Customer Reviews

B C First Thanksgiving [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As the story begins, B.C. narrates in a Jack Benny type voice. All the cave people that populate B.C., including Wiley, Peter, and Thor are trying to track down a turkey so that Fat Broad can add it to her tasty rock soup. The only problem is that no one has ever seen a turkey before. Meanwhile the real but tricky turkey is on the run. Even if they find the turkey, the dinosaur ate the soup before they can add it in and managed to put out the first cooking fire. The first half is mostly fast running gags that will keep you in stitches, including some fire invention running gags. The rest is the events surrounding the turkey. Even the Midnight Skulker pays a visit.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Voice actors include Daws Butler as B.C. and as Clumsy (He was a prolific voice actor for commercials and Hanna Barbera Studios at the time, doing such famous voices as Cap'n Crunch, Quisp, Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss, Elroy Jetson, Huckleberry Hound, & dozens more.); Joanie Summers as Fat Broad and as Cute Chick, (She also voiced on another great animated Thanksgiving show, "The Mouse on the Mayflower"); Bob Holt as both Wiley and Grog, (Bob did work for Hanna Barbera including the voice of Grape Ape); and the famous Don Messick as Peter, Thor, and the Turkey, (Don was a famous voice actor as the voice of Scooby Doo, the voice of Astro the dog on the Jetsons, Atom Ant, The Ranger on Yogi Bear, the dog Bandit on Jonny Quest, Dr. Benton Quest and dozens more).

This story has a basic plot about the turkey that starts about half way through the show, the first half is mostly unrelated gags strung together. Johnny Hart's comic strip B.C comes to life in this 30 minute animated special made for T.V. that first aired on November 19, 1973 on NBC Television. Abe Levitow formerly of the zany UPA studio helped produce and direct this show through Levitow/Hanson films. The script was written by Johnny Hart and Jack Caprio. The jazz soundtrack is by Danny Darpino. The backgrounds are very authentic for the strip and the colors are just right, all backgrounds were by Tony Rivera. The same night that the original B.C. First Thanksgiving premiered was the first night for another new animated Thanksgiving special, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving". In 1981 the B.C. gang returned with another TV show listed as B.C. Christmas Special", but also listed at this site as "BC Special Christmas". That special was made by a different team and has one continous plot from beginning to end.

Overall this is an enjoyable holiday special for the season, suitable for the whole family, and definately deserving of 5 stars.

"Hi, Turkey! Hi, guys! Don't y'all catch cold now y'hear!" Hilariously funny, great family holiday entertainment! Good impressions of George Burns & Jack Benny! Nice touch with the paranoid turkey! If Sony Pictures re-released this one on DVD, I'd buy a copy without a second thought! (I remember this being on network tv for a few years, then it disappeared.) Can TVLand, ABC Family, or another cable/ satellite channel please bring it back to their Thanksgiving lineup? If so, Thanks!

I saw this special on TV as a kid and absolutely loved it! The opening sequence with the bird and the turtle is priceless, with the 'Dooky Bird' trying to get John the turtle started by yanking on his tail. Lots of sight gags as well, such as B.C. discovering fire. [He touches it, it burns him, so he 'kills' it with his club, only to have the club catch fire and burn him. Voice work by one of the greats, Dawes Butler.

Rich K.

This is a classic!!! I just wish it would show up on DVD some day. Even if you can find it on VHS, it is worth having!

One additional note - I was able to burn the video to a DVD (no, I won't send or sell you a copy) so that I don't have to rely on my tape. You may have similar luck.

Now they just have to put it out on a true DVD and clean up the video.

VHS was in excellent condition for being as old as it was. If I ever need to do business with him again, I will do so.

Our whole family would gather around the TV set on Wednesday night--the day before Thanksgiving--to watch a scratchy, yellowing video tape that I had recorded to first time this played. Now we can do that again with a "real' tape and enjoy it again. Thanks.