Pop Focus: Shazam in the 1970s


An entire generation calls the original Captain Marvel "Shazam" as a result of this show. That's because, when 1974 rolled around, people hadn't seen the Big Red Cheese (another of his nicknames) in years.

DC Comics, which didn't like the fact Cap was outselling Superman in the 1940s filed a lawsuit that essentially killed off the character in the 1950s. Fawcett Comics stopped publishing Captain Marvel comics, and the character was forgotten.

But, in the 1970s, DC got rights to their former nemesis and wanted to make hay. The result was this half-hour Saturday morning show and a new series of Captain Marvel comics, many of them illustrated by his original artist, the great C.C. Beck.

So, suddenly, Captain Marvel was back. Though most kids in the 1970s just called him "Shazam." That was the name of the TV show, after all.

Viewers never saw the real Shazam, the old wizard who gave Billy his powers. But they did learn that Shazam was also an acronym, standing for a list of mythical characters and their attributes:

  • Solomon (wisdom)
  • Hercules (strength)
  • Atlas (stamina)
  • Zeus (power)
  • Achilles (courage)
  • Mercury (speed)
But apart from the magic word, some super strength and a lot of flying around, "Shazam" as a pretty grounded show. Billy and his mentor, an older gentleman conveniently named Mentor, criss-crossed the country in a Winnebago, helping ordinary people in need. There were no super-villains to speak of.

Along the line, two different actors played the Captain: Jackson Bostwick and John Davey, while Billy was played by Michael Gray, and radio/film/TV veteran Les Tremayne starred as was Mentor.

The program is remembered fondly by a generation of kids who watched the show, paired with the also pretty neat "Isis," in the 1970s, and who spent hours shouting "Shazam!" to see if anything happened. 

And it helped revive the original Captain as a regular character for DC. For the most part, the modern comics have missed the whimsy and fun that made the 1940s series so much fun, but every now and then they get it. And it's resulted in a lot of reprints of those old adventures, which are well worth a read.

Here then, is a look back at Shazamania in the 70s:




























Coming soon: The Immortal Doctor Fate

Out Dec. 15, 2015.

Originally introduced in 1940, Doctor Fate was reinvented and modernized in these 1970s tales written by Martin Pasko. In these stories, the golden-helmet wearing Doctor Fate, who draws his powers from the ancient spirit known as Nabu, faced numerous mystical threats to our world. But what happens when the spirit chooses a 10-year-old boy to become the new Doctor Fate?

Collects 1ST ISSUE SPECIAL #9, stories from THE FLASH #306-313, THE IMMORTAL DOCTOR FATE #1-3, DR. FATE #1-4 and DC CHALLENGE #11.

Vintage Photoplay movie mag covers








Pop reviews: Ant-Man; The Martian

What I'm watching, hearing, reading, etc.


Ant-man is the most light-hearted and, literally, ground-level Marvel movie to date. No mystical throwing hammers or high-flying armored suits here - just a guy who shrinks.

Starring Paul Rudd as convicted thief and electronics whiz Scott Lang, this is essentially a caper film. Original Ant-Man (we see him in flashbacks) Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) wants to steal back his shrinking formula, which has fallen into the hands of an evil rival. So he hires Scott to steal it back.

Cue lots of planning and training scenes, with Scott learning how to use Pym's shrinking suit and use other tech to communicate with ants. The effects here are remarkable, as we're transported with Scott into a world where everything small is huge, and all sort of things that we normally don't worry about -- shower drains and toy trains, for example -- become a threat.

Michael Pena is a fun as Scott's prison pal, Luiz, and the plot is played mainly for laughs, though there is plenty of action and some heart-warming scenes between Lang and his young daughter.

Evangeline Lilly doesn't have much to do as Pym's daughter, Hope, but it's no spoiler at this point to note Marvel has more in store for her down the road.

The movie makes hash of Marvel Comics continuity, but slots in well with the chronology established in the other films. Hayley Atwell and John Slattery appear early on as Peggy Carter and the older Howard Stark in a scene set in 1989.


The Martian is a hit sci-fi novel (and soon-to-be-film) penned by admitted space nerd Andy Weir. Set at some point in the fairly near future, the book tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney who gets stranded on the Red Planet during a massive sandstorm. His crew evacuates, thinking him dead.

Much of the rest of the book focuses on Watney's survival, told in remarkable detail and as realistically as possible. Weir has done all his homework and more, thinking through each scenario and researching "what would a guy do in this situation?" Most of us would die. But not Mark. He figures out how to grow food - he's been left with only a limited supply - and sets up camp for the long haul. Even if he couldn't communicate with Earth, which he can't, it would take years for NASA to send help.

It's a captivating read that puts you in the survivor's shoes. Watney is great company, too, with a bleak-but-optimistic sense of humor that makes him seem very real. Matt Damon is playing him in the movie version, out this fall.

Vintage Movie Poster: Bengazi