BAA-baa-baa-bah-BAAAA-B-Dah (wint)!
Recognize it? Well, try the link at the bottom while you read this:
AQUAMAN! Swift and powerful monarch of the oceans! With ability to summon and command all creatures of the deep! AQUAMAN, who with his teenage ally Aqualad, guards and defends all that lives in the seas against the forces of evil!
AQUAMAN--King of the Seven Seas!
Based on the success of The New Adventures of Superman (Filmation's first animated series), Aquaman was selected as the "co-star" of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. Coming along for the ride were the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Atom, the Justice League of America, and the Teen Titans, all of whom got a chance in the spotlight.
The series follows the Sea King, his sidekick Aqualad, and his wife Mera (who you only see when there's a need for a damsel in distress). They ride seahorses Storm and Imp, while classic Silver Age octopus mascot Topo is replaced by Tusky, their pet walrus. Aquaman's main bit is his telepathy with fish, allowing him to order sea creatures around and do his bidding. He could also throw balls of "hard water" at bad guys (this was Mera's power in the comic). Aqualad's job was to show surprise and get hit over the head a lot.
As you might guess, the stories are very simplistic, although DC Comics writers Bob Haney and George Kashdan were involved.
Fitting with Filmation's low budget, the voice cast was small.
- Marvin Miller played Aquaman, and was best known as the unseen Michael Anthony on The Millionaire.
- Jerry Dexter did the voices for a number of Hanna-Barbera teenagers, and here plays Aqualad.
- Diana Maddox had the thankless job of playing Mera and any other female character that came along.
- The booming voice of Ted Knight, still a few years before his role as newsman Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore show, played the narrator and any other voices needed (meaning he played almost every villain). He became the unofficial "Voice of DC", narrating into the SuperFriends era of the 70's.
Aquaman got a total of 36 episodes, which I will be covering two at a time (they are only six minutes a piece, after all), beginning in my next entry. This show is NOT available on Netflix (I'm watching a DVD my wife gave me for Christmas), but is available online via iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, or VUDU if you would like to play along. You can also buy the DVD on Amazon.