The first article I linked says “The rules prohibited network participation in two related arenas: the financial interest of the television programs they aired beyond first-run exhibition, and the creation of in-house syndication arms, especially in the domestic market.” This would seem to indicate that the syndication branch of NBC, which syndicated Astro Boy and, I’m sure, many other shows not actually created by NBC, was eliminated by the FCC’s Financial Interest and Syndication (“Fin-Syn”) Rules. Hence my admittedly confusing use of “back then.”

I’m glad you called me out on my inaccuracies–it gave me the chance to do some research on what the rules actually were. Prior to this, all I had read were some 90′s articles in TV Guide and the like which said very little about the Fin-Syn rules and much about how the networks only renewed some shows with borderline ratings in exchange for partial ownership.

Looks like I was a bit fuzzy (or outright wrong) on the details, but information on the FCC’s restriction on networks’ ownership of programming can be found here, here and here.

When was that? I’ve never come across the slightest hint of any such prohibition in all my readings and documentary–watching about the medium’s history, which is considerable. On the other hand, the only hint I ever encountered of the nets being involved in syndication way back was that CBS had developed a series called THE WHIRLYBIRDS in the late 50s, but syndicated it out instead (just now remembered that). That, and “NBC” being in ASTRO BOY’s credits, pretty much proves that they were, of course, so I am open to this other being true as well.

Well, I was trying to make a joke about how most articles about Astro Boy appear to have been written by people who see “NBC” in the credits and think “Aha! That means it must have aired on the NBC network!” whereas your post was based (correctly) on your memory of it being in syndication. In other words, they exclude syndication due to the NBC connection, you appeared to have excluded the NBC connection due to syndication.

It seemed funny at the time (when I was tired, and had been hit in the head with part of a staircase)…

“If [NBC's syndication arm] is defunct (as your use of the phrase “Back then…” implies), it has not been for long…”

I don’t know the logistics of NBC’s syndication arm then vs. now, but I’m reasonably sure it either didn’t exist (or possibly existed under a different name) during the period when the FCC decreed that networks weren’t allowed to own programs (hence the “Back then”). I guess they revived it (or re-renamed it…”un-renamed” it?) when the ruling was overturned in, I believe, the 90′s.

Pete: “Wikipedia is still far more reliable than imdb.com.

“Updating imdb is damn near impossible, while a bunch of volunteers are generally quick to fix incorrect info on wikipedia.”

Yes, but the difficulty in getting things posted to IMDb in general means that stuff that is blatant garbage to those knowledgeable of the subject at hand but not to anybody else does not get put up in the first place. So it is more reliable than Wiki, and I speak as a regular contributor to both.

It was syndicated, and the syndicator was NBC. Back then, the network had a seperate syndication branch. A lot of sources are confused by this in the opposite manner from Ted, and list the show as having actually aired on NBC.

“Tetsuwan” litrerally means “Iron Arm” but, as already pointed out, it’s also the Japanese term for “Mighty,” thus Atom’s name is a bit of a pun, as his arms literally are made of iron (or possibly space titanium…).

Finally, while I don’t doubt the truth of the third urban legend, I know for a fact that at least some of the original Japanese episodes still exist, as a few were included in The Right Stuf’s box sets and one, shot in color, was included as an extra on the DVD for the 60′s compilation film (it was one of the episodes included in the film, somewhat edited–the extra was the uncut version).

BTW, I was just checking the archive for less than likely additional postings, and took a better look at this page than I did originally (I preferred GIGANTOR, which alternated with AB, at least in Houston, TX). I have NOT spent a great deal of time looking up this stuff (just a preemptive strike, since people here have a history of grasping at unlikely straws to criticize me instead of dealing with my actual points).

Updating imdb is damn near impossible, while a bunch of volunteers are generally quick to fix incorrect info on wikipedia.

“Japan’s weird? We’ve got a real town named Smallville basically devoted to the man of steel, 7-11’s being remade in the image of The Simpsons’ Qwik E Marts, and a statue of a fake boxer in Philly?”

Hey, if the board is going to be pedantic about words, then that second quote should say, “a statue of a FICTIONAL boxer in Philly”

Because Rocky never threw a fight.

Theno

Tezuka be praised. ^_^

Frankly, given the extent of the damage done, I’m surprised even the English-language versions of ASTRO BOY survived.

I think we’re weird, too!