Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 18, 1993 TAG: 9312220247
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT MOORE THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
All but bankrupt after financing a Japanese harpist's concert tour of Israel that was canceled by the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Saban ventured to the United States and struck it rich by producing records of television theme music. He then got shows such as ``Kidd Video,'' ``The New Archies'' and ``Samurai Pizza Cats'' on the air.
Despite that success, Saban was troubled by an intergalactic injustice: There was an obvious need for a live-action sci-fi comedy-adventure show about five Spandex-suited teen-agers who save the Earth from forces of otherworldly evil. For eight years, Saban Entertainment and Toei Productions of Japan stuck to their Tasers, shopping around scripts and numerous pilots.
``Everybody you can think of, from networks to merchandising companies to toy companies to stations - you name it, I've been there,'' Saban said. ``And their general reaction was, Why would you do this to yourself? You're doing fine without it. Why do you need this?''
Finally, Saban found an ally in Fox Children's Network President Margaret Loesch, who recognized good superhero fare from her time as president of Marvel Productions and ordered 40 episodes. ``She had the guts to put it on,'' Saban said.
Saban's ``Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' (10:30 a.m. Saturdays and 7 a.m. weekdays on WJPR-Channel 21/27) has since vanquished all critics and competition, drawing about 4 million viewers daily, including a superhuman 45 percent share among kids 6 to 11.
Overall, it's the highest-rated weekday show in most key children's demographics and has quickly broken the Fox Children's Network records of Saban's ``X-Men,'' the highest-rated show among teens.
``Power Rangers'' is also moving at warp speed at the retail level, with mini Mega-Zords, Dino Zords and other action figures from the show selling out within hours of reaching store shelves.
``It's turned into a true social phenomenon right now,'' said the 46-year-old company chairman, a former bass guitar player for The Lions of Judea, an Israeli pop group.
``We're in the business that until you deliver the numbers, everyone is very skeptical,'' he said. ``That's what makes this business so exciting and so interesting. You follow your gut, and there is no school where you can go to study `gut.'''
In ``Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' the war of good vs. evil is waged in the persona of Zordon, a temporal scholar and champion of decency, and the vile Rita Repulsa, who has been set free after 1,000 years of banishment in a space-waste trash bin.
Zordon monitors unlovely Rita's movements with the help of a small android named Alpha Five and huge fighting vehicles based on ancient dinosaurs. The tyrannosaurus, pterodactyl, triceratops, saber-toothed tiger and mastodon include guidance and weapons systems, super propulsion, front and rear bucket seats, air conditioning and four-wheel anti-lock brakes.
When the world is really in danger, the five Dino Zord vehicles can combine their power and become one, the Mega-Zord!
Even younger viewers will note similarities to ``Captain Planet,'' ``Ultraman,'' ``H.R. Pufnstuf,'' ``Star Wars,'' ``Saved by the Bell,'' ``Transformers,'' ``The Wizard of Oz'' and professional wrestling.
Saban admits that he used ``every element that we could think of that kids enjoy watching and could relate to - from physical comedy, i.e. pie in the face, to the martial arts, to acrobatics, to robot transformation, to regular teen-age kids becoming superheroes.
``We looked at each element as a piece of a puzzle, and we said, `Can we find a way of putting together a cohesive picture that would be entertaining?' And I guess we've succeeded, because the kids are really latching on to the show.''
The young, five-member cast is as diverse as the shows from which the ``Power Rangers'' formula is based. These typical high school students display their talents and flashy jumpsuits whenever Rita attacks.
There's blue-suited Billy, the brain (played by David Yost); Trini, the quiet but intellectual martial-arts expert dressed in yellow (Thuy Trang); Jason, the mischievous leader in red (Austin St. John); gymnast Kimberly, pretty in pink (Amy Jo Johnson); and the music-minded Zack, the cautious and clever man in black (Walter Jones).
Opposing Zordon's forces are the campy Empress of Evil and her minions - blueberry warthog Squatt, space simian Baboo, winged warrior Goldar and The Putty Patrol, disposable clay fighters sculpted by Finster. The high-energy, high-decibel battles may draw blood from your ears, but they lack the gore typical of many so-called children's shows.
Trang, 20, who emigrated from Vietnam in 1980, said ``Power Rangers'' is popular with viewers who have longed for an Asian superhero. ``Asians are not portrayed in the media very well and there are not many roles for Asian people except for the stereotypes - gangsters, hookers, things like that,'' she said. ``A lot of older Asian people come up to me and say that I'm doing a service to the Asian community.''
The intergalactic villains are also threatening the rest of the world, necessitating a defense budget of $600,000 per half-hour episode - about twice the cost of the average Saturday morning cartoon, Saban said.
The series is sold in 72 countries overseas, and Toei Productions makes a Japanese-language version, using a different group of teen-agers for the school and social settings. Saban and Toei share the sometimes years-old fight footage, possible since the faces and mouths of the outfitted Power Rangers are not visible.
by CNB