The Secrets of Isis
A schoolteacher becomes an Egyptian goddess to fight injustice.
The Secrets of Isis is an American live-action superhero television series produced by Filmation that aired on CBS from 1975 to 1976. It was the first weekly American live-action television series with a female superhero lead character, debuting before The Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman. The series follows Andrea Thomas, a schoolteacher who transforms into the Egyptian goddess Isis to resolve crises beyond mortal capability.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Adventure
- Drama
- Superhero
- Developer
- Marc Richards
- Starring
- Joanna Cameron
- Brian Cutler
- Joanna Pang
- Ronalda Douglas
- Theme music
- Yvette Blais; Jeff Michael
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 22 minutes
- Seasons
- 2
Facts from the source article.
Premise
Joanna Cameron portrayed Andrea Thomas, a science teacher at Larkspur High School who discovered an ancient gold amulet, the Tutmose amulet, during an archaeological dig in Egypt. The amulet, resembling the headdress of Hathor, originally belonged to Queen Hatshepsut, an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh. It granted the wearer—specifically Hatshepsut and her descendants, including Andrea—the powers of the animals and the elements, bestowed by the goddess Isis when the amulet was exposed and her name invoked. To transform, Andrea would reveal the Isiac amulet, worn as an everyday necklace, and recite the incantation "Oh mighty Isis," becoming the goddess and superheroine. The series co-starred Brian Cutler as fellow teacher Rick Mason, a potential love interest; Joanna Pang as student Cindy Lee; and Albert Reed as school principal Dr. Barnes. In the second season, Ronalda Douglas joined as Rennie Carol, replacing Cindy. Guest stars included Mike Lookinland, Debralee Scott, Leigh McCloskey, and others. Three episodes featured crossover appearances by Captain Marvel from the companion series Shazam!, and three episodes of Shazam! featured Joanna Cameron as Isis. Most storylines involved Isis rescuing high school students from danger caused by unwise choices. The two-part series finale, "Now You See It..." and "...Now You Don't," had an espionage plot revealing Rick Mason secretly worked for the US government on a weather-making machine, and introduced a trio of crime-fighting teens called The Super-Sleuths, intended as a backdoor pilot for a series that never materialized. The Secrets of Isis often broke the fourth wall, with Isis or Andrea winking at the camera. Each episode ended with an epilogue where Isis directly addressed the camera and imparted a moral lesson, though these segments were later deleted from syndication prints.
Powers and abilities
Isis commands a wide range of superhuman abilities, which she typically activates by speaking a rhyming couplet. To fly, for instance, she says, "O zephyr winds which blow on high / Lift me now so I can fly." Her powers include immense strength, mastery over earth, air, fire, and water, and the ability to control the weather. She can alter the molecular density of herself or objects, letting her walk through walls or, on one occasion, make a car pass safely through a road grader. The jewel in her diadem reveals visions of the recent past. She can make plants and animals appear or vanish, increase gravity in an area, and even halt or reverse time. When she is in her civilian identity as Andrea Thomas, her powers are reduced. However, she can still speak telepathically with her pet crow, Tut, and in one case, a light reflection from her amulet helped someone recover a lost memory.
Home media
On July 24, 2007, BCI Eclipse, through its Ink & Paint label and with a license from Entertainment Rights, put out The Secrets of Isis: The Complete Series as a three-disc DVD set for North America. The episodes were uncut, remastered, and arranged in their known original airdate order, with surviving moral-message segments included as extras. The set also contained the first issue of the 2007 comic The Legend of Isis from Bluewater Productions. Classic Media later issued the first seven episodes as a single-disc set in September 2011. Savor Ediciones, S.A. released El Secreto: La Serie Completa as a four-disc Region 2 DVD box set on July 15, 2009. That Spanish release has no bonus features, not even the morals, and only offers the dubbed Spanish soundtrack, with no English option. Because the discs use PAL format, they show a bit more picture area than the NTSC conversions from BCI Eclipse.
Other appearances
Isis first appeared as an animated character in 1978, voiced by Diane Pershing, on the Freedom Force segment of Filmation's Tarzan and the Super 7. Three years later, she guest-starred on the Filmation cartoon Hero High, with Linda Gary providing the voice. Though she shared a programming block with Shazam! and appeared in DC Comics during the 1970s, Isis was originally a Filmation creation, and Universal Television now controls the rights. A significantly different comic-book version, linked to Captain Marvel and named Adrianna Tomaz as a tribute to the TV character, debuted in the 2006 DC series 52. This Isis marries Black Adam and tries to reform him, but both turn to villainy after her death and resurrection. Kelsey Grammer's production company, Grammnet, has reportedly secured film rights for a project called The Legend of Isis. On the CW's Smallville, the character appeared in the season 10 episode "Isis," where the amulet possessed Lois Lane, played by Erica Durance, with nods to both the classic show and the modern comic. Zari Tomaz on Legends of Tomorrow is inspired by these versions, wielding a mystic amulet for her powers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created The Secrets of Isis?
The Secrets of Isis was created by Marc Richards.
How many episodes of The Secrets of Isis are there?
The Secrets of Isis has 22 episodes across 2 seasons.
When did The Secrets of Isis first air?
The Secrets of Isis first aired on 6 September 1975.
When did The Secrets of Isis end?
The Secrets of Isis last aired on 23 October 1976.
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