Cassidy as Godzilla
- Don Messick as Godzooky
Appearances
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Characters
Monsters
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Weapons, vehicles, and races
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Broadcast history
Godzilla originally aired in these formats on NBC:[1]
- The Godzilla Power Hour (September 8, 1978 - October 28, 1978)
- The Godzilla Super 90 (November 4, 1978 - September 1, 1979)
- Godzilla (September 8, 1979 - October 13, 1979)
- The Godzilla/Globetrotters Adventure Hour (October 20, 1979 - September 20, 1980)
- The Godzilla/Dynomutt Hour (September 27, 1980 - November 15, 1980)
- The Godzilla/Hong Kong Phooey Hour (November 22, 1980 - May 16, 1981)
- Godzilla (May 23, 1981 - September 5, 1981)
Gallery
- ScoobyDooCameo.png
A panel from Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43
DVD releases
Classic Media DVDs (2006-07) [Godzilla: The Original Animated Series]
- Region: 1
- Audio: English
- Subtitles: Unknown
- Special features: None
- Notes: Released in 3 volumes containing one disc each. Volume 1 contains episodes 1-4, Volume 2 contains episodes 5-9, and Volume 3 contains episodes 10-13.
The second season of Godzilla has never been released on home video, although Cartoon Network recordings of all the episodes circulate on the gray market. The GODZILLA OFFICIAL by TOHO YouTube channel began uploading episodes of the series in order, with each episode broken into three videos, on August 9, 2021. It is unknown if the channel is planning to make the entire series available or just Season 1.
Videos
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Trivia
- Rather than use Godzilla's trademark roar, Hanna-Barbera cast Ted Cassidy to record vocalizations for the character. He performed similar work for the live action TV series The Incredible Hulk, which began airing the same year.
- The basic formula of a scientific team and research vessel investigating strange phenomena with Godzilla as an ally was reused later for Godzilla: The Series.
- DC Comics' Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43 mentions that the Hanna-Barbera superheroes Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles defeated the likes of Godzilla, the Eartheater, and the Cyclops Creature, all of whom make a cameo in one panel alongside an unidentified fourth monster, actually a recolored version of the Time Dragon with flaps under its arms and pointed spikes on its back. The monsters were apparently under the control of (if not created by) the Mad Inventor.
External links
References
This is a list of references for Godzilla (series). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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