Press Release Warner Archive Press Release: The Herculoids: The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

We are uncertain if a press release is forthcoming

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[BobO'Link]

Oh wow! I caved a couple of years ago and snagged a copy of the MOD DVD when it was on sale. I'll be getting this for sure!!!

 

[ScottRE]

Excellent! This is one of my favorite H-B adventure cartoons. I do wish they had all three versions of the opening theme, but I'll take the complete and cleaned up prints.

 

[Rodney]

Very happy to see more H-B available. I'll be getting this as well.

 

[RobertMG]

Wish we would see more classic Yogi Huck seasons - 2nd seasons etc!

 

[Randy Korstick]

Wish we would see more classic Yogi Huck seasons - 2nd seasons etc!

Yeah it appears the HB DVD line is dead with many titles still unreleased. So I'm hoping they will start mixing in some new and never released on DVD titles with all these Blu Ray upgrades.

 

[Midnight Mike]

Excellent news! I bought the Warner DVD back in the day, but If this release looks as good as the recent Jonny Quest and Space Ghost blu rays, this will be a great upgrade!

 

[JamesSmith]

Yeah it appears the HB DVD line is dead with many titles still unreleased. So I'm hoping they will start mixing in some new and never released on DVD titles with all these Blu Ray upgrades.

Please. Please. The Banana Splits and the Chattanooga Cats.

--jthree

 

[Midnight Mike]

Wow! I got this set today, and the quality is fantastic! Definitely remastered since the old burn on demand set from 2011. Super vibrant color! It’s really been cleaned up!

And best of all it includes the second season alternate titles! Something the first set didn’t have. Also, the opening narration has been returned to at least some of the episodes it was missing from on the old set. I haven’t watched all 18 episodes yet, but checked out one from each disc. And this has 18 episodes spread out over three blu rays as opposed to two DVD’s on the old set.

The set is an awesome upgrade!

 

[Randy Korstick]

Wow! I got this set today, and the quality is fantastic! Definitely remastered since the old burn on demand set from 2011. Super vibrant color! It’s really been cleaned up!

And best of all it includes the second season alternate titles! Something the first set didn’t have. Also, the opening narration has been returned to at least some of the episodes it was missing from on the old set. I haven’t watched all 18 episodes yet, but checked out one from each disc. And this has 18 episodes spread out over three blu rays as opposed to two DVD’s on the old set.

The set is an awesome upgrade!

Herculoids was only 1 season 18 episode which ran from September, 1967-January, 1968. It did air again as reruns the following year 68-69. So I think those new titles were either alternate titles for syndication or used for the rerun season. The show did have new 6 minute episodes on the Space Stars show in 1980-1981.

 

[ScottRE]

The episodes I got off Boomerang had three versions of the opening credits. The main awesome SF theme, the same theme with "Somewhere out on the space live the Herculoids" with all of the character names read - except Tara for some reason. And then the odd, hip "60's" theme. This sounds like all three are included. Which I'm happy with. This is a definite buy.

 

[Midnight Mike]

Herculoids was only 1 season 18 episode which ran from September, 1967-January, 1968. It did air again as reruns the following year 68-69. So I think those new titles were either alternate titles for syndication or used for the rerun season. The show did have new 6 minute episodes on the Space Stars show in 1980-1981.

It’s true there are only 18 first run episodes episodes that were broadcast from Sept.’67 to Jan. ‘68, but the show ran on CBS on Saturday mornings through the beginning of September ‘69. I always think of it as running for two seasons, even though it’s just same 18 episodes being run over and over again.

I’m not sure when that second “groovy“ main title was instituted, but the music is the same theme that CBS used in promos for it‘s Saturday Morning Superhero block of action adventure shows at the time. (Or at least it sounds very similar)

I recall reading somewhere that the second them was used during its ‘68 - ‘69 run on CBS. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did that to make it seem like it was new, instead of just the same 18 episodes from the last season.

 

[Charles 22]

Oh wow! I caved a couple of years ago and snagged a copy of the MOD DVD when it was on sale. I'll be getting this for sure!!!

I personally think it 's a huge waste of money to buy animation in BD, well usually. This is no exception AFAIC. Sheesh, while I liked this as a kid, I bought the dvd set AND the additional Herculoids from the Space Stars, or whatever it was called, set.

Here's a very quick mini-review, though doubtlessly you will do, what you say you will, but I think you might find this at least of slight interest.

I didn't expect a whole lot, and as a kid this had EVERYTHING, basically, no plot and nothing but action, with lots of lovely sci-fi and monsters. Nowadays though, for the most part, I can't stand it, mostly because of the trends I saw very quickly. There is definitely no exercising of the brain here at all. I'm not sure what I hated about it most, because thankfully my brain is obfuscating it as quickly as it can. But the one thing that springs to mind is a great dose of Captain Obvious throughout the shorts. Sadly, I haven't sold this yet, but I wasn't looking for obvious, but when you literally see five obvious statements in a row, you really, really get to noticing it. That's not the least inaccurate, and when i saw that, I reversed play to make sure it was the case. It went something along the lines of "Look there's a ship. Look it's coming towards us (film cuts to the ship each time). Look it's got a deadly ray gun. Look, it's firing it at us. Run for your lives" I quote that, but I don't recall it exactly, and I'm sure it turned out quite differently, only just as obvious, but it did involve seeing a ship first. I would want to beat myself silly to see that mindless swill anymore. But stay tuned, it gets better. Now what do I mean by better??

Strangely enough, the newer Herculoids were MUCH more intelligent on the other set, and believe it or not, they actually weren't confined to somebody attacking them every time, but going off and protecting others. Imagine, the innovation! And there a few other nice things, such as the hero creatures actually being able to get their butts kicked here and there. In the original, the shaving cream robots were the only ones to stymy them, so at least it was tough for them (no easy rolling over all enemies anyway) until the very end.

A last thing, one thing that annoyed me to no end about the Hercs, is that leader boy actually seemed to know the name of every sort of ray gun deployed against them, yet many times it seems to be they're meeting those enemies for the first time. I think that might had irritated me more than the Captain Obvious raising it's ugly head, but you combine both, and the creatures being so invincible, it definitely ruined it for me. The additional episodes I spoke of, also sported the monsters screwing around with the kid, etc, and it really seemed they put a lot more into that newer stuff. Definitely, i can tolerate the new stuff, and maybe ALL the weaknesses I described, were entirely lost on the new ones. They may had less "obvious" weaknesses in plot, etc, but while it was less battling going on it seemed, it just seemed a better product, though I think purists tend to malign the new ones all the time. Seriously, I now understand why the NEA was up against shows like this. I liked the fights, sure, but they didn't, but even if they were 100% wrong, the problem was that stuff was so braindead you just about want to shoot yourself.

To demonstrate, let's suppose your kids saw the entire original run, and thought they would be cute, or, who knows, why would you have to be cute to do this? You just might be thinking you're redoing the plot of one of them, especially the "Look, there's a ship" episode. As you drive to Colorado, or wherever, you hear, "Look there's a cow". Then, "Look there's a tree". Then, "Look, there's a man picking his nose". Then, "Look there's a piece of dust". Then, "Look, there's Dad's fist".

I enjoyed that, I really did. It felt like it was my revenge for that series destroying my brain, but mere months ago. Sorry if even reading this, if you dared, destroyed yours as well. Well, buy the BD and you can have your brain destroyed all over in 1080p. I really wish that series weren't that bad, but it was. Spiderman's using the same animation, over, and over, and over, in The Amazing Spiderman, was kid stuff compared to this brain wrecker. You know something? There has to be a market for killing your brain, so you can buy the absolutely worst cartoons you know of, and see if they can top Herculoids for the honors. I sense Brady Kids would be in the top running.

Damn Howie, I even bought a fridge magnet of the Herculoids when I bought those two sets, and I'm almost disgusted with it now. If not for the very small saving grace of the latter series Herculoid bits, it would be melted down already. Well chin up, I can try to rework my mind around the obvious problems there, and instead think of it as a sign of defiance to the NEA fascists.

Will I be getting it? Seriously? Well, I hope you guys get more out of it than I do, or your kids or something, because that garbage is pretty awful. I would rather have a BD of Josey and the Pussycats, and that's low, that's REAL low.

 

[Beeper2750]

Instead of being critical of The Herculoids as a 2021 Blu-ray, you need to appreciate the show as a product of its times. In 1967, on the heels of Space Ghost’s monster Saturday morning ratings on CBS the previous year — and given the ongoing pop-culture rage for ABC-TV’s Batman — superhero shows were money-makers! Don’t fault H-B for trying to put as many superhero shows on Saturday morning as they could (AKA making hay while the sun shines). By doing so H-B continued expanding the TV animation market, thereby giving many formerly out-of-work golden-age animation staffers (friends of Bill and Joe) good-paying employment. Additionally, let’s face it: Saturday morning fare was never aimed to appeal to anyone over the age of 11 or 12 anyway. As a 10-year-old kid myself in 1967 I can assure you the Herculoids was an AWESOME adrenaline rush! Every cartoon followed the same basic formula: in the first minute a threat to Amzot is established, next nine minutes the Herculoids kick major ass, laying waste to their foe in every manner possible, in the final minute Zandor expresses “I hope they’ve learned to never attack us again” — all of which is utterly satisfying to a kid. Every week’s TV Guide listing would basically say the same thing: “Enemy meanies show up on Amzot looking to pick a fight and the Herculoids absolutely wipe the floor with them!” (modern-day translation: F around and find out!)

 

[Charles 22]

Instead of being critical of The Herculoids as a 2021 Blu-ray, you need to appreciate the show as a product of its times. In 1967, on the heels of Space Ghost’s monster Saturday morning ratings on CBS the previous year — and given the ongoing pop-culture rage for ABC-TV’s Batman — superhero shows were money-makers! Don’t fault H-B for trying to put as many superhero shows on Saturday morning as they could (AKA making hay while the sun shines). By doing so H-B continued expanding the TV animation market, thereby giving many formerly out-of-work golden-age animation staffers (friends of Bill and Joe) good-paying employment. Additionally, let’s face it: Saturday morning fare was never aimed to appeal to anyone over the age of 11 or 12 anyway. As a 10-year-old kid myself in 1967 I can assure you the Herculoids was an AWESOME adrenaline rush! Every cartoon followed the same basic formula: in the first minute a threat to Amzot is established, next nine minutes the Herculoids kick major ass, laying waste to their foe in every manner possible, in the final minute Zandor expresses “I hope they’ve learned to never attack us again” — all of which is utterly satisfying to a kid. Every week’s TV Guide listing would basically say the same thing: “Enemy meanies show up on Amzot looking to pick a fight and the Herculoids absolutely wipe the floor with them!” (modern-day translation: F around and find out!)

I do appreciate the show as a product of it's time, just like I do any old show, but unlike many of them that don't destroy my mind, that one did. I can take the most random Gomer Pyle episode, as an example, and get at least a chuckle or two out of it, but not Herculoids (not that it was meant for humor, unless you think seeing Captain Obvious is funny, and yes, it sort of is, but only if you're ridiculing it, and I sure didn't want to do that. I hate buying something I saw no reason to hate, since I used to love the show, only to find I now hate it). I really did try to like it, but I think I described my journey adequately enough.

I like your little history trip there, assuming you're accurate. I had no idea superhero shows were all that popular, but there sure were at lot of them coming out, and then the NEA fascists stepped in.

Yes, your plot description of the Herculoids is pin-point accurate. And what really tears me about my hate for it now, is that I have still more hate for what superhero shows turned into (compliments of the NEA fascists), where you had things like Superfriends which the superheroes were fine, or so it seemed back then, but they spoiled things with the "Hot Dog" effect. The Hot Dog effect is what I call the post-NEA fascism days, where shows met their standards to not have "too much violence" and all that crap, so each show had a cutesy character like Hot Dog from the Archies.

There's always some stupid dog, or, at least, a really dork human character (supposedly one or more characters for laughs). Of course, Superfriends, had THREE of them, the two dork teenagers and their stupid dog. To be fair, compare Superfriends to Space Ghost. Space Ghost had basically the same thing, two teens and a monkey, but at least they weren't dorks, they were actually weak, but serious characters, even the lame monkey. I never really felt those three really dragged the episodes down, and it gave Space Ghost just that much more to fight for, and they weren't completely helpless. The Space Ghost teens were what you would imagine you would be like if you got caught up in an episode. You weren't some dork like in Superfriends and other later superhero fare.

Thanks, I appreciate your view, as you at least got me more to thinking on that time. You might want to check out the new herculoids on that tv series I described, as it is on dvd. It's nothing great, but in my view it sure beat the hell out of the original Herculoids, since it most certainly didn't go with the same Herculoids formula every single week. It probably doesn't work for the best, but they do change things up enough that you even have them teamed up with some other space teams that were in that series, to at least make yet another additional spin on things, basically, you never could tell when one of the other teams might come into their dimension (including Space Ghost of all things). There's definitely a lot to hate in Space Stars, but at least the Hercs are better IMO, and Ghosty isn't too bad. Even the real dorkiest team (at least you know from the start they're trying to be comedic), the Space Mutts, is actually fairly funny at times. I sure got a lot more out of Space Stars than Herculoids TOS, though I probably would had hated Space Stars as a kid (though I can't say I would have hated the new Hercs - frankly I would had probably gobbled up anything of the Hercs, and I might have even seen new Hercs as better, as I do now)

 

[Mark Y]

Instead of being critical of The Herculoids as a 2021 Blu-ray, you need to appreciate the show as a product of its times. In 1967, on the heels of Space Ghost’s monster Saturday morning ratings on CBS the previous year — and given the ongoing pop-culture rage for ABC-TV’s Batman — superhero shows were money-makers! Don’t fault H-B for trying to put as many superhero shows on Saturday morning as they could (AKA making hay while the sun shines). By doing so H-B continued expanding the TV animation market, thereby giving many formerly out-of-work golden-age animation staffers (friends of Bill and Joe) good-paying employment. Additionally, let’s face it: Saturday morning fare was never aimed to appeal to anyone over the age of 11 or 12 anyway. As a 10-year-old kid myself in 1967 I can assure you the Herculoids was an AWESOME adrenaline rush! Every cartoon followed the same basic formula: in the first minute a threat to Amzot is established, next nine minutes the Herculoids kick major ass, laying waste to their foe in every manner possible, in the final minute Zandor expresses “I hope they’ve learned to never attack us again” — all of which is utterly satisfying to a kid. Every week’s TV Guide listing would basically say the same thing: “Enemy meanies show up on Amzot looking to pick a fight and the Herculoids absolutely wipe the floor with them!” (modern-day translation: F around and find out!)

There's an episode of "The Three Musketeers" on "The Banana Splits" where Toulie (the young boy who wants to be a Musketeer) runs away from the bad guys. One of them yells, "COME BACK HERE!" Sure, he's gonna turn right around and say sorry, what was I thinking? Of course I'll come back and face your wrath. I always thought that was pretty silly.

 

[ScottRE]

Instead of being critical of The Herculoids as a 2021 Blu-ray, you need to appreciate the show as a product of its times. In 1967, on the heels of Space Ghost’s monster Saturday morning ratings on CBS the previous year — and given the ongoing pop-culture rage for ABC-TV’s Batman — superhero shows were money-makers! Don’t fault H-B for trying to put as many superhero shows on Saturday morning as they could (AKA making hay while the sun shines). By doing so H-B continued expanding the TV animation market, thereby giving many formerly out-of-work golden-age animation staffers (friends of Bill and Joe) good-paying employment. Additionally, let’s face it: Saturday morning fare was never aimed to appeal to anyone over the age of 11 or 12 anyway. As a 10-year-old kid myself in 1967 I can assure you the Herculoids was an AWESOME adrenaline rush! Every cartoon followed the same basic formula: in the first minute a threat to Amzot is established, next nine minutes the Herculoids kick major ass, laying waste to their foe in every manner possible, in the final minute Zandor expresses “I hope they’ve learned to never attack us again” — all of which is utterly satisfying to a kid. Every week’s TV Guide listing would basically say the same thing: “Enemy meanies show up on Amzot looking to pick a fight and the Herculoids absolutely wipe the floor with them!” (modern-day translation: F around and find out!)

I love this. You're spot on. All you left out was the influence of Marvel Comics at the time. Marvel was exploding in creativity and popularity as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and, to a lesser extent, Steve Dikto and John Romita were revolutionizing the medium. This spilled over into Saturday mornings and - with Batman on Wednesdays and Thursdays, helped fuel the massive swing in super heroes. H-B grabbed the rights to do a Fantastic Four series and many of their other contemporary shows were "team" formats.

H-B didn't invest in heavy plots and soul searching, they took the four color action and put it to the moving picture screen.

There were lots of "mindless action" shows in prime time, so even less sophisticated action was made for Saturday mornings. I would have loved to be a kid then (I was born in '67). Herculoids, the FF, Space Ghost and the like on Saturday mornings. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Rat Patrol, The Green Hornet and The Time Tunnel during the weeknights? Sign me up.

 

[Charles 22]

There's an episode of "The Three Musketeers" on "The Banana Splits" where Toulie (the young boy who wants to be a Musketeer) runs away from the bad guys. One of them yells, "COME BACK HERE!" Sure, he's gonna turn right around and say sorry, what was I thinking? Of course I'll come back and face your wrath. I always thought that was pretty silly.

That's yet another painful Hollywood trope, that pursuers always yell "Come back here". I saw another bad one this week (not to get too askew here). A Monk episode where Monk is pursuing a woman, who doesn't know she's being chased. She crosses a street, so Monk has to as well. See if you can guess what happens next (trope time)?

He almost gets hit by a car slamming on their brakes (I literally saw this coming, and the next trope), so as he gets on the other side of the street (two lane) what do you think happens? Why a car going the other way almost hits him. Duh. But the writing was so lazy here, believe it or not, she crosses yet another street (funny how she can cross without incident). Monk does as well, and he almost gets hit by a car again. Totally ridiculous. Another funny trope as well, despite him running in a number of instances, he never gains ground.

Also? When Monk first thinks to chase her, Natalie is with him, but she must go walking at least thirty feet before she realizes Monk has left (we never see her realize this), because Monk never called out to her for her to follow him. So Monk must be the worst pursuer in the world, because after he crosses that last street, suddenly Natalie is right behind him (seemingly crossing streets with ease as well). Woman apparently get free passes when crossing roads.

 

[Charles 22]

I love this. You're spot on. All you left out was the influence of Marvel Comics at the time. Marvel was exploding in creativity and popularity as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and, to a lesser extent, Steve Dikto and John Romita were revolutionizing the medium. This spilled over into Saturday mornings and - with Batman on Wednesdays and Thursdays, helped fuel the massive swing in super heroes. H-B grabbed the rights to do a Fantastic Four series and many of their other contemporary shows were "team" formats.

H-B didn't invest in heavy plots and soul searching, they took the four color action and put it to the moving picture screen.

There were lots of "mindless action" shows in prime time, so even less sophisticated action was made for Saturday mornings. I would have loved to be a kid then (I was born in '67). Herculoids, the FF, Space Ghost and the like on Saturday mornings. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Rat Patrol, The Green Hornet and The Time Tunnel during the weeknights? Sign me up.

The sad thing about being born early enough to see those things live, was that you also see the likes of Fantastic Four, turned into the mess of Superfriends, etc (as if the later Fantastic Four wasn't bad enough - with "Herbie" the robot ).

 

[ScottRE]

I loved the H-B FF cartoon since they ad least followed the comics plots fairly closely. The 70's version had very little to recommend it. Maybe the opening titles.