There is a saying in American culture, ‘You are what you eat.’ Other cultures probably have similar sayings too. Elementary as this saying may sound, it is quite true, and we Americans should certainly know it to be so with our sugary, salty, over processed foods. All of this junk food has contributed to us having the highest obesity rates on the planet.
I had to deviate to make an analogy. What I am trying to convey here in my usual round about manner is that often what we like the most, we become to one degree or another it. Whatever we like to watch on television or read about can influence our actions, values, and viewpoints for better or for worse. I believe my love as a toddler for a certain cartoon was one of several contributors to my becoming an amateur aficionado of history, art, and in a nutshell, certain components of anthropology. I adore the far away, beautiful, and the exotic. I heard on the radio the other day that some people are just made with an overwhelming desire to constantly surround themselves with or ponder beauty. Well, Sincerae is one of them.
From 1963 until 1966 the animated series The Mighty Hercules aired on television here in the states. This cartoon series was a partial influence in creating the personality and outlook of the person who blogs here today. Hercules was developed in 1962, the year I was born, but it did not debut until ’63. My mother says I started watching it when I was about two years old. I can vaguely remember tiny portions of certain episodes, my eyes glued to the scene and me sitting on the floor before the TV set. When people say two year olds cannot remember anything, well, it does not apply to me when I was that age. I retain a number of memories about The Mighty Hercules.
The Mighty Hercules was produced by Adventure Cartoon Productions in connection with Trans-Lux Television which later adapted and created Speed Racer which was an early anime series in the late 1960s, from a Japanese cartoon called Mach GoGoGo. A movie version of Speed Racer is currently in production.
The Mighty Hercules was very loosely adapted from Greek mythology. In the series, Hercules lives on Mount Olympus in ancient Greece. In the first episode of the series he defeats his friend Theseus in a contest where they race and wrestle. Hercules’ father the king of the gods, Zeus, tells his son that he will give him anything he requests. Just ask. Hercules asks that he be allowed to go down among mortals on the earth to fight evil and injustice. All the cartoon heroes that I loved as a child always had the mission to fight evil and injustice. Maybe this recurrent theme was because the time was the more socially conscious 60s and 70s, the era of the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation Movement.
Zeus grants his son’s request, but cautions him that by dwelling with mortals, he might lose his powers. To make sure that Hercules has all he needs, Zeus makes a magic ring and gives it to him. The ring will give Hercules access to his immortal powers while on earth so he will be strong enough to handle his mission.
In the rest of the series Hercules goes around ancient Greece answering cries of distress from the victims of various villains. Some of the villains are based loosely on Greek myth. Hercules is accompanied by his girlfriend Helena, a young centaur named Newton, and a boy satyr named Tewt. Tewt never spoke. His means of communication was through playing his panpipes.
Over the three years that The Mighty Hercules was broadcast, hairstyles, accessories, and the voices of some characters changed. Newton, the centaur’s voice changed. In earlier episodes, his voice sounded like someone who just reached puberty. Later his voice resembled that of Mickey Mouse. Hercules even got a means of transport, the winged horse Pegasus which he would call with a set of pipes.
The Mighty Hercules had very rudimentary animation, but still its’ stories of a hero who went around protecting, fighting for, and inspiring the good left a big impression on my young mind.
Below are two episodes of the series. Both are a little over 5 minutes each. When I found these back in February shortly after that trying period when my blog and e-mail accounts were hacked into and deleted, seeing these two episodes not only brought back memories, but I also got some very good feelings hearing the series’ theme song again for the first time in over 40 years. Up until that time I believed The Mighty Hercules’s theme song was sung by Johnny Mathis whom my mother was a big fan of when I was little. The singer was not by sung him, but by an obscure white singer named Johnny Nash.
I had to deviate to make an analogy. What I am trying to convey here in my usual round about manner is that often what we like the most, we become to one degree or another it. Whatever we like to watch on television or read about can influence our actions, values, and viewpoints for better or for worse. I believe my love as a toddler for a certain cartoon was one of several contributors to my becoming an amateur aficionado of history, art, and in a nutshell, certain components of anthropology. I adore the far away, beautiful, and the exotic. I heard on the radio the other day that some people are just made with an overwhelming desire to constantly surround themselves with or ponder beauty. Well, Sincerae is one of them.
From 1963 until 1966 the animated series The Mighty Hercules aired on television here in the states. This cartoon series was a partial influence in creating the personality and outlook of the person who blogs here today. Hercules was developed in 1962, the year I was born, but it did not debut until ’63. My mother says I started watching it when I was about two years old. I can vaguely remember tiny portions of certain episodes, my eyes glued to the scene and me sitting on the floor before the TV set. When people say two year olds cannot remember anything, well, it does not apply to me when I was that age. I retain a number of memories about The Mighty Hercules.
The Mighty Hercules was produced by Adventure Cartoon Productions in connection with Trans-Lux Television which later adapted and created Speed Racer which was an early anime series in the late 1960s, from a Japanese cartoon called Mach GoGoGo. A movie version of Speed Racer is currently in production.
The Mighty Hercules was very loosely adapted from Greek mythology. In the series, Hercules lives on Mount Olympus in ancient Greece. In the first episode of the series he defeats his friend Theseus in a contest where they race and wrestle. Hercules’ father the king of the gods, Zeus, tells his son that he will give him anything he requests. Just ask. Hercules asks that he be allowed to go down among mortals on the earth to fight evil and injustice. All the cartoon heroes that I loved as a child always had the mission to fight evil and injustice. Maybe this recurrent theme was because the time was the more socially conscious 60s and 70s, the era of the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation Movement.
Zeus grants his son’s request, but cautions him that by dwelling with mortals, he might lose his powers. To make sure that Hercules has all he needs, Zeus makes a magic ring and gives it to him. The ring will give Hercules access to his immortal powers while on earth so he will be strong enough to handle his mission.
In the rest of the series Hercules goes around ancient Greece answering cries of distress from the victims of various villains. Some of the villains are based loosely on Greek myth. Hercules is accompanied by his girlfriend Helena, a young centaur named Newton, and a boy satyr named Tewt. Tewt never spoke. His means of communication was through playing his panpipes.
Over the three years that The Mighty Hercules was broadcast, hairstyles, accessories, and the voices of some characters changed. Newton, the centaur’s voice changed. In earlier episodes, his voice sounded like someone who just reached puberty. Later his voice resembled that of Mickey Mouse. Hercules even got a means of transport, the winged horse Pegasus which he would call with a set of pipes.
The Mighty Hercules had very rudimentary animation, but still its’ stories of a hero who went around protecting, fighting for, and inspiring the good left a big impression on my young mind.
Below are two episodes of the series. Both are a little over 5 minutes each. When I found these back in February shortly after that trying period when my blog and e-mail accounts were hacked into and deleted, seeing these two episodes not only brought back memories, but I also got some very good feelings hearing the series’ theme song again for the first time in over 40 years. Up until that time I believed The Mighty Hercules’s theme song was sung by Johnny Mathis whom my mother was a big fan of when I was little. The singer was not by sung him, but by an obscure white singer named Johnny Nash.
Good ole’ Herc!
More about the Hercules of Greek myth can be accessed here:
Hercules: Greece’s Greatest Hero.
More about the Hercules of Greek myth can be accessed here:
Hercules: Greece’s Greatest Hero.
2 comments:
Sincerae, We did not have this cartoon series in Australia. Looks like it was an exciting and thrilling series for a little girl.
When I was little one of my favorite movies was 'Samson and Delilah'. Although not Greek mythology, this biblical story always captured my heart and drove me to tears.
Ardent,
I also loved my Bible stories too. A lady which my maternal grandparents worked for and who were heirs to some of her property, used to give me and my aunt a lot of old books. One book was a collection of Bible stories which I loved. Samson and Delilah, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau, and Jezebel and Arab were some of my favorites. There are probably more cartoons airing here now with Biblical themes than when I was a child since there were no Christian stations then.
If everything had been more global back then, you probably would have saw it.
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