Electra Woman and Dyna Girl
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl is a Sid and Marty Krofft live action science fiction children's television series from 1976. 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 female caped crusader Electra Woman and her teen sidekick Dyna Girl, who worked in their off-time as reporters for Newsmaker Magazine In each episode, the duo would don skintight spandex 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, a scientist who stayed at their "ElectraBase," operating its highly sophisticated "CrimeScope" computer, a parody of the BatComputer, while keeping in continual contact with the pair through their "ElectraComs." Electra Woman and Dyna Girl were basically a female version of the campy 1960s Batman TV show, complete with nonsensical plots, over the top villains and Dyna Girl uttering phrases like "Electra Wow!" or "Electra Yikes!" and so on.Cast and characters
Main
- Lori / Electra Woman was played by Deidre Hall.
- Judy / Dyna Girl was played by Judy Strangis. Dyna Girl is Electra Woman's young sidekick.
- Professor Frank Heflin was portrayed by Norman Alden.
- Marvin Miller as Narrator
The "ElectraEnemies" with their henchmen and henchwomen
- The Sorcerer and Miss Dazzle
- The Empress of Evil and Lucretia
- Ali Baba and the Genie
- Glitter Rock and Side Man
- The Spider-Lady with Leggs and Spinner
- The Pharaoh and Cleopatra
The ElectraComs
- Direct-A-Scan - navigates the title characters through buildings to the exact location of the villain.
- Electra-Change - allows the title characters to change from their civilian clothing to the costumes of their super-powered alter-egos instantaneously.
- Electra-Beam - emits a focused kinetic beam of energy that can "push" or "pull" objects much like a tractor or pressor beam.
- Electra-Degravitate - allows the title characters to defy gravity for very short distances so that they can circumvent obstacles in their path or levitate themselves to higher ground.
- Electra-Force - apparently breaks steel bars.
- Electra-Force Shield - is essentially a force field used to detain villains once they have been caught. The shield was also used defensively as a protective barrier that can shield against physical and energy attacks.
- Electra-Freeze - lowers the temperature of the target to below freezing.
- Electra-G - increases the weight of the target.
- Electra-Split - replicates target to create a copy. Both objects are left in an unstable state and it does not work on human beings.
- Electra-Strobe - speeds the wearer's motions, thoughts, and actions 10,000 times faster than normal.
- Electra-Vibe - creates a localized sonic field that can shatter glass or disorient an opponent who is not equipped with earplugs.
- Electra-Vision - emits a blindingly bright light, turning night into day.
- Electra-X - is a portable X-ray that reveals the target's skeleton or identity beneath any disguise.
Other resources
- The ElectraCar is a shield-shaped, three-wheeled vehicle that can also convert into the "ElectraPlane" with its wheels folded under/inside it. As the ElectraPlane, the ElectraCar is capable of flying into low Earth orbit. It also has a Tracking Beam for pursuing villains.
- The ElectraBase, located beneath the duo's civilian home and accessible by a hidden elevator, not only houses Frank Heflin's lab and the ElectraCar but also serves as the home to "CrimeScope," one of the most powerful computers ever built - much like the BatComputer, which it parodies. CrimeScope is always kept up-to-date with what is going on in the world, can analyze any data transmitted through the ElectraComs, and can also operate the ElectraCar via remote control.
Episodes
Other adaptations
Unaired WB television pilot
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.
Film
On February 26, 2015, it was announced via various media outlets that YouTube personalities Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart would star in a reboot of the series. The series, produced by Tim Carter and Tomas Harlan through their Contradiction shingle, was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero and shot in Vancouver during February and March 2015.On April 26, 2016, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl was digitally released by Fullscreen through its streaming platform as a series of eight 11-minute webisodes. It was released on all major platforms on June 7, 2016, by Legendary Digital Studios and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. A DVD version was released in late July 2016 through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.