Scooby Doo has spanned generations and over 40 years. Since the 1960’s the name and conventions have become a part of the pop culture. The original cartoon series had a series of conventions. The Scooby Gang would drive around in their green Mystery Machine van and solve ghostly mysteries. Fans of the show quickly grew to learn that these spirits and goblins were usually just normal people using scare tactics to get revenge or make a profit. The cartoon classic spawned music albums, live action movies, and several new shows and animated features.
This single disc release is pretty much just a collection of 4 episodes, 5 if you include the “bonus” episode of the television show, Scooby Doo Where Are You. The episodes are:
The Backstage Rage: (11/08/1969)
Possessed puppets and a haunted theater are the clues to this classic Scooby Doo investigation. Throw in a robot dog and a violin case full of cash, and this is a job for the Scooby Gang.
Bedlam In The Big Top: (11/15/1969)
A circus is being haunted by the mysterious ghost clown, who appears to cause accidents and bad luck for everyone who sees him. This one was adapted into a comic book story called The Phantom Clown.
A Gaggle Of Galloping Ghosts: (11/22/1969)
This one is a tribute to the old Universal monsters and features a vampire, wolf man, and Frankenstein’s Monster. Daphne is taken hostage while the gang are on their way to Frankenstein Castle. They sure should have listened to the old gypsy woman.
Scooby Doo And A Mummy Too: (11/29/1969)
After a trio of Universal style monsters, the gang run into a fourth when the Scooby Gang take a cursed coin from an ancient Egyptian mummy. The next thing you know the gang’s being chased by a walking bandage factory.
These are the original cartoons with the original voice cast.
Video
Scooby Doo is presented in its original full frame broadcast aspect ratio. The colors are actually pretty good here. The entire image is very bright and sharp. Black levels are above average. The animation is clean and smooth. Certainly, Scooby didn’t look this good back in the day. The print is clean, and I saw no real compression problems.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 2.0 track does exactly what it was originally intended to do. It delivers dialog and some mid-range music. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to distract. A perfectly average presentation.
Special Features
High Society Scooby (bonus episode) This is a much more recent episode from 2006. The gang has to protect some of the world’s leading scientists from Dr. Phibes.
Final Thoughts:
There have been so many versions of Scooby over the last 4 decades that it was rather nice to catch some classic episodes from the 1960’s. It goes to show that no matter how much things change, some things pretty much stay the same. No matter what generation of Scooby fan you or your kids might be, this is going to entertain like nothing else. You are feeling very sleepy…very sleepy. When I count to 5 you’re going to go to your video store and buy the new Scooby Doo DVD. “Watch the pretty coin of gold, and you will do as you are told. You are brave, and that’s a fact. You will do the high wire act.”
