Space Academy/Jason of Star Command

[jeriendhal]

Was just reminded of these shows this afternoon, and I remember having fond memories of them when I was a kid. There were made in the waning days of Filmation's live action Saturday morning serials that they produced in abundance for ABC (Shazam!, Isis, and Ark 2 being among others). I'm sure with a jaded adult eye they wouldn't look good these days. Even as a kid I remember the scripts being a bit silly, and the effects were a notch below Moonraker (but still pretty amazing for Saturday kidvid fare), but damn I wish they were availible on DVD. Everything else is these days.

Comments

[prodigal.livejournal.com]

The main thing I remember about it was James Doohan playing the commander in the first episode.

[grayhawkfh.livejournal.com]

Apparently, there's one episode of Shazam! in the Wonder Woman Season 3 box set.

Haven't heard about any moves towards doing a box set of his own tho...

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't remember Doohan (but then, he had the moustache back then), but I do remember Jonathan Harris in blue makeup playing the directory the Space Academy.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Some Googling revealed that all of Filmation's back catalog was purchased by a British company called Entertainment Holdings in 2004. With any luck, maybe they'll try to make a fast buck and put the series out on a bare bones DVD.

[aberrantangels]

I remember him playing Blackbeard in the Jason episode "Marooned in Time". Canarvin apparently made no impression on me at all.

And I remember Jason, and indeed most if not all of FILMation's live-action output, being on CBS.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

He was Blackbeard? No wonder that was the only episode I remember more than vaguely. (The bit with Blackbeard taking a navigational reading from Jason's ship with a sextant stuck in my head.)

I'll take your word about it being on CBS. My memory is probably faulty.

[demiurgent.livejournal.com]

Space Academy, Jason of Star Command, Ark 2, Shazam and Isis were indeed all on CBS.

The latter two shows have been on TV Land late nights within the past year. It makes life good.

[aberrantangels]

I didn't notice it at the time, but the name "Jonathan Harris" meant nothing to me at the time.