Samson & Goliath

Samson & Goliath (also known as Young Samson) is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for NBC, where it debuted on September 9, 1967. Primarily sponsored by General Mills, who controlled the distribution rights through its agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, Samson & Goliath was retitled Young Samson in April 1968 to avoid confusion with the stop-motion Christian television series Davey and Goliath.

Twenty-six 12-minute episodes of the series were produced (six of which no longer exist); Samson & Goliath cartoons were paired with other General Mills-sponsored shows such as Tennessee Tuxedo and Go Go Gophers to form a full half-hour for their original network broadcasts. Young Samson was later shown in syndication with The Space Kidettes as The Space Kidettes and Young Samson, distributed by The Program Exchange.

The series was the only Dancer Fitzgerald Sample-sponsored cartoon to be outsourced to Hanna-Barbera; the agency's in-house studio, Gamma Productions, had closed shortly before the series began. (It was also the only cartoon in the DFS portfolio not to be created by Jay Ward Productions or Total Television.) A young Tim Matheson did the voice of Samson, while Mel Blanc supplied the voice of Goliath. John Stephenson did the various character voices.

Plot
The show follows the adventures of a teenager named Samson and his dog, Goliath as they ride around the country on a motorbike. Whenever trouble arises, usually in the form of a menacing super villain or evil scientist, Samson transforms himself into a superhero version of the biblical Samson by hitting his golden wristbands together. A second slam transforms Goliath into a super-powered lion. He can also direct shock waves from his wristbands, and by twisting his bracelets, can increase his and Goliath's powers to far greater levels. The pair's reverse transformation is never depicted.

Similar shows
Samson & Goliath is similar in format to other Hanna-Barbera adventure shows such as Space Ghost, Mighty Mightor, and Shazzan in its pacing, plots, voices, music and art direction. Many of these characters were developed for CBS by comics artist Alex Toth, but Samson was on NBC. Tim Matheson, who had earlier been the voice of Jonny Quest, provided the voice of Samson. Goliath's vocal effects are done by Don Messick. This show is very similar to a 1980s cartoon show, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Like Samson, teenage Prince Adam turns into the adult, muscular superhero He-Man by way of a magical artifact.

Like Goliath, his pet tiger Cringer also turns into the bigger, stronger and tougher Battle Cat. Both Samson & Goliath and He-Man (along with Mighty Mightor) bear similarities to an earlier property, the Fawcett Comics (later DC Comics) superhero Captain Marvel. Samson hitting bracelets on his wrists to transform himself is identical to how Rick Jones summons the Marvel Comics version of Captain Marvel in the late 1960s and the early 1970s.

Samson and Goliath
Goliath

Goliath is an absolute loyal dog of Samson and rarely strays far from him unless instructed by his master.


 * Etymology

Goliath derives his name from the Biblical villain Goliath, a giant warrior for the Philistines.


 * Physical Description

Goliath is Samson's white Airedale breed dog with 12” height and 25 Ibs weight. He has black eyes, black ears, black spot on his back, black right front paw and black colored end of his tail. Goliath wears a brown leather color around his neck with a small circular gold tag.

After transformation, Goliath becomes a huge lion with 5‘6” height and gains a weight up to 800 Ibs. His eye color turns to piercing green, hair changes to Tan with dark brown mane and a dark brown tuft of fur on his tail. Despite the power transformation, Goliath still sports the same black right front paw.

Powers of Samson and Goliath
Gold Power Bracelets

Upon encountering a very tough situation, Samson touches both of his bracelets with each other by crossing his wrists and with the magic words, "I need Samson Power", or "Time for Samson Power", and is transformed into the biblical strong-man, and the lad's pup named Goliath morphs into a mighty lion.

Goliath

Goliath is a brave and resourceful pet in both his super-powered and non-powered forms.

Goliath as a Dog


 * He is an extremely good climber.
 * He is much more intelligent than a normal dog.

Goliath as a Super-Lion

In lion's form, Goliath is an incredibly powerful animal with a vast array of super-abilities.


 * Goliath has super strength and resistance to physical injuries.
 * Goliath is an extremely good climber.
 * Goliath's roar is powerful enough to shatter solid rocks.
 * Goliath's claws can rend steel.
 * Goliath has a tactic to grapple an opponent with his mighty tail.
 * Goliath has an incredible leg muscles that allows him truly mind-bending leaps. Once propelled into the air by their strength, he may halt his forward movement and hover in place continuing a moment later along his trajectory or make turns and redirect his leap in a manner that resembles a Flight more than Jumping.
 * Goliath can fire blasts of concussive force, searing heat, and even produce clouds of obscuring smoke.
 * Goliath has a Heat-Ray Vision that enables him to emit destructive power beams from his eyes.
 * Goliath on occasion fired Energy Blasts from his forward-swept mane.
 * He can training his Energy Blast at the ground to quickly dig tunnels large enough for him and Samson to run through.

Episodes
01) The Curse of Monatabu

A giant lizard-like monster emerges from an active volcano on a remote island, frightening the natives. They believe it to be an evil spirit of Monatabu, an evil witch doctor. When Samson and Goliath arrive at the village, the chief of the tribe tells them how they punished Monatabu by making him leap into the volcano. Ever since, his spirit returns every year to seek revenge. The boy and dog go into the volcano for investigation. Samson leaves Goliath, and finds the witch doctor is still alive. Not only that, but the monster is there, too, who is actually a prehistoric Iguanasaurus. Monatabu discovers Samson, and captures him by knocking him out with magic energy from his skull wand. Samson is then tied to a slab. Monatabu reveals that he befriended the Iguanasaurus when he entered the volcano. It is this beast that has been terrorizing the natives. Samson calls Goliath, who unties the ropes, and frees him. Then, Samson becomes the biblical strong man, and Goliath turns into a giant, Super Lion. When things get too tough, Samson uses Super Samson power to make himself and Goliath more powerful. Eventually, they seal Monatabu and the Iguanasaurus inside the volcano for keeps. When they leave, they tell the natives they no longer have anything to fear, and drive away on their motorcycle.

02) The Aurora Borealis Creature

Upon their visit to Northpole, Samson and Goliath encountered a gigantic electrically charged monster manifested from the Aurora Borealis, and begin terrorizing an Eskimo village. With the combine efforts of Samson and Goliath, they saved the day.

03) The Great Colossus

The Colossus Of Rhodes comes to life by a mysterious energy from an asteroid, and goes on a rampage. Samson and Goliath send it back into the sea.

04) Cold Wind from Venus

An A.I pair of android robots from planet Venus arrives on their spaceship on Earth and begin to conquer human world by freezing it with their ice-rays to make the environment suitable and compatible for the Venusian race. When Samson and Goliath thwarts all of their attempts, then as a contingency plan, they initiate their mega-ice ray but again Samson and Goliath foil their plan by deflecting their freeze ray and melting them.

05) The SXX-19

A group of terrorists are watching over monitor about the unveiling of the newly developed Super Sonic experimental transport plane called The STX-19. Their leader have a plan to dismantle the plane and ship it out of the country. For very same purpose, they intruded the top secret military area in a Crop-Dusting plane and renders everyone unconscious by the gas, including Samson and Goliath. In order to make sure that Samson may not come in their way, they slipped Samson's gold power bracelets with imitation of lead one, and finally steals away the STX-19. Goliath come into senses and awake Samson to discover the plane stealth. On their way to find the plane, Samson and Goliath are captured by the terrorists. Samson is put behind the bars, while Goliath succeed in eluding them. Soon Goliath found the real bracelets from the leader terrorist and brings them back to Samson, and capture the gang, and bring back the STX-19 to the military. However the title slide says the SXX-19.

06) Operation Peril

A renowned scientist, Prof: Talos is on his way to Pentagon with the plans of Solar Jet. Meanwhile, the agents of P.E.R.I.L, a criminal organization lead by Monarch, the head of the organization follows the protocol of Prof: Talos. When the Prof: Talos' protocol knew the impending danger, they tried to elude them but P.E.R.I.L immobilizes the whole city's transport including cars, bikes, trains and even an Aeroplane with the strange waves. In state of stand still, an aeroplane was about to fall but Samson managed to transform himself on time and saved it from free falling by carry landing it on ground safely. On very moment, P.E.R.I.L succeed in abducting Prof:Talos. Samson and Goliath follow P.E.R.I.L's aircraft and both jumps upon it to rescue Prof: Talos. P.E.R.I.L saw them coming and tries to get rid of them by rotating the aircraft at different angles but then Goliath hits his paw to create a break-through the aircraft and enters. Upon their entry, the main gate gets closed with five heavy metal slides but Samson twists his bracelets to increase his powers and then ripped out all of the slide doors. They then encounter a pair of robots approaching them with weapons, but Samson throws a heavy rod at them that causes them to short circuit each other out and gets electrocuted. Samson and Goliath then advance to the control room, where Monarch tricked them to fall into his trap to face his most destructive weapon "The Living Element", an anthropomorphic fire monster. Goliath tried to repel The Living Element with his Power Beams and when the monster's extremely hot body touches the steel wall of the aircraft, it gets melted and the monster falls into the water and gets evaporated. Samson and Goliath then returns to the control room and are welcomed by the P.E.R.I.L agent with the LASER gun that Samson managed to blast off and then Monarch tries to eliminate them with the Solar Gun but Goliath whips him with his tail. Monarch fall back and accidentally hits the button that reveals the Prof: Talos being held. Goliath warns something to Samson and both saw that the aircraft is heading right for the mountain. Monarch destroys the control panel so that Samson may never clear it but Goliath hold them down. After control panel being destroyed, Samson throws some excess weight out of the aircraft to make it light that results in the aircraft lifting itself up and successfully passing the mountain. They then saved the Prof: Talos and the trio returns on land safely.

07) The Secret of Evil Island

With help from a native named Maori, Samson and Goliath head for Evil Island to investigate the disappearance of a missile. After encounters with mechanical sharks, hostile natives, and a talking flame, they meet Boltor. Boltor launches fifteen missiles, but the heroes destroy them. Boltor pulls a switch that sinks the island, but Samson and Goliath escape just in time.

08) The Monsteroids

Samson and Goliath are teleported to an asteroid to deal with Zargo, an evil alien, and his robot army, the Monsteroids.

09) The Idol Rama-Keesh

General Tong and Ramu send Rama-Keesh, a mechanical idol, to terrorize a village. Samson and Goliath break into their temple, destroy the idol, and defeat the villains.

10) Salamandro

In an undersea laboratory, three villains see a ship passing by. Salamandro, the ringleader of the trio, sends his henchmen to the ship to steal the gold bullion it's carrying. The men enter the transportation machine their boss has invented, and seconds later, materialize on the ship's deck. There, they paralyze the captain and his first mate. Then they go down to the vault, freeze the guard, and remove the gold. One of them sends a signal to Salamandro to let him know they have the loot. He brings them back, and gloats over the successful theft. Sometime later, Samson and Goliath are on a ship carrying a crate load of paintings. The captain expresses concern that the art will be stolen. The heroes go into the vault via a funnel, and hide themselves in the crate that holds the paintings. Salamandro sees the ship go by, and sends his goons directly to the vaults so they won't be seen by anyone. They find the crate, and send another signal. When they open the crate, they are surprised to find Samson and Goliath inside. When the duo transform, the henchmen try to paralyze them, but Goliath melts their guns with his power beams. Salamandro traps the pair inside a steel trap, but Goliath uses his roar to break them out. Noticing that their enemies are gone, Samson and Goliath head for an iron door, but are momentarily stopped by the electro rays that appear on it. Samson lifts the door without touching the rays, and he and Goliath enter the next room. Salamandro is there, but he's behind a glass shield that the heroes can't penetrate. He explains that it's eight feet thick. Then another glass shield appears behind them, and a deadly mist is pumped in. Samson and Goliath escape by crashing through the ceiling. One of the accomplices fires a ray through a hole in the wall, and successfully immobilizes Goliath.

11) Baron Von Skull

Samson and Goliath meet Baron Von Skull, a former World War One flying ace from Germany.

12) Moon Rendezvous

Kunev Kahn steals the Graviton. Samson and Goliath sneak aboard his space ship, and find themselves on the moon. There, they deal with both Kunev Kahn, and his partner in crime, the Moon Leader.

13) The Lost City Of The Dragon Men

Samson and Goliath enter an underground city to rescue Professor Kinkaid from the Dragon Men.

14) The Colossal Coral Creature

A pair of criminals based in a lighthouse revive a coral monster. It attacks an Australian city. Samson and Goliath defeat it. It destroys the lighthouse and returns to the sea.

15) Zuran's Creature

Samson is temporarily weakened when Dr. Zuran transfers his super strength to a robot.

16) The Dome

Samson and Goliath prevent the Dome from launching his deadly missiles.

17) Nerod

Samson and Goliath pit themselves against Nerod's gladiators.

18) The Terrible Dr. Desto

The appearances and disappearances of a Tyrannosaurus, Cyclops, and Rok, send Samson and Goliath to Dr. Desto's laboratory. He uses his time shield to bring in a variety of menaces from the past. Finally, he sends out a plague of locusts. Samson and Goliath drive the insects back. They are pulled back into the machine, but so is Desto. Samson then destroys the time shield for good to prevent Desto from ever returning.

19) From Out Of The Deep

Samson and Goliath's vacation is interrupted by the Gill Men.

20) Thing From The Black Mountains

A missile arouses a creature from the water near the Black Mountains. Samson and Goliath stop its rampage, and send it back to its environment.

Villains

 * Monatabu and Iguanasaurus — Monatabu is an evil witch doctor whose tribe punished him for his evil deeds. He leaped into a volcano, but instead of dying, found an Iguanasaurus, and gained control of it. Each year, it emerges from the volcano to attack the village. Samson and Goliath discover the truth, and seal the pair inside the volcano forever.
 * Aurora Borealis Creature — The Aurora Borealis somehow becomes an electrically charged monster that begins attacking an Inuit village. Samson and Goliath lure it onto an ice floe, and it sinks into the water, thus destroying it.
 * The Colossus of Rhodes — A 100 feet tall statue of the Greek Titan Helios is brought back from sea by an archaeologist, and lightning brings it to life, and it goes on a rampage. Samson and Goliath are able to send it back to the bottom of the sea.
 * Venusian Ice Men — These Venusian Robots arrive on planet Earth to freeze a valley to make it habitable for their kind. They are very intelligent and are quite capable of decision making. They can fire ice-spears, icicles, and can also shoot hails. At their best, they can create a giant monster from Ice. After defeating that ice monster, Samson and Goliath used a reflecting mirror from a telescope to deflect a freeze ray back at the villains' ship. The ship is destroyed, and the Ice Men melt.
 * Terrorists — A band of international terrorists steal the STX-19, an experimental plane, and also switch Samson's bracelets with lead ones. Goliath recovers the real bracelets, and he and Samson bring back the STX-19 and capture the thieves, however the title slide says the SXX-19.
 * Monarch and PERIL Agents — Monarch and the PERIL Agents kidnap Professor Talos. Samson and Goliath rescue him, and capture the bad guys after an intense struggle.
 * Boltor and Natives — On Evil Island, Samson is captured by a tribe who loyally serve a talking flame. He and Goliath discover that the evil scientist Boltor has an underground electronic laboratory, and had created the talking flame as well as mechanical sharks. He has also stolen American missiles. Samson and Goliath foil his plan to launch the missiles, but he sinks the island, disappearing for good.
 * Zarno and the Monsteroids — Zarno the Cruel is an alien based on an asteroid, from which he sends a deadly ray to Earth. Samson and Goliath are teleported to the asteroid, where they defeat Zarno and his Monsteroids.
 * General Tong, Ramu, and Rama-Keesh — General Tong and Ramu unleash the robot idol Rama-Keesh upon a mountain village. The General's purpose is to drive the people away so that his troops can move across the border. He orders Rama-Keesh to destroy Ramu, but Samson saves him. Rama-Keesh is destroyed when it falls into a fire pit, and Tong and Ramu are taken into custody.
 * Salamandro and Hijackers — Salamandro is a mutant catfish based in an undersea laboratory. He sends two human hijackers to loot the passing cargo ships. Samson and Goliath find their way into the lab, where they escape from a number of death traps. Although they flood the lab, the evil trio escape.
 * Baron Von Skull and Tor — Baron Von Skull is an elderly World War One flying ace from Germany, who creates evil war machines. Tor is his assistant. Samson and Goliath destroy the machines, but the pair fly away, presumably into the arms of the police.
 * Kunev Khan and Moonleader — Kunev Khan is apparently a long-time enemy of Samson and Goliath. He steals the Graviton, and delivers it to the Moon Leader, not realizing the alien intends to double-cross him. The Moon Leader is dispatched, and Samson and Goliath fly Kunev and the Graviton back to Earth.
 * Dragon Men — The Dragon Men are a tribe of possible Mayan ancestry, based in an underground city. Samson and Goliath enter the city via a Mayan pyramid in order to rescue Professor Kinkaid, who had been captured by these warriors. The Dragon Men are defeated when Goliath's roar breaks open a dam, releasing water that sweeps them away, and also puts out a fire that started when a dragon lizard ignited the sulphur gases.
 * Dr. Zuran and Rogor — Dr. Zuran is yet another mad scientist who captures Professor Cartwell, and gains control of Rogor the robot. He transfers Samson's strength to the mechanical monster, but Goliath restores it. Zuran also tries to kill Cartwell, but Samson saves him just in time. Zuran flies away, and Cartwell fixes up Rogor, turning him into a good, useful roboot.
 * Darvo, Darvo's Henchman, and Coral Creature — Darvo and his assistant revive the Coral Creature, which begins attacking a city in Australia. Samson and Goliath cause it to turn against its masters, destroying them and their lighthouse. The creature itself returns to the sea.
 * The Dome and Henchman — The Dome and his henchman plot to launch nuclear warheads. Samson and Goliath successfully thwart their efforts.
 * Nerod, Servo, Gladiators, and Giant Beasts — Nerod is an avid collector of Roman antiquities who models himself after Nero. He and Servo invite Samson and Goliath to fight robot gladiators and rhinos in a replica of the Colosseum. The heroes defeat their foes, and destroy the mansion.
 * Dr. Desto — Dr. Desto is a scientist who had been experimenting with the time dimension. He brings in a number of past threats, and pits them against Samson and Goliath. All are defeated, and Desto himself is pulled into the past, never to return.
 * Narton and the Gill Men — Narton and The Gill Men emerge from the ocean floor to conquer the surface people. Samson and Goliath beat them at their own game, but Narton gets away, vowing to return.
 * Thing from the Black Mountains — This is a reptile that is roused from a lake near the Black Mountains by a missile. Samson and Goliath fight it, and send it back into the lake.

Home Media releases
On March 8, 2011, Warner Archive released all 20 episodes of The Space Kidettes and Young Samson on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. The original network broadcasts of The Space Kidettes and Samson & Goliath were formatted to break up the plot line of each episode to include additional animated content not made by Hanna-Barbera, but which were controlled by the series’ sponsor.

After the network runs ended, both stories were re-edited into continuous scenarios, and the two series were joined together as the The Space Kidettes and Young Samson for subsequent forms of distribution. The revised syndication versions of these shows are the only ones available for distribution, as the original network versions were cut and reconformed for the current configuration. These are the versions used for the DVD release.