Birdman

Birdman is an animated science fiction television series created by Alex Toth and produced by Hanna-Barbera. It debuted on NBC on September 9, 1967, and ran on Saturday mornings until January 20, 1968. The program aired as Birdman and the Galaxy Trio alongside the Galaxy Trio. NBC ran two new segments of Birdman each Saturday, separated by a new segment of The Galaxy Trio.

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio appeared in reruns on Cartoon Network from 1992-2000. The series was shown from 1997-2000 on Cartoon Network's Toonami as part of Cartoon Roulette. In 2000, The series began airing on Cartoon Network's sister channel Boomerang.

Birdman then appeared in Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Birdman later starred in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim TV series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and several characters from Birdman and the Galaxy Trio appeared in the revival.

Overview
In actuality, Birdman is Ray Randall, an ordinary human who was given sun-based superpowers by the Egyptian sun god Ra. Now, Birdman, along with his trusted eagle Avenger, works for a secret government agency headed by the mysterious one-eyed Falcon 7. He receives messages from Falcon 7 in his Bird Lair, a high-tech lab with several computers and video monitors with a control panel, which is hidden inside of a volcano. As Birdman, he posses super strength, the power to fly via giant bird wings on his back, solar energy blasts, enhanced hearing, and the ability to create a shield out of solar energy. The only catch is that his powers dwindle when he is out of the sun for too long. Using his powers, Birdman battles the forces of evil, including the criminal syndicate FEAR, led by the mysterious Number One.

Throughout the progression of the series, Birdman is joined by Birdboy. Birdboy was a young boy whom Birdman discovered shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. In order to save the boy's life, Birdman used his energy powers to strengthen the boy back to health. Now with the aid of metal wings, Birdboy has the same basic powers as Birdman and assists him in fighting crime while continuing to search for his missing father.

Cast

 * Keith Andes - Birdman/Ray Randall
 * Dick Beals - Birdboy
 * Don Messick - Falcon 7
 * Vic Perrin - Number One

Crew

 * Directed By William Hanna, Joseph Barbera.


 * Produced By William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Lewis A. Marshall.


 * Animated By Ed Love, Bill Hutten, Hank Smith, Lloyd Vaughan, Jack Parr, Emil Carle, Charles Nichols.


 * Written By Art Davis, Paul Sommer, Jack Hanrahan, Phil Hahn, Neal Barbera.

Episodes
40 Birdman segments were aired from September 9, 1967 to January 20, 1968 on Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. One Galaxy Trio Segment was sandwiched in between two Birdman segments for a total of 20 episodes.

Other Appearances

 * The character of Birdman was revived in 2000 in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim TV series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and several characters from Birdman and the Galaxy Trio appeared in this revival, as do many other Hanna-Barbera creations.

Home Release
On July 17, 2007, Warner Home Video released Birdman & The Galaxy Trio - The Complete Series on DVD.