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449 of 464 found the following review helpful:
 Complete Seasons Of Scooby-Doo's Best Mysteries!Feb 01, 2004
By Servo
My earliest and most fondest memory of watching the classic 1969 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was in the 70s early in the morning when it was still dark outside. Considering how Scooby is often parodied today, this may surprise you but back then (to my young eyes) Scooby-Doo was kinda scary and creepy thanks to the creepy background settings, the monsters (my favorite: the skeleton-headed spaceman with the crazy laugh) and Ted Nichols' creepy underscore which could build up tension like Bernard Herrmann did for Hitchcock. Luckily, the tension would be broken with Scooby and Shaggy's comedic antics. Antics which typically resulted in the "musical chase numbers" which would conclude with the "monster" getting trapped, then unmasked, followed by the villain's obligatory "And I would've gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids"...[and their dog]. As predictable, or even corny as others deem it be, all of this - the pure 60s/70s fun - is what has eternally endeared Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! to me above all the other versions. Produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Scooby-Doo's mystery-solving format remains one of most often imitated shows to date. Fangface, Clue Club, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Rickety Rocket, Jabberjaw (just to name a few) all owe credit to Scooby-Doo. After the two seasons here in this collection the quality of the show was diminished to rather "cartoony proportions." Though, some versions were still interesting to watch such as 1972's The New Scooby-Doo Movies where the gang would team up with guest stars such as Batman & Robin, The Addams Family, Jerry Reed, Tim Conway, Sandy Duncan, and such. There were three versions of Scooby-Doo's opening theme for the two seasons in this collection: One is a rare instrumental only version used in the first few episodes of season one; the other is the classic vocal version performed by studio singer Larry Marks used for the remainder of season one; and then there's the one that has the same music and lyrics as the classic version but was performed by "chase songs" artist Austin Roberts for season two. For the grooviest adventures of Freddy, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scoob, this DVD collection is definitely the best buy!
Features:
Featurettes
Music videos
DVD challenge
Episodes:
What a Night for a Knight (1969)
A Clue for Scooby Doo (1969)
Hassle in the Castle (1969)
Mine Your Own Business (1969)
Decoy for a Dognapper (1969)
What the Hex Going On? (1969)
Never Ape an Ape Man (1969)
Foul Play in Funland (1969)
The Backstage Rage (1969)
Bedlam in the Big Top (1969)
A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts (1969)
Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too (1969)
Which Witch Is Which? (1969)
Go Away Ghost Ship (1969)
Spooky Space Kook (1969) "That crazy spaceman, yeah!"
A Night of Fright Is No Delight (1970)
That's Snow Ghost (1970)
Nowhere to Hyde (1970)
Mystery Mask Mix-Up (1970)
Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright (1970)
Jeepers, It's the Creeper (1970)
Haunted House Hang-Up (1970)
A Tiki Scare Is No Fair (1970)
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf? (1970)
Don't Fool with a Phantom (1970)
104 of 111 found the following review helpful:
Everything a Cartoon Box Set Should BeMar 17, 2004
By E. Dolnack
Hanna-Barbara have put out this box-set of 4 DVDs containing every single complete episode of the ultra-classic "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?" that ran from 1969-1970. Don't be fooled that the title states "The Complete First and Second Seasons"; there only were two seasons.What you WON'T find in this collection (thankfully) are the miriad of spin-offs and bad idea cartoons that were spawned by the original series - such as Scrappy-Doo, Scooby-Dumb, celebrity guest-appearances by Don Knotts, the Harlam Globetrotters and Sonny & Cher. No, this collection is just all the original, pure, superb "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?" cartoons that ran from 1969-70. There are a total of 25 episodes spanning four DVDs, with the occasional extra thrown-in. The extras are fluff and as such uneccesary, but there aren't many and they don't detract from the DVDs much. The mastering is done well, and the picture looks crisp, sharp, clean, and bright. The colors are vibrant and true. The sound is also very clean and well done. While they could have probably fit all 25 episodes on fewer disks, I'm glad they chose not to as to keep the compression to a minimum, which they've done. The original "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?" series isn't just a silly little cartoon that can be easily modified in any number of ways for marketability [as was obviously thought throughout the 1970s when cartoons went overboard with ridiculous concepts but scaled-back the quality and craftsmanship of great animation]. The original Scooby-Doo is nothing short of art. It is highly-realized quality animation that deserves to be preserved in a respectful manner and appreciated by fans everywhere. I'm glad this level of quality has been finally put into a DVD presentation of the cartoon series that was put into the original.
60 of 64 found the following review helpful:
Scooby Doo Where Are You?Apr 12, 2004
Great!!!! Scooby Doo Where Are You The Complete 1st and 2nd seasons is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I really like the original Scooby Doo Where Are You cartoons. So I guess this 4-disc DVD pack is perfect for me. Here are what all of the episodes are:
1. What A Night For A Knight
2. Hassle In The Castle
3. A Clue For Scooby Doo
4. Mine Your Own Business
5. Decoy For A Dognapper
6. What The Hex Going On
7. Never Ape An Ape Man
8. Foul Play In Funland
9. Backstage Rage
10. Bedlam In The Bigtop
11. A Gaggle Of Galloping Ghosts
12. Scooby Doo And A Mummy Too
13. Which Witch Is Which
14. Spooky Space Kook
15. Go Away Ghost Ship
16. A Night Of Fright Is No Delight
17. That's Snow Ghost
18. No Where To Hide
19. Mystery Mask Mix up
20. Jeepers It's The Creeper
21. Scooby's Night With A Frozen Fright
22. The Haunted House Hang Up
23. A Tiki Scare Is No Fair
24. Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Werewolf
25. Don't Fool With A Phantom If you like the original Scooby Doo cartoons, this is the perfect video for you too!!!!
68 of 79 found the following review helpful:
 Pass Them Scooby Snacks!Mar 21, 2004
By Gary F. Taylor
"GFT"
Inspired by such diverse material as radio's "I Love a Mystery" and television's "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," the cartoon series SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU was a smash hit for CBS--and when I was a kid Saturday morning was sure to find me tuned in. Now that the series has been released to DVD, I can indulge in a fit of childhood nostalgia whenever the mood strikes! In some respects this is a "best possible" DVD release. With no fewer than four DVDs, it includes all twenty five episodes of the original series--stopping mercifully short of the horrific modification of the original concept into ill-advised spin-offs with tiresome "celebrity" guest stars and down-right awful new characters like Scrappy-Doo and Scooby-Dumm. The original shows have been cleaned up, and although time has taken a toll (some look washed out and there are quite a few artifacts) short of a digital restoration this is probably as good as it gets. Even so, this pricey set falls down tremendously in the bonuses. I don't normally complain about a lack of extras--after all, you're buying the thing for the meat-and-potatoes show, and bonuses are so much gravy--but when you are shelling out some fairly big bucks for a four DVD set you tend to expect something in the way of added value. And it just isn't there. No audio tracks, no "making of" documentary, no interviews. Instead, the DVDs offer a little trivia game, a look at the collections of three fans, and some "man in the street" type interviews--none of which are particularly worth watching. Given the sometimes ify picture and sound of the episodes, a total lack of interesting extras, and a rather up-town price for the whole thing, I have to drop my rating from five to four stars. Still, if you remember those Scooby snacks as fondly as I do, you're likely to this package set the easiest (and most cost effective) way of acquiring the original shows. Recommended for those of us who never quite grew up! GFT, Amazon Reviewer
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
I LOVE Scooby-Doo!Mar 23, 2005
By Inspector Gadget
"Go Go Gadget Reviews"
I'm 24 and I'm not afraid to admit that. Scooby is brilliant. And I don't care what you say...he's real! And he's also been around for 36 years now. Hard to believe huh? Millions (dare I say billions?) of kids have grown-up watching Scooby-Doo and I was one of them. While these episodes from the 1960's and 1970's look and feel dated they are still perfectly acceptable and the overall fun of the show is not lessened.
The episodes are as follows.
Season 1
What a Night for a Knight (1969)
A Clue for Scooby Doo (1969)
Hassle in the Castle (1969)
Mine Your Own Business (1969)
Decoy for a Dognapper (1969)
What the Hex Going On? (1969)
Never Ape an Ape Man (1969)
Foul Play in Funland (1969)
The Backstage Rage (1969)
Bedlam in the Big Top (1969)
A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts (1969)
Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too (1969)
Which Witch Is Which? (1969)
Go Away Ghost Ship (1969)
Spooky Space Kook (1969)
Season 2
A Night of Fright Is No Delight (1970)
That's Snow Ghost (1970)
Nowhere to Hyde (1970)
Mystery Mask Mix-Up (1970)
Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright (1970)
Jeepers, It's the Creeper (1970)
Haunted House Hang-Up (1970)
A Tiki Scare Is No Fair (1970)
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf? (1970)
Don't Fool with a Phantom (1970)
Season 2 is slightly better thanks to the inclusion of one really 70's Danny Janssen song per episode. They are actually quite pleasant, easy-listening songs and it gives the Season 2 episodes a higher nostalgic feel.
Of course all 25 episodes adhere to the strict formula the franchise would soon find it increasingly hard to break away from (and end-up resorting to self-parody instead). Each episode will see the gang going about their ordinary lives before getting involved in a monster mystery. The suspects will all be introduced within 5 minutes. The gang will try to trap the monster but Shaggy and Scooby will screw up and fall into the trap instead. Through sheer luck the monster will be caught and unmasked. The criminal motivations will either be revenge, smugglers dressed up to scare away intruders or townsfolks dressed up to attract tourists. It is very hard to come across a Scooby-Doo episode from any season that doesn't flow this way. But, to be honest, towards the end of the second season the writers did try very hard to put a new spin on things and keep it fresh.
What I like best about the old school Scooby animation is the rustic feel to the backgrounds and settings. The spookyness is painted on in deep purples and blues and makes for surprisingly atmospheric looking environments. While the slick modern nature of the What's New Scooby-Doo TV show is pleasing to the eye there's just something more and better about the old look.
Most of the classic Scooby villains are in here (most of them appearing in Scooby Doo 2) and I strongly suggest that all Scooby-Doo fans buy this box set if they don't have it already. The DVD actually contains some great extras including a cool featurette on Scooby collectors (I must admit I am beaten a zillion times over compared to these guys). Some extras are still fluff tho.
The episodes are presented in 1.33:1 full frame, as originally drawn, with Dolby Mono sound. The quality between them is fairly average with age only marring it occasionally. Still though, you must have!
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