The Mighty Hercules

Johnny Nash died today. After all these years of torment I have revenge for one of the most common earworms I get.

Of course to celebrate I watched about 3 hours of episodes on Youtube. It took me right back to being 8 and sitting too close to our old HMV. I always thought Newton was pretty bloodthirsty deep down, he just likes Herc to do the dirty work. Speaking of which I wonder if Daedalus was driven mad by the death of Icarus and his mistreatment by Midas long before Prince Dorian showed up. He should settle down with Wilamene and they could start a refuge for lost and abandoned familiars. At least now, after all these years I know what it is he shouts as he goes back up to Olympus. Despite the less than astounding animation I am still excited by the character design which has a slight Jack Kirby flavour.

In the end though is that theme. Mr Nash sure put his heart into it making it instantly memorable and something to tickle the memory of a (getting) old man. Softness in his eyes, Iron in his thighs, Virtue in his heart, Fire in every part, Of the Mighty Hercules.

A fun cartoon series in the early Sixties. I was probably a little older than the target audience by a couple of years, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. At the time I was in love with mythology, and this was about the only cartoon that spoke to that enthusiasm, though, of course, I realized many liberties had been taken by the producers. Fifty years on, I find the series still has an enduring innocent charm.

Ah The Mighty Hercules, My Introduction to the Myth of The Demigod, That Became 1 of the gods of Mount Olympus. Maybe It's The Nostalgic Glasses, That made me rate it so High, an Why I'm giving it My TM M for Moonbeam 87 Approved. But in this Version of Hercules, The Origin Story is Much like that of Wonder Woman. Zeus is Holding a Competition, and Hercules is the Victor. As a Reward for Winning Zeus Says That his Son can have ANYTHING He wants for Winning, Hercules Says He wants to go down to Earth. Zeus Says if he does So he will be as Weak as the Mortals, So Zeus gives Hercules a Special Ring, So Hercules Can Regain his Strength as Needed. And So with Hercules Jumping Down from Mount Olympus, Our Story Begins.

Yes It was this very cartoon of which had sparked my enthusiasm for Greco-Roman Mythology.

I was first acquainted with this cartoon by watching it on both Saturday and Sunday Mornings on Boomtown of which is a Classic Little Kids Cowboy Show seen on Boston Television and lasted for so many years.It Starred The Cowboy named Rex Trailer.

Johnny Nash sings the theme song well too.It's catchy for nostalgia's sake too. So each time in a classroom when Greco-Roman Mythology was covered I was the one to participate the most of anyone in the class.

When I first heard The Story of Daedelus and his Son Icarus it reminded me of The Daedelus in the Cartoon of whom looked nothing like this one.

Truthfully, Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a. "Ste" of Framingham,Ma.USA

I've read the other reviews and agree with most of them. I remember watching this when I was 4 or 5 years old. It may not have had the best animation, and it certainly had less than thrilling action, but remember the time was completely different. The children of the 60's who watched this were enthralled by a hero who had flaws and sidekicks who were unquestionably loyal. And it had the best theme song ever! Thank you, Johnny Nash for singing a song that to this day I can remember word for word! It was amazing and I wish I could find it here in Houston. Does anyone know where we can get copies of this cartoon for review? Does anyone have tapes or copies?