Electra Woman and Dyna Girl explained

Runtime:12 minutes (per episode)
Creator:Joe Ruby
Ken Spears[1]
Company:Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions
Num Episodes:16

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl is a live action superhero children's television series from 1976 created by Sid and Marty Krofft. The series aired 16 episodes in a single season as part of the umbrella series The Krofft Supershow. During the second season, it was dropped, along with Dr. Shrinker. When later syndicated in the package "Krofft Super Stars" and released on home video, the 16 segments, which were each about 12 minutes long, were combined into eight episodes.

Premise

The program followed the crime-fighting exploits of caped superhero Electra Woman (played by Deidre Hall) and her teen sidekick Dyna Girl (Judy Strangis), who worked in their normal lives as reporters for Newsmaker Magazine (the two's surnames were never revealed—just their first names: Lori and Judy, respectively). In each episode, the duo dons brightly-colored spandex costumes, 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 while keeping in continual contact with the pair through their "ElectraComs".

Characters

Main

The "ElectraEnemies" with their henchpersons

The ElectraComs

The ElectraComs were bulky wrist devices worn by the title characters. They could function as two-way radios with video capabilities; they also served a variety of other specialized functions, which allowed the duo to escape various traps devised by their enemies. With the addition of special cartridge attachments, the ElectraComs were additionally seen to perform the following functions on the show:

Other resources

Other adaptations

Unaired WB television pilot

The WB Television Network commissioned a pilot for a new version of the show in 2001 starring Markie Post as Electra Woman and Anne Stedman as Dyna Girl. The new series was written in the form of a cynical parody of the original show  - and the superhero genre in general. It was 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, chain smoking 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, taking her bank account and car and leaving her as trailer trash. Although the pilot was shot, the series was not picked up.

The pilot omits the character of Frank Heflin, but includes an in-joke reference to Norman Alden, who had portrayed him in the original. The university's alumni function is attended by Aquaman, whose character voice Alden had provided on the Super Friends animated series.

Web series

YouTube personalities Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart starred in a reboot of the original series.[2] [3] The show, produced by Tim Carter and Tomas Harlan through their Contradiction shingle, was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero and shot in Vancouver, B.C. during February and March 2015.

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl was digitally released by Fullscreen through its streaming platform as a series of eight 11-minute webisodes in April 2016. It was released on all major platforms on June 7, by Legendary Digital Studios and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. A DVD version was released in late July through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[4] [5] [6]

Parody

In 1992, comic-book writer Bryan J. L. Glass and artist Michael Avon Oeming created Lycra Woman and Spandex Girl, an "Aerobic Duo" of super-heroines parodying Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. After the DuPont chemical company successfully sued the creators for unauthorized use of its Lycra trademark, copies of all issues using the name were destroyed and the lead character's name was changed to Flex Woman. The pair appeared in several limited series and one-shot specials, most recently in 1997.[7]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.rubyspears.com/film.shtml Ruby-Spears' Filmography.
  2. Web site: Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart are the new 'Electra Woman and Dyna Girl' . Mashable.com . 2015-02-26 . 2015-02-27.
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRAtCxBfK1o Electra Woman & Dyna Girl - Announcement
  4. http://www.indiewire.com/2016/06/youtubers-grace-helbig-hannah-hart-electra-woman-dynagirl-review-1201687328/ Dry, Judith. "'Electra Woman and Dynagirl' Review: Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart Fly High in Female Superhero Spoof"
  5. http://www.platformnation.com/2016/06/08/electra-woman-and-dyna-girl-review-in-the-middle/ Poon, Tim. "Electra Woman And Dyna Girl Review — In The Middle"
  6. http://ca.ign.com/articles/2016/04/25/electra-woman-dyna-girl-the-life-of-an-underappreciated-superhero Fowler, Matt. "Electra Woman & Dyna Girl: The Life of an Underappreciated Superhero"
  7. Web site: Flex Woman. live. 20 May 2021. Comic Vine. https://web.archive.org/web/20160712035730/http://comicvine.gamespot.com:80/flex-woman/4005-82293/ . 2016-07-12.