DVD Review: Picture Snatcher (1933)

Picture Snatcher (1933)

(Released: 2008 by Warner Home Video)
Another looong DVD Review by Joe Torcivia

“I’m a picture snatcher! When a millionaire’s wife hides out with a chauffer, I’m the guy who slaps their profiles on the front page. I track down the saps who have good reason to keep their pictures outta the papers. Murderers, embezzlers, crooked politicians… an’ people who pull down the blinds in th’ wrong houses!”

James Cagney does it again as “Danny Kean”, an ex-con, just released from prison, who wangles a job as a photographer for a scandal sheet – by using his moxie and his wits to get a photograph of the people involved in an infidelity incident.

Upon receiving his CAMERA, Cagney quips: “Works just like a GUN! Trigger an’ all!”


GREAT BIT: An exchange between Cagney’s “Danny” and a bespectacled, lanky nerd of a journalism student! Yes, there actually WERE nerds in the 1930s. We just didn’t have a name for ‘em! Our unfortunate student was played by an uncredited Sterling Holloway – later the definitive voice of Disney’s version of Winnie the Pooh! Pooh meets Cagney? How ‘bout that!


STUDENT: “Who, in your opinion, was the most difficult person to approach?”


DANNY: “The Governor.”


STUDENT: (writing on notepad): “The Governor… And what was the subject of the interview?”


DANNY: “I wanted to ask his PARDON.”


STUDENT: “Oh, I see… You owed him an apology.”


DANNY: “Heh-Heh! …Let it go at THAT!”

Over the course of the film, Danny snaps an expressly forbidden picture of an execution – and an action photo of one of his former gangland associates in the midst of a rather brutal police firefight. He also has the expected romantic complications with a police lieutenant’s daughter and the amorous girlfriend of his editor. Oh, that Danny…

“Picture Snatcher” is directed by Lloyd Bacon. Credited as “Dialogue Director” is William Keighley, later the director of such WB classics as “G-Men”, “Bullets or Ballots”, and a large portion of “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.

As with “The Mayor of Hell”, Cagney is superb as a “good bad guy”, employing his… er, “skill set” as a former gangster to his new line as a member of the paparazzi.

I’ve never seen or heard it mentioned before, but a long-time Disney comic book fan like myself cannot help but compare Cagney (in a picture like this – where he is driven, but not overtly "bad") to Floyd Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse of the 1930s! They are both scrappy little guys, full of moxie, who not only succeed at – but often revolutionize – their respective endeavors.

Donald Duck comic book legend Carl Barks has admitted to being influenced by that which he saw in the movies. It is certainly not a large leap to assume that, in the ‘30s, Gottfredson was similarly influenced by Cagney in films like this! I’ll bet Mickey could get some pretty nifty newspaper pictures too!

Additional oddities: Being still early in the Warner Bros. cannon, like “The Public Enemy” and “The Mayor of Hell”, it begins with “Warner Bros. Pictures and the Vitaphone Corp. Present:  [ with the WB Shield superimposed over the Vitaphone Pennant].

Also like “The Public Enemy”, every featured character in the film is introduced by a pose, in front of a black background, with both the name of the actor and the character he or she plays prominently displayed. In older films, I often have difficulty in determining “who-is-who” beyond the obvious star performers. This is a nice way to remedy that – and I wish it would have been employed more often.

Actor Robert Emmett O’Connor, as Police Lt. Casey Nolan (The cop who originally jailed Danny.), ironically also played “Paddy Ryan”, the bootlegger who thrust Cagney into a life of violent crime in “The Public Enemy”!




As is our custom in these reviews, we’ll break it into CONS and PROS.


The CONS:


Extra Features: My standard for a movie DVD’s Extra Features is the inclusion of a theatrical trailer for the film, a commentary track, and “making-of” or background featurette. No featurette is included with “Picture Snatcher” giving it a CON, in this area.




The PROS:

The Film: Another triumph for Cagney! I’ve seen enough of these things now to say, unequivocally, that James Cagney was probably the finest all-around entertainer of this age! He is an absolute joy to watch, bringing great energy to everything he does.


The Cast:


• James Cagney as “Danny Kean”.


• Ralph Bellamy as “J.R. Mc Lean”.


• Patricia Ellis as “Pat Nolan”.


• Robert Emmett O’Connor as “Lt. Casey Nolan”.


• Alice White as “Allison”.


• Robert Barrat as “Mr. Grover”.


Menus: Menus are easy to navigate, and are nicely illustrated with colorized images of the film’s main characters. The Main Menu plays a nice, jazzy theme for “Picture Snatcher”. For once in a Warner set, it is not too loud but plays at a perfect volume in relation to the rest.


Extra Features:

Theatrical Trailer for “Picture Snatcher”: (01:03) Still drawings, representative of the film, display over the “jazzy theme” and here comes the Hype:

PULL DOWN YOUR BLINDS! STUFF YOUR KEYHOLES! JIMMY CAGNEY IS COMING IN PICTURE SNATCHER!

THEN, the hype takes the shape of a POEM: (Yes, really!)


He hides in boxes, barrels, and stalls,


He catches lovers in the halls,


And steals their pictures from the walls… PICTURE SNATCHER!




He’ll stop at nothing for a shot,


At something sexy, while it’s hot,


And therein lies the thrilling plot… of PICTURE SNATCHER!




Your sins, to him, are bread and butter,


He’s right behind you, lens and shutter,


He’ll put your picture in the gutter…

THAT’S JIMMY CAGNEY IN THE GREATEST – AND WE MEAN GREATEST – ROLE HE’S EVER HAD… PICTURE SNATCHER!

Oh, how do you not love stuff like this!


Theatrical Trailer for “Escape from Crime”: (01:36) A 1942 film, based on “Picture Snatcher”, starring Richard Travis, Julie Bishop… and Jackie Gleason!


Warner Night at the Movies. Not so long ago, when Warner was the BEST DVD PRODUCER of them all, it offered the outstanding “Warner Night at the Movies” with select DVD packages. I couldn’t be more pleased, when I uncover one of these gems!

Warner expertly recreates the movie-going experience of the day as a viewing option for “Picture Snatcher”. The film may be viewed as part of the entire program, on its own, or the viewer may pick and choose among the included items.

The program consists of:


• Theatrical trailer for “I Loved a Woman”: (02:51) Starring Edward G. Robinson.

“You asked for unusual entertainment…”, this trailer declares, “Here’s a picture that’s really different!”


Edward G. Robinson: “Your father’s selling the public CONDEMNED BEEF! He bribes officials to let him get away with it!”

Oh? So, does that mean he becomes a “beef bootlegger”? I guess that IS “really different”! No need to ask “Where’s the Beef?” Edward G. Robinson’s got it! The hype goes on:

Her love changes a DREAMER… into a TYRANT… with the most TERRIBLE POWER the world has ever known!


Um, really? …Behold the power of Beef!




• Newsreel: (Runs 00:54) From “Hearst Metrotone News”: “Machine Gun Kelly taken in U.S. war on kidnappers – nabbed at Memphis, Tenn., after long hunt”. Kelly is seen walking in handcuffs, flanked by G-Men.


Oddly, Kelly was guilty of kidnapping an oil man! From today’s perspective of obscene oil company profits and job-killing, economy-eviscerating, manipulated high pump prices, would Kelly be seen as something of a “people’s hero”, as once were the bootlegging gangsters of Prohibition?


In context, this newsreel is quite interesting! The newsreel packaged with “The Mayor of Hell” (Also 1933), declares: “U.S. Acts to End Reign of Crime”. Now, we’ve “nabbed” Kelly! And the one packaged with Cagney’s “Lady Killer” (1933 Once Again) tells of the acquisition of Alcatraz Island as prison for criminals – including Machine Gun Kelly! Nice (if unintended) continuity between Newsreels by Warners!


• “Vitaphone Presents: Plane Crazy”: (Runs 19:33) In case you were wondering, this is the version of “Plane Crazy” WITHOUT Mickey Mouse! I’m sure you ALL remember it! Aw, c’mon…. You don’t’ remember this classic starring Dorothy Lee, with Arthur and Morton Havel? It was directed by Roy Mack, fer cryin’ out loud! Really? No?


Well, anyway… We begin at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, NY. Bumbling and unsuccessful charter flyers “Jack and Bill” don’t “go up a hill”, but instead concoct a phony scheme to fly around the world – and gain notoriety for their business. Perky but dumb lady-friend “Dottie” (…who is indeed rather “dotty”) joins them in their deception.

This is actually quite a funny short, cleverly utilizing stock footage and (in certain spots) humor the likes of which Warner Bros. would apply almost sixty years later in such TV cartoons as Animaniacs and Freakazoid! – combined with good old standard Vaudeville bits. (Come to think of it… Animaniacs and Freakazoid! drew from Vaudeville-style humor when needed, too!)

And, just when it appears to have succeeded beyond my expectations as a comedy vehicle, it abandons its story, moves into – and ends with – a BIG “wedding cake” dance production number! Yes, really!


I REALLY have no idea what to make of this! But, overall, I liked it! Far more than I expected to – so that ain’t bad!


I also wonder if stuff like this was ever on TV… or if it was just consigned to the Warner vaults (or Water Tower, for you Animaniacs fans) until “escaping” onto this DVD!

• “Wake Up the Gypsy in Me”: (Runs 07:25) A Merrie Melodies cartoon by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, with Leon Schlesinger – Producer. Drawn by Isadore (later “Friz”) Freleng and Larry Silverman. The Merrie Melodies opening theme for this one is “Get Happy”.

The WB Shield and Vitaphone Pennant introduce this cartoon, where animated Russian peasants dance and make music. Then, they “give the business-ski” to “Rice-Puddin the Mad Monk”, who has kidnapped a little Gypsy girl.

Oddly, I have NEVER SEEN this cartoon at any point in my life… and I think we can all agree that I’ve watched a lot of cartoons! The little Gypsy Girl pops out at cartoon’s end to say “So long, folks!”

• The film itself: Return with James Cagney and Ralph Bellamy to the days when competing NEWSPAPERS were everyone’s primary source of information – and learn that scandal was big even in the supposed “good old days”. Cagney shows us why he’s one of Warner’s brightest stars in a superb vehicle that rarely pauses to take a breath!




Commentary Track by Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta:


Vance and Maietta offer a lively commentary for the entire 01:17:02 length of the film – exhibiting great enthusiasm and handing-off to one another like a combination of Warner Bros. “Goofy Gophers” and yours truly and my great friend and comics-writing editor David Gerstein, if we were discussing the aforementioned Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson.

Er, that’s a COMPLIMENT to the pair, in case you were wondering!

Observations include:


• “Picture Snatcher” was shot in a mere 15 days!


• Cagney was quick with the humorous ad-libs. He reasoned that, despite playing shady characters, no one could hate someone who made them laugh.

• “Picture Snatcher” was a pre-code film, as were “Little Caesar”, “The Public Enemy”, and “Scarface”. But, in view of the changing times, it was an attempt to make a “gangster-type film”, with everything but the “overt gangster-ism” in it.

• Deaths by electrocution (as seen in this film) were both new and mysterious to the public at the time. Thus, the urgency to obtain a photo of the event at all costs. Also, there were 20 deaths in New York’s “Sing-Sing” Prison (where the film’s execution took place) in the previous year – 1932.

• The incidents of the execution (with smuggled photo) and gangster/police firefight were drawn from actual news stories of the time.


• Prohibition would end late in 1933, meaning that it was still in force during both the making and release of “Picture Snatcher”. Given this, a fair amount of the film takes place in speak-easys – and is an accurate reflection of real times. The showing of illegal drinking was a standard in films of the time.


• In the frantic car chase to get Danny’s unscrupulously obtained photo of the execution to his paper, his car LOOSES A TIRE. But, in subsequent scenes of the chase, the tire is BACK ON AGAIN – AND BACK OFF! …Oopsie!


• They conclude: “So, for the most part, electrocutions and gun battles aside, everyone who survives ends up – more or less – happy! And you really couldn’t ask for more from an early 1930s Warner Bros. picture!”




Overall:

I ended up quite “happy” too! “Picture Snatcher” is another of those lesser known films that should really be more of a classic! Every moment of it, is exciting and/or great fun! Ralph Bellamy is a solid, if unremarkable, second banana, and Robert Emmett O’Connor is one of the best “Irish Cops” you’ll ever see on film!

But James Cagney is the REAL “Picture Snatcher” here – in every sense of the phrase! There isn’t a moment when he’s on screen that you won’t be thoroughly entertained!


“Warner Night at the Movies” allows you to experience the film in a 1933 context. The rest is ably filled-in by our pair of intrepid commentators.

It is highly recommended for fans of James Cagney, fast-talking comedic action, mixed-up romance, the newspaper business, very old cars, gangster and crime films in general, Tommy guns, electric chairs, and those who might romanticize about life in the Great Depression.

Coincidences in Writing: Some Rambling Thoughts.

I’ve long since come to believe that “coincidences in writing” just happen. You’re tempted to think that something was inspired by something else – or was ripped-off by something else. But, probably more often than we realize, it’s most likely just coincidence.

My favorite example of this in classic sci-fi TV occurs between STAR TREK “Mirror Mirror” (10/06/1967) and LOST IN SPACE “The Anti-Matter Man” (12/27/1967)!

Each posited an alternate / opposite / evil twin universe – and, miraculously, each had an other-world duplicate of one of “our guys” sporting a BEARD! Mr. Spock for STAR TREK and Major Don West for LOST IN SPACE!

Both aired within 2.5 months of one another, ruling out even inadvertent recollections leading to the similarities, much less the possibility of plagiarism – and both had an amazing number of coinciding elements, including the above-mentioned “nega-character” with a beard. If anything, BOTH might have been cribbed from DC’s “Crime Syndicate of America”, that first appeared in 1964.

The funny thing about the Star Trek / Lost in Space parallel is that there really weren't any (or very many) established "norms" for TV Sci-Fi at the time. Now? Certainly there are! But, THEN? They were pretty much making it up as they went along -- with only '50s Sci-Fi movies as a guide. For examples of THAT, watch the great classic "Forbidden Planet" - - and count the ways it influences BOTH series. Star Trek and Lost in Space pretty much "did their own thing -- their own way" (And I STILL love 'em both for that!) making such a parallel all the more unlikely.

In direct contrast, for examples of "non-coincidence", watch the '50s film "The Thing from Another World" -- and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea's "The Heat Monster" (1967). The nature of the respective "creatures" differed (An alien "vegetable" vs. a sentient "flame-creature"), but EVERYTHING else was the same. The one key element of "The Thing from Another World" that didn't appear in the Voyage episode (the creature being defrosted from a block of ice by an unfortunately placed electric blanket) found itself in the Lost in Space episode "Castles in Space" (also 1967). I'll be doing a DVD Review of "The Thing from Another World" someday, and will be certain to mention that.

Applying the topic to my own experiences in comic book script writing:

In my first script for Gemstone, Super Goof: “Now Museum, Now You Don’t” (2006), I referred to the omnipresent coffee establishment in the greater Duckburg-Mouseton Metro Area as “Starducks”. “Thuh coffee so strong it puts feathers on a hairy chest!”

I liken getting to use a gag like that to “finding a 50 dollar bill lying on the ground”. You’re glad YOU picked it up, and wonder why no one else got to it first.

Anyone who has read Boom!’s Darkwing Duck comic will know that “Starducks” was also the omnipresent coffee establishment in St. Canard. Darkwing authors Ian Brill, Aaron Sparrow, or whoever wrote that first arc did not borrow that from me… it was a coincidence!

Though, ironically, in the very unlikely event that “Now Museum, Now You Don’t” ever gets reprinted, folks will probably think I borrowed it from THEM. (If, indeed, they remember “Starducks” at all!)

“Starducks” was simply a very likely name to use in a particular situation.

I have ANOTHER such “50 dollar bill find” in an unpublished UNCLE SCROOGE script that I completed just as Boom! decided to cancel the title.

It’s another “one of those things” that’s so good and so obvious, that you wonder why no one’s beaten you to it. No, I’m not tipping on what it is! Hopefully, someday, you’ll see it in print!

So, now I’m hoping that someone soon picks up the license to publish UNCLE SCROOGE – and decides to run that story – before another writer “beats me to it”, who really may not have done so at all!

And, if it should happen, I will be unhappy, but I’ll know it was a coincidence.

“The Warner Archive Collection”

Since we’ll often be referring to “The Warner Archive Collection” in future DVD reviews, I thought I’d post this generalized description here, and simply link to it as needed.

“The Warner Archive Collection” offers online exclusive DVD packages that are “manufactured-on-demand” (or MOD). They are not mass-produced, standard pressed DVDs, but are recorded on DVD-R.


I don’t consider DVD-R to be the most desirable medium. Though the end product is certainly superior to “bootleg” material, it is a step or two below the mass-marketed product we know and love.


At least in this regard, Warner plays fair with us by issuing the following disclaimer:


“This disc is expected to play back in DVD video ‘play only’ devices, and may not play back in other DVD devices including recorders and PC drives”.


True enough. Warner Archive discs are not recognized by my computer, though they play just fine on my Blu-ray player.

“The Warner Archive Collection” product takes a no-frills approach. Extra Features, if they exist at all, are kept to a bare minimum. Films and programs are not segmented by “Chapters”, but the Skip Forward and Skip Backward keys of your DVD remote allow you to navigate at ten-minute intervals – regardless of where that ten minute jump will land you logically within the story. …Though, more recent TWAC releases have exhibited “Chapter Breaks” in a more logical, and less mechanically rigid, fashion.

No subtitles are included and source material is generally fine and sharp, though not always as pristine as a standard release.


Retail prices are often higher than they might otherwise be, but that comes with the nature of “Manufacture on Demand”. Sales and other promotions are offered regularly, once you’ve made the initial foray into TWAC, mitigating the impact of pricing somewhat.

On the plus side “The Warner Archive Collection” is able to offer many movies, TV shows, and animated series that would not likely find support in the present-day mass market. “The Warner Archive Collection” has provided such wonders as Hanna-Barbera’s ‘60s series FRANKENSTEIN JR. AND THE IMPOSSIBLES and Irwin Allen’s early ‘70s aborted TV pilot CITY BENEATH THE SEA... just to name two.

Chase Craig 101.

…Yes, there SHOULD be a college course by that name!

It’s always been difficult for me to think of Del Connell  and not think of Chase Craig. Perhaps it’s because they both had the greatest amount of influence and guidance over my favorite line of comic books. Those published under the Dell and Gold Key banners.

Since we just, regrettably, noted Del Connell’s passing, we now celebrate what would have been Chase Craig’s 101st birthday, courtesy of Mark Evanier’s Blog.


Aside to GeoX… Although I remain flattered at your suggestion that I write some sort of official history of Western Publishing, the piece by Evanier that I link to above shows EXACTLY WHY Mark Evanier may be the only man alive who can do the topic the justice it deserves.

Besides, so much of what I know came directly (or indirectly, via a contact he provided) from him that I’d never dream of putting myself in that company.


Mark, if you’re reading this (…and I’ll not flatter myself to presume so), please consider such a project while one is still possible. There are MANY folks who’d love to get their hands on it.

Thanks for posting such great material on Mr. Connell and Mr. Craig… and thanks for writing that long ago Super Goof Museum story (for George Sherman?) that, decades later, I dialogued as my first professional job!

Life is Like a... Well, you know... (And Some Batman Stuff!)

...And, if you don't know, The Riddler has the answer above!  ...Kinda!

Anyway, one o' those big-scary-windy-rainy-things is coming!

So, I'll see you all on the other side! 

...Of the HURRICANE, that is! 

Oh, did you know that the comic pictured above (BATMAN # 171  May, 1965) was the basis for the pilot episode of the 1966 Batman TV show -- "Hi Diddle Riddle / Smack in the Middle"? 

Neither did Adam West and Frank Gorshin, until I showed it to them at a 1999 New York appearance!  

They each were pleasantly surprised -- and autographed the comic for me!   

DVD Review: The Herculoids: The Complete Series (1967)

The Herculoids: The Complete Series (1967)

(Released: June, 2011 by The Warner Archive Collection)

Another looong DVD Review by Joe Torcivia


Summary: The Herculoids are… are… Well, even after all these years, I’m not entirely sure WHAT The Herculoids are! But I DO know that they (and the Hanna-Barbera studio that produced them) were responsible for the coolest animated action of the 1967-1968 Sat AM television season.

And, if not exactly WHAT they are, I can tell you WHO they are:


Zandor: The human or humanoid leader of The Herculoids.


Tara: Zandor’s wife


Dorno: Zandor and Tara’s son (about 12).


All sport primitive, caveman-like dress and pack weapons such as sling-shots.


Zok: A flying dragon, who shoots laser beams from both his eyes and tail.


Igoo: A huge gorilla-like creature made of solid stone.


Tundro: A ten-legged triceratops, who shoots explosive projectiles from his horn.


Gloop and Gleep: Father and son (?) formless ectoplasmic beings, who can squash, stretch, multiply and reintegrate, and generally bounce around and do anything the writers can come up with. Oh, and they speak gibberish with a wonderful throat-bobbing sound supplied by Don Messick. You might have heard him do something similar for a ghost on SCOOBY-DOO, or aliens guesting on YOGI BEAR.


Set on a prehistoric-looking planet, the humans live in a tree – not a “tree-house”, but a TREE – while the other creatures bed-down nearby.

We never learn who these beings are, how they came together, or how they can even communicate (the creatures growl, roar, screech, grunt, and do that throat-bobbing thing), but what we DO know is that invaders, would-be conquerors, and plain old dangerous natural phenomena find their way to The Herculoids’ planet with alarming frequency (TWO per show, in fact!), and must be turned-away, destroyed, or otherwise neutralized.


And it is THAT (…and perhaps ONLY that) at which they excel!

In the first cartoon (of two), a threat shows up and Zandor leads the Herculoids into battle against it. Then, in the second cartoon, the same thing occurs – but the invading entity shows up in a TEASER before the cartoon’s title card. This only happens in the second cartoon, and not the first, leading me to believe that there was probably a COMMERCIAL inserted between the second cartoon’s teaser and “main body”. Sorry, but I can’t recall that for certain… seems very likely, though.


The show is light on (or completely devoid of) everything but action. But, DAMN… that action was both clever and well-executed within the constraints of 1967 SatAM television. The character designs, by the great Alex Toth, certainly account for some of that! Lots of stock music, left over from JONNY QUEST, also helped!

The trio of credited writers, Ken Spears and Joe Ruby (later of SCOOBY-DOO WHERE ARE YOU, as well as their own animation studio) and David Scott find endless variations on how Zandor, his family, and the creatures under his command bring their uniquely individual talents to bear.

Each individual episode is great fun to watch, but you quickly realize there was a REASON why THE HERCULOIDS aired only once a week. If you’ve seen one, you’ve pretty much seen them all. But, with only 18 shows all told (with two cartoons in each – for a total of 36 adventures), judicious spacing of the shows among the rest of your entertainment viewing can – and will – result in maximum enjoyment.


Credited voices are:


• Mike Road (Race Bannon on JONNY QUEST) as Zandor.


• Virginia Gregg as Tara.


• Teddy Eccles as Dorno.


• Don Messick as Gloop and Gleep.

It is presumed Messick and other actors doubled as the various sounds of the creatures – perhaps even including very early performances by Frank Welker.


Uncredited (but certainly noted), usually as invaders: Paul Frees, Henry Corden, John Stephenson, Hal Smith, and doubtless others.

ODDITY: Starting with Episode Three, Mike Road does the following narration over the opening theme sequence:

“Somewhere out in space, live The Herculoids! Zok the laser-ray dragon! Igoo the giant rock ape! Tundro the tremendous! Gloop and Gleep, the formless fearless wonders! With Zandor their leader, and his wife Tara and son Dorno, they team up to protect their planet from sinister invaders! All-strong! All-brave! All-heroes! They are The Herculoids!"


…There! Don’t we feel a lot more knowledgeable now?

Of late, “The Warner Archive Collection” has been pretty diligent at releasing Hanna- Barbera material, and I hope to see that trend continue.


As it is a relatively new enterprise, “The Warner Archive Collection” might require as much initial explanation as do The Herculoids, themselves. And, thanks to me, you’ll learn more about TWAC than all 18 episodes will tell you about The Herculoids. (…How DID they get that NAME, anyway?)

“The Warner Archive Collection” offers online exclusive DVD packages that are “manufactured-on-demand” (or MOD). They are not mass-produced, standard pressed DVDs, but are recorded on DVD-R.

I don’t consider DVD-R to be the most desirable medium. Though the end product is certainly superior to “bootleg” material, it is sometimes a step or two below the mass-marketed product we know and love.


At least in this regard, Warner plays fair with us by issuing the following disclaimer:


“This disc is expected to play back in DVD video ‘play only’ devices, and may not play back in other DVD devices including recorders and PC drives”.


True enough. Warner Archive discs are not recognized by my computer, though they play just fine on my Blu-ray player.

“The Warner Archive Collection” product takes a no-frills approach. Extra Features, if they exist at all, are kept to a bare minimum. Movies are not segmented by “Chapters”, but the Skip Forward and Skip Backward keys of your DVD remote allow you to navigate at ten-minute intervals – regardless of where that ten minute jump will land you logically within the story.

But, at least for animated series like THE HERCULOIDS which are ALREADY segmented into different cartoons, the Chapter Skip functions adhere to the boundaries of those segments. No subtitles are included and source material is generally fine and sharp, though not always as pristine as a standard release.


Retail prices are often higher than they might otherwise be, but that comes with the nature of “Manufacture on Demand”. Sales and other promotions are offered regularly, once you’ve made the initial foray into TWAC, mitigating the impact of pricing somewhat.


On the plus side, “The Warner Archive Collection” is able to offer many movies, TV shows, and animated series that would not likely find support in the present-day mass market. “The Warner Archive Collection” has provided such wonders as Hanna-Barbera’s ‘60s series FRANKENSTEIN JR. AND THE IMPOSSIBLES and Irwin Allen’s early ‘70s aborted TV pilot CITY BENEATH THE SEA... just to name two.


As is our custom in these reviews, we’ll break it into CONS and PROS.


The CONS:


It’s Warner Archives: That means virtually nothing in the way of Extra Features, subtitles, etc. No commentaries. And, there is a needlessly limited choice of devices on which to play it, vs. standard DVD. But, hey… We knew that going in!

 Not Much Depth: But, in the days before Mr. Sulu and Lt. Uhura even had first names, did we even need it? Let The Herculoids remain a mystery. That’s part of the fun!




The PROS:

It’s Warner Archives: That means we get a series that (at the present time and economic and technological climate) would probably not garner sufficient support for a general DVD release. Given a choice between THE HERCULOIDS as a Warner Archive Collection release, or no release at all, I’ll gladly take a TWAC version.

The “Special Feature”(singular): The short Herculoids feature from SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS 1960s Volume One is ported over to this set. Even if you already have it, it’s worth seeing Paul Dini, Mark Evanier, Scott Jeralds, and others wax nostalgic over THE HERCULOIDS.

Chapter Skips: Imagine listing this as a “PRO” but, unlike many Warner Archive products, this one actually skips forward and backward to LOGICAL points in the show: First Cartoon, Mid-Break of First Cartoon, Teaser of Second Cartoon, Mid-Break of Second Cartoon… but not directly to the End Credits (but they’re the same for every show, anyway).

Action: And, of the non-stop variety, to boot! Villains were killed nearly as often as they were driven off! Gotta love that in a cartoon! ANY cartoon! And, to the do-gooders who objected to the content, THE HERCULOIDS emphasized the value of TEAMWORK! No one Herculoid could destroy a foe… it took ‘em ALL! Nyaaah!


Overall:

THE HERCULOIDS was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions during the curious window of time where they had, once and for all, abandoned the “Three-Feature-Funny-Animal” type of series that put them on the map.

The 1966-1967 season marked the end for MAGILLA GORILLA, PETER POTAMUS, ATOM ANT, and SECRET SQUIRREL. It was also the season that begat FRANKENSTEIN JR. AND THE IMPOSSIBLES, still a (somewhat) “funny” series that sort of bridged the way to the more straightforward and adventurous SPACE GHOST AND DINO BOY. The season also saw the short-lived comedic SPACE KIDETTES.

1967-1968, for H-B, was completely given over to the action and adventure type of show (of which THE HERCULOIDS – along with SPACE GHOST – were the best), until an uprising of do-gooders began pounding Saturday Morning programming into the type of tepid pulp it pretty much remains to this day (The ‘90s series from WB excepted!)

So, one might choose to indulge in THE HERCULOIDS as a game-changing, historic series. Enjoy it for that, or a flat-out action series. Just enjoy it.