The 14th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne.
The 14th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne.
The 15th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. This episode concludes the first season.
The 16th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. John Lupton guest stars in the second season premiere.
The 17th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne.
The 18th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Dabbs Greer guest stars.
The 19th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. John Davey takes over the role of Captain Marvel from this episode forward.
The 20th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne.
The 21st episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family) guest stars.
The 22nd episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Joanna Cameron guest stars as Isis in the second season finale.
The TV movie-of-the-week The New Original Wonder Woman airs on ABC, starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner. Red Buttons, Chloris Leachman and Eric Braeden guest star. This is ABC’s second attempt to bring the comic book heroine to the small screen (following a 1974 pilot movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby). Ratings and reviews are impressive enough to merit two more one-hour specials, followed by a series pickup.
The 23rd episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. William Campbell (Star Trek) guest stars in the third season premiere.
The 24th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Linden Chiles and James Van Pattern guest star.
The 25th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Patrick Labyorteaux (Little House On The Prairie, JAG) guest stars.
The 26th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Joanna Cameron guest stars as Isis.
The 27th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Eric Laneuville (Room 222, St. Elsewhere) guest stars.
The 28th and final episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Andrew Stevens (Dallas) guest stars in the series finale.
Warner Bros. releases the Richard Donner superhero film Superman: The Movie in American theaters, starring Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, and Marlon Brando. A retelling of the origin story of Kal-El, last son of Krypton, and his arrival on Earth as Clark Kent, the movie successfully introduces a new generation of filmgoers (who may not have been steeped in comic book lore) to the exploits of Superman, turning Reeve into an overnight sensation and ensuring a series of sequels. Though other actors will portray Superman/Clark in years and decades yet to come, for many this film fixes Reeve as the definitive film portrayal of the character.
Warner Bros. Records releases a double LP of John Williams’ soundtrack from Superman: The Movie. Now three-and-three for genre blockbusters, Williams’ album again sells well, and will be reissued in several different forms in the years to come.
Atari releases Superman as a cartridge for the Atari 2600. This is the first major synergy between Atari and fellow Warner Communications unit DC Comics, riding on the renewed interest in the character generated by the 1978 movie.
Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins is released, starring Christian Bale. Michael Caine, and Liam Neeson.
La-La Land Records releases a 3-CD set of Bear McCreary’s soundtrack from the Fox action series Human Target.
Warner Bros. releases the direct-to-video animated movie Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders. Adam West and Burt Ward reprise their roles as Batman and Robin, with Julie Newmar returning to the role of Catwoman. This story is set within the world of West’s Batman TV series (1966-68).
La-La Land Records releases the complete soundtrack from the Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated feature Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, composed by Lolita Ritmanis, Michael McCuistion and Kristopher Carter (Batman: The Animated Series).
La-La Land Records releases a 3-CD box set of music from the 1970s Lynda Carter Wonder Woman TV series, featuring music by Charles Fox, Artie Kane, Robert Prince, Johnny Harris, Robert O. Ragland, Angela Morley, and Richard LaSalle.
Actor Adam West, forever known to millions as the star of TV’s Batman in the 1960s, dies at the age of 88 after a short bout with leukemia. After years of paying his dues with guest starring roles, bit parts and commercial appearances, West beat out actors such as Lyle Waggoner for the role of Batman, but after three seasons on TV and a movie produced by the makers of the TV series, Batman had run its course, and West found himself battling typecasting, accepting work in subpar projects and returning to the role of Batman both as voice work (for the Super Friends animated series) and live action (the lamentable 1979 Legends Of The Superheroes specials). Voice work became a mainstay of West’s career, and he landed a long-running recurring role on Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy animated series.