Customer Reviews

The Howdy Doody Show - Clarabell Speaks & Other Episodes [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Thought lost for years after a fire wiped out their eastern storage facility, NBC (in connection with the good folks at Rhino) have given all of us who care passionately about preserving our televsion heritage an amazing treat-- they have reunited the two existing halves of the color videotape of the final Howdy Doody show (controlled for years by two separate parties) and released it **intact** to the home video market, as part of their 4-volume "Howdy Doody" DVD series. Make no mistake-- the other shows on the disc (culled from B&W film kinescope masters owned by the network) are fine programs in their own right, but **absolutely nothing** you see before will prepare you for the breathtaking feeling of being transported back in time by seeing Doodyville once again in "living color"!! All of your favorite characters (Howdy, Clarabell, and the vastly underrated Chief Thunderthud) are here, and they truly do come to life in this, their swan song episode. The hour-long special is beautifully written: by turns heartfelt and truly sentimental, but never mawkish; and even though the occasion is regrettable, there's no shortage of fun to be had on this program. And, as a final bonus, all of the original commercial ads have been included, along with the original "first version" NBC peacock opening, network ID's and network movie promos. No fan of classic television will be disappointed by this disc... it's quite simply one of the few "must-have" milestone DVDs to have come down the pike. Kudos to NBC & Rhino for doing this one exactly right!!!

Early television (1947 - 1960) was dominated by this classic kids show. The kids of America (over 1 million) even voted "Howdy Dowdy" for President, twice (1948 & 1952). For thirteen years Howdy Dowdy , Buffalo Bob (Smith), Clarabell the Clown, Chief ThunderThud, the DowdyVille Gang and the Peanut Gallery entertained us on NBC television.

This is Volume 4 of a restored 4 volume set. Including the final episode "Clarabell Speaks" a 1 hour special in NBC peacock color. This is a great nostalgic peice of America and early classic television.

Almost 3 hours with 4 episodes, many collectable live commercials; such as "Wonder Bread" (builds your body in 12 ways), "Hostess Creme filled cupcakes" (the cupcake with a surprise inside) to mention a few.

Sit back and watch and sing the song every kid sang for 13 years, "It's Howdy Dowdy time!!!"

For years I have trained my kids to respond to the question "What time is it?" with the answer, "It's Howdy Doody Time!". Now with these Howdy Doody episodes released on dvd and video, my kids finally know what I'm talking about! As a fan of the late-50's episodes, this is a real treat to be able to watch the episodes again with my younger children. This is nostalgia at its bets. My kids now are asking for Howdy Doody puppets!

A great DVD-finally we are having important parts of our television history preserved in a format that collectors can archive. Great transfer and historic material besides. Nobody could talk to Howdy like the Buffalo-there was real affection there. Grab it, by all means!

WE didn't have a TV when these episodes were on. I had to try and get invited to a little girl's house down the street. What a blessing to be able to watch this on my OWN wide screen and listen to it on my home theatre system. Played it for my grandson, who actually liked it. It was fun remembering all the characters.

As one who remembers the Howdy Doody Show, I have to say this this tape is absolutly fantastic! There have been other tapes over the years, but the source material for this collection is light years ahead of the others. The black-and-white kinescopes are sharp and clear. As a breathtaking bonus--and worth the price of the tape itself--is the final show presented from beginning to end FROM PRISTINE COLOR VIDEOTAPE! Wow! The last couple of years were pre-recorded on color videotape and this one not only SURVIVED, it was restored to razor sharpness considering that it is 41 years old!
Another reviewer mentioned "some flashes evident". That is NOT deterioration, as suggested, but merely the flaws of a still (at the time) primative chroma-key technique used during scenes containing special effects. A facinating and rare example of very early color videotape production, not to mention a last glimse of some beloved childhood friends, along with one of the most touching final moments in the history of television. If you own just one example of this historic and charming show, this is the collection. Very highly recommended.

I admit I'm an old fogey who watched this show on TV as a kid. I admit I remember EXACTLY what I did on Saturday Sept 24, 1960, the day my FAVORITE TV show, The Howdy Doody Show, left the air with a special one hour episode later titled Clarabell Speaks. I remember watching it....feeling so sad when I realized it was gone for "good" (mass-marketed VCRs didn't exist then)...and how I never EVER accepted its replacement (talented but super-sweet ventriloquist Shari Lewis).

This is THE tape for anyone who wants to experience the SAME magic -- or REexperience it. A MUST to own!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It contains four Howdy Doody episodes, including the famous final Clarabell speaks episode in which the camera zooms in and the clown says "Good-bye Kids!" (just before the camera blacks out, Clarabell/Lew Anderson blinks...he was crying for real).

But this is NOT just a nostalgia tape! It's a MUST-own for anyone interested in truly FUNNY kids programming with a lot of pizazz. The hour-long final color episode is included with three black and white ones. But the question is:

Can modern kids watch it? I watched this with my foster son's daughter Kayla, 6, who, minutes into the video insisted on seeing ALL of them. And when the most famous host in t.v. history "Buffalo Bob" Smith did commercials for Wonderbread, Hostess Twinkees and a since discontinued cereal, she wanted to go to the store to buy the products. Her brother, Greg, 9, intently watched the shows, too, laughing, but later added: "I saw too many strings..."

Actually, the marionette puppets still look quite good. I was struck by how well the silly (sometimes overlong)slapstick bits hold up. And, above all, at Smith's incredible showmanship -- from his comic timing during comedy bits to his wonderful songs to his interaction with Howdy (Howdy was Smith's voice on tape). All of it is broadly played but still funny a la Abbott & Costello style schtick comedy, yet with a gentle touch of the Three Stooges (Chief Thundercloud, my favorite, getting constantly squirted in the face with seltzer by Clarabell.)

This is THE TAPE to own if you want to see what the "magic" was -- and is -- in this pioneer kids show that lasted 13 years. Or if you want to see super t.v. history. Or if you're interested in VOICE OVERS (voice characterizations for the puppets were SUPERB), Or want to see marionette puppetry at its best...or mostly enjoy Smith -- the quintessential classy kids show host and a role model for anyone aspiring to be a showman or showwoman. Tape quality: EXCELLENT from the b&ws to the color (which is the actual color video)since they were printed from NBC originals. FOOTNOTE: It was weird seeing that final episode again...but this tape made me realize why this program was my favorite and had such an impact on my life (I'm now a fulltime ventriloquist). MY HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

I was born in 1964, so I never saw "The Howdy Doody Show" when It first ran. I do remember seeing the 1970's revival. But this video, one of four Howdy Doody videos from Image, is a total treasure for anyone even remotely interested in the history of television, particularly children's television. Four glorious, complete and uncut episodes of "The Howdy Doody Show" from 1958 to 1960!

Best of all, this tape -- also available on DVD -- includes the hour-long final original episode of "Howdy Doody," on beautiful color tape. The last two years of the show were videotaped in advance rather than live -- but a fire in the 1980's destroyed all of these color tapes except the final one. But what a treasure it is! It is just like going back in time and watching the show new. We see Buffalo Bob and the kids in the Peanut Gallery. We see Howdy and Clarabell and Chief Thunderthud and all the rest in "living color" as they say at the beginning of the show!

All four shows on this video, except the final color one, are shown via nice-looking black-and-white kinescopes, and all the shows are courtesy of NBC! And they all include the nostalgic commercials for Wonder Bread and others. This is highly recommended, and long overdue on video.

I can recall, as a child, my parents (or grandparents) making reference to the past ... to how things used to be so very different and how things used to cost so much less. It all sounded like ancient history to me and I playfully remember wondering if there were dinosaurs on the streets when they were kids. I recently viewed this video - and realized, over the course of this 150 minute DVD, that I had become them! The world is no longer the world I grew up in, and this simple kid's TV show demonstrates many of the changes in a way that brings both smiles and tears to my eyes at the same time.

There are a good many DVD collections of this show on the market. This particular one, produced by Image Entertainment (ID9671NCDVD) shows four particularly interesting (and representative) episodes of this early paradigm kids television programming. Included are:

1. October 28, 1958 - Halloween

Sandy the witch, upset at not being invited to Howdy's Halloween Party, turns

Howdy and Buffalo Bob into donkeys.

2. November 16, 1958 - Mambo

A spaceman in search of a pet zaps Mambo the dancing elephant to his planet. Buffalo Bob and Howdy come up with a plan to give him something else.

3. August 25, 1959 - Cy Clone

Cy Clone, an unscrupulous salesman, talks everyone in Doodyville into buying his feedbags at very high prices. Buffalo Bob cooks up a scheme to make Cy Clone buy back the useless articles, and finally,

4. September 24,1960 - Clarabelle Speaks

The last network show. Special one-hour program as everyone in Doodyville gets packed and ready to leave. Clarabell is telling everyone that he has a secret. The secret is that he can talk! Clarabell says, "Good-bye, Kids!"

To borrow a phrase from a popular kid/adult cartoon of the 196o's ("Mr. Peabody's Improbable History") on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, ".... And now it's time for a ride in the WayBack machine!"

The shows marvelous pieces of documented Americana of the 50's. The production values are absolutely zip, commercials are built right into the script (Buffalo Bob's dialogue with Howdy includes great news about Wonder Bread!), the characters represent some stereotypes (particularly Chief Thunderthud) that, by contrast, might have "Amos N' Andy" looking enlightened. The attempts at illusion are amateurish and the Peanut Gallery is about as spontaneous as a loaf of stale bread. None-the-less, it is a slice of life from who and how we once were.

Some nice memories are provided: the recollection that Clarabelle, in the earlier shows, was played by Bob Keeshan - later, Captain Kangeroo. The wonderfully imaginative character of the Flubberdub and the stereotypical tight-wad Phineus T. Bluster - Princess Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring and all the other inhabitants of this early idea about what children's television could or should be about are there.

I found the last episode,"Clarabell Speaks", to be anticlimactical. Of course, I know now - and I knew then - that he could speak and that his horns were part of the `act.' But, everything taken into account, I enjoyed the first half of the video, enough to recommend it, with some reservations, to students of the history of broadcasting or to old-timers who would enjoy a `blast from the past.'

'The Howdy Doody show' was the first television show our gang in First Street, Troy , New York ever rushed in to my grandmother' s house to see. She had the only television on the block. I cannot say I loved it then. Mr. Bluster , Phineas T. Bluster was a bit scary for me. What the heck was Princess, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring doing there exactly on the show? Wasn't Chief Thunder- Thud a little old to be her boyfriend? Bob Smith was such a square. And Howdy Doody himself with those little freckles bouncing up and down could be a bit annoying. As for Clarabell, maybe he was funny sometimes. But those kids in the Peanut Gallery truly were strange, as they all reacted in the same way all the time to whatever was said or did.

Anyhow everybody else in the world seemed to love and need to watch the show very much. Me, it always made a little sad.

What did they want from me with it?

And why was it so important to see it?

Buffalo Bob too was no big friend of mine, and what exactly was a grown- man doing there talking all the time to a puppet who certainly was not real.

That is the way I thought about it in childhood.

Now I know I should have perhaps enjoyed it more , for it will never be 'Howdy Doody Time' again.