There's No Need to Fear Underdog Is Here

Even though it ran for three short seasons during the sixties, Underdog was a mainstay of children’s television watching for decades. And now people who grew up with the cartoon can watch the series with their next generation without having to grimace through the live action film with the release of Underdog: The Complete Collector’s Edition. For the uninitiated, Underdog was a canine take on Superman with Underdog taking all the super powers of Superman but the clumsiness of Clark Kent. Oh yeah, and he speaks solely in prose.

The show is rounded out by Sweet Polly Purebred, the Lois Lane of the show, a reporter who finds herself captured by bad guys at a disturbingly high frequency. And what superhero would be without a rouge’s gallery and Underdog’s two main archenemies included Simon Bar Sinister, a mad scientist who would have a new diabolical machine he would create in hopes to rule the world with. Underdog would also have to butt heads with Rift Raft who more of an old time gangster who was content with doing evil the old fashion way, with a gun, and gang of thugs, and a cigar (I do not seeing Rift Raft making his way into a modern cartoon).



The episodes on Underdog: The Complete Collector’s Edition are based on the original NBC airing and featuring two Underdog segments along with a segment of Go Go Gophers and a Commander McBragg short for the first two seasons of Underdog while the third season features segments of Klondike Kat and either Tooter Turtle or The Hunter (for those that grew up with the syndicated version of Underdog and wonder where Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales is, that show is getting its own release next month). The 62 episodes are spread across nine DVD’s with each all three seasons getting its own case. The full breakdown is the first season has 26 episodes on four DVD’s. The second season has 22 episodes on three DVD’s. While the third and final season just had 14 episodes on two DVD’s.

The Collector’s Edition comes with a twenty page booklet that tells the history of Underdog, for those not a big fan of reading, there is a featurette that goes over the same territory with people who helped create the show. Another extra feature included is an interview with Underdog co-creator Joe Harris who explains and narrates a never-before-seen storyboard he created for children he knew. There are also commentaries for ten segments featuring animation historian Mark Arnold talking about the show with co-creator Buck Biggers and Little House on the Prairie’s (and daughter of the voice of Sweet Polly Purebred) Alison Arngrim, while The Jay Leno Show announcer Wally Wingert chats with narrator of Underdog George S. Irving on a couple commentaries. The set also features alternative openings and closings.



Full Disclosure Notice: These DVD’s were given to me by Shout Factory for the purpose of review.