Introducing… THE FILMATION FILES

A deep dive into some of the most entertaining DC cartoons ever…

Filmation’s DC superhero cartoons have been part of my fandom since just about the beginning.

To this day, I can remember sitting cross-legged on the floor at my babysitter Marilyn Tagliaferri’s house, watching The Adventures of Batman and Robin on New York’s Channel 5.

This was the early ’70s, when the cartoons had already left CBS’ Saturday morning line-up for the world of weekday syndication. My recollection is that TV Guide used to list the show as simply Superheroes and each episode would feature the first part of a Batman story, an Aquaman segment, then the finale of the Batman story. Or perhaps some combination thereof, since there were Batman single-parters too.

Years went by and eventually I got to see Superman, Superboy and the rest of the heroes who made their way into Filmation’s stable: the Atom, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Justice League of America and the Teen Titans.

Now, I’ve already covered all the Batman episodes in depth, both here at 13th Dimension and at John S. Drew’s The Batcave Podcast.

But I have long wanted to dive into the rest of the Filmation DC catalogue — I’ve dabbled here and there in the past — and now I’m going to.

Welcome to THE FILMATION FILES — a new, recurring feature that looks at the various and sundry cartoons produced in the ’60s by the kitschy animation studio. Primarily, we’re talking about Aquaman and the rest of what Filmation called “the super superheroes.” (Superman and Superboy will probably come farther down the line.)

Now, you’ll find THE FILMATION FILES in two places, much like you did our coverage of the Batman cartoons: As time goes on, I’ll be posting columns and whatnot here at 13th Dimension. But John S. Drew and I are at it again as well, this time at our World’s Greatest Super Friends Podcast, where we’ve begun alternating episodes between the Super Friends and Filmation. (You can find the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and other platforms. You can also click here to get it directly.)

But if you’re looking to follow it all — and why wouldn’t you? — this post will be a repository of links as we progress through the wondrous, often off-model world created by Lou Scheimer and co. (And what’s great is that all the Aquaman and “super superhero” cartoons have been beautifully remastered on the DC Universe app.)

So keep on coming back to THE FILMATION FILES!

COLUMNS

— 13 QUICK THOUGHTS on the Quirky Screen Debut of the JUSTICE LEAGUE. Click here.

— 13 QUICK THOUGHTS on FILMATION’s Flashy FLASH Cartoons. Click here.

— 13 QUICK THOUGHTS on FILMATION’s Groovy GREEN LANTERN Cartoons. Click here.

— 13 QUICK THOUGHTS on FILMATION’s Ginchy TEEN TITANS Cartoons. Click here.

LINKS

— Podcast: AQUAMAN — Menace of the Black Manta. Click here.

— Podcast: AQUAMAN — The Rampaging Reptile Men. Click here.

— Podcast: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA — Between Two Armies. Click here.

— Podcast: THE FLASH — To Catch a Blue Bolt. Click here.

— Podcast: GREEN LANTERN — Evil Is as Evil Does. Click here.

— Podcast: TEEN TITANS — The Monster Machine. Click here.

MORE

— THE FILMATION BATMAN Index. Click here.

— The Wonderfully Cheesy World of Filmation’s JUSTICE LEAGUE. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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10 Comments

  1. Awesome, Dan! I look forward to reading about the Filmation Files. I was hooked back in 4th grade when the Superman/Aquaman Hour premiered in the fall of 1967. I’d enjoyed the Superman cartoons from the year before (as well as all the other things on Saturday mornings like Space Ghost, Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles (Coil Man was my favorite).So seeing the Justice League and Teen Titans was thrilling!!! Keep up the great work!!!

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  2. I love the Filmation DC trilogy (The New Adventures of Superman), (The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure) & The Batman/Superman Hour which is my favorite of the 3 series. I love the Batman stories and smart scripts. However, I think the Aquaman cartoons have the best animation direction. When Filmation received the lowest animation budget with the New Adventures of Superman in 1966 (as told in Lou Scheimer’s book), Hal Sutherland and his team of directors had a score to settle with the rest of the industry and the end result was Aquaman having some of the best animation direction from the studio in 1967 thanks to an increased animation budget. I can’t wait to read more about the Filmation Files!!

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  3. I think most impressive is that you remember the name of your babysitter from 50+ years ago.

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  4. Ahhh…”The Superman/Aquaman Hour Of Adventure” was my favorite cartoon series of the 1960s! After that glorious 1967-68 season, I watched “Aquaman” every season for several years, even when it aired at 7a on Sunday mornings. I was all about Aqualad and the Teen Titans in those days, in comics and on TV, so this series was the gift that kept on giving. I’ve collected plenty of the cels from the series over the years and cherish them as a wonderful frame from my childhood.

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  5. Hey, Dan. I’ve really been enjoying going through the World’s Greatest Superfriends/Filmation Files podcasts with you and John (as I’m watching the shows myself). It looks like you guys have been inactive for a while. Do you plan on starting up again at some point?

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    • Oh, very much so, Dave! Sometimes real life interferes. We’ve got Superboy coming, plus the next episode of SF! Then tons after that! Worry not!

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      • Life can be like that. I’m looking forward to those future podcasts when you and John can manage it, though!

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