Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 2

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have mixed feelings about these new Underdog DVDs (this one, The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 1 and The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 3). On one hand, I think the cartoons here are great for kids. Originally airing on 1960s television, the Underdog serials have just enough sarcasm ("Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a frog!) to engage even the most jaded child, and the show's additional cartoons include not just Tennessee Tuxedo, but the great Tooter Turtle and World of Commander McBragg. (Others include the King and Odie, Klondike Kat, Go Go Gophers and The Hunter.)

That said, whoever put together this set apparently has no appreciation for its contents. The shows on this disk are edited! Not for anything racy or racist (this was '60s television, after all) but just because someone is apparently too greedy, or too lazy, to deliver what they promise. Despite the fact that these were 30-minute television shows, on this disk each Underdog show -- which has two 'dog episodes and two additional cartoons -- runs only 19 minutes.

Worse, the cuts are done with the subtlety of a meat clever. For example, in the Tooter Turtle shorts, after Mr. Wizard says "Drizzle, drazzle, druzzle, drome, time for this one to come home"... the cartoon ends! As another reviewer points out, that's NOT the end!

As for the Underdog stories on this particular "Volume 2" DVD, when Riff-Raff plans to steal the gold out of Fort Knox in 1964's "The Great Gold Robbery," he also captures Sweet Polly Purebred. Underdog and Polly battle vicious rats when they get shrunk by bad guy Simon Bar Sinister in 1964's "The Big Shrink." Finally, when aliens invade Earth and turn everyone into their slaves in the 1966 serial "The Marbleheads," Shoeshine Boy eventually finds a way to turn himself into Underdog and save the day.

I gave this set four stars because of my fondness for Underdog, Tooter and Commander McBragg. But if you buy it, be prepared to be at least a little frustrated.

Just like the Space Ghost set I bought last week, these "episodes" are cut. They'veleft out most of the bridging material between the segments (such as the theme songs that used to play before the extra cartoons like Go-Go Gophers would start). This along with some time compression (Underdog sounds like Sweet Polly since his voice is sped up so fast!) on some segments and editing of other segments reduces the shows to around 19 minutes! What's the deal folks? I love this stuff, but can't any company find or create the complete episodes for any cartoon series??? Heck, I'd take the horrible 16-mm syndicated prints that used to show when I was a kid if I could get all of the material!

I was pretty excited to rush out and buy these DVDs at last, but mostly I was excited to finally see Tooter the Turtle once again. I was excited that is until I got them home and started viewing them, I was really disapointed when it came to the Tooter segment that it just starts....no intro, oh well i could live with this....then came the ending, oh! my most favorite part was coming up... you know the part where tooter cries for Mr Wizard to bring him back home, anticipation....Tooter spins in the vortex...then Mr Wizard says "Drizzle, drazzle, druzzle, drome; time for zis one to come home"....oh boy!! here it comes!!!......then nothing. It ends right there, abruptly. My favorite part where Mr Wizard scolds Tooter and tells him "Always Always I tell you Tooter, Be just vhat you is, not vhat you is not. Folks vhat do zis are ze happiest lot." is gone. I really hate to split hairs but it makes this grown up kid feel cheated . Sigh. Huh? What? The rest of the Dvd you ask? eh, its ok i guess......(shuffles feet, while looking down at the ground)

Great DVD. but I highly suggest just buying the ultimate collection and getting volume 1, 2 and 3. Much better savings. Your kids will love them.

After seeing the new version of Underdog, my grandson wanted more. So, I ordered him the cartoon version that his parents grew up with and he was delighted. He watches it all the time.

These are funny to watch as a family. It's a blast from the past for Mom and Dad, and it's all-new for the kids. The shows have nice humor, some interesting verbal puns and characterizations, and we enjoy them.

This is another great collection in the Underdog series. It has the added bonus of sing-along lyrics for two versions of the themes. It also has so-called promotional spots, like the one that introduces us to Shoe-Shine Boy. When I watched this way back when, these spots were always in the show, so I don't think of them as bonus.

The only big disappointment, which is the case with all the series, is that the extended credits are nowhere to be seen. There was the whole paint roller thing, going down as new credits were laid out, and much more music, some of which appears as background music in episodes.

Please release more volumes of this, and give us those credits!

Very good set up is the way I remrber watching this series as a kid.

Just as I remembered from when I was a kid! My youngest son aged 6 enjoyed it AS WELL. After I took him to the new UNDERDOG movie I had to show him the "real thing". Cartoons made today, with the exception of Sponge Bob, just do not compare to the old stuff. They are all too PC and wishy washy.

I bought this for my daughter as she was getting excited about the new Underdog movie about to be released. I thought it would be good to see how she would react to the old Underdog cartoons. She loved it! I also enjoy watching the old Underdog episodes.