Wizard shazam tv#
Read on! Why wasn't he called "Shazam"?įor the same reason that the creators of the TV show chose to call him, Mister Mentor, they also tidied up the old Wizard and made him presentable for a audience who would see him interacting with children and adults. It’s time to answer that burning question and reveal that Mister Mentor was none other than the ancient wizard… SHAZAM! How could this be? Wasn’t Mentor really Billy’s faux-Uncle Dudley? Why wasn’t he called “Shazam”? Where were his powers? Why did he look like a middle-aged man? These and other sticky questions will be answered. Mister Mentor, Billy’s traveling companion, as he is often introduced to the various people they encounter, has two roles: drive the Open Road motor home and provide cryptic guidance to Billy following up on the vague overview given by the Elders.He is a good-natured, gregarious, sort who protects Billy but also advises or confirms when it is time for Billy to change into Captain Marvel.įor readers familiar with the original Captain Marvel, one character seemed remarkably absent… the old Wizard, Shazam, who bestowed the Elders’ powers on Billy Batson. Michael Gray as Billy Batson along with Les Tremayne as his Mentor.
Wizard shazam series#
None of the three main characters are given much of a backstory in the series, other than Billy taking an extended vacation from his job, leaving the viewer to fill in the gaps as the series progressed. Captain Marvel, or Billy, closes out the episode by recapping the moral lesson and that’s it until the following week. Cap saves the day with the troubled young person being set back on the road to righteousness and Billy learning a moral lesson. Billy and Mentor then meet the young people who are often caught in a dilemma such as getting in with a bad group of people, committing petty crimes, taking the law into their own hands, or some other type of trouble.īilly attempts to help them as much as he can, but eventually he has to resort to shouting the magic word, “SHAZAM!,” and transforming into the World’s Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel.
These predictions have a moral slant that are designed to teach Billy a life lesson.
Taking a “vacation” from his job at radio station W.H.I.Z ( the call letters never explicitly stated in the series), Billy is joined by Mentor, who drives an Open Road motor home around various suburbs, ranches, horse farms, construction sites, grocery stores, mining facilities and national parks of Los Angeles in search of various children and young adults who need help.Įarly on in each episode, Billy is contacted by the six Elders (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury - the grantors of Captain Marvel’s powers), who give the boy vague predictions about who and what they will encounter. The show starred 31-year-old, relative newcomer Jackson Bostwick as The Big Red Cheese himself, Captain Marvel, 23-year-old Michael Gray as Cap’s alter ego, Billy Batson, and 61-year-old veteran actor, Les Tremayne as Mister Mentor or simply “Mentor” as he was often called. Fall 1974 was an exciting time for fans of the original Captain Marvel as a live action Saturday morning TV show premiered on September 7.
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