Customer Reviews

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete First and Second Seasons

5 star:		(164)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

My earliest and most fondest memory of watching the classic 1969 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was in the 70s early in the morning when it was still dark outside. Considering how Scooby is often parodied today, this may surprise you but back then (to my young eyes) Scooby-Doo was kinda scary and creepy thanks to the creepy background settings, the monsters (my favorite: the skeleton-headed spaceman with the crazy laugh) and Ted Nichols' creepy underscore which could build up tension like Bernard Herrmann did for Hitchcock. Luckily, the tension would be broken with Scooby and Shaggy's comedic antics. Antics which typically resulted in the "musical chase numbers" which would conclude with the "monster" getting trapped, then unmasked, followed by the villain's obligatory "And I would've gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids"...[and their dog]. As predictable, or even corny as others deem it be, all of this - the pure 60s/70s fun - is what has eternally endeared Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! to me above all the other versions. Produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Scooby-Doo's mystery-solving format remains one of most often imitated shows to date. Fangface, Clue Club, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Rickety Rocket, Jabberjaw (just to name a few) all owe credit to Scooby-Doo. After the two seasons here in this collection the quality of the show was diminished to rather "cartoony proportions." Though, some versions were still interesting to watch such as 1972's The New Scooby-Doo Movies where the gang would team up with guest stars such as Batman & Robin, The Addams Family, Jerry Reed, Tim Conway, Sandy Duncan, and such. There were three versions of Scooby-Doo's opening theme for the two seasons in this collection: One is a rare instrumental only version used in the first few episodes of season one; the other is the classic vocal version performed by studio singer Larry Marks used for the remainder of season one; and then there's the one that has the same music and lyrics as the classic version but was performed by "chase songs" artist Austin Roberts for season two. For the grooviest adventures of Freddy, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scoob, this DVD collection is definitely the best buy!

Features:
Featurettes
Music videos
DVD challenge

Episodes:
What a Night for a Knight (1969)
A Clue for Scooby Doo (1969)
Hassle in the Castle (1969)
Mine Your Own Business (1969)
Decoy for a Dognapper (1969)
What the Hex Going On? (1969)
Never Ape an Ape Man (1969)
Foul Play in Funland (1969)
The Backstage Rage (1969)
Bedlam in the Big Top (1969)
A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts (1969)
Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too (1969)
Which Witch Is Which? (1969)
Go Away Ghost Ship (1969)
Spooky Space Kook (1969) "That crazy spaceman, yeah!"
A Night of Fright Is No Delight (1970)
That's Snow Ghost (1970)
Nowhere to Hyde (1970)
Mystery Mask Mix-Up (1970)
Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright (1970)
Jeepers, It's the Creeper (1970)
Haunted House Hang-Up (1970)
A Tiki Scare Is No Fair (1970)
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf? (1970)
Don't Fool with a Phantom (1970)

Hanna-Barbara have put out this box-set of 4 DVDs containing every single complete episode of the ultra-classic "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?" that ran from 1969-1970. Don't be fooled that the title states "The Complete First and Second Seasons"; there only were two seasons.

What you WON'T find in this collection (thankfully) are the miriad of spin-offs and bad idea cartoons that were spawned by the original series - such as Scrappy-Doo, Scooby-Dumb, celebrity guest-appearances by Don Knotts, the Harlam Globetrotters and Sonny & Cher.

No, this collection is just all the original, pure, superb "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?" cartoons that ran from 1969-70. There are a total of 25 episodes spanning four DVDs, with the occasional extra thrown-in. The extras are fluff and as such uneccesary, but there aren't many and they don't detract from the DVDs much.

The mastering is done well, and the picture looks crisp, sharp, clean, and bright. The colors are vibrant and true. The sound is also very clean and well done. While they could have probably fit all 25 episodes on fewer disks, I'm glad they chose not to as to keep the compression to a minimum, which they've done.

The original "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?" series isn't just a silly little cartoon that can be easily modified in any number of ways for marketability [as was obviously thought throughout the 1970s when cartoons went overboard with ridiculous concepts but scaled-back the quality and craftsmanship of great animation].

The original Scooby-Doo is nothing short of art. It is highly-realized quality animation that deserves to be preserved in a respectful manner and appreciated by fans everywhere. I'm glad this level of quality has been finally put into a DVD presentation of the cartoon series that was put into the original.

Great!!!! Scooby Doo Where Are You The Complete 1st and 2nd seasons is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I really like the original Scooby Doo Where Are You cartoons. So I guess this 4-disc DVD pack is perfect for me.

Here are what all of the episodes are:

1. What A Night For A Knight
2. Hassle In The Castle
3. A Clue For Scooby Doo
4. Mine Your Own Business
5. Decoy For A Dognapper
6. What The Hex Going On
7. Never Ape An Ape Man
8. Foul Play In Funland
9. Backstage Rage
10. Bedlam In The Bigtop
11. A Gaggle Of Galloping Ghosts
12. Scooby Doo And A Mummy Too
13. Which Witch Is Which
14. Spooky Space Kook
15. Go Away Ghost Ship
16. A Night Of Fright Is No Delight
17. That's Snow Ghost
18. No Where To Hide
19. Mystery Mask Mix up
20. Jeepers It's The Creeper
21. Scooby's Night With A Frozen Fright
22. The Haunted House Hang Up
23. A Tiki Scare Is No Fair
24. Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Werewolf
25. Don't Fool With A Phantom

If you like the original Scooby Doo cartoons, this is the perfect video for you too!!!!

Inspired by such diverse material as radio's "I Love a Mystery" and television's "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," the cartoon series SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU was a smash hit for CBS--and when I was a kid Saturday morning was sure to find me tuned in. Now that the series has been released to DVD, I can indulge in a fit of childhood nostalgia whenever the mood strikes!

In some respects this is a "best possible" DVD release. With no fewer than four DVDs, it includes all twenty five episodes of the original series--stopping mercifully short of the horrific modification of the original concept into ill-advised spin-offs with tiresome "celebrity" guest stars and down-right awful new characters like Scrappy-Doo and Scooby-Dumm. The original shows have been cleaned up, and although time has taken a toll (some look washed out and there are quite a few artifacts) short of a digital restoration this is probably as good as it gets.

Even so, this pricey set falls down tremendously in the bonuses. I don't normally complain about a lack of extras--after all, you're buying the thing for the meat-and-potatoes show, and bonuses are so much gravy--but when you are shelling out some fairly big bucks for a four DVD set you tend to expect something in the way of added value. And it just isn't there. No audio tracks, no "making of" documentary, no interviews. Instead, the DVDs offer a little trivia game, a look at the collections of three fans, and some "man in the street" type interviews--none of which are particularly worth watching.

Given the sometimes ify picture and sound of the episodes, a total lack of interesting extras, and a rather up-town price for the whole thing, I have to drop my rating from five to four stars. Still, if you remember those Scooby snacks as fondly as I do, you're likely to this package set the easiest (and most cost effective) way of acquiring the original shows. Recommended for those of us who never quite grew up!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I'm 24 and I'm not afraid to admit that. Scooby is brilliant. And I don't care what you say...he's real! And he's also been around for 36 years now. Hard to believe huh? Millions (dare I say billions?) of kids have grown-up watching Scooby-Doo and I was one of them. While these episodes from the 1960's and 1970's look and feel dated they are still perfectly acceptable and the overall fun of the show is not lessened.

The episodes are as follows.

Season 1
What a Night for a Knight (1969)
A Clue for Scooby Doo (1969)
Hassle in the Castle (1969)
Mine Your Own Business (1969)
Decoy for a Dognapper (1969)
What the Hex Going On? (1969)
Never Ape an Ape Man (1969)
Foul Play in Funland (1969)
The Backstage Rage (1969)
Bedlam in the Big Top (1969)
A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts (1969)
Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too (1969)
Which Witch Is Which? (1969)
Go Away Ghost Ship (1969)
Spooky Space Kook (1969)

Season 2
A Night of Fright Is No Delight (1970)
That's Snow Ghost (1970)
Nowhere to Hyde (1970)
Mystery Mask Mix-Up (1970)
Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright (1970)
Jeepers, It's the Creeper (1970)
Haunted House Hang-Up (1970)
A Tiki Scare Is No Fair (1970)
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf? (1970)
Don't Fool with a Phantom (1970)

Season 2 is slightly better thanks to the inclusion of one really 70's Danny Janssen song per episode. They are actually quite pleasant, easy-listening songs and it gives the Season 2 episodes a higher nostalgic feel.

Of course all 25 episodes adhere to the strict formula the franchise would soon find it increasingly hard to break away from (and end-up resorting to self-parody instead). Each episode will see the gang going about their ordinary lives before getting involved in a monster mystery. The suspects will all be introduced within 5 minutes. The gang will try to trap the monster but Shaggy and Scooby will screw up and fall into the trap instead. Through sheer luck the monster will be caught and unmasked. The criminal motivations will either be revenge, smugglers dressed up to scare away intruders or townsfolks dressed up to attract tourists. It is very hard to come across a Scooby-Doo episode from any season that doesn't flow this way. But, to be honest, towards the end of the second season the writers did try very hard to put a new spin on things and keep it fresh.

What I like best about the old school Scooby animation is the rustic feel to the backgrounds and settings. The spookyness is painted on in deep purples and blues and makes for surprisingly atmospheric looking environments. While the slick modern nature of the What's New Scooby-Doo TV show is pleasing to the eye there's just something more and better about the old look.

Most of the classic Scooby villains are in here (most of them appearing in Scooby Doo 2) and I strongly suggest that all Scooby-Doo fans buy this box set if they don't have it already. The DVD actually contains some great extras including a cool featurette on Scooby collectors (I must admit I am beaten a zillion times over compared to these guys). Some extras are still fluff tho.

The episodes are presented in 1.33:1 full frame, as originally drawn, with Dolby Mono sound. The quality between them is fairly average with age only marring it occasionally. Still though, you must have!

Everyone's favorite meddling kids from the 1969 TV series brought to dvd. You'll love how the gang, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred and of course Scooby Doo continue to stumble upon scary mysteries travelling in their green van "The Mystery Machine. R'Excellent!

Episode Guide (Season One):
(01) What a Night for a Knight: On the trail of Professor Jameson Hyde-White, a noted archaeologist, the gang finds themselves in a privately owned museum, where they begin looking for clues.
(02) A Clue for Scooby-Doo: The gang is led to an underwater wreckage of some old ships where they uncover the entrance to a secret cove and uncover a boat hijacking operation using the beach cove for their base.
(03) Hassle in the Castle: The Scooby-Doo Sleuths manage to beach their boat onto the mysterious Haunted Isle, where they venture into and investigate the Vasquez Castle.
(04) Mine Your Own Business: While travelling into an old mining town, Scooby and company book up for lodgings at Big Ben's ranch and investigate a mysterious 150year-old Miner 49er.
(05) Decoy for a Dognapper: Scooby falls in love with a poodle who is suddenly dog napped! The gang grooms Scooby to look like the champion Great Dane of Bob Miller as a decoy to catch the criminals.
(06) What the Hex is Going On?: The gang sees a strange man go into a weird mansion and learn that it's their friend's uncle. He tells them that the ghost of the kingston members did it to him by making him old.
(07) Never Ape and Ape Man: Daphne's uncle, a movie director, volunteers the gang as workers on a movie about a fierce creature called the ape man. However, the real ape man is alive.
(08) Foul Play in Funland: The gang gets suspicious of an amusement park when they see the rides there before the opening.
(09) The Backstage Rage: Shaggy finds a violin case full of money that gets taken while Scooby goes to help an injured poodle. The gang suspects that the money was fake.
(10) Bedlam in the Big Top: The gang rescues two circus people who tell them that they have left a circus because of a mysterious person called the ghost clown who is responsible for the many strange accidents and incidents.
(11) A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts: On their way to the Frankenstein castle, the gang visits a gypsy who warns them not to go. They ignore her warning and go anyway.
(12) Scooby-Doo and a Mummy Too!: At the college museum, the gang gets the lead on a dead Egyptian ruler named Inca who according to an ancient superstition, would turn anyone who removed him from his crypt into stone.
(13) Which Witch is Which?: The gang asks a man for directions after getting lost while driving to a concert. The man turns out to be a zombie and that leads them to the nearby witch who is responsible for the zombie's resurrection.
(14) Go Away Ghost Ship: The ghost of long dead pirate has returned and is continuing on where he left off centuries ago.
(15) Spooky Space Kook: The gang is low on gas so they go to a farmhouse where a ghostly alien has appeared.
(16) A Night of Fright is No Delight: Scooby inherits a haunted mansion where he and some other heirs will each get a fortune. Someone or something comes to frighten the heirs away.
(17) That's Snow Ghost: The gang finds themselves in a winter lodge in the Himalayas where the owner tells them about the ghost of a yeti that will turn anyone into ghosts and is out to get revenge on the man that caused his death.

Finally someone has woken up and has seen the light by putting the original 60's and 70's Scooby Doo Where Are You in a box set. Sure, we all bought the Original Mysteries, The Creepiest Capers, and the Spookiest Tales dvds, and also the vhs tapes, but most of the episodes have been hashed out, recycled and put on vhs and dvd over and over again, without new episodes being released. I like many of you am tired of this process. By releasing this box set of the complete first and second seasons, hopefully this will make up for all those episodes that have been released over and over again to us. I went ahead and preordered this, cant wait to get it. Now I can either sale my copies of my other Scooby dvd's or give them away to any kid who needs to know what Saturday mornings were all about back then. Scooby Doo Where Are You is a classic, and this box set hopefully is s sighn of better things to come....

Well, it's official, Hanna and Barbera have finally gotten it right. Releasing the first 25 episodes (and probably the best 25) of the classic Scooby Doo series. Most fans have shelled out lots of money for a few episodes released on DVD here and there, but it's good to finally see an official collection of the first 2 seasons. Overall, the producers have done a pretty good job re-mastering the episodes, which are about 35 years old at this point in time. The picture quality is better than anything you'll see on Cartoon Network, and the sound is a tad bit better, but not really that noticeable. So you get 25 episodes at around 20 minutes in length per episode, which makes for over 8 hours of Scooby and the Gang. My only complaints are the special features, most of which are completely pointless, and the cost. I was kind of surprised at the high price, but if you're going to buy this collection, buy it from Amazon because you probably won't find it anywhere else for a lower price. Those are the only 2 reasons why I gave it a 4 instead of 5. (...)

An excellent first 2 seasons. Twenty-five episodes in all. They are as follows...
SEASON 1
1. WHAT A NIGHT FOR A KNIGHT
2. A CLUE FOR SCOOBY DOO
3. HASSLE IN THE CASTLE
4. MINE YOUR OWN BUSINESS
5. DECOY FOR A DOGNAPPER
6. WHAT THE HEX IS GOING ON?
7. NEVER APE AND APE MAN
8. FOUL PLAY IN FUNLAND
9. THE BACKSTAGE RAGE
10. BEDLAM IN THE BIG TOP
11. A GAGGLE OF GALLOPING GHOSTS
12. SCOOBY-DOO AND A MUMMY TOO!
13. WHICH WITCH IS WHICH?
14. GO AWAY GHOST SHIP
15. SPOOKY SPACE KOOK
16. A NIGHT OF FRIGHT IS NO DELIGHT
17. THAT'S SNOW GHOST
SEASON 2
18. NOWHERE TO HYDE
19. MYSTERY MASK MIX-UP
20. JEEPERS IT'S THE CREEPER
21. SCOOBY'S NIGHT WITH A FROZEN FRIGHT
22. THE HAUNTED HOUSE HANG-UP
23. A TIKI SCARE IS NO FAIR
24. WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WEREWOLF

Wow...the great thing about watching these first two seasons of Scooby Doo is the wonderful feeling of nostalgia you get with the fond memories of Saturday morning cartoons. Remember that time of the 60's and 70's when Saturday mornings were all about cartoons on the three major networks from about 8am to noon? I remember being so excited when each of the networks would premiere their new Satuday lineups usually on the Friday evening before all the new shows started. Man those were the days.

And of course Scooby Doo was such a favorite from these earliest seasons to the Scooby Doo movies with guest stars like the Three Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, Don Knotts, Tim Conway, and so many others. That Was SO cool. This 4 DVD set gives you the 25 episodes from the first two seasons along with a host of DVD extras including new featurettes, Scooby fashions and more...Gosh it seems like yesterday when I was just 8 years old and watching these for the first time with all the great villians and mysterious places the gange visited. Here are some of my favorite episodes:

"What a night for a Knight" The episode that started it all! The gang investigates a museum and a ghostly black Knight.

"Mine your Own Business" The gang investigate a Ranch where the ghost of an old Miner is frightening the guests away. Featuring the classic Miner 49er villian!

"Foul Play in Funland" As the gang looks for clams on a beach, Daphne looks across the beach to the Funland amusement park. She comments about how spooky it looks as it is closed and if on cue, all the lights flick on and the rides begin to operate. One of my all-time favorites!

"Bedlam in the Big Top" Another all-time favorite featuring the ghostly clown who is haunting the circus and hypnotizing people with his "coin of gold"

"Go Away Ghost Ship" The Ghost of Redbeard is raiding ships and scooby and the Gange must solve the mystery as shag and Scooby are captured by the pirates.

"That's Snow Ghost" Scooby-Doo and the gange travel to the Wolf's End Lodge for a skiing trip where its proprietor, Mr. Greenway, warns them of a Snow Ghost who makes the ski trip a scare trip.

"Jeepers it's the Creeper" - The gang finds an unconscious bank guard who has been robbed by the mysterious Creeper who has been robbing the bank for years.

"Don't fool with the Phantom" - Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are upstaged by the sudden appearance of a glowing wax phantom during a TV appearance on The Johnny Sands Dance Game Show. After the phantom appears, the audience clears out, and the studio's safe is robbed and the station manager, Roger Stevens, taken hostage.

Wow...i just cannot believe how much I loved watching this. I have not seen most of these episodes in over 30 years. Just great nostalgic fun.