Jim Kelly was one of the breakout stars of the 1970s Black cinema and martial arts boom. A skilled karate champion before he ever hit the screen, he gained worldwide fame in 1973’s Enter the Dragon alongside Bruce Lee. His cool swagger, big afro, and crisp fighting style made him instantly recognizable, and Hollywood quickly moved to showcase him in the rising wave of Blaxploitation films.
One of his most iconic vehicles was Black Belt Jones (1974), produced by Warner Bros. Unlike many low-budget Blaxploitation pictures, this one had studio backing and a mix of martial arts action with the urban crime-fighting formula that audiences loved at the time.
The story follows Black Belt Jones (Jim Kelly), a government martial arts expert who comes to the aid of his mentor’s karate school, threatened by gangsters who want the property for a mob-run civic center. When his mentor is killed, Jones teams up with his mentor’s tough daughter, Sydney (played by Gloria Hendry, who had been a Bond girl in Live and Let Die), to take down the mob with flashy martial arts, humor, and plenty of 70s style.
The movie stood out for a few reasons:
Martial arts flavor: At the height of the Bruce Lee craze, Jim Kelly was marketed as the Black martial arts star. His athletic fighting style and real-life karate skills gave the film credibility.
Blaxploitation edge: It followed the formula of a cool, confident Black hero cleaning up crime in his community, but with a martial arts twist.
Representation: Kelly became a rare Black action hero in mainstream films, appealing to both Black audiences and kung fu fans worldwide.
While Black Belt Jones didn’t become as culturally iconic as Shaft or Super Fly, it cemented Jim Kelly’s place in the pantheon of Blaxploitation stars. Today, it’s remembered as a cult classic, blending funky 70s vibes, comedy, and martial arts action into something unique.
The history of Planet of the Apes cartoons is brief but notable, as the franchise primarily found its success through live-action films and television. However, during the 1970s, there was one major foray into animated television. Here's a look at that history:
🐵 1. "Return to the Planet of the Apes" (1975–1976)
Overview:
Title: Return to the Planet of the Apes
Produced by: DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (best known for The Pink Panther)
Aired on: NBC
Episodes: 13 episodes (one season)
Air Dates: September to December 1975
Created by: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng
Format: Traditional animation, aimed at children but with serious science-fiction themes
Plot Summary:
Unlike the original films, Return to the Planet of the Apes presented a more technologically advanced ape society, blending elements from the novels by Pierre Boulle and the original film series. It followed astronauts Bill Hudson, Jeff Allen, and Judy Franklin, who crash-land on a futuristic Earth ruled by intelligent apes.
The apes in this version use computers, military vehicles, and live in a city reminiscent of 20th-century America — a significant departure from the more primitive apes in the original films.
Main Characters:
Bill Hudson – Human astronaut and the show's protagonist
Jeff Allen – Fellow astronaut
Judy Franklin – Female astronaut
General Urko – Militaristic gorilla general
Dr. Zaius – Orangutan elder and science authority
Cornelius and Zira – Sympathetic chimpanzee scientists
Style and Themes:
Though animated, the show kept many of the philosophical and sociopolitical themes of the live-action films.
The animation was limited (minimal movement, static backgrounds) but used bold and detailed illustrations.
It had an ongoing storyline, rare for cartoons of the time, with cliffhangers and continuity between episodes.
🧠 Legacy and Cultural Impact:
Return to the Planet of the Apes was not as successful as the live-action films but developed a cult following over the years.
It was praised for its ambitious storytelling and faithfulness to the tone of the original material.
The show was later released on DVD in 2006 and is occasionally referenced by fans and historians of the franchise.
❌ Other Attempts at Animation?
There have not been any other animated series or films under the Planet of the Apes brand since 1975. While the franchise has seen several reboots in film (2001, 2011–2024), these have all been live-action.
🦍 Fun Fact:
The series was originally envisioned as more comedic and cartoony but was retooled to fit the serious tone of the Apes franchise.
Despite being a cartoon, it was among the first animated shows to use a serialized sci-fi format for children.
The Outer Limits was envisioned by Leslie Stevens as a science fiction anthology that pushed the boundaries of what television could explore, particularly focusing on technological paranoia, existential dread, and alien encounters.
While The Twilight Zone mixed sci-fi with morality tales and fantasy, The Outer Limits leaned more toward harder science fiction and the fear of the unknown.
It was also famous for its moody, noir-like atmosphere — visually dark, with shadowy lighting and eerie music that enhanced the tension.
📡 Innovative Production
The series was ahead of its time in terms of production design, using:
Practical effects and makeup to create iconic creatures.
Strange camera angles, sharp contrasts, and minimalist sets.
The term "bear" was coined by producers for the creature or concept around which the drama of each episode would revolve — essentially, the episode's central spectacle.
🧠 Thematic Focus
Frequent themes included:
The consequences of scientific experimentation.
Alien invasions and first contact.
Cold War paranoia and nuclear anxiety.
Identity, humanity, and consciousness.
✍️ Notable Writers & Episodes
Joseph Stefano, who had scripted Psycho (1960), served as showrunner for Season 1. He infused the show with psychological depth and symbolic themes.
Harlan Ellison, legendary sci-fi writer, contributed two standout episodes:
“Demon with a Glass Hand” – a time-travel mystery with a robotic twist.
“Soldier” – often cited as an influence on The Terminator.
⭐️ Notable Guest Stars
The show gave early screen time to many future stars, including:
Martin Landau
Robert Duvall
Donald Pleasence
William Shatner
Leonard Nimoy
Bruce Dern
🎭 Cultural Impact
The show didn’t achieve major ratings success during its original run but gained cult status in later decades, especially with sci-fi fans and filmmakers.
Its aesthetic and narrative approach influenced later series such as The X-Files, Black Mirror, and Stranger Things.
🛑 Cancellation
ABC pulled the plug after two seasons due to budget constraints, network interference, and fluctuating time slots.
Season 2, produced with less involvement from Stefano, is generally considered less consistent, though it still contains standout episodes.
CBS Cartoon Theater was a short-lived but historically significant television series that aired in 1956. Though it lasted only for a brief period—from June 30 to August 18, 1956—it played a pioneering role in bringing classic theatrical animated cartoons to the burgeoning medium of American television. The show marked the first time the iconic Paramount/Famous Studios’ Popeye cartoons were broadcast on network television, helping pave the way for the explosion of animated content on TV in the decades that followed.
Background and Context
During the early 1950s, American television was rapidly growing, and networks were beginning to recognize the potential of repurposing older content—particularly cartoons that had previously been screened in movie theaters. Animated shorts, especially those from the 1930s and 1940s, were perfect for television because they were short, self-contained, and already had broad appeal.
CBS acquired the rights to air a package of Popeye the Sailor cartoons originally produced by Fleischer Studios and later by Famous Studios (after Paramount took over the Fleischer studio in 1942). This was the first time Popeye cartoons had been syndicated for network television, marking a key moment in TV history.
Format and Structure
CBS Cartoon Theater was structured as a hosted cartoon anthology series, a format popular during the 1950s. Each episode ran approximately 30 minutes and featured a selection of three Popeye cartoons. The host of the show was Dick Van Dyke, then a relatively unknown comedian and television performer, who would go on to become a major star in the 1960s with The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Van Dyke provided interstitial segments between the cartoons, introducing them with light humor and commentary. His segments added a narrative thread to the half-hour program, giving it a format similar to that of other popular children's anthology shows of the era.
Popeye Cartoons and Their Legacy
The cartoons featured on CBS Cartoon Theater came from the Paramount theatrical library, primarily the black-and-white Popeye shorts originally produced by Fleischer Studios in the 1930s and early 1940s. These cartoons were already beloved in American culture, with Popeye having been one of the most popular animated characters during the Golden Age of Animation.
The television airings of Popeye significantly increased the character's popularity with a new generation of viewers. Although the show itself did not last, its success in drawing ratings convinced CBS and other networks that animated cartoons could serve as a staple of children's programming, especially in syndication.
Why It Ended So Soon
Despite its novelty and success in syndicating Popeye cartoons, CBS Cartoon Theater was not designed as a long-term series. Its eight-week run suggests it was a summer filler series, likely intended to test audience interest in animated programming. After the series ended in August 1956, the cartoons themselves lived on in syndicated packages, which continued to air for years and even decades afterward.
Cultural and Industry Impact
Though short-lived, CBS Cartoon Theater was a milestone in television history for several reasons:
Pioneered the transition of theatrical cartoons to television.
Introduced Popeye to the TV generation, sparking renewed merchandising and pop culture relevance.
Featured Dick Van Dyke in one of his first TV roles, showing the early intersections between television variety shows and animated programming.
Set a model for future cartoon anthologies, including shows like The Bugs Bunny Show (ABC, 1960), The Woody Woodpecker Show, and The Flintstones.
Conclusion
While CBS Cartoon Theater might be considered a footnote in the vast history of television, its influence was far-reaching. It was the first time a major network experimented with packaging animated theatrical shorts for television broadcast with a host, setting the stage for a tidal wave of cartoon programming in the late 1950s and 1960s. Its success demonstrated the viability of animation as a television format and helped to establish a distribution model that studios and networks would continue to rely on for decades....Clip below
