TVSquad

Since Ed McMahon passed away earlier this week, I figured I'd post this bizarre lost TV special he hosted in 1979. It was called Legends of the Superheroes, and it ran on NBC in 1978. It was basically a live-action version of The SuperFriends cartoon (with a laugh-track but without Superman and Wonder Woman). But this second episode was a roast. That's right, imagine The Dean Martin Roast only with superheroes like Batman and Green Lantern. The cast included Adam West, Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin, Howard Morris, Ruth Buzzi, Charlie Callas, and William Schallert.

(Here's video of the "Challenge" episodes.)

[Thanks to Shaun]

Casting Captain Hammer as Hal Jordan? This might be the only way Hollywood could make up for giving us a Whedon-less Buffy movie.



This nerdtastic fan-created Green Lantern movie trailer made my morning. The idea of Nathan Fillion filling out the green tights is inspired, but the fun doesn't stop there. DC Comics fans will notice this thing features cameos from some of their favorite Green Lantern Corps members. (I think I saw Kilowog in there). Plus it's fun trying to name the movies/TV shows the videomaker pulled from to create his vision. It features a good chunk from the Star Trek trailer, as well as some scenes from Firefly and probably every Nathan Fillion movie ever made.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

Even when I was a little kid, there were some things about the Super Friends (or Superfriends or Superamigos, or whatever they were calling it) that didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was because the confluence of superpowers all in one place just boggled my young mind. Maybe it was the mysterious change from Wendy and Marvin to the Wonder Twins that made me scratch my tiny noggin. Not sure. But those mysteries continue to fascinate me, even into adulthood. It's just that those mysteries are more sophisticated:

1. How did the Super Friends have time to hang out at the Hall of Justice? Every one of the SFs lived in different parts of the country: Batman and Robin were in Gotham City, for instance. So, did B&R commute from Gotham to Metropolis a few times per week? Did they use the Bat Plane or the Batmobile most of the time? Did they claim the mileage on their taxes?

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

Welcome Back to TVSBTTHB (TV Squad Behind the True Hollywood Biography). For over a decade the team known as the Super Friends traveled the world, and the galaxy, to right the wrongs wrought by such villains as the Legion of Doom and Darkseid. But, by the mid-1980s, their services were no longer needed by the public, who watched many of their adventures on television. It was then that these heroes faded away.

So, what happened to them? Being the show that looks under every rock and inside every dumpster, TVSBTTHB was able to obtain information on all of the Super Friends: major, minor and 'what the hell are they doing on the team?'. Some of their stories are heartbreaking, others heartwarming, and the rest are just "meh." Yet, they are all fascinating and provide an extra layer of complexity to the already complicated lives of these superhumans.

Now, let's turn our attention to Superman, Batman, El Dorado, and the rest of the Super Friends.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

Remember when you were watching Pinky and the Brain and the Brain would think of these abstract, convoluted plots for taking over the world? Or when Scott Evil was pointing out to his father how easy it would be to shoot Austin Powers in the head rather than subject him to some sort of silly trap from which he could escape. I'm convinced they were parodying the Legion of Doom's methodology from the Challenge of the Super Friends which ran from 1978 to 1979 on ABC. Their simple goal was stated in the opening credits: the conquest of the Universe, with a subordinate goal of the destruction of the Super Friends. They failed every time, and I think that's partially due to poor planning.

With that in mind, here are the top five silliest plans from the Legion of Doom to accomplish their goals: