Customer Reviews

Bob Clampett's: Beany and Cecil

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It was with some trepidation I plugged this DVD into my player and hit the "play" button. Would my fond memories of Beany, Cecil, Dishonest John, Go-Man Van Go, and most of all, SnORky, be revived? Or would it just seem something enjoyed a long, long time ago that was no longer funny?

I should not have feared! This wonderful DVD presents a pile of stuff related to Beany and Cecil, including some of the original Beany and Cecil puppets which, for me, did seem a little dated.

Ya-ah-ah, have no fear because the animated cartoons 1) look great; B) sound great; III) are so cleverly written they are as entertaining at 46 as they were when I was 6! Most of my favorite episodes are here: SnORky, Go-Man Van Go, the Leopard Who Lost his Spots, etc. All I could ask for is pulease release the rest of the cartoons on DVD!

This DVD is entertaining for old and young alike, though the oldsters may have to explain some of the beat jokes to the youngsters. Or just turn and say, "don't bugs me, man, don't bugs me!"

The only reason I bought this was to fill the $25 minimum requirement for free shipping, and it was the only cartoon in the 3.99 selection. What a score!! I had no idea who Beany and Cecil were, but they had a 4-5 star customer rating, so I figured either my 5-year-old daughter or I would like it. We BOTH love it! I am not big on TV, but to have this old stuff, with all the added "lost stuff" 30's, 40's to the 70's stuff--what a lesson. I seldom take the time for commentary, but it's a history lesson on this DVD. It was also neat to show my daughter how people (me included) were at one point limited to black and white television, yet alone the debut methods of animation. What a true treat, with a funky twist --certainly makes me ashamed of today's cartoons.

This is one of those cartoons that fits many an audience, for reminiscing if nothing else. Blow $10 on it if you get the chance, esp if you're an B and C fan. This is great.

Oh, Lord! What memories this brings back! Sitting in front of the Magnavox and eating Cap'n Crunch with my brother, as our parents were laughing out loud at the dreadful puns.

This DVD is full (FULL!) of material! Clips of rare material, photos of the many fans of the show (including more than a few celebs!), and commentary tracks by people who worked with Clampett, even back in the days of his live TV puppet show on the West coast!

My only complaint is that the entire series run wasn't included. Please, for people such as I who yearn to see this material again, please re-issue the series onto DVD!

"...and now here's Beany and Cecil iiiiinnnnn...a Bob Clampett car-toooo-OOOOOONNNN!'

(SCHLURP!)

As my daughter was growing up, I wanted her to see all the things that I loved as a kid, and it was enormously frustrating that Beany & Cecil cartoons were almost impossible for me to find. Perhaps the show was broadcast in other areas of the United States, but I couldn't find the show on cable and couldn't find any video compilations. At any rate, this DVD corrects the situation by making a number of classic Beany and Cecil cartoons available again.

The Beany and Cecil cartoons were minimally animated, with few frames per second, little movement, and little background detail. Moreover, each episode was laced with one excruciatingly bad pun after another (ever since first seeing these episodes as a kind, whenever I hear of any atoll, I instantly think of the No Bikini Atoll). So what makes them so much fun? First, they knew many of the jokes were bad, but they kept throwing them at you, and in such a great spirit, that you couldn't resist the fun. Second, the voice-overs on the show were just great. Stan Freberg, one of the greats of the business, did a lot of the voices, including Cecil and the show's villain Dishonest John (who could ever forget that laugh!). Many of the other characters were voiced by various people over the course of time (Beany, for instance, was done by both Daws Butler and Mel Blanc). But whoever was involved, the voice talent was first rate. Third, the humor, though frequently intentionally bad, was nonetheless acute, and anyone watching the show will be consistently amazed by the wit and comedy. The one thing that I wonder about is the topicality of much of the humor. Will kids today know who Gina Lollobrigida is to get the joke about the low low bridge? Or do they know who Dinah Shore was for the singing dinosaur? I suspect that they will miss a lot that previous generations got, but I also suspect that it won't matter. Dishonest John's laugh and schemes are timeless.

This is a treasure; I remember the Beany and Cecil theme like it was yesterday. "A Bob Clampett Cartoo-OOOOOOOooooon!" This outstanding DVD contains footage of TIME FOR BEANY, a legendary live-action children's show from early L.A. TV that was a favorite of Albert Einstein and Frank Zappa. Many stills and audio clips are included; be aware that there are sounds during the "slide presentations" which may startle you. The best segments are indeed the cartoons, including the wonderful "Beanyland", in which our heroes rocket to the moon and establish a theme park strangely resembling you-know-what. The humor is not profane, but will definitely be appreciated by intelligent adults, while kids will fall in love with the characters, particularly Cecil, The Sea Sick Sea Serpent. An absolutely wonderful disc, one of my favorites, and an instant classic.

This is one amazing DVD. It's just chock full of information about and entertainment from this very pioneering TV legend Bob Clampett. People in awe of Jim Henson need to go back several decades and see what inspired him. What's so wonderful is that the live-action puppet show translated so well into the full color cartoons. The spirit of the characters remains in tact, including that innocent, hilarious Cecil who was the inspiration for Bullwinkle. The features on this disc are truly the best you can get from a DVD and Image Entertainment needs to be saluted. There's a wonderful commentary segment from one of the actors Stan Freberg that is funny and enlightening. The meticulous vision that Clampett had for TV as a medium, when it was just starting to come into being, is clearly underscored on this entire disc. I almost wish it had more and pray that more episodes will get released on DVD, including the handful produced by John Krisfalusi (Ren and Stimpy) in the late 80s. Even if you've never heard of Beany and Cecil, somehow because everyone's borrowed from them in one way or another (from the Muppets to Captain Kangaroo to Rocky and Bullwinkle to Sifl and Olly), they seem vaguely familiar. This is why God made DVDs.

This DVD is a dream come true. The episodes of Time For Beany included here are far superior in quality to the one I already had. This is true also of the animated B&C cartoons. It was also a treat to see the other Clampett puppet shows and the unfinished projects that are highlighted here.

Sea-ing Cecil in fantastic DVD quality should make Beany's propeller hat spin faster than Linda Blair's neck. Babyboomers who assume kids today would never appreciate this inspiring duo are failing to take responsibility for educating their children. A simple and guaranteed method exists to indoctrinate their spongey little minds into a full appreciation for wonderfully bad puns that AT LEAST make them THINK about context in relation to the English language. The trick (as I have adequately demonstrated with my own children) is to get them watching the boy and his serpent buddy BEFORE the likes of "Dexter", "Cow and Chicken", and "Johnny Bravo" pop onto the scene--In other words, be proactive in dodging the idiotic nonsense often seen on "Cartoon Network" (which provides a few good cartoons as well). My kids can't stand the stinking stuff because they were originally exposed to intellectual types such as Baby Huey, Porky Pig, and of course the mild mannered creations of Tex Avery and Bob (no relation to Jed) Clampett. Colorful character names such as "Captain Huffenpuff" and "Dishonest John" are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of early childhood development. Clampett's "Special Edition" production contains some Titanic episodes that really rock the boat! This DVD is truly heaven sent when one considers its overall superior quality, historical insight, and gossipy tidbits about the creator (of our subjects at hand!). Super duper, double deluxe, plain old ordinary 1950's entertainment and fun! It goes without saying that the innocent and unassuming Cecil would be proud that his DVD even comes in a snap case.

As a longtime Beany & Cecil fan this DVD was awesome, if you loved the show go buy it! The rare photos and the "Time For Beany" puppet shows were a LOT of fun to browse through. I was born in 1961 and never saw these primative but very amusing shows that were the basis for the cartoon show. This DVD was a real labor of love.

My only (little) gripe is that I wish it had a few more 60's cartoons. I have many of the VHS cassettes that were released in the 1980's and the compilers overlooked some great gems. Hopefully the compilers will be able to put together another great DVD in the future! I want another!

Someone (Bob Clampett's son?) obviously spent a lot of time compiling this collection of cartoons, kinescopes, audio recordings and home movies. It gives those of us who actually remember this stuff a real feeling of "being there", and a better idea than ever what was going through the parties involved's minds. Hours and hours of interesting and often (still) hilarious entertainment, and a real "time machine".