Thundarr the Barbarian from the Ruby-Spears studio was fun bit of a cartoon featuring some great artwork by Jack Kirby. You can almost see Kirby's work here and there as the stories unfold. It's a pretty straightforward blend of a classic apocalyptic scenario (akin to Planet of the Apes) and Conan the Barbarian.
If you've seen Thundarr, you love it or hate it I suspect. I have a soft spot in my head for this cartoon. It's mostly nostalgia but it's a sentimental fave.
It's at long last out on DVD from Warner Archives. The cost is about thirty bucks and according to Mark Evanier, who reviews the series and his role in it here, the reproduction is suspect and there are no extras. Check it out at this link.
But it's not hard to see why Thundarr had such a difficult time finding an audience. Check out this TV Guide ad.
Yep! It says "Thunder".
How can they expect folks to flock to a show they can't be bothered to spell correctly.
NOTE OF CORRECTION: As has been pointed out me, the above ad is indeed correct and refers to another show about a horse named "Thunder". I'm sorry to all the Saturday morning fans that I might've injured with this lame post. I only got the show wrong, the year wrong, and the network wrong. Other than that, I'm completely correct. Mea Culpa Amigos!
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Actually, the ad is correct. "Thunder" was a live-action series about a horse that aired on NBC in '77 - which is when that ad is from.
ReplyDelete"Thundarr the Barbarian" aired on ABC in 1980.
Well I'll be switched! Thanks for the correction kind sir!
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I always love reading back issues and finding the ads for the fall cartoon lineups, there's always a few shows that have faded into complete obscurity, though sometimes you find those and they're actually really cool. God Bless Youtube!
ReplyDeleteAnd nothing wrong with a sentimental fave, I got about a million of those!