Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice for kids, but why the hatchet job?, July 27, 2007
I have mixed feelings about these new Underdog DVDs (this one, The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 2 and The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 3). On one hand, I think these cartoons 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 program -- 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!
I gave this particular DVD three 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.
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39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
They're cut and time compressed!, July 26, 2007
Just like the Space Ghost set I bought last week, these "episodes" are cut. They've left 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!
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New EDITIONS are complete! Cliffhangers restored!, July 30, 2007
I never bought the first sets of Underdog DVDs which appeared a few years back. Not sure why, but I suppose I wanted to buy a whole set and save a few bucks. Well, I finally did. I bought a set of the new DVDs from (another brick & morter store) for 20 bucks for 3 DVDs.
Now, not seeing the previous DVDs I am not sure how they compare. I do know that I read a few reviews which kept me from buying the first set from here. Statements that they cut things short or sped things up made me think it wasn't worth buying. Well, Classic Media must read these reviews. They restored the episodes to cliffhanger episodes with the cartoons like go go gophers and tennessee tuxedo, klondike kat, tooter turtle and more with their title screen and tunes seemingly intact. OK, maybe a few seconds of the actual theme songs were cut. Sure, it would be nice to have them complete, but when going from cliffhanger to tennessee tuxedo, I didn't really miss it. Besides, they do have a DVD set of Tennessee Tuxedo for those of us who want the theme song before each episode.
The transfers look great! The sound is awesome and the stories are as charming and silly as ever. How they ever got away with a magical pill that enhances strength and makes it possible to hit more home runs than Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron I'll never know. OK, maybe not home runs. But he does get his strength from "artifical means" and not one kid ever thought it was cheating. Then again, Underdog never went up against Superman, Captain Marvel or even Mighty Mouse to prove who was stronger.
Truly, outside of a few purists who just have to have everything exactly the way they want it, and I am not blaming them for wanting it that way, most anyone will enjoy this set from quality and quantity stand points.
Final word on purists...
I am a purist for most things, but there are some things I will take whatever I can get. This is one of those items. Like Ultraman and Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes, I am happy to have the chance to watch things I enjoyed as a child and see it through those childlike eyes again. So if it's missing a few things, I'll forgive as long as the transfers are clean and the episodes of the main feature are complete which these are, I won't complain.
This set is a nice set for kids of all ages. It's also fun to hear some of the voices from other cartoons and animated classic such as, the Christmas animations Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, in another format. Keep a kean ear open as you will place a few voices from other TV shows, cartoon and classics.
Happy watching!
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