Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil (Special Edition)

Okay, after getting the second B&C DVD, never having seen the show as a child, I was hooked. I had to break the piggy bank to get this!First some comments on the original TIME FOR BEANY episodes (4 are here from 1949 to 1951). These would be an acquired taste for the modern viewer, but if you give these Black & white kinescopes a chance, you could see why Harpo Marx and Albert Einstein loved this show as much as the LA Kids who grew up with this program. Some interesting tales involving (in order), Beany trying to cure Cecil of "ambrosia" (amnesia), our heroes going to Washington DC with a French professor to assist then-president Harry Truman (a puppet caricature that has his Missouri syntax nailed-the scene where the spoofed HST does a piano duet with Cecil singing "Ragg Mopp" is classic!) and Dishonest John (yet to perfect the "Nya-ha-ha" catchphrase) tricking Cecil into doing dangerous and ridiculous stunts after signing him as an entertainment client. For the kiddies, B&C give an on camera warning not to try the stunts seen in this episode. There is a charming whimsy and sweetness to the humor in this puppet show with enough biting satire for adults to distinguish it from the sickening modern mush of the likes of Barney the Dinosaur in our own time that no adult of normal intelligence would stomach. Incidentally, many comparisons are often made between the Beany crew and its contemporary competition THE BULLWINKLE SHOW. Turns out this is more than coincidence. Bullwinkle writer Lloyd Turner was a major writer for the Beany show at this point.On to the B&C "Bob Clampett Car-too-oons" that enchanted the younger siblings (and in many cases the parents) of the fans of the 50s puppet version. Clampett took advantage of the limitless possibilities of animation to let his imagination run WILD with B&C beyond the limits of the puppet show. These shows combine the charm of the puppet version with Looney tunes insanity that makes you have to rewind some episodes because they are sometimes so bizarre you can't believe what you're seeing! "So What & The 7 Whatnuts" is an outlandish tale of our heroes going to "Lost Wages" where they catch caricatures of Satchmo, Desi Arnaz, Harpo Marx, and Elvis. Dishonest John tries the wicked witch number with the poison apple on the lovely "So What (a nightclub singer). The punishment dealt to Dishonest John in this foolishness is a sight to behold. "Dj the DJ" is a stinging lampoon of the music industry of the early 1960s (Cecil does "Ragg Mopp again and Dishonest John records him in a junkyard because "all successful records these days are junk." The gags and puns (which include an Alvin and the Chipmunks takeoff) fly fast and furious and the tale is so surreal you cannot believe what you're watching. "Beanyland," which spoofs "Disneyland" is another instance of Clampetts runaway imagination unleashed, but there are sweet aspects to this one that you will miss if you only watch it once. "The Mad Isle of Manhattan" has Dishonest John being the victim of someone else's con schemes for a change, in this case an unscrupulous television producer. The "Snorky" toon, which is without B&C, DJ, or Captain Huffenpuff, is the only really weak cartoon in the set, but that's forgivable after all the good stuff.Although I agree with reviewers that say the set is too heavy on Bob Clampett trivia, a few of the commentaries (including the legendary Stan Freberg who voiced the puppet show episodes) are interesting as is Clampett's tale of the origins of B&C. One intriguing segment features a story conference and stills of a 1954 episode that spoofed Joe McCarthy, which is probably now lost, and some color behind the scenes footage of Time for Beany. I agree that the producers of the DVD would have been better off with more B&C cartoons (there were 78 altogether and only 24 on the two current disc sets-no excuse-we want more!) as well as the surviving Time for Beanys. In either case, I'm so hooked right now that I'm willing to get the VHSes of the remaining B&C toons as methadone for my B&C addiction.Simply put, these are the Cadillacs of TV cartoons-get them! Hanna Barbera had nothing on these (although the DIRTY POOL cartoon bears some suspicious similarities to the famous SWIMMING POOL episode of THE FLINTSTONES-who Dishonest John actually name-checks during this tale)! To the Clampett family, great work, but WE WANT MORE B&C TOONS ON DVD!

I'm happy to report that "beany & Cecil" arrived on schedule. Furthermore: It was adequately sealed and played positively perfectly! Furthermore: I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed every single cartoon featured. Upon reading other reviews: I got the impression that this DVD compilation was once in 2 discs! Were that the case: I'm deeply disappointed it was filed down to one! For some reason: "Beany & Cecil" cartoons are nearly impossible to obtain! Another reviewer admitted he didn't like the "Snoreky" Cartoon because it featured none of the main characters. although I can easily empathize with what he's saying: that particular cartoonwas my absolute favorit when I was a kid! I found its musical style to be absolutely mezmorizing! Listening to it gave me the sensation of floating away on a cloud. Also: It's style was much like a commercial for Liquid Prell which was being aired at around the same time! furthermore, It starts out: "How Does It Feel to Drench Your Hair in Luxury?" Needless to say: I'd give anything to obtain that commercial on a DVD! My apologies for straying from my intended topic. Anyhow: I love the "Snoreky" cartoon; as well as every other cartoon featured on this DVD! Furthermore: I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's a genuine and devout "beany & Cecil" Fan! It's definitely worth the money! also: I enjoyed all the special features as well! Since I'd never before heard of Challenge Dairy, (which sponsored one of the earlier segments): I looked it up on Wikipedia; and found it's still in business today! However: It's now and always has been in the California area; which is why I'd obviously never heard of it! Anyhow: This DVD is both an entertaining and educational compilation! Consequently: I'm a totally satisfied customer! My sincere thanks to everyone who was instrumental in making my euphoria possible!

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.