In 1976, Filmation studios brought Edgar Rice Burroughs' legendary ape man, Tarzan back to television. For the first time, the show was in the animated format. This version of the Tarzan character was noteworthy in two major aspects: Unlike previous film and television versions, it followed the original Burroughs' stories in content. Secondly, it was one of the first Saturday morning shows to make use of rotoscoping, an animation process where animators trace over film footage, which provided more realistic and smoother movements in animation.

During the latter part of 1976-1977, Filmation revived the Batman character as a mid season replacement series, the New Adventures of Batman. Similar in look and style to Filmation's late 60s version, this version had the added benefit of having Adam West and Burt Ward, the Batman and Robin of the popular, campy, live action version of the 60s, provide the voices for the caped crusaders. Both the new Batman and Tarzan series proved popular and were renewed for a second season. When the new season rolled around in the fall of 1977, the two series were combined into the Batman and Tarzan Adventure Hour.

In 1978, Filmation unveiled a 90 minute action extravaganza, Tarzan and the Super 7, expanded from the Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour, itself a fusion of two earlier Filmation shows. Featured in the ninety-minute package were five new segments: Superstretch and Microwoman, Manta and Moray, Web Woman, The Freedom Force, and the live-action Jason of Star Command.

The show expanded the Filmation "extended family" in a number of ways. Two of these extensions were featured in the members of The Freedom Force: Hercules had previously been a member of Filmation's ambitious but overlooked Space Sentinels, while Isis was an animated version of her popular live-action predecessor.

Another extension was Jason of Star Command, a twelve-minute action oriented spinoff of 1977's Space Academy.

The new segments boasted some eye-catching special effects animation such as screen cutters (see below) and Microwoman and Web Woman's transformations.

Each of the new animated sequences featured it's own distinctive screen cutter: in The Freedom Force it was a spinning pyramid; in Web Woman, glowing web, while Superstretch and Microwoman featured a stretching, rubbery ameoba. The cutter for Manta and Moray is still unknown because as of yet no episodes have been found, but a screen cutter seems likely, and would be consistent with the other segments.

As with the parent shows Tarzan and Batman, the segments featured nice animation (for television) and backrounds. Jason was lavished with equal attention and wound up costing Filmation more than its parent show, despite it's shorter length. Jason proved to be so popular that he was given his own 30 minute show, which ran for one year, right before Tarzan and the Super 7 during the 1979 season.

After losing Jason in the second season, the series was revamped once again for the third season in 1980. Tarzan stayed on CBS and was teamed up with the Lone Ranger for the Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour, while Batman and the remaining Super 7 segments moved over to NBC as Batman and the Super 7.

For the new season 1981, the Tarzan/Lone Ranger line up was expanded to include to Zorro as the Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour on CBS. As for Batman and the rest of Super 7, they pretty much disappeared. Filmation packaged the Freedom Force, Manta and Moray, Superstretch and Microwoman, and Web Woman for apparant syndication purposes as the Super 7. To the webmasters' knowledge, they were never aired anywhere in syndication in the United States. Other than a mid 80s video compilation of the Freedom Force episodes, none of the segments have been officially released on video.

After a one season run, the Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour was put to bed in September of 1982. In February of 1984, Tarzan returned for a 7 month run on CBS, but these were only reruns of previous seasons.

An interesting sub-genre in the mid to late 70s, "supershows" such as the Krofft Supershow and The Pink Panther Laugh and Half hour and a Half Show and Tarzan and the Super 7 represents one of the more succesful, spinning off and into a number of different shows before finally fading in it's last incarnations in the early 80s.

Several lost Super 7 segments have (finally!) recently resurfaced. If you have or know of any available episodes of Manta and Moray, Web Woman, Superstretch and Microwoman, or the opening and closing segements of either Tarzan and the Super 7 or Batman and the Super 7, please contact us.