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Morals and Media Battles
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s I noted before, we had no idea that He-Man was going to be the hit show it became. Not only did we see great ratings, but the letters started pouring in. It wasn’t just a hit, it was a phenomenon. It was probably the first show that was that successful in the history ofTHIS animation. And because it was such a hit in syndication, it altered the IF YOU ENJOYED PREVIEW, CLICK THE animation many ways, only in how shows were produced, but how they were LINK business BELOW in TOsoORDER THISnot BOOK! broadcast as well. It really created a new business model that eventually led to Nickelodeon and LOUDisney SCHEIMER the Channel and Cartoon Network that all dominate children’s television today.
Creating the FILMATION Generation
There was a dark side to the success as well, which I’ll write about in a short while. But the effect it had on us with our previous television “partners” was very clear. The networks really got mad at us, and wouldn’t talk to us. Why were they so mad at us if we were on weekdays instead of Saturday mornings? It was mostly because we cost them advertisers. The companies that would have spent dollars on Saturdays now as were them Hailed one spending of the fathers of in syndication. And it hurt the networks’ Saturday LouYork once with Jay, and I ran into Squire bottommorning lines. Itelevision, was in New Scheimer was the co-founder of Rushnell, and he said, venom in his voice, “Oh… you!” That Filmation Studios, which for with over 25 didn’t reallyanimated matter though because we had 50 new Fat Albert & The years provided excitement forCosby TV andKids film.toAlways at theand fore-we had expanded the second season of produce, front, Scheimer's company created He-Man from 39 new shows to another 65! the first DC cartoons with Superman, February 1984 saw Batman, and Aquaman, ruledour theexecutive VP Alice Donenfeld and Acsong charts with TheEd Archies, kept going with Group W to the sixth Monte count Executive Ballerini Trekkie with the EmmyCarlohope film alive television and video market—as well as the bigger NATPE winning Star Trek: The Animated convention—to offer the new Fat Albert show. The intent was to sell Series, taught morals with Fat Albert thetheseries a four-year and CosbyonKids, and swungcash into fee-plus-barter basis. We promoted high withtrades Tarzan,with The Lone Ranger, ad andshowing Zorro. Forays into live-action theadventure show in the a full-page the Junkyard included Shazam! and The Secrets of Isis, plus groundbreaking special effects work on gang being tutored by their teacher—who had written “Filmation” Jason of Star Command and others. And in the 1980s, Filmation single-handedly on thethechalkboard—and of the Class” a headline. caused syndication explosion“Head with He-Man and theasMasters of the Universe and itsPromised successors.were Now, the Lou 50 Scheimer tells the entire storycombined to best-selling new episodes, which, withauthor the Andy Mangels, including how his father decked Adolf Hitler, memories of the comics of the 40 network shows would give an impressive 90 Fat Alberts for Golden Age, schooling with Andy Warhol, and what it meant to lead the last allsyndicators… forthrough 18 weeks uninterrupted shows! and fun! American animationenough company nearlyofthirty years of innovation Profusely illustrated with model sheets, storyboards, Domestically, we photos, sold He-Man to twelve more TVpresentation markets, art, looks at rare and unproduced and moreextending — plus stories insiders putting us on 126series, US stations, our from reachtoptoanimation 83% of the about Scheimer and Filmation's past, and rare Filmation art by Bruce Timm, Adam national viewing audience. wasCho, an unprecedented success. Hughes, Alex Ross, Phil Jimenez, It Frank Gene Ha, and Mike McKoneBy— this book February 3rd, Group W Prods. had presold Fat Albert in will show the Filmation Generation the story behind the stories!! eleven major U.S. markets, and we announced the •press we $9.95 were (288-page trade paperback with COLOR) to $29.95 (Digitalthat Edition) planning a http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=662 new first-run syndicated series to launch each year for the future. CBS, meanwhile, moved reruns of Tarzan on Saturdays beginning February 11th, plus they acquired a number of episodes of HeMan to air at 12:30 p.m., followed by reruns of The New Fat Albert Show at 1:00 p.m. By the fall of 1984 though, Filmation was off the Saturday morning schedules entirely. As I mentioned, the networks wouldn’t even talk to me anymore. Opposite: On February 12th, Group W announced that with 14 U.S. station Filmation syndication advertisement presales alone, they had almost recouped the $8,000,000 investment they were making for the new Fat Alberts. The funds came from Above: license fees, as well as sales of two 30-second ads for the first two An industry ad touts the success of He-Man CHAPTER 23: MORALS AND MEDIA BATTLES 215