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Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete First Season

Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete First Season

List Price: $39.98
Your Price: $29.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Punny From the Start
Review: I didn't really discover Rocky and Bullwinkle until I was in college. When I did, I spent every afternoon for a week watching the tape releases and laughing all the way through. I later bought the tapes and love re-watching them whenever I need a laugh. Naturally, I jumped on this set as soon as I could.

Presented here are all 26 episodes of the first season. It contains two stories for our heroes Rocky and Bullwinkle, Jet Fuel Formula and Box Top Robbery. The first, running 40 segments, seems a bit long to me at times. Almost like they were looking for ways to extend the story. But for the most part, it flows along just fine. Box Top Robbery is a short, sweet, and funny 12 "episodes." Probably one of my favorite parts of the show is the titles presented at each cliffhanger. I've always been a sucker for a bad pun.

Also in each large episode are two other segments, either "Fractured Fairy Tales," "Aesop and Son," "Dudley Do-Right," or "Peabody's Improbable History," as well as the brief "Bullwinkle's Corner" or "Mr. Know-it-All." Part of what makes this show great is the humor directed at adults, and these are some of the best examples. Frankly, I can't image trying to watch this show as a kid because so much of the humor would have gone right over my head then.

The DVDs themselves are a treat. The picture shows its age, but I found it a little charming and made it feel like I was watching the old show I am. And it's better then my video collection. The sound is clear and well presented in simple Dolby, befitting the age of the show.

The final disc includes extras. The two segments from season 2 are certainly appetite wetters. The clips of Boris and Natasha in their various outfits are ok, but certainly not worth watching more then once. However, the other three are fun. "Dear Bullwinkle" features a Bullwinkle puppet answering "letters" sent in by fans of the series. Think Mr. Know-It-All as an advice columnist. They include several promos for the show from its initial airing. And an extended promo for savings stamps features Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natasha, and Sherman and Peabody.

I don't know enough to know if the title segments have been changed or not. My only complaint is that the "Mr. Know-It-All" and "Bullwinkle's Corner" segments aren't listed in the booklet that comes with the set. They are listed on the chapter selection for each disc, however. Overall, this is a minor complaint. Fans of the show will love having this disc to relive the classic show.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classic Bullwinkle; presentation could've been better
Review: At last: Rocky & Bullwinkle on DVD. These four DVDs contain the first two storylines: "Jet Fuel Formula" and "Box Top Robbery." If you're a fan, these DVDs are well worth the price; however, it seems as though they could've put a little more polish on this set before releasing it.

The included booklet made for an interesting (albeit short) read, placing the cartoon in the context of the late 50s and giving brief biographies of Jay Ward and Bill Scott. (Having been born over 20 years after Bullwinkle originally aired, I particularly appreciated some of the background details.) The booklet also promises another four seasons; sounds good to me.

The cartoons are set in their (presumably original) episode format, complete with opening and closing segments, Bullwinkle's Corner, Mr. Know-It-All, and the requisite amount of "Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" The packaging says "Digitally remastered," but don't worry; the video quality on these episodes is about as grainy, faded, and otherwise bad as you remember from TV. The only improvements they've made appear to be the (fortunate) removal of the tacked-on laugh-track from the early episodes, the obvious superposition of a shiny new "Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends" logo on the intro segments and the addition of a small "R&B" watermark on the first couple seconds of each feature segment. They could've cleaned up the cartoons a lot more; however, they also could have butchered them much worse.

The extra features on disc 4 make for a nice curiosity. Especially entertaining are the "Dear Bullwinkle" segments featuring Bullwinkle manifested in a hand puppet. Also of note is the conspicuous "Official Proof-of-Purchase Stub," which we will apparently be able to redeem on "Exclusive Consumer Promotions" any time now.

On the whole, if you like Bullwinkle, this DVD is a good bet, but don't expect the video quality to blow you away.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: awesome DVD set!
Review: I must say that this is one of the best put-together DVD season sets I have come across. "Rocky and Bullwinkle" has had its share of different names such as "The Bullwinkle Show", "Rocky and His Friends", and now "Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends", but one must realize that these above names are all one show. Producers simply changed the name as it switched networks during its original run.

Rocky and Bullwinkle debuted on network television in the fall of 1959, and became an instant smash. Today, producers have brought the magic back. On DVD for the first time, "Rocky and Bullwinkle" will be presented in five individual season sets. Finding this terrific show on television has been almost impossible, but now fans can rejoice!

This set includes all 26 episodes of the first season. The set also includes nearly a half hour of deluxe bonus features which are not limited to four rare "Dear Bullwinkle" segments that have yet to be seen, and a very rare savings stamp episode used to support their savings stamp club. Another treat for fans includes a few commercials and promos used during the show's original airing to support the show. These commercials probably haven't aired in over 40 years! Also included in the bonus features is a sneak-peak at 2004's "Complete Season 2" which includes two R&B episodes.

The packaging is especially nice; a slipcase with a foldout that holds the four discs and the detailed booklet. You just have to see it to believe it! The producers must have spent forever on the decorative art in the packaging. This packaging is definitely a treat for fans.

The episodes are all included and have been colorized and remastered. What people do not realize is that the first two seasons of R&B were in black and white. We should all thank the producers for colorizing the first season of the timeless classic as it just would not have been the same in black and white. The picture and sound quality is also amazing, considering these shows are approaching 45 years in age.

Another great treat for fans is the classic "Stokey the Bear" episode which was thought to have been destroyed shortly after its first airing.

A few minor flaws were found that we might notice, but would only matter to a critic. There is a small transparent bug in the lower right-handed corner of the screen for only about 30 seconds from the beginning of each segment. Many might ask why they did this. The answer lies in the fact that producers want to protect their material and so that these episodes cannot be copied and bootlegged. Also, the second season opening credits is being used for all of these episodes. This almost brought down my rating to four stars, but the immense work done on all other parts of the set clearly overrides that small detail.

The producers have done a wondeful job on this set and I am writing them and telling them how pleased I am with this set and that I hope they will release the other four seasons in the near future. I hope you all do the same. For such a wonderful price, one could not ask for more.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: SONY BITES ROCKY & BULLWINKLE ARE 5 STAR
Review: I LOVE THE SHOW ROCKY & BULLWINKLE BUT I WISH SOMEONE ELES WHOLD COPY THE SHOW.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rocky & Bullwinkle Season 1: Pros & Cons
Review: I won't speak for the content, if you like Moose & Squirrel, you'll want this set. But you (and the makers) should know the Pros and Cons of the set, to whit:

PROS:
* Remastered sound and video - there are still imperfections in the video, but the color is more vivid than I've seen on TV broadcasts

* Two complete stories: Rocket Fuel Formula and Box Top Conspiracy

* Play All - Watch all episodes on each of the four discs in succession

* Entire episodes shown - including all periphral cartoons (Dudley Do-Right, Peabody, Aesop & Son, and Fractured Fairy Tales) as well as commercial lead-ins

* Nice packaging - when the first thing you see on opening a DVD set is a moose saying, "Hello Low IQers!", you know the makers respect the Jay Ward tradition!

CONS:
* Altered Title - The title sequence is altered in the middle to change it from the original to "Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends", with an obvious switch in voice and animation quality. The alteration is cheap and unnecessary

* Season Two Intro - The documentation says that the intro to each episode was the one used in the second season, which was Jay Ward's favorite. If this were a collection, that would be a good decision, but as a "season one", it should have the season one intro. This makes me think there may not be a season two set in which to display Ward's favorite intro, which would be sad indeed. All I know is I sure would have preferred to see Season One EXACTLY as it was originally presented.

* Dubious accuracy - All the tampering (season 2 intro) has achieved is to ensure that the Rocky And Bullwinle show will never be accurately reproduced.

BOTTOM LINE:
* The only way to enjoy watching Rocky Bullwinkle is to see the episodes in proper sequence

* This DVD set provides the first two stories in their entirety that comprised the first season

* Each of the four discs provides almost 3 hours of uninterrupted Jay Ward & Friends brand hilarity, what more could you want? After all, you searched for "bullwinkle", didn't you?

* You read this far? Buy it already!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE ROCK!
Review: I was about 7 or 8 when "Rocky and Bullwinkle" ended its original run, and hadn't thought about it for maybe 35 years. Then I saw it on the monitor at my video store and said "Rocky and Bullwinkle? Whatever happened to those guys?" Finally, I got to know a special friend- a musician who's also my new "culture minister". Once we determined that most of today's fare is too strong for my highly sensitive brain, he said "Know what my real favorite TV show is? 'Rocky and Bullwinkle'. You'll love it!" So I rented this collection- and soon I'll buy it. Boy, was he ever right! This stuff KILLS me! How on earth did I ever go without the moose and squirrel? And Boris Badenov? And Mr. Peabody? And Dudley Do-Right? "Rocky and Bullwinkle" was the "Simpsons" of the '60s- only better, wittier, and a lot smarter because we weren't so jaded then. Jay Ward is now one of my all-time heroes, and the voices can't be beat. Those cheesy Mexican drawings are also part of the charm. I'm not one to quibble about things like revised theme songs and watermarks- though I hope they restore the brassy opening theme for Season 2. My mom thinks it's "inappropriate" for me to tell people I love this stuff, but what does she know? I think it's the funniest thing on earth and those pun-filled one-liners are a true lost art. So you can have your "hard PG-rated", "hard R-rated", and "NC-17-rated" material, thank you very much. Give me the joyous, jape-
filled,jokey, jivey, "J-rated" Jay Ward brand of humor any day of the week! And forget Dylan, Prince, the Coens and Franken (Keillor's OK)- all hail the greatest Minnesotans of them all: Rocket J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose, the pride of Frostbite Falls!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE ROCK!
Review: I was about 7 or 8 when "Rocky and Bullwinkle" ended its original run, and hadn't thought about it for maybe 35 years. Then I saw it on the monitor at my video store and said "Rocky and Bullwinkle? Whatever happened to those guys?" Finally, I got to know a special friend- a musician who's also my new "culture minister". Once we determined that most of today's fare is too strong for my highly sensitive brain, he said "Know what my real favorite TV show is? 'Rocky and Bullwinkle'. You'll love it!" So I rented this collection- and soon I'll buy it. Boy, was he ever right! This stuff KILLS me! How on earth did I ever go without the moose and squirrel? And Boris Badenov? And Mr. Peabody? And Dudley Do-Right? "Rocky and Bullwinkle" was the "Simpsons" of the '60s- only better, wittier, and a lot smarter because we weren't so jaded then. Jay Ward is now one of my all-time heroes, and the voices can't be beat. Those cheesy Mexican drawings are also part of the charm. I'm not one to quibble about things like revised theme songs and watermarks- though I hope they restore the brassy opening theme for Season 2. My mom thinks it's "inappropriate" for me to tell people I love this stuff, but what does she know? I think it's the funniest thing on earth and those pun-filled one-liners are a true lost art. So you can have your "hard PG-rated", "hard R-rated", and "NC-17-rated" material, thank you very much. Give me the joyous, jape-
filled,jokey, jivey, "J-rated" Jay Ward brand of humor any day of the week! And forget Dylan, Prince, the Coens and Franken (Keillor's OK)- all hail the greatest Minnesotans of them all: Rocket J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose, the pride of Frostbite Falls!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: SONY BITES ROCKY & BULLWINKLE ARE 5 STAR
Review: I LOVE THE SHOW ROCKY & BULLWINKLE BUT I WISH SOMEONE ELES WHOLD COPY THE SHOW.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of the Best Cartoons
Review: I give the series 5 stars and the extras 3 stars. The series is well written and the satire is stinging which can go over the head of younger viewers. Part of the charm of Rocky and Bullwinkle was it's tongue and cheek look at the cold war. Watching Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends without knowing anything about the cold war is like watching Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida without knowing anything about the Iliad; you could watch both and go around saying "Huh?" The baby boomers may understand the series but generation X won't. Which makes the extras so lacking; if and only if the extras contained some background information about the cold war then Rocky could open up a new generation of fans.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Its like taking one bite of a chocolate bar
Review: This DVD collection was so good that it left me wanting more. Some people like Bullwinkle and some people dont. If your one of those people that do you know you have to have it because DVD will last forever and I sure hope the next season comes out soon!


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