As I say in my reviews for a couple of other episodes of this series, I don't defend Shazam as great television. It's preachy and predictable. But I loved it as a superhero comic book reading kid in the 1970's. Today I like it for nostalgic value. It takes me back to innocent Saturday mornings of my youth.
For what could sometimes be a hokey program, this episode stands out as one that expresses some deep concepts. Wisely, it's left as a bit of an enigma for the characters as well as for us the viewers the exact details as to why this horse's late owner willed the horse to be put down after her death. Perhaps it was love of an overly-selfish variety? That's quite subtle for a Saturday morning show.
There are a couple of small flaws I have to mention. I don't know that I can buy the legality of changing the terms of a deceased person's will as presented in this story. Nevertheless, there is an instructive lesson here for a youthful audience about respect for the law. It's also not a bad lesson about humane treatment of animals.
Also, there is also the character of Lynn, played by Pamelyn Ferdin, an actress who appeared as a guest star on quite a number of TV shows in the 70's. She looks great here as a teenage girl you can certainly believe as a horse enthusiast. But in terms of emotions, her portrayal here is a little overly tearful and heartfelt. One line of dialogue in particular almost made me cringe. Also concerning Lynn's father the sheriff, it was fine for the character to be a kind man but he was maybe a bit too sensitive to be believed.
But the character of Nick Roberts, what a deliciously portrayed bad guy! That actor nailed it.
Captain Marvel in this episode was played by Jackson Bostwick, who most fans (myself included) much prefer over his later replacement, John Davey. But unfortunately, as was the case with many of the season 1 episodes, he only makes one appearance, flying in near the end of episode to save the day.
Mentor has the last line of dialogue in this episode, and it was one of the most wonderful bits of wisdom of the entire Shazam series. I'll leave it to you to hear for yourself.
For what could sometimes be a hokey program, this episode stands out as one that expresses some deep concepts. Wisely, it's left as a bit of an enigma for the characters as well as for us the viewers the exact details as to why this horse's late owner willed the horse to be put down after her death. Perhaps it was love of an overly-selfish variety? That's quite subtle for a Saturday morning show.
There are a couple of small flaws I have to mention. I don't know that I can buy the legality of changing the terms of a deceased person's will as presented in this story. Nevertheless, there is an instructive lesson here for a youthful audience about respect for the law. It's also not a bad lesson about humane treatment of animals.
Also, there is also the character of Lynn, played by Pamelyn Ferdin, an actress who appeared as a guest star on quite a number of TV shows in the 70's. She looks great here as a teenage girl you can certainly believe as a horse enthusiast. But in terms of emotions, her portrayal here is a little overly tearful and heartfelt. One line of dialogue in particular almost made me cringe. Also concerning Lynn's father the sheriff, it was fine for the character to be a kind man but he was maybe a bit too sensitive to be believed.
But the character of Nick Roberts, what a deliciously portrayed bad guy! That actor nailed it.
Captain Marvel in this episode was played by Jackson Bostwick, who most fans (myself included) much prefer over his later replacement, John Davey. But unfortunately, as was the case with many of the season 1 episodes, he only makes one appearance, flying in near the end of episode to save the day.
Mentor has the last line of dialogue in this episode, and it was one of the most wonderful bits of wisdom of the entire Shazam series. I'll leave it to you to hear for yourself.
