Customer Reviews

Diver Dan

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was glad to order this DVD, having awaited the arrival of DIVER DAN on home video for years -- but enjoyable though it was watching this DVD, this isn't really the proper release of DIVER DAN on digital video disc. The Alpha DVD is apparently unlicensed, and while it's good to have the 15 shows included here, this is going to look a lot better when and if the actual owners of the series ever get an edition of their own out. For starters, they're in black-and-white (which, yes, I know is how all of us saw the show in 1960-66 or whenever we caught it), but the series was actually show in full color, and should be presented that way. But worse is the fact that not only are the story-lines incomplete, because the makers didn't have complete story-arcs among some of the 15 shows here, but they're also out of sequence, so that the first installment of what was the last story in the series comes at the very end of the disc, over an hour after the material that is supposed to follow it. The transfers are also flawed in places -- for the price it's okay, but I'll gladly buy this material again, to get this series done properly if the owners of the series ever give me the opportunity.

This is an exceptional example of children's television from the late fifties and early sixties. It appears to have been made from the original film master. Image and sound are crystal clear. The DVD contains fifteen thoroughly delightful episodes of DIVER DAN.

I was amazed with several aspects of the show. The writing is some of the sharpest you'll find in children's television. Baron Barracuda is consistently laugh-out-loud funny. (Baron Barracuda was the pattern for Sesame Street's Count von Count.) Each fish character has a clear purpose and each episode is a morality tale with lessons to be learned for young and old alike. Finally, the movement of the marionette fish is magical. No strings are visible and their movements really mirror their moods!

For those of you who are old enough to remember the original, this will quickly become one of your favorite DVDs. (Several friends and colleagues have already requested their own copies.) For those of you who never had the pleasure of seeing the original, DIVER DAN is one of the best examples of children's television from the Black and White era. Its storylines are as relevant today as they were then. Before you know it, you'll be introducing all your friends to the most evil fish ever to stalk the ocean seas... the one DIVER DAN ominously refers to as... "The Baron".

This serialized filmed adventure, combining live actors with marionettes, delighted Baby Boomers for years, and this collection of 15 random episodes should be cause for rejoicing in nostalgia-hungry circles. Not that this is a perfect showcase for this material. For one thing, the episodes are not presented in chronological order; the very last installment (titled "Dynamite") is fifth on the roster, followed by ten previous episodes. Would it have been all that difficult to put them in proper sequence?

The episodes (16mm prints from an old syndication package) have not been digitally restored, although that really doesn't matter to me. In fact, they look just like I remember them: in black-and-white, a bit grainy, and showing occasional signs of wear. So these technical shortcomings only serve to enhance the nostalgic experience of watching this series again.

DIVER DAN won't mean a thing to anyone who didn't grow up watching these adventures as part of their local TV kids-show programming. However, for those of us who were enthralled by the fish marionettes -- and the flesh-and-blood Miss Minerva -- this disc is a bona fide blast from the past.

A number of reviewers have written that although they enjoyed the selection of various episodes of DIVER DAN on this DVD, they still yearn for the ENTIRE show--thus revealing themselves to be true connoisseurs of cinema, with the most elegant, sophisticated, and exquisite taste!

The complete series is available on DVD over at Nostalgia Family Video. (Even though the main format in which they sell DIVER DAN is VHS, nevertheless, as explained on their home page, you can instead get DIVER DAN--and whatever other titles of theirs you want--on a "No Frills" DVD that they will make for you.)

I got the VHS tapes of DIVER DAN from them a few years ago and they look and sound GREAT! Thrilling to hear the theme song again:

* Opening theme

Below in the deep there's adventure and danger;
That's where you'll find Diver Dan!
The sights that he sees are surprising and stranger
Than ever you'll see on the land!

* Closing theme

He moves among creatures
Of frightening features:
Flashing teeth, slashing jaws,
Flapping fins, snapping claws!
He protects and he saves
His friends under the waves;
That's where you'll find Diver Dan!

--written, performed, and sung by the show's sound engineer, Jack Sky.

A great, delightful, wise, and unforgettable show. For children of all ages--including this 55-year-old reviewer!

Nostalgia at its best!!! I remember this show in New York City and it was one of the featured items on the Officer Joe Bolton show, along with the Three Stooges! It was awesome then and it is awesome seeing this show now on DVD. It does not get any better than this!

What else can I say...it's Diver Dan!!!!! Great for local TV for young NYC kids in the early 60's.

This DVD brought back so many memories! The special effects are hokey, but are so "of the era" that it makes it even more charming. My sister and I used to sit in front of the TV and wait for Diver Dan to come on, and now I can play this for my grandkids who also think Diver Dan is the greatest.

For those of you who remember the Ray Rayner Show on WGN in Chicago, you will love the memories this DVD brings back - although in Black & White - it still is a great trip through memory lane!

I used to watch Diver Dan as a kid in the 1960's. It was great to be able to see it on DVD and share with other kids.

Very high quality! Not worth it at half the price.
It's as lame as Clutch Cargo. What a waste of money.
Now, after this and Clutch Cargo I've lost what little respect my kids once had for my ability to pick good kids shows.
It was all I could do to get them to watch Mighty Orbots and that's totally cool.
Save your money and just realize, if you think these two shows are pretty neat, you must have been 2 or 3 at the time.