Days Of Our Lives Legend Deidre Hall Once Starred In A Batman-Esque Superhero Series

You probably know Deidre Hall for her 50-year stint as Dr. Marlena Evans on "Days of Our Lives." What you may not remember, though, is that she also once played a superhero in a parody of the Adam West "Batman" series. 

"Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" was created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears for "The Krofft Supershow," a children's variety show broadcast on ABC in the 1970s. Electra Woman's adventures were a regular segment on the show, airing in 12-minute installments that each formed half of a two-part story. Hall starred as Electra Woman, real name Lori, alongside Judy Strangis as her sidekick Dyna Girl, aka Judy. By day, these crimefighters were reporters for a magazine, but, in a flash of light, they could "Electra-Change" into their red and gold costumes, head to their underground ElectraBase, and jump into the ElectraCar.

That underground headquarters and specialized car were far from the only similarities between "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" and the 1960s "Batman" show. Where Batman and Robin had Alfred, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl were assisted by Frank Heflin (Norman Alden), a vaguely British computer genius who knew the duo's secret identities. Together, the two superheroes faced a colorful rogues gallery of their own, including the Sorcerer, Ali Baba, and the Spider Lady, whose costume could not have been a more obvious parody of Marvel's Spider-Man.

In the 1960s, "Batman" had been a superheroic success for ABC, and its influence on "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" was evident in every aspect of the show. The series employed the same style of narration, setting up each episode and catching viewers up on the previous installment's cliffhanger. Dyna Girl would stick the word "Electra" in front of all manner of exclamations, too, imitating Robin's use of the word "holy." The scene transitions even combined a pinwheel dissolve effect with the series' logo in a clear imitation of "Batman."

While "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" was clearly designed to parody "Batman," that wasn't the only inspiration behind the show. In 1975, the year before "Electra Woman" debuted, the live-action Saturday morning series "The Secrets of Isis" premiered on CBS. That show's success created a demand for more stories focusing on strong female heroes, resulting in the creation of this female-led "Batman" parody.

Unlike Hall's decades-long — and ongoing — stint on "Days of Our Lives," Electra Woman only briefly graced TV screens. "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" ran for just 16 episodes across the first season of "The Krofft Supershow." The variety show returned for a second season in 1977, but the "Electra Woman" segment was dropped. In 2001, a pilot for a reboot of the show failed to be picked up, and "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" enjoyed a brief return in the form of a web series from Legendary Digital Media in 2016.