Daytime Heroes: The Mighty Hercules (1963)

Nearly 30 years before Disney got their hands on him, Hercules made his animated debut in a syndicated series, The Mighty Hercules, which aired in daily syndication for 3 seasons from 1963-6, and was distributed through Trans-Lux Productions, which held the licenses for Felix the Cat & Speed Racer in those days.

In all, 128 5:00 cartoons were produced over the three seasons, which averages out to a little over 40 episodes  per season. Hercules came to Earth interested in fighting crime & injustice, and along the way, picked up a sidekick, Newton, who had a tendency to repeat himself, which was an annoyance, and Helena, an Earth-born girlfriend. Future pop star Johnny Nash recorded the theme song......

Here's "The Fantus Beast". Opening & closing have been edited out:

What might confuse some folks is that when the series was remastered a few years ago, an anonymous singer was brought in to re-record the theme, erasing Nash's original vocals. Some of those remastered prints may still be airing in syndication here and there, but this Herc hasn't been seen around these parts for a while now.

Rating: C.