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Vinnie is out of jail and looking for revenge on Jackie. Will Jackie take on Vinnie? Why does everyone thing Billy is looking for a fight? Was this episode really necessary?
The first season of Shazam! comes to an end with the second of a two-part story. And the real question is, "Was this episode really necessary?" John and Richard come at the episode from different sides and have very different opinions on it.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: "In the end, fighting doesn't prove anything. It makes more sense to work together, and iron out our differences in a constructive, rather than a destructive way."
Guest Cast
Greg Mabrey as Jackie
Jack McCulloch as Vinnie
Tom Ruben as Vinnie's Lieutenant
Carol Anne Seflinger as Mellie
Chad States as Vinnie's Pal
Jack McCulloch was a character actor who appeared in television and movies throughout the 70s and into the early 80s. He has the distinction of being there for the start of Happy Days, by appearing in the pilot episode and playing a solider in the final season of M*A*S*H. In addition, he appeared in such movies as The California Kid and The Big Red One.
Jack played Vinnie, the leader of the vultures in the two-part season finale of Shazam!'s first season. After appearing in M*A*S*H, Jack walked away from Hollywood in 1982 and opened a business that specializes in wide width shoes - McCulloch's Wide Shoes. His store features tributes to Hollywood and many cone from far and wide, not just to buy shoes, but to see his museum-like store.
Shazam!
"The Past is Not Forever"
December 7, 1974
Jackie has a past that he feels defines who he is. The problem is, it has some back to haunt him and threaten his future. Can Billy separate his feelings from the facts and determine if Jackie is truly innocent of the crime he's accused of committing?
The first season of Shazam! comes to an end with the first of a two-part story. It's an odd duck in many respects, but John and Richard do find the good in it and remind everyone that odd does not mean bad. The question though is, does it hold up today?
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: "Making one mistake isn't the end of the world. We often get a second chance. Just make sure you don't mess it up, or let others mess it up for you."
Guest Cast
Jimmy Hayes as Mister Samuels
Greg Mabrey as Jackie
Jack McCulloch as Vinnie
Tom Ruben as Vinnie's Lieutentant
Carol Anne Seflinger as Mellie
Chad States as Vinnie's Pal
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Our series of interviews continues as we near the start of our reviews of the first season of The Secrets of Isis. Joining us for this episode is actress, dancer, teacher Joanna Pang Atkins who played Cindy Lee on the first season of the show. Joanna talks about her career leading up to her her on the show, her memories of the episodes and her co-stars, and her career following her departure.
Joanna Pang Atkins has a unique perspective gained from a fascinating lifetime of experience. Since she was a young girl, Joanna has traveled the world over, performing as an actress and dancer on stage, television and film. As a natural progression, she began producing and directing theater for teens and now brings her experience into schools with multi-cultural dance assemblies and residencies.
From her starring role as a teenage idol on CBS’ top-rated children's showThe Secrets of ISIS, which recently came out on dvd, Joanna's TV appearances have varied as widely as Saturday Night Live, numerous daytime soap operas, The Lawrence Welk Show, and dozens of TV commercials.
Joanna's stage performances have taken her throughout the country, touring in well-known musicals including West Side Story, South Pacific, Music Man, and The King and I, as well as close to home in the world premiere production of Sayonara at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. Performing with an Asian touring dance company carried her to the far reaches of Europe, South America, Canada and the U.S.A.
Her professional teaching background is in dance, ranging from ballet to jazz to folk. She teaches all ages from kindergarten through adult. Her special rapport with children has her teaching them on TV and as far afield as California studios, a school in Budapest, and right at home in New Jersey. At many schools, Joanna’s multi-cultural dance residencies have become an annual tradition. For over ten years, she has also been a teaching artist for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).
In addition to her own performing, Joanna has traveled extensively with her husband, Dick Atkins, a producer and writer of television and feature films, and their son Davy, to movie locations from Los Angeles, Georgia and Vermont in the U.S., to Africa, Budapest, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Joanna’s biography has been published in Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who of American Women.
Links
Shazam!
"The Braggart"
November 30, 1974
Alan has self-esteem issues and compensates by making up wild stories about himself to impress his friends. But when he has to prove what he is saying, will he endanger not only himself but his friends as well?
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This episode bares some similarities with the previous episode, "The Delinquent" in that we are dealing with young men with self-esteem issues. The difference he is that Alan is actually quite friendly, but his friendship comes at a cost as he weaves his wild stories. Does it hold today? Why didn't Jackson Bostwick wrestle a lion? And did Richard really beat up Captain Marvel?
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “Honesty is the best policy."
Guest Cast
Gary Dubin as Mitch
Scott Garrett as Jerry
Steve Gustafson as Alan
Sean Kelly as Tim
Kerri Shuttleton as Debbie
and
Frank Coghlan Jr. as the Guard
Shazam!
"The Delinquent"
November 23, 1974
We're entering the age of "Free to Be You and Me" as Shazam! teaches kids to get in touch with themselves before they can be liked by others. In this episode, John and Richard talk about a kid's self-esteem, Richard as "The Great Indoorsman", and sharing soda cans and ice creams.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “Before we can like others, we must like ourselves."
Guest Cast
Jackie Earle Haley as Norm
Hilly Hicks as Frank Carlin
Larry Michaels as Doug
Shazam!
"Little Boy Lost"
November 16, 1974
As we discussed in a previous interview, this is actor Michael Gray's favorite episode. So it made sense to ask Michael to join us to review "Little Boy Lost". In this episode we discuss the mixed moral message, writer/director Arthur Nadel, real life trauma of children, and John's reversal of his opinion of this episode.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “If you don't communicate, you'll never solve your problems, and the most important communication for all of us, is with the ones we love. Remember, there are times when everyone needs help, even you."
Guest Cast
John Carter as Sam
Eddie Firestone as Lou
Mark Edward Hall as Howard
Shazam!
"The Brain"
November 9, 1974
We come to the episode written by Donald F. Glut who we interviewed on a previous podcast. He mentioned how there were elements of Jim he could relate to as a kid. Indeed, being a fan of genre television, movies, and books was not as well accepted back in the 70s as it is today and John and Richard relate to the character in many respects as well. The two get into a further discussion on why higher powers do not use their abilities to help mortal beings and wonder what role Satan may have in this story.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “We all want to be liked, but scary, daredevil stunts aren't the way to go about it. If a person can't like you for who you are, then maybe they aren't worth having as friends."
Guest Cast
Shazam!
"The Doom Buggy"
November 2, 1974
We all have felt, at one time or another, that some of the classes we took in the course of our education were useless. But one never knows what life will throw at them. In the course of this episode, lessons in ancient history and geology pay off for Billy and Cathy, but will Don learn his lesson before it's too late. Plus, Richard relates some personal stories of times he spent with Shazam! stars Jackson Bostwick and Michael Gray. Stay tuned for the story of how guest star Wink Roberts set the desert landscape on fire.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “If you close your mind to learning, sooner or later you're going to have it opened and be surprised at just how much you've shortchanged yourself. So if you ever think about dropping out of school, you're only hurting yourself."
Guest Cast
Wink Roberts as Don
Lisa Eilbacher as Cathy
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Pamelyn Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an American former television and film child actor who grew up in Glendale, California, where she attended Herbert Hoover High School, graduating in 1977. She was mainly active both in live action and as a voice actress in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but has since appeared more sporadically in recent films, concentrating more on animal rights activism than acting.
Ferdin played the Bumsteads' daughter Cookie in the 1968–1969 CBS revival series Blondie. She played Felix Unger's daughter Edna in the 1970s ABC series version of The Odd Couple and Paul Lynde's daughter Sally on the short-lived The Paul Lynde Show.
She appeared on the original Star Trek in 1968 as one of a group of orphaned children led by an alien with sinister motives in the episode "And the Children Shall Lead", and in the 1977 series Space Academy as Laura Gentry.[1]
Ferdin provided the voice of Lucy van Pelt in three Peanuts cartoons: the 1969 TV special It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, a 1969 feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown and the 1971 TV special Play It Again, Charlie Brown.
She appeared as Mary Constable in the supernatural thriller Daughter of the Mind and as Abby Clarkson in The Mephisto Waltz (1971). Other films include The Reluctant Astronaut, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, The Christine Jorgensen Story, Happy Birthday Wanda June, and The Toolbox Murders. Pamelyn was a frequent guest star on episodic television in the 1960s and 1970s, with appearances on Bewitched, Green Acres, The Andy Griffith Show, Branded, Daniel Boone, Custer, The Monkees, The Flying Nun, Gunsmoke, Shazam!, The High Chaparral, Mannix, The Brady Bunch, Family Affair, Love, American Style, Marcus Welby, M.D., Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Apple's Way, The Streets of San Francisco, Baretta, CHiPS, and 240-Robert.
Her character "Amy" in The Beguiled (1971) turns against the Clint Eastwood character after he kills her pet turtle.[citation needed]
She voiced Fern Arable, the little girl who works to save the life of Wilbur the pig, in the 1973 film version of Charlotte's Web. [2][3][4][citation needed]
She has been married to Dr. Jerry William Vlasak Jr. since Oct. 12th, 1986.
Links
Shazam!
"The Boy Who Said No"
October 26, 1974
"Snitches dig ditches" is a common phrase among the young today, sadly, but it seems to hold true with young Larry Burns. In this episode, John and Richard discuss the responsibility of youth to step forward and report wrongdoing, the question of powerful beings granting insight into potential danger, and the difficult stunts Jackson Bostwick had to perform.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “Some day you may see somebody do something wrong. If you don't know what to do about it, just remember that when a problem has you stumped, it's a good idea to talk with a grown-up you can trust. It could save you a lot of trouble in the long run!"
Guest Cast
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We present a new interview in our series with those who were a part of making it happen. And this time around, we have the man himself, Michael Gray, who played Billy Batson on Shazam! Michael talks with us about his career, his time on Shazam! including his favorite episodes, his dealing with typecasting and how it is so different for actors playing hero types today, and his comeback starting with an appearance on Archer.
Good looks and a couple of television roles helped to give actor Michael Gray many years in between and on the covers of Tiger Beat magazine. Born in Chicago, Michael moved to Florida when he was a young boy.
He caught the acting bug in high school, and eventually made his way to Hollywood. In 1972, Michael won the role of Ronnie on the NBC series The Little People, a charming sitcom that starred Brian Keith as a pediatrician with a practice on Oahu, Hawaii. The series was reworked for the second season and retitled The Brian Keith Show, and Michael was let go.
Signed to a management deal with Charles Laufer, pubisher of "Tiger Beat," Michael was able to keep a high profile while rounding up other acting roles. Michael's second series came in 1974, when he was cast in his signature role, as Billy Batson on the Saturday morning series Shazam. The series ran for 3 years but was then cancelled due to increasing production costs.
Some of Michael's other credits include:
Life with Father Entertainment Tonight
Room 222 MTV's - I Love the 70's
The Brady Bunch E Television, Life After Stardom
Marcus Welby M.D. The Rretro Radio Live Show
The Flying Nun VH1 - Superheros, Where Are
Dynasty They Now?
Although Michael Gray had all the tools one would expect to be necessary to build a sturdy career, due to type casting it became harder for him to make
a living at his craft.
The ever youthful Michael Gray is happily married and living in Northern California. He is currently writing a book about his life in Hollywood.
Links
Shazam!
"The Treasure"
October 19, 1974
This episode has a great deal of ties to the seventies as the struggles of the Native American were finally being recognized in American television. No longer were we seeing the Native American as the Indian, the enemy of the cowboy, but rather as a group of displaced people looking to be recognized and respected. But does the episode hold up? John and Richard discuss this and more on a new episode of the podcast.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “The desert and traditions of other people have much to teach us and must be preserved for future generations to see and to know."
Guest Cast
Ruben Moreno as Chief Adam
John Linton as Johnny
Allen G. Norman as Jed
Will Seltzer as Artie
Shazam!
"The Athlete"
October 12, 1974
After the dark themes of the previous two episodes, John and Richard tackle the ideas of equality and realizing your dreams in "The Athlete". Is this a tale that still needs to be told today? What is it about the "utterance of a single word" that lends such credibility to the show? Would this story need to be altered as we've discussed with previous stories in order to work for a modern audience? Are the stunts seen in this episode the best in the entire series?
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “Everyone should be given a chance to prove his or her abilities."
Guest Cast
Shazam!
"The Road Back"
October 5, 1974
In the continuation of the review of this two-part story, John and Richard discuss if this episode holds up to the five "Holey Moley" rating the first part of the story received. They look at the legality of what Billy and Gary do in order to entrap Brok. They also comment on the lengthly chase scenes as was apparant in the last episode. In the end, does this hold up and does it remain as dark as the first part offered?
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “It's important to be responsible for what we say and what we do.”
Guest Cast
Shazam!
"The Lure of the Lost"
September 28, 1974
The fourth episode of the first season, "The Lure of the Lost," is examined. There are many aspects of this story worth note. This is the first two-part episode for the series. This is the first darkly themed episode. Mentor's character is much more mysterious in this two-parter, something we won't see again. The main villain isn't going to be seen until the second half. With so much going on here, what did Richard and John think of the episode itself?
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “When you're faced with a problem that you don't feel you can handle, running away isn't the answer. Try talking it over with somebody you can trust.”
Guest Cast
Christina Hart as Holly
Derrel Maury as Mark
Christopher S. Nelson as Gary
Shazam!
"Thou Shalt Not Kill"
September 21, 1974
John and Richard settle down to discuss the third episode of the series, "Thou Shalt Not Kill". They look at the legal precedent set in the story by the sheriff and Captain Marvel. They are amazed by the horse that can talk without moving its lips. And they puzzle over the double message the Elders give Billy in their weekly meeting.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “It's important for us to remember that laws are made to help us, and that when they stop helping us, they can be changed, legally.”
Guest Cast
Shazam!
"The Brothers"
September 14, 1974
John and Richard discuss the second episode of the first season of Shazam!, "The Brothers". Among the topics discussed in this podcast are how the series went from animated to live action, the dual identity of Billy Batson, Lance Kerwin's post-acting career, and the appeal of stories dealing with blind people in 60s-80s television.
It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “People with problems or handicaps can get along just as well as any of us.”
Guest Cast
Lance Kerwin as Chad Martin
Steve Tanner as Danny Martin
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The first in our series of interviews with those who worked on Shazam! and/or Isisstarts with author Donald F. Glut. Donald is the writer of the first season Shazam! episode, "The Brain". Donald talks with us about how the episode came about, why he never wrote for Shazam! after his highly rated episode aired, and about his near opportunity to work with Jackson Bostwick on another iconic character.
DONALD F. GLUT has been professionally active in both the entertainment and publishing industries since 1966.
Born in Pecos, Texas, Don grew up in Chicago, IL. At age nine, already bitten by the film-making “bug,” he made Diplodocus at Large, the first of 41 amateur movies featuring dinosaurs, human monsters (Frankenstein’s Monster, Teenage Werewolf, etc.) and superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, etc.) Some of these films made during the late 1960s (e.g., Spy Smasher vs. the Purple Monster) were eventually shown in theatres and on TV.
Moving to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, Don professionally entered show business as an “extra” (a POW) in the movie Von Ryan’s Express (1965), the first of several such “roles.” He began his professional writing career in 1966, writing articles for and finally editing the magazine Modern Monsters. In 1967, after graduating from the University of Southern California with a BA degree (for Cinema) in Letters, Arts and Sciences, Don worked as a musician, singer and songwriter in The Penny Arkade, a rock band produced by “Monkee” Michael Nesmith. Shortly after that he briefly furthered his acting career, having a speaking role in a national television commercial starring Dick Clark.
However, most of Don’s professional life has been as a freelance writer. To date he has authored numerous motion picture and television scripts (Shazam!, Land of the Lost, and animation, e.g., Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, Transformers, G.I.Joe, Duck Tales, Jonny Quest, X-Men, others), comic-book scripts (Captain America, Tarzan, etc., including creating for Gold Key Dagar the Invincible, The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor and Tragg and the Sky Gods), more than 35 novels and nonfiction books, also numerous short stories, articles, songs, album-liner notes, etc. The Dinosaur Dictionary(1972) and Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia (1997), two of Don’s many non-fiction books about dinosaurs, both were listed by the American Library Association among the best reference books of their years of publication. With The Dinosaur Dictionary Don created the much-imitated book format based upon an alphabetical listing of dinosaur names. Perhaps Don is best known for his novelization of the movie The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the nation’s No. 1 bestseller for almost two months, which to date (still in print) has sold over 3.5 million copies. In 1982 he created characters and back story for Mattel’s “Masters of the Universe” toy line. Among his more recent books is Chomper, an entry in the popular “Dinotopia” series.
Don produced, wrote and directed various videos (including the documentaries Dinosaur Movies and Hollywood Goes Ape! and the music-video compilation Dinosaur Tracks®), theatre and movie projects. He has worked as a consultant on numerous other video, film and TV projects, and was “Dinosaur Consultant” on Roger Corman’s movie Carnosaur (1993).
In 1990, Don and Pete Von Sholly founded Fossil Records, which has already produced a half dozen albums. These include Dinosaur Tracks®, More Dinosaur Tracks® and Dinosaur Tracks® Again, featuring paleontology-related rock music written mostly by Don (Dinodon Music/BMI), performed by Don and Pete (as the Iridium Band).
More recently, Don became president of Frontline Entertainment (www.frontlinefilms.com), for which he wrote, directed and co-produced the comedy/fantasy motion picture Dinosaur Valley Girls™, followed by a series of campy/sexy/horror movies, which have already achieved “cult movie” status, and Before La Brea, a documentary commissioned by the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was commissioned by Irena Belle Productions to direct the movie The Vampire Hunters Club, featuring an all-star genre cast.
In addition to his entertainment and publishing fields work, Glut is known internationally for his work with dinosaurs (see http://www.donglutsdinosaurs.com to see Don's "prehistoria" collection), a subject he has been seriously interested in since the age of seven. He has lectured on dinosaurs at museums, universities and other institutions in the USA and Europe, and often appears on TV and radio talk shows, and in videos, discussing dinosaurs, monster movies and other topics. Regularly he speaks at seminars for actors. In 1999 and 2000, respectively, he became a volunteer at both The Field Museum (Chicago) and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Among Don’s many interests are paleontology (obviously), movies (especially the older horror films, Westerns, serials and film noir), science fiction and fantasy, music (playing and listening), comic books, motorcycles, reptiles, stage magic, electric trains, the Three Stooges, Jackie Gleason, old-fashioned amusement parks and side shows, partying and “holy relics."
Learn even more about Donald by visting his website - http://www.donaldfglut.com/
Shazam!
"The Joyriders"
September 7, 1974
A young man must figure out what to do when his friends insist on stealing cars and going on joy rides.
John and Richard sit down to discuss this first episode in the series. They talk about the production values, the stunts, and the first use of the phrase, "Holy Moley!" Plus, is Shazam! just a modern day Shakespeare story? It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode. Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.
Moral: “It takes more courage to do what is right then follow along with the crowd.
Guest Cast
Lee Joe Casey...Rich
Ty Henderson...Kyle
Kerry MacLane...Chuck Wagner
Barry Miller...Mike
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We start off the podcast by sharing a Roundtable episode of The Chronic Rift. In it, Shazam star Jackson Bostwick talks about his time on the classic Saturday morning series. He gets into how he was hired, how he did many of his own stunts, and how he ultimately left the series as the second season was starting.
The actor says his audition was a very low-pressure situation. "I had just signed with a commercial agent, and a week later he sent me out on an interview. I thought it was for a Captain Marvel cereal, like Captain Crunch, because he was a commercial agent. So, I went out there in a white T-shirt, jeans and cowboy boots, thinking it was a general cattle call at Filmation Studios. They had done the Lone Ranger cartoon, which was their big claim to fame before Shazam! I walked in and met the producer, Bob Chenault. Bob told me later that he knew when he heard my voice and saw my smile that I would be their Captain Marvel. I didn't realize that they had been looking for more than four months! They had narrowed it down to four people, and had gone from actors who were athletes to athletes who were actors. Now they were back to actors who were athletes."
Bostwick approached the role of Captain Marvel in much the same way that his friend, legendary actor Clayton Moore, approached the Lone Ranger. "Being a fan of the Lone Ranger, I wanted to give the kids something to lookup to like Clay gave me to look up to. And I hope I did that. I know how critical kids are, and I wanted to make sure I was presenting myself right, and not putting my hands on my hips and preaching to them.
Bostwick has always been inclined toward the arts, ever since childhood in Alabama, where he was also a comic book reader. His favorite? Captain Marvel, of course! "Captain Marvel was always a hero of mine when I was growing up with comics. My mother, God love her, threw out all my comics when I went to college, thinking she was doing me a favor. The would be worth a fortune today.
The actor still reports that he's still recognized today for his role in Shazam! "Most of the time it's, "I know I've seen him--no, you ask him!" And once they find out, then everybody knows! It loosens them up. Then it's "I knew you looked familiar!" My dad told me that he knew I was doing all right when they went to the country club and it was no longer "Dr. & Mrs. Bostwick," but "Captain Marvel's mom and dad..."