Squirel and Moose Are Fabulous
Before Sponge Bob Squarepants, the social commentary and play on words that are contained in the Rocky and Bullwinkle set the standard for comical sarcasm of the government, fads, and insanity that existed. The older I get (and I watched the original broadcasts)the more depth I find in Jay Ward's creation. Rocky and Bullwinkle give sage wisdom that surpasses the ages. The insights to the political system of the 1960's still apply for today. (Senator speaks in "Goof Gas" episode, "I move that we spend a million dollars to see why we spend so much money!"
[sound familiar?]) This is why the episodes stand the test of time. People are crazy in any era.
Personally, I was going through a rough time in the 1960's, as my parents were seperated and going to get a divorce. (Not so common in the 1960's) As a child I found solice in Bullwinkle's optomism and never give up attitude. Here was a "person", not too bright, not too aware, knocked about by circumstances, and he still...
"Tha's War between the States!"
The fifth and final season does not /quite/ match the image quality of earlier seasons. Though it's better than what I saw on TV -- the colors are brighter and there are more /of/ them -- there's more dirt, plus occasional color streaking along the sides. Yet some episodes are near-perfect. Go figure. Regardless, we finally have the complete series at what is probably the highest-possible quality level, barring a frame-by-frame restoration. (Disney's editions of 20 years ago attempted such a restoration, but were marred by Disney's editing down R&B's adventures to produce 60-minute tapes and disks.) It's taken "only" 30+ years to get the complete "Rocky & Bullwinkle" on home video in good transfers.
Given the need to churn out something every week, it's amazing /any/ TV series is of consistently good quality, let alone "high". * "Rocky & Bullwinkle" was written and performed by highly talented people, and was never less than "very good".
Of course, some...
Eenie Meenie Chilibeani
It had been decades since Disney (Buena Vista) released the gala Moose and Squirrel VHS tapes, to much hoopla and shabang. Then came the long-awaited fourth season from Classic Media and Vivendi Entertainment. When the box set of all five seasons appeared in 2011, viewers despaired that the fifth season might never make it out on its own. But despair not, gentle viewer, for here they are, all 33 episodes of the climactic final season of Moose and Squirrel, on four one-sided discs, somehow in one DVD case.
The packaging falls a bit short of the deluxe presentations of the other seasons, but then again, the fourth season only held 19 episodes on two discs. The only extra on the fifth season set is "Goof Gas Attack" audio outtake, AKA "The longest laugh in history", but keep in mind when we say episodes, we mean entire shows, including the various well-known bumpers, like "Eenie Meenie Chilibeani, the spirits are about to speak!" from Bullwinkle gazing at a crystal ball, with...
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