The Standard

I wasn’t lying when I said we’d be dropping some exposition in this scene, eh?

The mention of the Iron Midget here seems as good a time as any to share a goofy little side project I embarked upon with my friend Jamie Fairlie (previously mentioned in early editions of this commentary) as part of the marketing for the series.  The two of us made an awful (deliberately awful, I assure you!) filmation-style cartoon spin-off for THE STANDARD!

We had a whole story around this cartoon as part of the fictional history of The Standard, which I’ll share here:

1967 saw the launch of the radio serial The Further Adventures of The Standard, a weekly drama telling original scripted tales of The Standard’s adventures.  These shows were deliberately styled in a retro fashion that was intended to recall the early superhero-themed radio serials of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s in terms of tone and presentation, even going so far as to cast a veteran actor from those old shows –  Brock Crossinger – in the role of The Standard.  The show wasn’t overly popular, ultimately being cancelled late in 1968.  But it is still an interesting piece of history, as while The Standard seemed to many to be an example of superhero fiction stepping out into the real world, The Further Adventures of The Standard was the first example of the entertainment industry bringing things full circle by taking this fiction-turned-reality figure from the real world, and adapting him back into the realm of fiction.

Much greater success came with the Saturday morning cartoon series that launched on television in 1969, with the shortened title of The Standard.  Brock Crossinger reprised the role of The Standard, and in that early period when The Standard was largely publicity-shy, when people saw The Standard they imagined him with the voice of Brock Crossinger, not Gilbert Graham.   By today’s standards, the production values of the cartoon series are embarrassingly poor, but at the time these 15 minute shows – often comprising of 2 or 3 5-10 minute stories – were a huge ratings smash, and in some circles are still fondly remembered.  Reports indicate that Gilbert Graham himself was never happy with the show’s crude characterisation and casual racism, factors which have ensured that – in this commentators opinion, at least – the cartoon has aged very poorly.

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is that cartoon!  Jamie and I have been working on another one (a musical episode!), perhaps it’ll see the light of day eventually.  But for now, have some fun with this: