Samson & Goliath
Encyclopedia
Samson & Goliath is a 30-minute animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
for NBC
in 1967, and primarily sponsored (and owned) by General Mills
. It was later shown in syndication with The Space Kidettes as The Space Kidettes and Young Samson.
version of the biblical Samson
by hitting his golden wristbands together. A second slam transforms Goliath into a super-powered lion
. Samson has great strength, endurance, and agility, as well the ability to leap so well he appears to be flying. He can also direct shock waves from his wristbands, and by twisting his bracelets, can increase his and Goliath's powers to far greater levels.
Goliath, in addition to having similar strength and leaping powers, has "power beam" rays that emanate from his eyes, apparently making him more powerful than Samson. The pair's reverse transformation is never depicted. Though Goliath derives his name from the Biblical villain Goliath, a giant warrior for the Philistines, the two characters otherwise have nothing in common.
, Mighty Mightor, and Shazzan
in its pacing, plots, voices, music and art direction. Many of these characters were developed for CBS by comics artist Alex Toth
, but Samson was on NBC. Tim Matheson
, who had earlier been the voice of Jonny Quest
, provided the voice of Samson. Goliath's vocal effects are done by Don Messick
.
This show is very similar to a 1980s cartoon show, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
. Like Samson, teenage Prince Adam turns into the adult, muscular superhero He-Man
by way of a magical artifact. Like Goliath, his pet tiger Cringer also turns into the bigger, stronger and tougher Battle Cat
. Both Samson & Goliath and He-Man (along with Mighty Mightor) bear similarities to an earlier property, the Fawcett Comics
(later DC Comics
) superhero Captain Marvel
. Samson hitting bracelets on his wrists to transform himself is identical to how Rick Jones
summons the Marvel Comics
version of Captain Marvel
in the late 1960s and the early 1970s.
released all 20 episodes of The Space Kidettes and Young Samson on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US. The original network broadcasts of The Space Kidettes and Samson & Goliath were formatted to break up the plot line of each episode to include additional animated content not made by Hanna-Barbera, but which were controlled by the series’ sponsor.
After the network runs ended, both stories were re-edited into continuous scenarios, and the two series were joined together as the The Space Kidettes and Young Samson for subsequent forms of distribution. The revised syndication versions of these shows are the only ones available for distribution, as the original network versions were cut and reconformed for the current configuration. These are the versions used for the DVD release.
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 1967, and primarily sponsored (and owned) by General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
. It was later shown in syndication with The Space Kidettes as The Space Kidettes and Young Samson.
Plot
The show follows the adventures of a teenager named Samson and his dog, Goliath as they ride around the country on a motorbike. Whenever trouble arise, usually in the form of a menacing super villain or evil scientist, Samson transforms himself into a superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
version of the biblical Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
by hitting his golden wristbands together. A second slam transforms Goliath into a super-powered lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
. Samson has great strength, endurance, and agility, as well the ability to leap so well he appears to be flying. He can also direct shock waves from his wristbands, and by twisting his bracelets, can increase his and Goliath's powers to far greater levels.
Goliath, in addition to having similar strength and leaping powers, has "power beam" rays that emanate from his eyes, apparently making him more powerful than Samson. The pair's reverse transformation is never depicted. Though Goliath derives his name from the Biblical villain Goliath, a giant warrior for the Philistines, the two characters otherwise have nothing in common.
Similar shows
Samson & Goliath is similar in format to other Hanna-Barbera adventure shows such as Space GhostSpace Ghost
Space Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space...
, Mighty Mightor, and Shazzan
Shazzan
Shazzan is an animated television series, created by Alex Toth and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1967 for CBS. The series follows the adventures of two teenage siblings, Chuck and Nancy, traveling around a mystical Arabian world, mounted on Kaboobie the flying camel...
in its pacing, plots, voices, music and art direction. Many of these characters were developed for CBS by comics artist Alex Toth
Alex Toth
Alexander Toth was an American professional cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but is known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His work included Super Friends, Space Ghost, The...
, but Samson was on NBC. Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson
Tim Matheson is an American actor, director and producer. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the smooth-talking Eric 'Otter' Stratton in the 1978 comedy National Lampoon's Animal House and has had a variety of other well-known roles, including providing the voice of the lead character...
, who had earlier been the voice of Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest is a media franchise that revolves around a boy named Jonny Quest who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964-65 television series and has come to include two subsequent television series, two television films, and a video game.-1964–1965...
, provided the voice of Samson. Goliath's vocal effects are done by Don Messick
Don Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
.
This show is very similar to a 1980s cartoon show, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
. Like Samson, teenage Prince Adam turns into the adult, muscular superhero He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
by way of a magical artifact. Like Goliath, his pet tiger Cringer also turns into the bigger, stronger and tougher Battle Cat
Battle Cat
Battle-Cat is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is a large green tiger, with yellow stripes who serves as He-Man's fighting mount.-Battle Cat :...
. Both Samson & Goliath and He-Man (along with Mighty Mightor) bear similarities to an earlier property, the Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
(later DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
) superhero Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
. Samson hitting bracelets on his wrists to transform himself is identical to how Rick Jones
Rick Jones (comics)
Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...
summons the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
version of Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)
Captain Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Most of these versions exist in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe.- Publication history :...
in the late 1960s and the early 1970s.
Villains
- Monatabu and Iguanasaurus — Monatabu is an evil witch doctor whose tribe punished him for his evil deeds. He leaped into a volcano, but instead of dying, found an Iguanasaurus, and gained control of it. Each year, it emerges from the volcano to attack the village. Samson and Goliath discover the truth, and seal the pair inside the volcano forever.
- Aurora Borealis Creature — The Aurora Borealis somehow becomes an electrically charged monster that begins attacking an Inuit village. Samson and Goliath lure it onto an ice floe, and it sinks into the water, thus destroying it.
- The Colossus of Rhodes — When an archaeologist brings the Colossus of Rhodes up from the sea, lightning brings it to life, and it goes on a rampage. Samson and Goliath are able to send it back to the bottom of the sea.
- Venusian Ice Men — The Venusian Ice Men arrive on Earth to freeze a valley to make it habitable for their race. After defeating an ice monster, Samson and Goliath use a reflecting mirror from a telescope to deflect a freeze ray back at the villains' ship. The ship is destroyed, and the Ice Men melt.
- Terrorists — A band of international terrorists steal the SSX-19, an experimental plane, and also switch Samson's bracelets with lead ones. Goliath recovers the real bracelets, and he and Samson bring back the SSX-19 and capture the thieves.
- Monarch and PERIL Agents — Monarch and the PERIL Agents kidnap Professor Talos. Samson and Goliath rescue him, and capture the bad guys after an intense struggle.
- Boltor and Natives — On Evil Island, Samson is captured by a tribe who loyally serve a talking flame. He and Goliath discover that the evil scientist Boltor has an underground electronic laboratory, and had created the talking flame as well as mechanical sharks. He has also stolen American missiles. Samson and Goliath foil his plan to launch the missiles, but he sinks the island, disappearing for good.
- Zarno and the Monsteroids — Zarno the Cruel is an alien based on an asteroid, from which he sends a deadly ray to Earth. Samson and Goliath are teleported to the asteroid, where they defeat Zarno and his Monsteroids.
- General Tong, Ramu, and Rama-Keesh — General Tong and Ramu unleash the robot idol Rama-Keesh upon a mountain village. The General's purpose is to drive the people away so that his troops can move across the border. He orders Rama-Keesh to destroy Ramu, but Samson saves him. Rama-Keesh is destroyed when it falls into a fire pit, and Tong and Ramu are taken into custody.
- Salamandro and Hijackers — Salamandro is a mutant catfish based in an undersea laboratory. He sends two human hijackers to loot the passing cargo ships. Samson and Goliath find their way into the lab, where they escape from a number of death traps. Although they flood the lab, the evil trio escape.
- Baron Von Skull and Tor — Baron Von Skull is an elderly World War One flying ace from Germany, who creates evil war machines. Tor is his assistant. Samson and Goliath destroy the machines, but the pair fly away, presumably into the arms of the police.
- Kunev Khan and Moonleader — Kunev Khan is apparently a long-time enemy of Samson and Goliath. He steals the Graviton, and delivers it to the Moon Leader, not realizing the alien intends to double-cross him. The Moon Leader is dispatched, and Samson and Goliath fly Kunev and the Graviton back to Earth.
- Dragon Men — The Dragon Men are a tribe of possible Mayan ancestry, based in an underground city. Samson and Goliath enter the city via a Mayan pyramid in order to rescue Professor Kinkaid, who had been captured by these warriors. The Dragon Men are defeated when Goliath's roar breaks open a dam, releasing water that sweeps them away, and also puts out a fire that started when a dragon lizard ignited the sulphur gases.
- Dr. Zuran and Rogor — Dr. Zuran is yet another mad scientist who captures Professor Cartwell, and gains control of Rogor the robot. He transfers Samson's strength to the mechanical monster, but Goliath restores it. Zuran also tries to kill Cartwell, but Samson saves him just in time. Zuran flies away, and Cartwell fixes up Rogor, turning him into a good, useful roboot.
- Darvo, Darvo's Henchman, and Coral Creature — Darvo and his assistant revive the Coral Creature, which begins attacking a city in Australia. Samson and Goliath cause it to turn against its masters, destroying them and their lighthouse. The creature itself returns to the sea.
- The Dome and Henchman — The Dome and his henchman plot to launch nuclear warheads. Samson and Goliath successfully thwart their efforts.
- Nerod, Servo, Gladiators, and Giant Beasts — Nerod is an avid collector of Roman antiquities who models himself after Nero. He and Servo invite Samson and Goliath to fight robot gladiators and rhinos in a replica of the ColosseumColosseumThe Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...
. The heroes defeat their foes, and destroy the mansion. - Dr. Desto — Dr. Desto is a scientist who had been experimenting with the time dimension. He brings in a number of past threats, and pits them against Samson and Goliath. All are defeated, and Desto himself is pulled into the past, never to return.
- Narton and the Gill Men — Narton and The Gill Men emerge from the ocean floor to conquer the surface people. Samson and Goliath beat them at their own game, but Narton gets away, vowing to return.
- Thing from the Black Mountains — This is a reptile that is roused from a lake near the Black Mountains by a missile. Samson and Goliath fight it, and send it back into the lake.
DVD release
On March 8, 2011, Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released all 20 episodes of The Space Kidettes and Young Samson on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US. The original network broadcasts of The Space Kidettes and Samson & Goliath were formatted to break up the plot line of each episode to include additional animated content not made by Hanna-Barbera, but which were controlled by the series’ sponsor.
After the network runs ended, both stories were re-edited into continuous scenarios, and the two series were joined together as the The Space Kidettes and Young Samson for subsequent forms of distribution. The revised syndication versions of these shows are the only ones available for distribution, as the original network versions were cut and reconformed for the current configuration. These are the versions used for the DVD release.
External links
- Young Samson & Goliath at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....