The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 3
(1964)
Underdog DVDs
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I have mixed feelings about these new Underdog DVDs (this one, The
Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 1 and The Ultimate Underdog
Collection Volume 2). 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 runs
only 19 minutes. Since half-hour shows back then typically had about
five minutes of commercials, that's about six minutes short!
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.
