"Activate Electra-Change!"
February 27, 2015 2:36 PM   Subscribe

The 1970's Batman parody Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. is being rebooted (again) with YouTube stars Grace Helbig and Hannah "My Drunk Kitchen" Hart in the title roles.

The Original Series
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl was a blatant ripoff of 1960's Batman, featuring two magazine reporters who are secretly superheroines. It was part of The Krofft Supershow on ABC in 1976/77.
"The program playfully, but deliberately, lampooned the superhero combo of Batman and Robin, taking many of its cues from the earlier Batman television series. The show followed the crime-fighting exploits of female caped crusader Electra Woman (played by Deidre Hall) and her teen sidekick Dyna Girl (Judy Strangis), who worked in their off-time as reporters for a magazine. (The full real names of the two were never revealed in any of the installments.) In each episode, the duo would don skintight spandex in a bright flash of light called an "Electra-Change," get into the "ElectraCar," and use an array of technically advanced gadgets to thwart an eclectic collection of supervillains. They were assisted by Frank Heflin (Norman Alden), a scientist who stayed at their "ElectraBase," operating its highly sophisticated "CrimeScope" computer, a parody of the BatComputer, while keeping in continual contact with the pair through their "ElectraComs."
"...there were women who were superheroes, not sidekicks to a man – wow. That didn’t happen again for a while."

TV Tropes

The Episodes
* The Sorcerer's Golden Trick (Divided into two, 12-minute parts, both included in the same video.)
* Glitter Rock (Divided into two, 12-minute parts, both included in the same video.)
* The Empress of Evil
* Ali Baba
* Return of the Sorcerer
* The Pharoah
* The Spider Lady
* Return of the Pharoah, Part I
* Return of the Pharoah, Part II

First Reboot
In 2001, a dark, edgy reboot was planned for the show by the Warner Bros., television network. A pilot was filmed, but never aired. Starring Markie Post and Anne Stedman. The premise: "...a 'cynical parody of the original show – and the superhero genre in general. Set 25 years after the original series, with a retired Electra Woman brought back into action by a fan who ends up becoming the new Dyna Girl. The pilot portrayed Electra Woman as a disillusioned, bitter, sexually promiscuous alcoholic, much in contrast to the character's original portrayal. In the pilot, Electra Woman had been married and divorced since the end of the original series, her husband having left her for the original Dyna Girl."
* Unaired 2001 Pilot.
posted by zarq (27 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
Not many people know the sad ending to the original story: Dynagirl was killed while testing the newer voice-activated Electracom, when she saw something adorable and exclaimed 'Electra-Cute!"
posted by George_Spiggott at 2:41 PM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]


*GROAN*

In case anyone wonders... I couldn't find the Spider Lady or first Pharoah episodes online. That's why they're not linked!
posted by zarq at 2:44 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


I'm afraid to see how much the suck fairy may have visited something ickle me loved as much as this show.
posted by immlass at 2:49 PM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]


ISTR there was a comic homage/parody called, unimaginatively enough "Spandex Tights", which I now learn was originally going to be called "Lycra Woman and Spandex Girl", but DuPont wasn't having any of that Lycra trademark infringement.
posted by George_Spiggott at 2:58 PM on February 27, 2015


It has apparently taken us 15 years to mention Deidre Hall on MetaFilter, and for that we should all be ashamed, but no one more so than me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:03 PM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]


It's funny that the people who created this described it as a parody, because six-year-old me took it completely at face value. I thought Electra Woman was awesome. I can't really explain way, by my favorite thing about the show is the shot of the elevator descending.
posted by ob1quixote at 3:11 PM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]


ob1quixote, me too! I loved this show as a little girl!

Hannah Hart as Dyna Girl??? Oh em geeeeeeee this is like the weirdest dream casting evahr.
posted by offalark at 3:13 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


Missed this when I put the post together, but there's an Electra Woman and Dyna Girl Archive that includes summaries of the episodes and the names of guest stars. It notes that The Sorcerer in the pilot and sequel episodes was played by Michael Constantine, who is better known as Gus Portokalos, the Windex-toting father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
posted by zarq at 3:15 PM on February 27, 2015


Wait, what's with the electra-zapping the snifter of brandy in the opening credits?

Sid & Marty Kroft; did more for bringing 70s drugged-out experience to children than anyone else I know, and I was there.

Next up, 21 C. Bay City Rollers!!! Bring back Kaptain Kool and the Kongs!
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 3:21 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]


Every Krofft property could use a grim-and-gritty reboot. H.R. Pufnstuf played by Liam Neeson, on a quest for revenge against Witchiepoo's drug syndicate. The Marshall family versus hungry raptors. Sigmund and the Somali Pirates. Frank Miller's Bugaloos. Bring it on!
posted by delfin at 3:42 PM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]


six-year-old me took it completely at face value

I did too. I mean, I think I recognized it as a Batman knock off but it (has) never occurred to me that it was anything other than a weird low-budget Krofft show. Intentional parody? When it comes to the Kroffts I guess the question is "How can you tell?"
posted by octobersurprise at 3:46 PM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]


So, my youtube crush is playing my first ever crush? Isn't there some kind of law against that sort of thing?
posted by lumpenprole at 3:50 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


How can you parody 1960's batman?
posted by benzenedream at 4:00 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]


How could EW and DG be a parody, when 60s Batman was still in reruns at the time? Campy, yes. But one of my favorite things as a kid.

I don't know how to feel about this reboot, considering the original left so little behind in terms of plot/ongoing characters. They were mini-episodes. But if the crew can come up with good stories, I'm for it.
posted by emjaybee at 4:01 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


Didn't the publicist for this also kick off the dress malarkey?
I feel like Dirk Gently.
posted by fullerine at 4:04 PM on February 27, 2015


I feel like a lot of the Sid And Marty Krofft output could be parody, but probably wasn't intended that way.
posted by lumpenprole at 4:12 PM on February 27, 2015


Count me among the rapt audience for this slice of cheese. I have a lot of appreciation for Frank's disheveled tie and cardigan and pocket protector wardrobe. He looks like he kept an Electra-liquor cabinet down there.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:06 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]


I have read every book about Sid and Marty, they were both real gems... truly gifted creative people who (without drugs) created so many things I have enjoyed (on drugs).

The acting in these is so wooden it feels like parody but these sweet people loved this stuff while they were making it because it was fun and weird.
posted by bobdow at 7:40 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


>>The acting in these is so wooden it feels like parody

Having just watched Camp Takota (which also stars Harto and Helbig) I'm confident in the casting then.
That whole damn thing feels like a parody of a movie. I'm really sad with myself for watching the whole thing.

That said, Harto has oodles of charm and largely acquitted herself in the long form.
posted by now i'm piste at 8:34 PM on February 27, 2015


I loved loved loved Electrawoman and Dynagirl as a young feminist tot! Total girl power stuff; but when I went back and watched some of it a couple of years ago, there was so much suck, it was painful.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:34 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


...my favorite thing about the show is the shot of the elevator descending.

As a budding computer nerd it was all about the CrimeScope. I mean they had a freaking supercomputer in that awesome hideout doing all kinds of amazing things.

Decades later I finally learned the truth about that "computer", which was the control panel of an IBM AN/FSQ-7, a vital component of America's cold war missile defense system.

Turns out that that control panel has been used in a nonstop trail of TV and Movie appearances since the 1960s, including (wait for it), the Adam West Batcave. More than likely it was the *same* piece of control panel in all of these shows.

going back to my rabbit hole now kthxbye
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:40 PM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]


Dr. Shrinker! Dr. Shrinker!
He's a madman with an evil mind
Dr. Shrinker! Dr. Shrinker!
He's the craziest you'll ever find
Dr. Shrinker!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 9:35 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


Does this mean the YouTube actresses have now "made it"? Or is it all just the beginning of their Hollywood "Maps To the Stars" experience?
posted by ReeMonster at 10:45 PM on February 27, 2015


Sid and Marty Krofft will exec produce the project.

This development has exciting implications.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:34 AM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Michael Constantine, who is better known as Gus Portokalos, the Windex-toting father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Surely you mean better known as Principal Kaufman from Room 222.
posted by George_Spiggott at 9:52 AM on February 28, 2015 [3 favorites]


Sam & Criminy Kraft present "Drugachusetts"

One of my fave Mr Show segments evar.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 7:45 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


Michael Constantine, who is better known as Gus Portokalos, the Windex-toting father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Surely you mean better known as Principal Kaufman from Room 222.


Surely you mean better known as Judge Matthew J. Sirota.

(Or in the alternative, better known as the Thinner curse guy.)
posted by bakerina at 10:18 AM on March 2, 2015


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