| Super President | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated series |
| Voices of | Ted Cassidy Paul Frees June Foray Shepard Menken Lorri Scott Mark Skor |
| Theme music composer | Doug Goodwin |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David H. DePatie Friz Freleng |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | DePatie-Freleng Enterprises |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | 1967 – 1968 |
Super President was an American animated cartoon that aired Saturday mornings on NBC from September 16, 1967 and December 28, 1968. The series was produced by the DePatie-Freleng animation company.
Plot
The American President, James Norcross, is given superpowers as the result of a cosmic storm. The President now has increased strength and the Metamorpho-like ability to change his molecular composition at will to any form required (like granite, steel, ozone, water and even electricity). A hidden panel in the Oval Office allows him access to his secret base, a hidden cave beneath the "Presidential Mansion" (a somewhat modified White House). Super President travels either by using a futuristic automobile/aircraft/submarine called the Omnicar, or by using jets built into his belt.
Despite the fact that the character's name is "Super President," for some reason only Norcross' chubby, pipe-smoking advisor Jerry Sayles knows that the leader of the Free World is also a red and white-costumed superhero in his off-hours.
Noted voice actor Paul Frees provided the voices of Norcross, Super President, and the show's narrator. Other voices were provided by several other noted voice actors of the era, including Ted Cassidy, Daws Butler, Don Messick, and June Foray.
A total of thirty episodes of Super President were produced. Two episodes appeared in each show, along with one episode of Spy Shadow about a secret agent who could command his shadow to act independently of himself.
Reaction
Super President came under fire from critics and TV watchdog groups for its depiction of a national leader who was an invincible superhuman. Many found this tasteless, especially in the wake of President John F. Kennedy's assassination just four years earlier. The show was canceled midway through its second season on NBC.
Because of Super President's bizarre concept, and the fact it only ran for just over a year (and has seldom, if ever, been seen in reruns), the series and its psychedelic credits have faded from most viewers' memories. The show has appeared in recent years on bootleg videocassettes and DVDs, although an official release seems unlikely. It has become a regular feature of the annual Worst Cartoons program presented by animation historian Jerry Beck at Comic-Con International, drawing derisive laughter from an audience of over a thousand.
External links
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