The Secrets of Isis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Secrets of Isis |
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Title card
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| Genre | |
| Developed by | Marc Richards |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 22 (list of episodes) |
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| Producer(s) | Arthur H. Nadel |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Filmation |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (on behalf of DreamWorks Classics) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 6, 1975 – October 23, 1976 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Shazam! |
The Secrets of Isis, also known as Isis, was an American live-action superhero TV show. It was made by Filmation and aired on CBS on Saturday mornings from 1975 to 1977. Later, when it was shown again, its name changed to The Secrets of Isis.
This show was special because it was the first weekly American live-action TV series with a female superhero as the main character. It started on September 6, 1975. Other famous female superhero shows like The Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman came out later. In the show, Isis (Joanna Cameron) is actually Andrea Thomas, a regular schoolteacher. When there's a big problem that a normal person can't fix, she changes into the powerful Egyptian goddess, Isis.
Isis also appeared in episodes of the TV show Shazam!, which featured Captain Marvel. In return, Joanna Cameron, who played Isis, also appeared on Shazam!. Because of this, the character of Isis was later added to the main DC Comics stories.
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Discovering Isis's Powers
The show stars Joanna Cameron as Andrea Thomas. She is a science teacher at Larkspur High School. While on an archeological dig in Egypt, Andrea finds an old, magical gold necklace called the "Tutmose amulet." This amulet looked like the headdress worn by the goddess Hathor. It used to belong to Queen Hatshepsut, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.
The amulet gave its wearer "the powers of the animals and the elements." These powers would come from the goddess Isis herself. Andrea was a descendant of Hatshepsut, so she could use the amulet. Whenever Isis was needed, Andrea would show the amulet, which she wore as a necklace. Then, she would say a special chant: "Oh mighty Isis." This would transform her into the powerful goddess and superhero.
Who Else Was in the Show?
The show also featured Brian Cutler as Rick Mason, another teacher. He was a possible love interest for Andrea. Joanna Pang played Cindy Lee, a student. Albert Reed played Dr. Barnes, the school principal. In the second season, Ronalda Douglas joined the cast as Rennie Carol, replacing Cindy.
Many guest stars appeared on the show. These included Mike Lookinland, Debralee Scott, Leigh McCloskey, and Colleen Camp.
Crossovers and Storylines
Three episodes of The Secrets of Isis featured special appearances by Captain Marvel. He was from the show's partner series, Shazam!. In the same way, Joanna Cameron appeared as Isis in three episodes of Shazam!.
Most of the stories in the show involved Isis helping high school students. These students often got into trouble because of bad choices they made. A special two-part finale, "Now You See It..." and "...Now You Don't," was different. It had a spy story where Rick Mason was secretly working for the U.S. government on a machine that could control the weather. This two-part episode also introduced "The Super-Sleuths," a group of crime-fighting teens. It was meant to be a try-out for a new Super-Sleuths series, but that show never happened.
The Secrets of Isis often "broke the fourth wall." This means Isis or Andrea would sometimes wink at the camera or talk directly to the audience. At the end of each episode, Isis would speak to the camera. She would share a moral lesson from what happened in that episode. These moral messages were later removed when the show was shown again.
Isis's Amazing Powers
Isis has many superpowers, which she usually uses by saying a rhyming phrase. For example, to fly, she would say: "O zephyr winds which blow on high / Lift me now so I can fly."
Her powers include:
- Superhuman Strength: She is incredibly strong.
- Controlling Elements: She can control earth, air, fire, and water.
- Weather Control: She can also control the weather.
- Changing Density: Isis can change how solid her body or other things are. This lets her pass through walls. Once, she even made a car pass through a road grader without harm.
- Seeing the Past: She can see recent events that happened. This appears in the jewel on her headband.
- Creating and Removing Things: Isis can make living things, like trees and animals, appear or disappear.
- Controlling Gravity: She can make gravity stronger in an area.
- Time Control: She can stop and even reverse the flow of time.
When Andrea Thomas is not transformed into Isis, her powers are limited. However, she can still talk to her pet crow, Tut, using her mind. In one episode, the light reflecting off her amulet helped someone remember something they had forgotten.
Episode Guide
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
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| 1 | 15 | September 6, 1975 | December 13, 1975 | |
| 2 | 7 | September 11, 1976 | October 23, 1976 | |
Season 1 (1975)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1 | 1 | "The Lights of Mystery Mountain" | Hollingsworth Morse | Russell Bates | September 6, 1975 | |
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UFO sightings lead Isis to a dishonest real estate developer.
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| 2 | 2 | "Fool's Dare" | Hollingsworth Morse | David Dworski | September 13, 1975 | |
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Cindy Lee enters a scrap yard on a dare and finds car thieves. Guest starring Charles Cyphers.
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| 3 | 3 | "Spots of the Leopard" | Arnold Laven | James Schmerer | September 20, 1975 | |
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Isis helps an innocent man wrongly accused of a jewel robbery. Guest starring Debralee Scott.
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| 4 | 4 | "The Sound of Silence" | Arnold Laven | Sid Morse | September 27, 1975 | |
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A student steals a dangerous force field generator to get money for a car.
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| 5 | 5 | "Rockhound's Roost" | Arnold Laven | Robert F. Joseph | October 4, 1975 | |
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Two students find an angry bear on a rock-hunting trip. Guest starring Thomas Carter and Steven Paul.
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| 6 | 6 | "Lucky" | Hollingsworth Morse | Ann Udell | October 11, 1975 | |
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A boy's lost dog leads him into danger as he learns about life.
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| 7 | 7 | "Bigfoot" | Arthur H. Nadel | J. Michael Reaves | October 18, 1975 | |
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A student looking for Bigfoot finds a giant man who avoids people.
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| 8 | 8 | "How to Find a Friend" | Hollingsworth Morse | Henry Colman | October 25, 1975 | |
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A boy tries to make a friend by giving an older boy his father's dangerous antique gun. Guest starring Mike Lookinland and Tommy Norden.
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| 9 | 9 | "The Show Off" | Arnold Laven | David Wise Kathleen Barnes |
November 1, 1975 | |
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An escaped gorilla threatens the Science Club's camping trip.
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| 10 | 10 | "The Outsider" | Hollingsworth Morse | David Dworski Susan Dworski |
November 8, 1975 | |
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A new student is framed for stealing a rival school's mascot.
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| 11 | 11 | "No Drums, No Trumpets" | Hollingsworth Morse | Arthur H. Nadel | November 15, 1975 | |
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Exploring a ghost town puts Andrea and her students in danger from a robbery gang.
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| 12 | 12 | "Funny Gal" | Hollingsworth Morse | Sid Morse | November 22, 1975 | |
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An insecure girl running for student council steals Mr. Mason's boat for publicity. Isis needs Captain Marvel's help. Guest starring John Davey as Captain Marvel.
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| 13 | 13 | "Girl Driver" | Arnold Laven | David Wise Kathleen Barnes |
November 29, 1975 | |
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A girl competes in a car rally, but her rival's cheating puts them in danger. Guest starring Susan Lawrence.
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| 14 | 14 | "Scuba Duba" | Arnold Laven | Sid Morse | December 6, 1975 | |
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A student ignores safety rules in scuba class. Isis must rescue him when he gets trapped underwater. Guest starring Brian Byers and Eileen Chesis.
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| 15 | 15 | "Dreams of Flight" | Hollingsworth Morse | David Dworski Susan Dworski |
December 13, 1975 | |
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A young girl stands up to her brother who doesn't want her to compete in a model airplane competition. Guest starring Cynthia Avila, Paul Hinckley, Tom Williams, and Fabian Gregory.
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Season 2 (1976)
| No. in series |
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Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 16 | 1 | "Seeing Eye Horse" | Earl Bellamy | Peter L. Dixon Sarah Dixon |
September 11, 1976 | |
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A boy blinded in a riding accident learns to trust a new guide horse when his farm is threatened by fire. Guest starring George Elliot, Kathleen O’Malley, and James Griffith.
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| 17 | 2 | "The Hitchhiker" | Earl Bellamy | Sid Morse | September 18, 1976 | |
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A girl learns about the dangers of hitchhiking when the boy she rides with loses control of his car. Guest starring Barry Miller.
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| 18 | 3 | "The Class Clown" | Hollingsworth Morse | Arthur Nadel Norman Cameron |
September 25, 1976 | |
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A new student's jokes put his classmates in danger.
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| 19 | 4 | "The Cheerleader" | Hollingsworth Morse | Sid Morse | October 2, 1976 | |
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A girl (Laurette Spang) cheats on her chemistry exam and blames another cheerleader (Colleen Camp).
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| 20 | 5 | "Year of the Dragon" | Hollingsworth Morse | Ann Udell | October 16, 1976 | |
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A Chinese-American girl learns to accept her immigrant father's (Victor Sen Yung) traditional customs.
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| 21 | 6 | "Now You See It..." (Part 1) | Arthur Nadel | Arthur Nadel (story) Len Janson and Chuck Menville (teleplay) |
October 23, 1976 | |
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Rick is framed for stealing part of a secret government weather control device. Guest starring John Davey as Captain Marvel and Craig Wasson as "Feather".
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| 22 | 7 | "...Now You Don't" (Part 2) | Arthur Nadel | Arthur Nadel Len Janson Chuck Menville (story) Len Janson and Chuck Menville (teleplay) |
October 23, 1976 | |
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The thieves kidnap Rick to force him to give up the plans for the weather machine. Guest starring John Davey as Captain Marvel and Craig Wasson as "Feather".
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Crossover Episodes with Shazam!
Here is a list of episodes where Isis and Captain Marvel appeared in each other's shows:
- Shazam!, Season 2: "The Odd Couple" (Oct. 18, 1975)
- The Secrets of Isis, Season 1: "Funny Gal" (Nov. 22, 1975)
- Shazam!, Season 3: "Finders Keepers" (Oct. 2, 1976)
- Shazam!, Season 3: "Out of Focus" (Oct. 16, 1976)
- The Secrets of Isis, Season 2: "Now You See It ..." (Oct. 23, 1976)
- The Secrets of Isis, Season 2: "... Now You Don't" (Oct. 30, 1976)
Other Appearances of Isis
Isis later appeared in cartoons. She was voiced by Diane Pershing in Freedom Force, a part of the Tarzan and the Super 7 show in 1980. The cartoon version of Isis also guest-starred on the Filmation cartoon Hero High in 1981, voiced by Linda Gary.
Even though Isis shared a TV block with Shazam! and appeared in 1970s DC Comics books, the character of Isis was originally created by Filmation. Today, Universal Television owns the rights to the character.
A different version of Isis was introduced in the 2006 DC weekly comic series 52. This comic book character was still connected to Captain Marvel. Her alter-ego was "Adrianna Tomaz," named after the TV character. This version of Isis becomes the wife of Captain Marvel's enemy, Black Adam. She tries to make him a better person.
There are also plans for a movie based on the character, called The Legend of Isis. Kelsey Grammer's company, Grammnet, reportedly has the rights to make this movie.
Isis also appeared in the Smallville TV series on The CW network. In a season 10 episode called "Isis," the amulet took over the body of Lois Lane, played by Erica Durance. This version had nods to the original Shazam!/Isis Hour and the modern comic character.
The character of Zari Tomaz on The CW series Legends of Tomorrow is inspired by both the TV and comic versions of Isis. She uses a magical amulet for her powers.
A new feature film is currently being planned. It has been reported that Dakota Johnson might play the main character. There is no news yet if Joanna Cameron will make a small appearance in the movie.
