Rating: 
Summary: I want More!
Review: As a longtime Beany & Cecil fan this DVD was awesome, if you loved the show go buy it! The rare photos and the "Time For Beany" puppet shows were a LOT of fun to browse through. I was born in 1961 and never saw these primative but very amusing shows that were the basis for the cartoon show. This DVD was a real labor of love. My only (little) gripe is that I wish it had a few more 60's cartoons. I have many of the VHS cassettes that were released in the 1980's and the compilers overlooked some great gems. Hopefully the compilers will be able to put together another great DVD in the future! I want another!
Rating: 
Summary: I purchased the DVD as a fan and departed a spectator
Review: As my daughter was growing up, I wanted her to see all the things that I loved as a kid, and it was enormously frustrating that Beany & Cecil cartoons were almost impossible for me to find. Perhaps the show was broadcast in other areas of the United States, but I couldn't find the show on cable and couldn't find any video compilations. At any rate, this DVD corrects the situation by making a number of classic Beany and Cecil cartoons available again. The Beany and Cecil cartoons were minimally animated, with few frames per second, little movement, and little background detail. Moreover, each episode was laced with one excruciatingly bad pun after another (ever since first seeing these episodes as a kind, whenever I hear of any atoll, I instantly think of the No Bikini Atoll). So what makes them so much fun? First, they knew many of the jokes were bad, but they kept throwing them at you, and in such a great spirit, that you couldn't resist the fun. Second, the voice-overs on the show were just great. Stan Freberg, one of the greats of the business, did a lot of the voices, including Cecil and the show's villain Dishonest John (who could ever forget that laugh!). Many of the other characters were voiced by various people over the course of time (Beany, for instance, was done by both Daws Butler and Mel Blanc). But whoever was involved, the voice talent was first rate. Third, the humor, though frequently intentionally bad, was nonetheless acute, and anyone watching the show will be consistently amazed by the wit and comedy. The one thing that I wonder about is the topicality of much of the humor. Will kids today know who Gina Lollobrigida is to get the joke about the low low bridge? Or do they know who Dinah Shore was for the singing dinosaur? I suspect that they will miss a lot that previous generations got, but I also suspect that it won't matter. Dishonest John's laugh and schemes are timeless.
Rating:
Summary: Thank God Beany & Cecil can be seen again
Review: As my daughter was growing up, I wanted her to see all the things that I loved as a kid, and it was enormously frustrating that Beany & Cecil cartoons were almost impossible for me to find. Perhaps the show was broadcast in other areas of the United States, but I couldn't find the show on cable and couldn't find any video compilations. At any rate, this DVD corrects the situation by making a number of classic Beany and Cecil cartoons available again. The Beany and Cecil cartoons were minimally animated, with few frames per second, little movement, and little background detail. Moreover, each episode was laced with one excruciatingly bad pun after another (ever since first seeing these episodes as a kind, whenever I hear of any atoll, I instantly think of the No Bikini Atoll). So what makes them so much fun? First, they knew many of the jokes were bad, but they kept throwing them at you, and in such a great spirit, that you couldn't resist the fun. Second, the voice-overs on the show were just great. Stan Freberg, one of the greats of the business, did a lot of the voices, including Cecil and the show's villain Dishonest John (who could ever forget that laugh!). Many of the other characters were voiced by various people over the course of time (Beany, for instance, was done by both Daws Butler and Mel Blanc). But whoever was involved, the voice talent was first rate. Third, the humor, though frequently intentionally bad, was nonetheless acute, and anyone watching the show will be consistently amazed by the wit and comedy. The one thing that I wonder about is the topicality of much of the humor. Will kids today know who Gina Lollobrigida is to get the joke about the low low bridge? Or do they know who Dinah Shore was for the singing dinosaur? I suspect that they will miss a lot that previous generations got, but I also suspect that it won't matter. Dishonest John's laugh and schemes are timeless.
Rating:
Summary: A TIME MACHINE
Review: FANTASTIC TRIP BACK IN TIME AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND MONEY ON THE TIME MACHINE ITSELF! IT BROUGHT BACK A FLOOD OF MEMORIES TO A TERIFFIC CHILDHOOD.IT'S TOO BAD KIDS TODAY WON'T APPRECIATE IT BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF BABYBOOMERS WHO WILL.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably COOL!
Review: I feel sorry for the jaded "spectator" who gave this dvd 3 stars. It sounds like the negative reactions of his wife and daughters soured his good time. Actually, I'm not surprised that this goes over the heads of today's youth. Their concept of "cool" is laughable, and a joke unto itself. However, for you older guys out there, this is a real treat. Nearly every cartoon is a winner. There are no clunkers... it's just that some of the cartoons are better than others. I was pleased that most of the characters I remember from watching this on TV as a kid were here. Jack The Knife (the singin', swingin', finger-poppin' swordfish) Dinah Sore (on the island of No Bikini Atoll), the Wildman of Wildsville (voiced by the wonderful Lord Buckley himself) Dishonest John (Nyah-ah-aaahh!) and many more. Some hip beatnik dialog and jazzy grooves too. Dig the wild doggy ("Fireplug Five minus Two") version of "Raggmopp!" This is truly magnificent stuff, and very funny. With the amount of jazz, rock'n'roll and beat references, somehow I don't think this was meant for little kids. There is a lot of stuff here for adults too. Many hilarious stabs at 1960s American pop culture in a Stan Freberg style that baby boomers will adore. About 85 minutes of remastered "Beany & Cecil" cartoons plus tons of other stuff. Reasonably priced, this is definately worth the purchase. I'm glad I bought it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Help, Cecil, Help!
Review: It was with some trepidation I plugged this DVD into my player and hit the "play" button. Would my fond memories of Beany, Cecil, Dishonest John, Go-Man Van Go, and most of all, SnORky, be revived? Or would it just seem something enjoyed a long, long time ago that was no longer funny? I should not have feared! This wonderful DVD presents a pile of stuff related to Beany and Cecil, including some of the original Beany and Cecil puppets which, for me, did seem a little dated.
Ya-ah-ah, have no fear because the animated cartoons 1) look great; B) sound great; III) are so cleverly written they are as entertaining at 46 as they were when I was 6! Most of my favorite episodes are here: SnORky, Go-Man Van Go, the Leopard Who Lost his Spots, etc. All I could ask for is pulease release the rest of the cartoons on DVD! This DVD is entertaining for old and young alike, though the oldsters may have to explain some of the beat jokes to the youngsters. Or just turn and say, "don't bugs me, man, don't bugs me!"
Rating:
Summary: I want More!
Review: It was with some trepidation I plugged this DVD into my player and hit the "play" button. Would my fond memories of Beany, Cecil, Dishonest John, Go-Man Van Go, and most of all, SnORky, be revived? Or would it just seem something enjoyed a long, long time ago that was no longer funny? I should not have feared! This wonderful DVD presents a pile of stuff related to Beany and Cecil, including some of the original Beany and Cecil puppets which, for me, did seem a little dated.
Ya-ah-ah, have no fear because the animated cartoons 1) look great; B) sound great; III) are so cleverly written they are as entertaining at 46 as they were when I was 6! Most of my favorite episodes are here: SnORky, Go-Man Van Go, the Leopard Who Lost his Spots, etc. All I could ask for is pulease release the rest of the cartoons on DVD! This DVD is entertaining for old and young alike, though the oldsters may have to explain some of the beat jokes to the youngsters. Or just turn and say, "don't bugs me, man, don't bugs me!"
Rating:
Summary: Help, Cecil, Help!
Review: It was with some trepidation I plugged this DVD into my player and hit the "play" button. Would my fond memories of Beany, Cecil, Dishonest John, Go-Man Van Go, and most of all, SnORky, be revived? Or would it just seem something enjoyed a long, long time ago that was no longer funny? I should not have feared! This wonderful DVD presents a pile of stuff related to Beany and Cecil, including some of the original Beany and Cecil puppets which, for me, did seem a little dated.
Ya-ah-ah, have no fear because the animated cartoons 1) look great; B) sound great; III) are so cleverly written they are as entertaining at 46 as they were when I was 6! Most of my favorite episodes are here: SnORky, Go-Man Van Go, the Leopard Who Lost his Spots, etc. All I could ask for is pulease release the rest of the cartoons on DVD! This DVD is entertaining for old and young alike, though the oldsters may have to explain some of the beat jokes to the youngsters. Or just turn and say, "don't bugs me, man, don't bugs me!"
Rating:
Summary: AH'M COMIN', BEANY BOY!!!
Review: Oh, Lord! What memories this brings back! Sitting in front of the Magnavox and eating Cap'n Crunch with my brother, as our parents were laughing out loud at the dreadful puns.
This DVD is full (FULL!) of material! Clips of rare material, photos of the many fans of the show (including more than a few celebs!), and commentary tracks by people who worked with Clampett, even back in the days of his live TV puppet show on the West coast!
My only complaint is that the entire series run wasn't included. Please, for people such as I who wearn to see this material again, please re-issue the series onto DVD!
"...and now here's Beany and Cecil iiiiinnnnn...a Bob Clampett car-toooo-OOOOOONNNN!'
(SCHLURP!)
Rating:
Summary: Insane fun for all!!!
Review: Outlandish to surreal, Bob Clampett is a djini-ous, a must have from the insane craftsman of twisted fun. Kitch for both kith and kin, I only wish this where ... a Bob Clampett review ... from the no bikini atoll. Ah ... memories of Saturday mornings, cool cartoons and too much sugar-cereals.
|
