Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour-Complete Series
Scooby-Doo, Where are You! was a pivotal television program created by Hanna-Barbera in 1969 that changed children’s programming by juxtaposing a group of everyday kids and their goofy dog with truly frightening monsters and elaborate mysteries. After its initial success on CBS, Scooby-Doo moved to ABC and, in 1976, was paired with the new show Dynomutt–a show that built upon Scooby-Doo’s success by extending a similar formula to the world of superheroes. In this complete Scooby-Doo Dynomutt series, 16 pairs of episodes follow the Scooby-Doo gang and Dynomutt and Blue Falcon as they solve crimes that involve everything from modern day burglars and skyscraper construction crews to a cave man seeking a college education and newly awakened Aztec ghosts. In the Scooby-Doo cartoons, a nervous Scooby-Doo and Shaggy inevitably manage to stumble upon crucial clues, the accident-prone Daphne always seems to endanger the entire group with her missteps, and the brainy Velma seems destined to solve every mystery with her infallible intellect. Scooby-Doo’s cousin Scooby-Dum is introduced in this series in “The Gruesome Game of the Gator Ghoul” and even Shaggy’s uncle, the magician Zarko, makes an appearance in “Scared a Lot in Camelot.” Harrowing chases and an overwhelming preoccupation with food and Scooby Snacks are, of course, a given. Dynomutt features the ever-malfunctioning mechanical Dog Wonder Dynomutt–a sidekick who, despite being endowed with an amazing array of technical gadgets, consistently impedes the Batman-like superhero Blue Falcon’s efforts to save Big City from a ceaseless progression of criminals. Somehow the odd pair always manages to solve the crime and capture the bad guys, keeping Big City safe until the next villain’s crime spree. Bonus features include the “Eerie Mystery of Scooby-Doo and Dynomutt’s History” that details the creation of both Scooby-Doo and Dynomutt and features interviews with television executive Fred Silverman, Scooby-Doo creative producer Iwao Takamoto, Dynomutt head writer Joe Ruby, and many others vital to the creation of the two cartoons. “In Their Own Words” features reminiscences by voice talents like Casey Kasem (Shaggy), Don Messick (Scooby-Doo), Gary Owens (Blue Falcon) and Frank Welker (Freddy and Dynomutt); and “The Scooby-Doo Dynomutt Files” offers a collection of original still sketches from the Hanna-Barbera Vault. (Ages 5 and older) –Tami Horiuchi
Comments