Customer Reviews

The Milton The Monster Show - The Complete Series

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I hadn't seen this show since it's original '65 release when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I ordered it more out of nostalgia than anything else, but was pleasently surprised to find the MILTON episodes remarkably entertaining, amusing, and having plenty of appeal for an adult viewer. I think many of the jokes, puns and situations would most likely be over the head of a 6 year old. Also, in this era of Political Correctness, with so many self-proclaimed child advocacy groups, Hell-Bent on protect ing children from life, reality, and FUN... it was GREAT to see/hear so many casual jokes about death, dismemberment, and threats of violence. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of these comments. Ah, the Good Old
Days, of Saturday Morning Cartoons!
Perhaps I JUST have an afinity for monsters, but I found the MILTON cartoons to be far and away the best segment of the MTMS collection.

It was interesting to see vintage'60s TV animation where the cells were still hand inked and NOT transfered to cells with a Xerox process, which shortly would become the norm for TV animation. I was also pleased to see just how much original ANIMATION was done for each episode. Limited TV-style Animation, of course, but compared to what the MASTERS of LIMITED ANIMATION at FILMATION would be passing off in the coming years, MILTON looks more like theatrical cartoon quality in comparison. In addition, I found the background art, if at times, somewhat simplistic, to be very well executed and stylish. The shows are beautifully restored and of excellent visual quality.
Unfortunatly, on the downside most of the OTHER segements that were part of the MTMS, Fearless Fly, Stuffy Durma, Muggy Doo, Flukey Luke, Penny Penguin, etc. were much more formulaic and derivitive. s I frequently got bored, and and was tempted to fast forward to get to the next MILTON segment.
On the upside, a unique and much appreciated feature on each disc, is the option to view all episodes of any give segment. This feature also deletes the repetative opening/song/set-up for that preceeds each episode and starts at it's title card. My hat is off to whomever came up with this feature.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection and recommend it to anyone interested in TV animation from this era.
MW

This cartoon series, produced by Hal Seeger Productions for ABC-TV, was a childhood classic for those who grew up in the 1960's. Although only 26 episodes were produced, ABC ran the show for three years on its Saturday and Sunday morning lineups. The animation (by some of Seeger's Fleischer Studios cohorts) is pedestrian, but the voice work and stories help put this series over. Some of the other characters are retreads of some of the characters Seeger created for his Stanhall Comics imprint in the 1950's, but re-realized as other species (Muggy-Doo, Boy Cat becomes a fox; the pig Stuffy Derma becomes a human). I'm pleased that Shout! Factory is getting this released, but I'm a little sad that they couldn't do it while Hal Seeger (who died in 1995) was still around to enjoy it. And I give this a very high recommendation because of its fun factor. Now, Shout! Factory, how about "Batfink" for your next project?

Simplistic stories, best viewed by kids, but if you watched it when you were one, you can't help but order this anymore than I did. Produced by Hal Seeger a year before his popular Batfink (which is also well worth preordering), this show has three segments: Fearless Fly (a super hero satire, not unlike Atom Ant), Milton the Monster (a satire of Frankenstein etc), and a rotating middle segment of short lived characters like Flukey Luke, which is replaced in later episodes by a second Milton Story.
Watch three or four a day and relive your childhood in stages. I still am.
Peter

Hal Seeger Productions has always been the odd man out. Since this show didn't come through a major production company known for other cartoons, it's been very late making it to DVD. A favorite when it ran on ABC Saturday Mornings in 1965, this show has a great theme, good character design, and in veteran Shamus Culhane, an excellent director. The show also didn't take itself too seriously. "Now for a tincture of tenderness," says Professor Weirdo in the show's opening theme, "but I must use only a drop." "Oops, too much!" he exclaims, and instead of turning out scary, Milton, based on Gomer Pyle, USMC, turns out friendly.
Fearless Fly is an imaginative supporting feature in which timid Hiram, putting on his special glasses, becomes a superhero crime- fighter. The other supporting feature rotated between Muggy-Doo, Boy Fox; Stuffy Durma, a millionaire who longs to return to his hobo lifestyle; Penny Penguin; and cowboy Flukey Luke, with his Irish-Indian assistant. Eventually this third segment was replaced by a second Milton cartoon.
By the mid '60s, there had been a handful of truly amazing, unique cartoon shows, from Rocky and Bullwinkle to Beany and Cecil and Underdog, not to mention Hanna-Barbera's numerous hits, including Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, and Magilla Gorilla. But throw your mind back to 1965, and you'll see why audiences were riveted on Milton. The Addams Family and The Munsters were already making a sort of light-hearted gallows humor the biggest hit of the day; "limited" TV animation had managed to captivate kids with unforgettable characters and imaginative scripts. But the writing on Milton, and the one-liners, especially on "Fearless Fly" take it to a whole new level. The oddly-named Stuffy Durma cartoons play more like theatrical one-offs than a supporting TV cartoon. Myron Waldman, the creator of Betty Boop's dog, Pudgy, was listed as animator for the series, and Shamus Culhane, who storyboarded the most manic Woody Woodpecker theatrical cartoons, was a director. Everywhere evident is his style and genius (see more in his biography, Talking Animals and Other People Talking Animals and Other People/the Autobiography of One of Animation's Legendary Figures).
The theme song is still one of the oddest and most memorable in cartoons, and the numerous "bumper" segments that led in and out of commercials and station breaks are as fondly remembered as the similar segments from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Shout Factory, as usual, did an excellent job with this set, with four one-sided discs in two thin snap cases in a box sleeve. The Complete Series comprises 26 episodes with three cartoon segments each, (and a few extras) altogether running over nine hours. What's kept cartoon fans from these classic DVD sets has naturally been the dear price tag. But check Amazon's bargain price. What are you waiting for? OK classic 'toon fans, start your engines!

This has to be one of the best cartoons from the 1960's. I was surprised how sharp and clear the images were. I have seen some video clips of this show taken from VHS versions and the quality was terrible.

TV today is nothing like it was when we were children. I can remember getting up very early Saturday morning to start watching cartoons.

Initially when Cartoon Network started, they played a lot of the cartoons from our youth, but then they went with newer cartoons. Then they came out with Boomerang which plays some of the old cartoons from our youth, but they too don't play them like they use to and play new ones.

I miss the old Harvey Toons. Like Little Lulu, Casper, Baby Huey etc...

I must say I was very pleased to get my DVD set of Milton the Monster. Picture and sound quality is great, and the set even includes all the bumpers for the original commercial breaks.
Some vintage commercials would have been neat as well. But who's complaining. Milton really took me back to my childhood in the '60s. Two thumbs up! :)

I love these cartoons of MILTON THE MONSTER,it's great to get them on dvd finally.
I watch them all the time,and they put me in such a fun spooky mood.
They have even inspired my own drawings of monster art called,"TOXICTOONS."
There aren't much for extras,but seeing MILTON in costume and stuffed into a horse drawn hearse and taken through the streets of NEW YORK is great!
Plus i am just happy to have all the cartoons on dvd in great condition after watching bad copies for years.

So if you are a fan of monster cartoons grab a copy this dvd!!

OMG I still remember all the words to all the themes. The smile never left my face. thank you.

this bought back great memories of childhood ,classic series and well packaged with bonus features at a reasonable price .

This was not quite what I expected as I thought it would be the Milton the Monster Episodes but it is actually Milton and his crew presenting a Cartoon show with shows like Fearless Fly which are good but just not what I expected. The packaging and quality are excellent so if this is what you are looking for then it's great.