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Superman flies through the skies to save Metropolis from the latest super villain. The X-Men fight mutant villains who want to destroy relations between mutants and humans. Yet, with so many superheroes, only one fights with the sole purpose of protecting children and that superhero comes from the mind of native Bronxite, Silvio DiSalvatore.
Those who turn on their televisions to New York Cablevision's Channel 68 every Sunday at 3 p.m., will witness a show like no other, the Black Cougar. Born from the mind of DiSalvatore, a proud parent of five, who decided to fill a void in the world of educational television.
The idea for the Black Cougar series stems from a movie DiSalvatore debuted in September, 2002. It was a project that was a decade in the making and fraught with disappointments. Looking past the doubters, DiSalvatore took the matter into his own hands, writing, producing and directing a film on a budget far less than $1 million. Starring friends, family and acquaintances, who worked without pay, until the Black Cougar was born. Distributed by DiSalvatore himself, the show was featured in Westchester County (right above the Bronx) for nine weekends in a row.
"After showings, parents were thanking me because it sends a strong message to children on the dangers out there,” said the filmmaker. “I noticed at some of the showings, the same children were coming every weekend. Their parents were telling me that’s all they talk about; Black Cougar this and Black Cougar that, sort of like they were hypnotized by it.”
The film is about a local teenager named Silvio who befriends neighborhood children. No one knows who he is and why he is hanging out with the younger sect, so when a plague of kidnappings hit the neighborhood, it is Silvio who is accused. The youngster is confused, but soon learns a secret from his father that changes his life. Together with his father, the duo discovers who was really involved with the kidnappings and Silvio takes the mantle of Black Cougar, a hero for children. What they find out is a little more than they bargained for. Father and son must work to clear Silvio’s name, as well as, put an end to the kidnappings.
Those who saw the film immediately recognized influences from The Wizard of Oz and March of the Wooden Soldiers, to James Bond and Pinocchio. “I grew up on them and also the old Batman show,” said DiSalvatore. “Black Cougar is for children four to nine years in age and there is no need for killing, cursing and talk of drugs like most movies are about. Black Cougar is about children being in danger and Black Cougar coming to their rescue. It’s 106 minutes of pure entertainment that pertains to fantasy and reality. Parents can discuss with their children what they saw; never wander off, always tell your parents where you are going and never talk to strangers, among other important messages.”
Yes, like the old Batman series Black Cougar was very cheesy at times, but that was ok, because this film is for children age four to nine. Yes, kids are much more sophisticated today and expect blood and excessive violence in the films they see, but that should not be the case and Black Cougar is a lot of fun.
I also enjoyed Tom Delaney's performance as Black Cougar’s father. My favorite scene with Delaney was when he gave Black Cougar the dreaded power of Ventriloquism. A line I just repeat for the hell of it.
The film’s positive message made it an instant success with kids and their parents, according to the filmmaker. DiSalvatore started to sell merchandise from the film, including a DVD in time for Christmas 2002, and an action figure in time for Christmas 2003. While selling the merchandise, he also launched the Black Cougar website and ended up receiving a large volume of emails. “Most of the emails were questions like when will we see the Black Cougar again, who will be the next villain and what new superpowers will the Black Cougar have,” he said. “There were also parents thanking me for Black Cougar. Children stopped wandering off from their parents, because the movie sent a strong message to the kids.”
The movie’s popularity led to the creation of a television show in February 2004. “I decided to create a show that will not only entertain the kids, but educate them,” said DiSalvatore. “I figured Black Cougar would be the one who could teach them. In February, I started the Black Cougar Show in Westchester County. In the beginning, I decided to cut the movie into five episodes and at the end of each one involve the community’s children in it and tell them a children’s joke or provide a child safety tip. The show first debuted in Yonkers and was such a success, it was time to go where I was born and raised; The Bronx.”
The show recently debuted in the borough, and after the July 4th weekend DiSalvatore started traveling throughout the Bronx with a film crew to localize the show by offering safety tips to Bronx children. “I have targeted many places already, like the Bronx Zoo, the Botanical Garden, Yankee Stadium, Orchard Beach, Arthur Avenue, the Bronx Condors Baseball, City Island and other hot spots. Of course, I will include Pelham Bay Park and the Throggs Neck area where I lived. Soon everyone in the Bronx will be Cougarized.”
DiSalvatore states that in October, the many sponsors that he has will be buying the airtime in the tri-state area for the Black Cougar Show. “This summer shooting will be filled with exciting new bad guys, like the old Batman show where the bad guys are bad, but in a colorful way,” he said. “Each episode will be filled with lessons for the children and the last five minutes will feature children from the area, giving them their 15 minutes of fame.”
DiSalvatore plans to go full force with the Black Cougar Show. “Black Cougar is a huge project in itself,” he said. “I have always felt when you do something, always do it 100%. There should not be any other outside distractions. Simply put, I have been purely Cougarized, for which there is no known cure at this time.”
Black Cougar is something kids will enjoy it and parents will like the messages it presents. For more information on Black Cougar Show, including show times, cast and crew and merchandise, check out the television show’s website at BlackCougar.com.
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