Super Friends Season 2, Episode 10, Storyline A – “The Collector”
Original Airdate – November 5th, 1977
Short Synopsis: “Inside his remote Gothic mansion, millionaire inventor Newton Domehead is about to demonstrate his latest invention.” – Narrator
Domehead? Really?
“My matter transfer camera is finally finished. With it, I can transform any object into a picture.” So, like Willy Wonka and his TV chocolate bar? Got it.
His plan is to take a bunch of pictures of important stuff and then store the pictures for safe keeping. Pretty much your typical tourist but also impeding future tourists.
Then there’s a montage of him taking away the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Statue of Liberty, and just the top of the Capitol Building. Maybe he was worried he might accidentally get some members of Congress if he took all of it.
“Later, at the Hall of Justice”
Who would do such a thing, wonders Wonder Woman (haha, in this instance she’s Wonder Woman because she’s wondering!). “The Justice League computer may be able to tell us,” say the writers trying to squeeze a story into 7 minutes, I mean, Superman.
And with just the casual push of a couple colored buttons and the twirl of 1970s film reels, a name magically spits out – Domehead.
Superman and Wonder Woman “race to Newton Domehead’s estate.”
Oh, you KNOW he’s got a secret bookcase passage door.
No self respecting eccentric inventor who lives in a mansion would be caught dead without one.
The problem with awesome secret bookcase passages is that Superman can see them with his stupid x-ray vision.
Who guessed this would happen? All of you should have guessed.
Superman is instantly trapped in picture form. Wonder Woman manages to dodge the camera (never underestimate a woman’s ability to get out of the way of a camera if she doesn’t want her picture taken), but is then shut in the safe with all the pictures.
Domehead then heads out with two family members to Mt. Rushmore. He leaves all his pictures behind except for his most prized.
“I’ve got to get out of here fast and save Superman [AGAIN]” – Wonder Woman
FUN FACT: DID YOU KNOW: Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth can drill through a steel vault door? It can! AND did you know that through a little hole that it drilled, it can then wrap around a safe lock and try every conceivable code combination? IT CAN!
I gotta get me one of them lassos.
Domehead plans ahead, bitches.
Wonder Woman desperately searches for some kind of clue for where Domehead has gone, and the first thing she finds is an amazingly helpful itinerary.
What I’m DYING to know is, what is the size picture he plans to print for Rushmore!?
Later, at Mt. Rushmore
An action sequence that could be straight out of North by Northwest (if it were a poorly executed 70s children’s cartoon and not a classic Hitchcock film) commences, with Wonder Woman throwing her lasso around and dodging pictures left and right.
When Domehead threatens to rip the picture of Superman in half, Wonder Woman, who has gotten her hands on the camera, sends the reverse ray or something and then Superman is back to normal.
And then, after all that awesome work of doing pretty much all the work, Wonder Woman is shoved off of Jefferson’s nose with an airplane ladder.
Flung off like some kind of super booger. Superman swoops in and saves her.
Then, as they are trying to escape, Superman catches up with the Domeheads and turns them into the authorities.
Superman and Wonder Woman have a laugh over some weird joke about how the Domeheads would have done well in show business because they have a great disappearing act. You know, cause of the camera.
And then there’s also a weird lecture about not stealing giant monuments that can’t really be moved anyway and keeping them in picture form because it’s not fair to everyone else. You know, because that’s one of the important lessons you learn growing up.
The End.
If you would like to see these shenanigans for yourself, Season 2 is available on DVD.
Wait. Where’s the fried chicken? Isn’t Domehead actually Colonel Sanders? And why did I laff so hard at the Wondering Wonder Woman bit? Eeeeeeeeeeeeee
I guess he moved onto chicken after his picture taking plans were foiled.
some of your best work. The J Geils band drop made this post work everything.
I wonder when Wonder Woman is in her wonderbra wondering if she’s feeling wonderful about herself. I’ll stop now.
And I’ve now had that song in my head for three days. Thanks, me.
I think it would have been a cool reveal if his name was Domehead, but he DID have hair. Shake things up a bit. Challenge stereotypes and the like. Missed opportunities, Super Friends. Missed opportunities.
YOLO? made me snort-laugh.
Domehead’s adult children still had hair, so I guess there’s that.
Why does the villain always live in a Gothic mansion? Can evil not flourish in a Spanish hacienda or a bungalow? It makes house-hunting difficult.
Good point, they DO all seem to live in a Gothic mansion. Maybe it’s a time share?
Maybe Domehead is related to Carmen Sandiego. At least she did her monument-stealing with elbow grease and a band of thieves with geographical expertise instead of magical photography.
Carmen Sandiego also didn’t leave convenient “to do” lists around so you could instantly find her.
“Domehead plans ahead, bitches.”
This might have been your best Super Friends Synopsis ever.
Thanks, Vesta!
And you just know this whole episode came about because the writer for that week just came back from a vacation and none of the other writers wanted to look at his/her pictures.
Write what you know, or completely make it up, even the science stuff – both mottos of Super Friends writers.
The picture of Wonderwoman straddling Jefferson’s nose was…arousing.
But not her efforts in saving the day? Oh I see how it is.
I would have kept Superman in his photo…….
Saaame.