Monster Squad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Monster Squad | |
|---|---|
| Format | comedy adventure |
| Starring | Fred Grandy |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | September 11, 1976 – September 2, 1977 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Monster Squad is a television series that aired on NBC from 1976-1977. The series stars Fred Grandy (who also starred in The Love Boat) as Walt, a criminology student working as a night watchman in a wax museum. To pass the time, Walt built a prototype "Crime Computer" in a mummy case near an exhibit of legendary monsters. When Walt plugged in his Crime Computer, "oscillating vibrations" brought to life the wax statues of Dracula, the Werewolf (who referred to himself in one episode as "Bruce W. Wolf," the "W" standing for "Were"), and Frankenstein (named "Frank N. Stien" in the opening credits). The monsters, wanting to make up for the misdeeds of their pasts, became superhero crimefighters who used their unique abilities to challenge and defeat various supervillains. In most episodes, Walt would send the monsters out to investigate crimes and fight the villains while monitoring the activities from the wax museum via the Crime Computer; presumably this was because his job required him to be at the museum at all times. However, Walt would usually join the climatic battle with his comrades in each episode.
The show was comparable to the 1960s Batman TV show in that the villains were often exaggerated camp villains much like the ones in Batman, in keeping with the "superhero" tone of the series. Also, the Squad had their own customized van, and each monster had a "utility belt" with a communicator device used to keep in touch with Walt, who apparently created them for the monsters to use.
A later, unrelated animated television series by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Drak Pack, had a somewhat similar premise.
[edit] References
- Jones, Stephen, ed. The Illustrated Werewolf Movie Guide. London: Titan Books, 1996. (page 137) ISBN 1-85286-658-6
- Terrace, Vincent (1979). "The Monster Squad", The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs 1947-1979, Volume 2, 2nd Ed., Alfred Smith Barnes, p.666. ISBN 0-498-02177-7.
