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As slightly creepy as he could be, Jackson Bostwick makes a more convincing Captain Marvel than his rather frumpy and surly replacement, John Davey. Bostwick simply looked the part. But honestly, Shazam! isn’t especially impressive from an acting standpoint. It should be mentioned that Les Tremayne had quite a career as a radio voice actor in the 1930s and ‘40s. His melodious delivery is certainly an indicator of that illustrious past.
Though technically three seasons, Shazam!’s production runs were irregular. The first season was the most robust by far, with 15 episodes airing in late ’74. The second season contained only seven episodes in ’75, followed by six for season three in ’76. Production values are uniformly shoddy, but that only adds to the nostalgic charm at this point. It should be pointed out that Warner has done nothing to restore these episodes. They’re in relatively rough (but watchable) shape, with lots of scratches and dirt. Anyone who wasn’t there for Shazam! the first time around probably need not apply. Parents attempting to capture the imagination of their kids, good luck. Warner Archive is certainly to be commended for issuing all 28 episodes as a three-DVD set, but youngsters accustomed to modern television productions are very likely to snicker at it.
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