The first season…er…fourth season…
The Super Friends are back and out to save the world. They are facing threats from genies, Lex Luthor, space knights, parallel worlds, threats from within Earth, androids, the Frankenstein Monster, and Mxyzptlk. Despite the challenge, the Super Friends are sure to win!
The World’s Greatest Super Friends! is season 4 of the popular Super Friends! cartoon (sometimes called Superfriends). Following Challenge of the Super Friends, The World’s Greatest Super Friends! aired on Saturday mornings on ABC from September 22, 1979 to November 3, 1979. The season was an exclusive DVD release from Target.
Frankenstein monster just wants Super Friends…or Superfriends?
This was one of my favorite seasons of Super Friends growing up. I would watch the show religiously and all the seasons blend together. Despite this, Super Friends—Season 4 really jumped out at me with its strange adaptation of other stories for the basis of their plots.
Most of the episodes of this season of Super Friends are essentially adaptation of novels or classic stories…with the Super Friends in them. You get The Arabian Knights with the genie story, the Knights of the Round Table with the planet of Camelon, Lord of the Rings with Mal Havok, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Captain Nimoy, Frankenstein with a trip to Transylvania, and the Wizard of Oz with Mxyzptlk. The adaptations are weird, very tangential, and not very faithful to the work, but they still are fun.
Evil Gleek is scary!
The animation for the series continues to be ho-hum, but pretty typical of Saturday morning cartoons at the time. Background art and the use of space by the artists aren’t very good, and it really shows in series like these where there were just common mattes and lots of characters. If it was a “new” location, often the background art was even worse since it meant more new art for the animators.
The World’s Greatest Super Friends! is a fun, short watch. The set-up of Saturday morning cartoons often meant short seasons like this one, and this season also is composed of only half-hour episodes so you can watch the whole show in one long sitting. If you watched the series growing up (or you want your kids to), seek out this volume of the series. The World’s Greatest Super Friends! was followed by Season 5 which was just titled Super Friends.
The World’s Greatest Super Friends!—Season 4 Complete Episode Guide:
“Rub Three Times for Disaster”
1.1 Rub Three Times for Disaster Airdate: 09/22/79
Kareem Azar steals the magical lamp from the planet of Zahgdad but accidentally loses on Earth. When Gleek accidentally releases the lamp’s genie, the Wonder Twins are sucked into the world of the lamp. The Super Friends travel to Zahgdad to stop Kareem Azar and the genie and free the Wonder Twins.
“Lex Luthor Strikes Back”
1.2 Lex Luthor Strikes Back Airdate: 09/29/79
Lex Luthor stages a breakout by switching places with Lois Lane during a prison interview. Using his new machine to disguise himself as members of the Super Friends, Luthor seeks to overpower and eliminate the Super Friends. Teaming with sun creatures, Luthor plots to turn the sun red to stop Superman forever!
“Space Knights of Camelon”
1.3 Space Knights of Camelon Airdate: 10/06/79
Superman is knocked unconscious during a space mission and crash lands on the planet Camelon with amnesia. Meeting rebel knights, Superman is transformed into the Black Knight of Camelon to overthrow Arthur VII. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Wonder Twin, and Gleek head out to find Superman before it is too late…but find themselves battling him!
“The Lord of Middle Earth”
1.4 The Lord of Middle Earth Airdate: 10/13/79
When the Wonder Twins encounter trolls and disappear while camping, the Super Friends investigate their disappearance. Discovering Middle Earth enslaved by Mal Havok, the Super Friends are transformed into trolls. With the help of the trolls, the Super Friends must find a way to restore themselves and defeat Mal Havok by finding the Magic Ring of Gandor.
“Universe of Evil”
1.5 Universe of Evil Airdate: 10/20/79
A parallel world populated by an evil version of the Super Friends crosses over with the Super Friend’s universe when the Superman of each universe is switched during an explosion of Mount Vesuvius. As Superman fights to free the parallel from the evil Super Friends, the Super Friends try to stop the evil Superman.
“Terror at 20,000 Fathoms”
1.6 Terror at 20,000 Fathoms Airdate: 10/27/79
Captain Nimoy creates an android Batman to replace the real Batman and steal missiles. When Nimoy learns that he needs Kryptonite to plan his sinking of the land, Captain Nimoy holds the world hostage to get the Kryptonite he needs. To stop Nimoy, the Super Friends might have to turn to city of Kandor to save the world.
“Superfriends Meet Frankenstein”
1.7 Superfriends Meet Frankenstein Airdate: 11/03/79
Doctor Frankenstein unleashes his monster on Transylvania. As the Super Friends try to stop Frankenstein and the monster, Frankenstein steals the powers of the Super Friends to create a powerful composite monster housing all their powers.
“Planet of Oz”
1.8 Planet of Oz Airdate: 11/10/79
When a tornado strikes Metropolis, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman are spirited away by it to the Land of Oz…Mr. Mxyzptlk’s version of it! Superman is transformed into the Tinman, Aquaman is transformed into the Scarecrow, and Wonder Woman is transformed into the Cowardly lion and all of them must pass Mxyzptlk’s dangerous landscape to reach the Wizard of Oz…but Mxyzptlk has other plans for the Super Friends!
Related Links:
Super Friends!—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The All-New Super Friends Hour—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Super Friends!—Season 6 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Super Friends!—Season 7 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show—Season 8 Review and Complete Episode Guide
