The Godzilla Power Hour

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The Godzilla Power Hour

Original title card for The Godzilla Power Hour.
Format Animated television series
Country of origin Flag of Japan Japan
Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 26
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run September 9, 1978 – May 16, 1981
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Godzilla Power Hour was a 60-minute Saturday morning animated series co-produced between Hanna-Barbera Productions and Toho in 1978 and aired on NBC in the US and TV Tokyo in Japan.

In Japan the series was called "Godzilla: Voyage Chronicles". The series was an animated adaptation of the Japanese Godzilla films produced by Toho. The "Power Hour" aspect of the title consisted of half-hour episodes of Godzilla and Jana of the Jungle (not to be confused with the similarly-named Marvel Comics character Jann of the Jungle). The series continued to air until 1981, for a time airing in its own half-hour timeslot as simply Godzilla, until its cancellation.

Contents

[edit] Godzilla

Title card from the Godzilla segment.
Title card from the Godzilla segment.

The series followed the adventures of a team of scientists on the research vessel (with a hydrofoil mode) called the Calico which was headed by Captain Carl Majors. The rest of the crew included Dr. Quinn Darien (a female scientist), Brock (her African-American assistant and Carl's first mate) and her teenaged nephew Pete. Also along for the ride was Godzooky, the nephew of Godzilla and Pete's best friend who had a light-hearted role in the show. He could fly using his small wings under his arms, though his Uncle Godzilla was unable to fly. Whenever he tried to breath fire, he just coughed up smoke and he never seemed to have the ability to shoot laser beams from his eyes. Godzooky was voiced by Don Messick.

The group would often call upon Godzilla by using a special communicator when in peril, such as attacks by other giant monsters. If the communicator was not present (or lost), Godzooky would use a special "howl" to summon him. Godzilla's size in the animated series shifted radically, sometimes within a single episode or even one scene. (For instance, Godzilla's claw will wrap around a large ship, and only minutes later the team of scientists fit rather neatly on Godzilla's palm.) In addition, Godzilla's trademark atomic breath was altered so he breathed simple fire. He could also shoot laser beams from his eyes much like Superman's heat vision.

Hanna-Barbera were unable to use Godzilla's trademark roar so they cast Ted Cassidy to voice the character, similar to his role in the live-action series The Incredible Hulk. In Japan, Godzilla's trademark roar was added and replaced the Ted Cassidy sound effects that Hanna-Barbera used.

The basic formula of a scientific team and research vessel in league with Godzilla investigating strange phenomena was revived in another cartoon, Godzilla: The Series, which was the animated sequel to the 1998 American Godzilla film.

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Season 1 (1978-1979)

  1. The Fire Bird (September 9, 1978)
  2. The Earth Eater (September 16, 1978)
  3. Attack of the Stone Creature (September 23, 1978)
  4. The Megavolt Monster (September 30, 1978)
  5. The Seaweed Monster (October 7, 1978)
  6. The Energy Beast (October 14, 1978)
  7. The Colossus of Atlantis (October 21, 1978)
  8. The Horror of Forgotten Island (October 28, 1978)
  9. Island of Lost Ships (November 4, 1978)
  10. The Magnetic Terror (November 11, 1978)
  11. The Breeder Beast (November 18, 1978)
  12. The Sub-Zero Terror (November 25, 1978)
  13. The Time Dragons (December 2, 1978)

[edit] Season 2 (1979-1980)

  1. Calico Clones (September 15, 1979)
  2. Micro Godzilla (September 22, 1979)
  3. Ghost Ship (September 29, 1979)
  4. The Beast of Storm Island (October 6, 1979)
  5. The City in the Clouds (October 13, 1979)
  6. The Cyborg Whale (October 20, 1979)
  7. Valley of the Giants (October 27, 1979)
  8. Moonlode (November 3, 1979)
  9. The Golden Guardians (November 10, 1979)
  10. The Macro-Beasts (November 17, 1979)
  11. Pacific Peril (November 24, 1979)
  12. Island of Doom (December 1, 1979)
  13. The Deadly Asteroid (December 8, 1979)

[edit] Voices

[edit] Jana of the Jungle

The second half of The Godzilla Power Hour was essentially a female version of Tarzan named Jana (voiced by B.J. Ward), who traverses the rain forests of South America in search of her lost father, who vanished in a boating accident when she was still a child. She has long blonde hair, wears a dress made of unspecified animal skin and a necklace which doubles as a throwable weapon given to her by her father, and she is always barefoot. Besides her animal friends, Ghost the albino jaguar and Tiko the coatimundi (the latter more resembled a Water Opossum), Jana has two human friends: Dr. Ben Cooper (Michael Bell) and Montaro (Ted Cassidy), a descendant of a lost warrior tribe, who is armed with a supernatural weapon known as the Staff of Power that can cause earthquake shockwaves when it strikes the ground.

This is one of the very few Hanna-Barbera series that have yet to be seen on Cartoon Network or Boomerang.

[edit] Episodes

  1. Countdown (September 9, 1978)
  2. The Golden Idol Of The Gorgar (September 16, 1978)
  3. Katuchi Danger (September 23, 1978)
  4. Race For Life (September 30, 1978)
  5. The Cordillera Volcano (October 7, 1978)
  6. The Animal Snatchers (October 14, 1978)
  7. The Renegade (October 21, 1978)
  8. Rogue Elephant (October 28, 1978)
  9. The Prisoner (November 4, 1978)
  10. The Invaders (November 11, 1978)
  11. Dangerous Cargo (November 18, 1978)
  12. The Sting of the Tarantula (November 25, 1978)
  13. Suspicion (December 2, 1978)

[edit] Voices

[edit] Jana in Comic Books

Dynamite Entertainment has recently launched a comic book, with plot by Frank Cho and script by Doug Murray, called Jungle Girl, featuring a blond female character called Jana. She is a Tarzan like heroine that lives in some kind of "Lost World", a jungle inhabited by strange creatures including Dinosaurs and cavemen.

[edit] Broadcast History

Godzilla originally aired in these following formats on NBC:

  • The Godzilla Power Hour (September 8, 1978 - October 28, 1978)
  • The Godzilla Super 90 (November 4, 1978 - September 1, 1979)
  • Godzilla (September 8, 1979 - October 13, 1979)
  • The Godzilla/Globetrotters Adventure Hour (October 20, 1979 - September 20, 1980)
  • The Godzilla/Dynomutt Hour (September 27, 1980 - November 15, 1980)
  • The Godzilla/Hong Kong Phooey Hour (November 22, 1980 - May 16, 1981)
  • Godzilla (May 23, 1981 - September 5, 1981)

A total of 13 original episodes were produced in 1978, with the first eight airing as part of The Godzilla Power Hour. In November 1978, the show was expanded to 90 minutes with the addition of Jonny Quest reruns and retitled The Godzilla Super 90.

For the second season beginning in September 1979, the show was separated from its package programs and aired in its own half-hour timeslot as simply Godzilla. A month later, new episodes of Godzilla and The Super Globetrotters were packaged together as The Godzilla/Globetrotters Adventure Hour which ran until September 1980.

On September 27, 1980, after twenty-six half-hour episodes, the show went into reruns and Godzilla was once again teamed up with other Hanna-Barbera characters: The Godzilla/Dynomutt Hour ran until November 1980, followed by The Godzilla/Hong Kong Phooey Hour which ran until May 16, 1981. On May 23, the show returned to the half-hour format as Godzilla and the last regular showing aired on September 5, 1981. Throughout the 1980s until the late-1990s, the series rested in limbo (with the exception of a limited videocassette release of two episodes). Since 1997, it has been rebroadcast on TNT, Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

[edit] Production credits

  • Executive Producers: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
  • Producer: Doug Wildey
  • Directors: Ray Patterson, Carl Urbano
  • "Godzilla" was developed for television by: Dick Robbins, Duane Poole
  • Creative Producer: Iwao Takamoto
  • Story Editors: Dick Robbins, Duane Poole
  • Story: Herb Armstrong, Don Heckman, Bob Johnson, Duane Poole, Dick Robbins, Sam Roeca, George Shea, Bob Stitzel, Tom Swale, David Villaire
  • Story Direction: John Bruno, Moe Gollub, Jan Green, Paul Gruwell, John Zarr Haber, Rick Hoberg, Larry Huber, Mark Kirkland, Sherman Labby, Will Meugniot, Don Rico, Desmond Serratore, Dave Stevens, Bill Wary, Tom Yakutis
  • Recording Director: Wally Burr
  • Voices: Norman Alden, Marlene Aragon, Joe Baker, Michael Bell, Bill Bovett, Ted Cassidy, Jeff David, Virginia Eiler, Al Eisenman, Ron Feinberg, Joan Gerber, Hilly Hicks, Jane James, Casey Kasem, Ross Martin, Don Messick, Vic Perrin, Barney Phillips, Michael Road, Michael Rye, Brenda Thomson, Les Tremayne, B.J. Ward, Bill Woodson
  • Graphics: Iraj Paran, Tom Wogatzke
  • Title Design: Bill Perez
  • Musical Director: Hoyt Curtin
  • Musical Supervisor: Paul DeKorte
  • Character Design: Doug Wildey, George Wheeler, Fred Irvin
  • Layout Supervision: John Ahern, Warren Marshall
  • Key Layout: Larry Huber, Floyd Norman
  • Layout: Cosmo Anzalotti, Lyle Beddes, John Bruno, Garnett Bugby, Todd Curtis, Sukhi Dail, Cory Dangerfield, Bob Foster, Hak Ficq, Drew Gentle, Simon Gittins, Moe Gollub, Charles Grosvenor, Paul Gruwell, Dave Hanan, Jack Huber, Mike Kawaguchi, Boyd Kirkland, Mark Kirkland, Brad Landreth, Jack Manning, Earl Martin, Jim Mueller, Dan Noonan, Mike O'Mara, Lew Ott, Mike Ploog, Gerrard Pointak, Debra Pugh, Tom Roth, Linda Rowley, Keith Sargent, Glenn Schmitz, Bart Seitz, Doyle Shaw, Peter Shelley, Roy Smith, Thomas Tholen, Greg Thurber, Toby, Grant Wilson
  • Animation Supervision: Bill Keil, Jay Sarbry
  • Assistant Animation Supervisor: Bob Goe
  • Animation: Ed Aardal, Carlos Alfonso, Frank Andrina, Cliff Augustson, Ed Barge, Tom Barnes, Bob Bemiller, Oliver Callahan, Lars Calonius, Amaro Carretero, Rudy Cataldi, Roger Chiasson, Jesse Cosio, Doug Crane, Joan Drake, Marcia Fertig, Hugh Fraser, Al Gaivoto, Manuel Garcia Galiana, Mark Glamack, Fernando Gonzalez, Jeff Hall, Terry Harrison, Bob Hathcock, Fred Hellmich, Harry Holt, Angel Izquierdo, Volus Jones, Mario Julio, Rick Leon, Hicks Lokey, Ernesto Lopez, Roberto Marcano, Luis Martinez, Dan Mills, Pedro Mohedano, Ken Muse, Constantin Mustatea, Margaret Nichols, Eduardo Olivares, Margaret Parkes, Juan Pina, Bill Pratt, Tom Ray, Morey Reden, Veve Risto, Mitch Rochon, Vincente Rodriguez, Mariano Rueda, Mark Simon, Ken Southworth, Dave Tendlar, Dick Thompson, Richard Trueblood, Robert Tyler, Carlo Vinci, James Walker, John Walker, Ron Westlund
  • Background Supervision: Al Gmuer
  • Backgrounds: Deborah Akers, Dario Campanile, Dennis Durrell, Ann Guenther, James Hegedus, James Hickey, Paro Hozumi, Michael Humphries, Alison Julian, Bill Lorencz, Andy Phillipson, Jeff Richards, Jeff Riche, Sera Segal-Alsberg, Peter Van Elk, Dennis Venizelos
  • Checking and Scene Planning: Cindy Smith
  • Xerography: Star Wirth
  • Ink and Paint Supervision: Billie Kerns
  • Sound Direction: Richard Olson, Bill Getty
  • Camera: George Epperson, Jerry Smith, Tom Epperson, Chuck Flekal, Ron Jackson, Larry Smith, Terry Smith, Brandy Whittington, Jerry Whittington
  • Supervising Film Editor: Larry C. Cowan
  • Dubbing Supervisor: Pat Foley
  • Music Editors: Daniels McLean, Joe Sandusky
  • Effects Editors: Ric Eisman, Patricia Peck
  • Show Editor: Gil Iverson
  • Negative Consultant: William E. DeBoer
  • Production Manager: Jayne Barbera
  • Post Production Supervisor: Joed Eaton
  • A Hanna-Barbera Production
The name and character of Godzilla in this picture are used by permission of and with the consent of Toho Co. Ltd.
© 1978 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., Toho Co. Ltd. and Benedict Pictures Corporation
The character Godzilla © 1978 Toho Co. Ltd. and Benedict Pictures Corporation
All material except the character Godzilla © 1978 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.

[edit] Spoof

  • In response to the Y2K hype, a cartoon was made where the crew fought the Y2K Bug (who claims he prefers the name "Millennium Bug"). The Y2K Bug renders their Godzilla caller useless. It is implied that they forgot to "update the embedded computer chips."

[edit] External links

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