From Comics to Toons: Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987)

 Currently, Japan's Ultraman is starring in a series of comic book miniseries from Marvel. In the 80's, another American company had a license, and actually co-produced a movie with Japan's Tsuburaya Productions.

Ultraman: The Adventure Begins was apparently a pilot for a possible series, either here or in Japan, and boasted an all-star cast, most of whom were not associated with cartoons. The plot, however, smacks of a knockoff of another Japanese toy brand that was licensed in the US in the 70's, the Shogun Warriors, which Marvel also had a license for, along with Mattel, circa 1977-8. Three American stunt pilots are involved in a bizarre accident that links them with aliens and we get not one, not two, but three Ultramen.

Adrienne Barbeau (Batman: The Animated Series, ex-Maude), Chad Everett (ex-Medical Center), and Michael Lembeck (ex-One Day at a Time, The Krofft Supershow) head up the cast, which also includes Bill Calloway (ex-Super Friends, Cattanooga Cats, Love, American Style), Ed Gilbert (ex-The Hardy Boys-Nancy Drew Mysteries), Lorna Patterson (ex-Private Benjamin), Charlie Adler, and Stacy Keach, Sr. (ex-Get Smart). It's clear the animation was done in Japan, and it isn't the first time that H-B had used animation from other countries, dating back to their acquisition of an Australian studio in the 70's.

Now, get some popcorn.

No rating. Just a public service.

Retro Toy Chest: Remember Power Tennis? (1974)

 Hasbro thought they were being clever. Parents had other ideas.

Bobby Riggs milked his 15 minutes of fame after getting spanked by Billie Jean King. He'd made his acting debut, as himself, on The Odd Couple, and getting an endorsement deal with Hasbro to push Power Tennis, which actually looks more like a glorified ping pong table. Check it:

Unsurprisingly, Hasbro double faulted on the product in short order.

Sunday Funnies: Celebrity Golf (1960)

 In the 50's & 60's, Sam Snead was one of the biggest names on the pro golf tour. To that end, independent producer Jerry Fredericks approached him about building a weekly challenge series pitting him against not fellow golfers, but celebrities.

Celebrity Golf, however, lasted just one season. Reruns would surface several years later on the Golf Channel (now part of NBC-Universal-Comcast). Harry Von Zell (The Burns & Allen Show) is host/commentator.

Following is a sample episode with Jerry Lewis. Part of the open has been edited off.

The pop-up trivia notes are part of the Golf Channel package, not the original broadcast.

No rating. Just a public service.

Summertainment: Salute Your Shorts (1991)

 Ye scribe spent two summers at Sunnyside Day Camp in the 70's, and during this time, I contracted chicken pox, and forced to quarantine at home for a few days (true story). That said, I do have some idea of what the kids at Camp Annawanda were in for in Nickelodeon's Salute Your Shorts, based on a 1986 book by Steve Slavik.

However, Nick only got two seasons out of what should've been a perennial seasonal treat. Danny Cooksey (ex-Diff'rent Strokes) was the camp bully in what would be one of his last roles in front of the camera before making a second career a a voice actor.

While episodes have become available again, I don't expect them to last very long if ViacomCBS has its way, so we'll serve up the opener, as Cooksey and the rest of the cast perform the camp theme song.

To think this was from the same studio that also helped produce the original Beverly Hills 90210 for Fox. Today marks Salute's 30th anniversary.

Rating: B.

Toonfomercial: Archie shills for Pals vitamins (1969)

 In the best interests of equal time, after we located a Chocks commercial earlier, we have this rarity up next.

In answer to Chocks, Bristol-Myers, then the makers of Bufferin and Excedrin, came up with Pals vitamins for kids, which was the presenting sponsor of CBS' Archie & His New Pals primetime special in September 1969.

Here, Archie (Dallas McKennon, Daniel Boone) intros the main portion of the commercial. The little girl on the playset? That's a very young Erin Moran, who'd previously been on Daktari before hitting it big with Happy Days.

Unfortunately, Pals vitamins are not around anymore.

Remember Chocks vitamins? (1963)

 Miles Laboratories (now part of Bayer) introduced Chocks vitamins for kids in 1960. By the end of the decade, they added a mascot, Charlie Chocks, as it appeared sales were starting to wane after the addition of Flintstones brand vitamins. In 1974, Bugs Bunny Chocks were added, changed to simply Bugs Bunny vitamins in short order.

From 1963, here's an interesting spot, featuring the voices of Paul Winchell and Dick Beals. One YouTube commentator speculated that singer Norma Zimmer (The Lawrence Welk Show) narrated, but it could easily have been either one of Hanna-Barbera's grand dames of the period, Janet Waldo or Jean VanderPyl. Waldo was doing narrative voice-overs for Mattel around this time.

For all we know, the rocking horse might've been Mel Blanc, since someone had suggested incorrectly that it was Daws Butler.

Bad TV: He-Man in Crack in The World (1990)

 We've noted previously how former DIC co-founder Jean Chalopin's new company had landed a deal to produce The New Adventures of He-Man in 1990, four years after the Filmation series ended. It appears as though Chalopin retained his contacts in the animation business, as some of the artwork has some influence of Japanese anime.

Unfortunately, the voice casting left a lot to be desired. Campbell Lane was cast as arch-villain Skeletor, and is just all wrong for the part. Apparently, the recording was done in Canada, else Alan Oppenheimer could've been brought in to reprise. Filmation wasn't exactly the greatest during their 25 years in the business, but there's no brightness to this series.

If you don't believe me, check "Crack in The World":

The revival, helmed by Kevin Smith, debuts later this month on Netflix, and it can't come soon enough.

Rating: D.