Customer Reviews

Magilla Gorilla - The Complete Series

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Yes, Warner Home Video has admitted that they goofed, they forgot the opening & closing titles that has the famous theme song! They also forgot the in-between bridging material that introduced the next cartoon. Then there is the fair quality film transfer of the cartoons. No restoration here!

Warner Home Video MAY re-master the discs IF there is a demand for it. I say demand it!

After the exceptional DVD releases on Yogi Bear & Huckleberry Hound, this is a real let down.

Well it seems that Warner Bro's likes to think no one would notice that every episode on this set is missing it's opening and ending credits with it's theme song!!!
That's right no Theme SONG!!!!!
Only in the non animated menu do you get a listen to the famous song but as for on the episodes ....no!
Besides this fact the image is awful, this set looks more like to was produced by a budget company that usually sells discs for 1 dollar.


I hear recall!
SO I urge all fans to NOT buy this incomplete show and wait for Warners to get their act together and fix this very serious issue.

I so looked forward to getting this. I love the Hanna Barbera cartoons; they take me back to my childhood. I am, however dissappointed in this set.
If you purchase DVDs based on customer reviews then take heed. Some of the cartoons are kind of fuzzy and the theme song is missing! How could they not have noticed that?
Maybe I should have listened to the reviewer that said this is just for kids, they wouldn't know any better.

From all the reviews I have read concerning this release it does'nt even deserve 1 star. I'm not talking about the cartoons , the cartoons themselves are all classic,I'm talking about the HORRIBLE transfers and the fact that they DID NOT include the opening and closing themes. I would buy this but the price would have to come down a lot because this is not a quality effort put into the release of this product. If there is not a re-release then I guess I will be stuck with this unacceptable version of this release , but first the price must come down.

First of all, let me say that I am thankful to WB video for these box sets of cartoons. Many of them, particularly the early sets, have been done top notch. That, however, is not the case with this recent release. As usual, it does not take long for WB to start cutting back on the products after the initial blush is gone. The early Flintstones, Jetsons and Top Cat offerings featured startlingly beautiful prints and somewhat interesting extras, but this poor Magilla set is clearly a real cut-rate job. The set does have all the cartoons made for the series, grouped as shows, (curiously with a few cartoons added as special features with no explanation as to why they were not included grouped as part of the shows). There are no opening or closing title sequences or original credits provided either. And a number of the cartoons in the set are sub-standard, grainy, dirty, scratched, high contrast prints, which in this day and age, is inexcusable particularly for WB. The extra materials are bare bones on this set and, though I don't blame the dedicated people who work very hard to put these sets together or who appear in interviews, (layout artist and show designer Jerry Eisenberg, Animation historian Jerry Beck and Magilla voice Allan Melvin provide short but insightful comments). I still would have hoped for more information on the show's conception and production or at the very least complete, accurate credits. The show was very cute and well executed for television during the heyday of Hanna Barbera cartoon production in the mid 1960s. But, with the exception of the earlier produced Ricochet Rabbit and Pumpkin Puss & Mush Mouse cartoons (which are funny and hold up surprisingly well with good writing and great performances particularly by Mel Blanc and Howard Morris), lacks the sophistication and luster of the shows that preceded it such as the prime time shows and Huckleberry Hound. This show was not nearly as entertaining as Quick Draw McGraw, (to me one of the studios best efforts) and it is a mystery as to why the powers that be at Warners Video would opt to offer Magilla over Quickdraw to begin with. But that is taste and the distributor's prerogative. In the end, this set is not terrible, just disappointing and would still be great for the kiddies. But, as a serious presentation of the series for collection or study, I am sorry to say this falls below the standards set by earlier H & B sets.

I was really looking forward to getting this set and sharing it with my young niece and nephew --- not to mention being taken back to my own childhood. Like most other reviewers, I am disappointed in this set.
I can deal with the fuzzy cartoons --- but I can't believe they left off the opening and closing credits with the theme song :(((((( How and why would they do that??
It would have been nice to see my niece and nephew singing along with the catchy theme song ... oh well.

Magilla Gorilla fans get the Banana! This show may not be at the top of the Hanna Barbera list, but Magilla Gorilla is still one of their most memorable characters ever created. It's too bad that this DVD release didn't receive the amount of restoration it truly deserved. The opening Magilla Gorilla theme song and closing segments are missing and that's a major disappointment.

The video transfer of the various cartoons varies in quality from good to poor. It's obvious from the video quality that this was a rush job by Warner Studios in an effort to quickly release this show on DVD. The quality of this release is well below the standard of the other Hanna Barbera release's currently being sold, but I'm still glad I can add it to my collection.

Despite the issues I have raised regarding the level of quality, I'm sure fans will still want to own this set. Magilla Gorilla the Complete Series 4 disc set contains all 23 episodes from the show plus another 8 bonus shorts. The four single sided discs are well done and come with great artwork and packaging. Come on and join Mr Peebles and Magilla Gorilla today!

DVD Features:
- Magilla Gorilla theme song, live and unplugged: rare footage of Hoyt Curtin and Bill Hanna at the piano, introduced by series animator Jerry Eisenberg
- Mr. Peebles pet shop: interactive interview gallery with Magilla Gorilla voice Allan Melvin, series animator Jerry Eisenberg and animation historian Jerry Beck
- Here comes a star: archival TV special goes inside Hanna-Barbera studios to introduce this new simian character

This was an Hanna-Barbera cartoon collection that started in 1964. The title cartoon is about a Gorilla that nobody wants to buy and the nearly broke pet store owner, Mr. Peebles.

So here's the weird piece of trivia - Magilla Gorilla's voice is Allan Melvin, the guy who played Sam the Butcher on "The Brady Bunch." Mr. Peebles was voiced by Howard Morris who played Ernest T Bass on the "Andy Griffith Show." Howard also directed some of my favorite "Hogan's Heroes" episodes.

The other two cartoons are Ricochet Rabbit (a rabbit version of Quickdraw McGraw) and the hillbilly cat and mouse toon Punkin' Pus.

Disc 1
Big Game (Magilla)
Atchison, Topeka & San Jose (Ricochet Rabbit)
Calling All Kin (Punkin' Puss)
Gridiron Gorilla (Magilla)
Good Little Bad Guy (Ricochet Rabbit)
Small Change (Punkin' Puss)
Private Magilla (Magilla)
Cradle Robber (Ricochet Rabbit)
Hornswoggled (Punkin' Puss)
Bank Pranks (Magilla)
West Pest (Ricochet Rabbit)
Muscle Tussle (aka "Gall Of The Wild") (Punkin' Puss)
Groovey Movie (Magilla)
TV Show (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Cat Nipped (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Airlift (Magilla)
<LI>Annie Hoaxley (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Army-Nervy Game (Punkin' Puss)

Disc 2
<LI>Come Blow Your Dough (Magilla)
<LI>School Daze (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Seein' Is Believin' (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Mad Scientist (Magilla)
<LI>Sheepy Wolf (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Courtin' Disaster (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Masquerade Party (Magilla)
<LI>Big Thinker (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>A Tale Of Two Kitties (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Come Back Little Magilla (Magilla)
<LI>Two Too Many (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Chomp Romp (Punkin' Puss
<LI>Fairy Godmother (Magilla)
<LI>Bad Guys Are Good Guys (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Catch As Cat Can Day (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Planet Zero (Magilla)
<LI>Itchy-Finger Gunslinger (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Jump Bumps (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Prince Charming (Magilla)
<LI>Clunko Bunko (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Nowhere Bear (Punkin' Puss)

Disc 3
<LI>Motorcycle Magilla (Magilla)
<LI>Slick Quick Gun (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Legend Of Bat Mouseterson (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Is That Zoo? (Magilla)
<LI>Mostly Ghostly (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Super Drooper (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Bird Brained (Magilla)
<LI>Will O' The Whip (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Pep Hep (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Circus Ruckus (Magilla)
<LI>Cactus Ruckus (Ricochet Rabbit)
<LI>Shot At And Missed (Punkin' Puss)
<LI>Magilla Gorilla Only Cartoons
<LI>Camp Scamps, The Purple Mask
<LI>Love at First Fight, Makin' With The Magilla
<LI>Pet Bet, High Fly Guy
<LI>Deep Sea Doodle

DVD 4

Season 3

Show #1

That Was The Geek That Was (Magilla)
Rapid Romance (Ricochet Rabbit)
The Mouse From S.O.M.P. (Punkin' Puss)

Show #2

Montana Magilla (Magilla)
El Loco, Loco, Loco, Loco Diablo (Ricochet Rabbit)
Host Of A Ghost (Punkin' Puss)

Season 3 Extra Magilla Gorilla Cartoon

Magilla Mix-Up

Season 4

Show #1

Wheelin' And Dealin' (Magilla)
Big Town Show Down (Ricochet Rabbit)
Feudal Feud (Punkin' Puss)

Show #2

Mad Avenue Madness (Magilla)
Space Sheriff (Ricochet Rabbit)
Heir Conditioning (Punkin' Puss)

Show #3

Beau Jest (Magilla)
Red Riding Ricochet (Ricochet Rabbit)
Hyde And Shriek (Punkin' Puss)

Show #4

Super Blooper Heroes (Magilla)
Jail Break-In (Ricochet Rabbit)
Misfortune Cookie (Punkin' Puss)

There should be plenty of odd extras with the show's opening and endings. Earl Kress is reporting these among the bonus features:
Here Comes A Star - A 1963 Half-Hour Special that was used to introduce the show to the world. It is hosted by George Fenniman (Groucho Marx's announcer from You Bet Your Life), who talks to Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera. It's in B&W and is particularly interesting because it shows the then newly constructed H-B studio at 3400 Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood.
* New interviews with Allan Melvin, the voices of Magilla and Punkin' Puss and the only surviving cast member, and layout artist and character designer Jerry Eisenberg.

Magilla Gorilla was my favorite afternoon fix (right before the 4:30 movie)
And this complete series pretty much helps me fall in love with the big guy
all over again. But like most cartoon purist I was very disappointed at the
non-inclusion of the opening and closing titles. To me Magilla Gorilla had
one of the better upbeat openings which also introduced Ricochet Rabbit and
Droopalong and Mushmouth and Pumpkin Puss all singing the chorus but I will
have to suck it up and deal with it. Everything else considered this still
is a great disc set to add to your Hanna and Barbera collection.

Kids' show hosts in the early '60s had a problem. They could only show so many cartoon shorts in what was, essentially, a kids' variety program, and Hanna-Barbera, which made the best TV cartoons, only offered their shows to networks in half-hour formats. That was until 1962, when H-B syndicated "Wally Gator", "Touche Turtle", and "Lippy the Lion" shorts, enabling local networks to run individual cartoons. In 1964, The Magilla Gorilla Show was also locally syndicated first, although it later relaunched on ABC. Later the "Richochet Rabbit" segment moved over to the new Peter Potamus Show, "Breezly and Sneezly" from that series sliding into the vacated spot.

Both series were developed for and sponsored by Ideal Toys (and have the word and logo of "Ideal" in the theme song), and in 1966, both joined ABC's Saturday morning line-up. This DVD set captures all 23 episodes of the first Magilla Show on four one-sided discs, with the supporting "Richochet Rabbit" and "Mushmouse and Punkinpuss" segments. It's been pointed out that the catchy opening theme is missing, although it plays behind the onscreen menu, as are the closing credits. This is ironic, as one of the special features on disc three shows Hoyt Curtin and Bill Hanna playing and singing the memorable song.

Also on disc three are seven extra Magilla 'toons, probably from the later batch, which were aired until 1967, and an odd bit called "Peebles Petshop". This opens onto a picture of Magilla's well-known home with arrows here and there. Clicking on an arrow launches a mini video, usually with animation historian Jerry Beck, and some with Magilla voice actor Allan Melvin. There's even one on Chugga-Chugga, the pet shop dachsund and a recurring character. On disc four there's another extra Magilla cartoon, and a 1964 black and white TV special, "Here Comes a Star" made for local stations to run prior to the show's debut. Everyone seems very stiff, as if they have stage fright, but they air an entire Magilla Gorilla cartoon. Here you do see the opening song segment, but it's in black and white.

The theme song cavil aside, this is a pretty good set, and a great chance for H-B fans and animation buffs to see lots of classic cartoons for not much coin. The Boomerang channel and the show of the same name on Cartoon Network showed some of these shows, along with lots of other classic retro H-B 'toons. Hopefully more Boomerang favorites are ahead, like Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, Squiddly Diddly, and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. When Scooby Do made DVD, kids took to it like a new show, and made the DVDs best sellers. Look how many "new" shows in the Hanna-Barbera roster yet remain to debut on DVD.