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Mort Walker's long-running comic strip "Beetle Bailey" was turned into a series of shorts in the early '60s, 10 of which are included in this collection. Beetle, Sgt. Snorkel, Zero, Lt. Fuzz, and General Halftrack all appear, but the animation is very limited and the timing flat. The results aren't terribly funny, and the depiction of the Chinese restaurant owner in "The Jinx" seems offensive, 20-odd years later. Hanna-Barbera's 1989 adaptation of Dik Browne's Viking character essentially turns Hagar the Horrible into Fred Flintstone. Hagar returns from a raid to find his children are turning out badly: Honey wants to marry a musician; Hamlet spends his time reading. Hagar, Helga, and Honey sound a lot like Fred, Wilma, and the teen-aged Pebbles, with Lucky Eddie taking over Barney's role of straight man. Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery (1989) is a disastrous attempt to re-create the quirky, metamorphic animation of the Fleischer shorts of the '30s. The Korean artists simply aren't up to the task, and the animation is simply too limited to match the fluidity of the original films. Melissa Fahn doesn't sound like Betty, and Mae Questel, the character's original voice, was still alive when this special was made. Not rated; suitable for all ages; parents should be aware of ethnic stereotypes. --Charles Solomon The episodes: 1. Camp Invisible, 2. Lucky Beetle, 3. Grab Your Socks, 4. Is This Drip Necessary? 5. The Diet, 6. Et Tu Otto, 7. The Junx, 8. Courage Encourager, 9. Go Yeast Young Man, 10. Psychological Testing, 11. Hagar the Horrible, 12. Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery.
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