Super President

Infobox Television
show_name = Super President


caption =
format = Animated series
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime = 30 minutes
creator =
developer =
producer = David H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
executive_producer =
presenter =
starring =
voices = Ted Cassidy
Paul Frees
June Foray
Shepard Menken
Lorri Scott
Mark Skor
narrated =
theme_music_composer = Doug Goodwin
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = USA
location =
language =
network = NBC
first_aired = 1967
last_aired = 1968
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 30
list_episodes =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website =
imdb_id =
tv_com_id =
company = DePatie-Freleng Enterprises

"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

Even by Saturday morning superhero standards, the series' concept was off the wall: 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, powers ideal for battling evildoers (and presumably recalcitrant members of the United States Congress). 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 cancelled midway through it 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.

External links

*imdb title|0061303
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/suprpres.htm Toonopedia entry]
* [http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/reviews/S/super_president.html Review by The Bad Movie Report]