Author: Robert Greenberger

On the one hand, you have to wonder what took so long for Hanna-Barbera to get around to having their two most famous franchises meet. On the other, maybe they should have waited for inspiration. Today, Warner Archive is releasing The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones and the 96 minutes went by at a glacial pace.

This 1987 television production features just about every significant character from both shows with the possible exception of the Great Gazoo. The simple premise has Elroy building a time machine for a class project and the hilarity begins when the entire Jetson family is accidentally transported to the past.

By the time the story ends, both families have had a chance to experience how the other half lives with parallel issues of both bread-winners having their jobs on the line. In the future, Spacely Sprockets has been on a losing streak with Mr., Spacely believing George Jetson was responsible for industrial espionage. Meantime, Mr. Slate is fighting to keep from losing his company to arch rival Turk Tarpit.

Writers Don Nelson and Arthur Alsberg should have spent some time watching reruns of It’s About Time, the 1960s sitcom about astronauts accidentally catapulted back to the days of the caveman. The “fish out of water” motif would have been more interesting to watch than the ease with which the two families adjusted to their alien surroundings. Instead, they pad out the script with an odd subplot showing George earning fabulous wealth thanks to a flying demonstration. He and Jane then essentially buy up Bedrock and the plot goes nowhere and ends with a thud.

Everyone has a moment to shine or be the butt of the joke, with Mr. Spacely particularly stupid as he sees Fred in the Jetson apartment and somehow concludes its his employee in disguise. Jane, Wilma, and Betty prove to be the sensible ones while the men folk remain idealistic fools. The one character to experience some real drama is Judy, who falls for rock star Iggy Sandstone (whose band plays an original song clearly patterned after “Monster Mash”), and is conflicted about whether to stay with him or return home. Even Dino and Astro get their moments as the two animals see one another more as rivals than friends.

I’m not sure what message is being sent by having Rosie, the beloved robot servant, repeatedly wind up saving the day.

I do miss Alan Reed as Fred’s voice but Henry Corden does a fine job and it’s nice to have George O’Hearn, Jean Vader Pyl, Mel Blanc, Daws, Butler, and Don Messick back in their familiar places. The only voice that sounds off is Julie McWhirter’s Betty.

The video transfer is more than acceptable and this is for H-B afficianados.

We never quite cottoned to The Transformers in any incarnation but we do recognzie it has a fervent following. We also recognize the following news will be most welcome by diehard fans of the animated incarnation. It certainly will help pass the time until the third feature film is unleashed. Here’s the formal announcement:

This summer, loyal fans and collectors can finally bring home a new installment of the ongoing animated saga of TRANSFORMERS as FORTRESS MAXIMUS, SCORPONOK and rest of the Headmasters make their U.S. home entertainment debut in TRANSFORMERS: THE JAPANESE COLLECTION – Headmasters DVD set from Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro, Inc.

THE TRANSFORMERS – Headmasters is the first part of the rare Japanese trilogy that followed the popular “Generation 1” animated series. Available for the first time in North America, this collectible 4-DVD set features the complete action-packed episodes from the Headmasters series and contains the original Japanese language tracks along with updated English subtitles, a rare art gallery and more! Poised to attract an audience of pop culture enthusiasts, kids and parents who grew up with the American animated series, TRANSFORMERS: The Japanese Collection – Headmasters is priced to own with a suggested retail price of $29.93.

TRANSFORMERS: THE JAPANESE COLLECTION – Headmasters4-DVD Set

Synopsis:

Optimus Prime lives again, the energy of the Matrix has been released and peace reigns on Cybertron . . . but all that is about to change with the startling arrival of the newest breed of Transformers warriors — the Headmasters! Bonus Features Include:

1. Original Japanese Audio
2. English Subtitles
3. Art Gallery

In the fall of 1972, I was 14 and consuming as much science fiction and heroic fantasy as I could mainline. As a result, I was the prime candidate to fall in love with a television series that had great concepts, an appealing cast and plenty of action. None were more disappointed when the series, Search, faded after a single season. Thanks to the Wayback Machine that is Warner Archive, the pilot film, Probe, is currently available with hints that the series itself may follow.

Billed as “science fiction in today’s world”, NBC offered up a series that may be a little creaky upon watching today but the series offered some forward looking thinking that was all too rare during the 1970s. It all began with a two-hour telefilm that served as a pilot from Outer Limits creator Leslie Stevens. Producing the show was Star Trek veteran Robert Justman which may well explain why so many of the sound effects at Probe Control remind you of the Enterprise bridge.

World Securities Corp. was a nondescript business but within its office building lay the ultra-high-tech, secret Probe division. The field agents were outfitted with neural earjacks and dental implants that were wirelessly connected to the control room. Each agent carried a scanner that could transmit audio, video, infrared, medical telemetry and the like. Worn as a ring, cufflink or medallion, it was the ultimate fashion accessory. At Probe Control, a quintet of operatives monitored incoming and outgoing data, the physical health of the agent or the target, and could call up information from international databases. Orchestrating the flow and playing Jiminy Cricket to the field operatives was the no-nonsense VCR Cameron. (more…)

Pixar has announced details about the short, “La Luna” that will run prior to Cars 2 later this month. The story’s synopsis, according to a studio release:

La Luna is the timeless fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea, and with no land in sight, they stop and wait.  A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family’s most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa, or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions?

The story comes from director Enrico Casarosa, who is also Pixar’s Head of Story. (more…)

USA Network sells itself as a place with memorable characters, which they certainly do. When they don’t have a lot of money compared with prime time networks, they need to be challenged creatively and have delivered over the last few years a handful of series that are never less than entertaining to watch. Beginning with the wonderful [[[Monk]]], they set the template for engaging and quirky series set in a variety of settings (wherever they can shoot cheap and probably get a tax break) but it also means the shows have distinctive looks unlike the slick gloss found on the big five networks.

The high concepts aren’t all that different from what you find on the majors but the tone feels lighter and brighter, even when things get dire. By building the shows around the characters, you quickly get emotionally invested so when things happen to them, you cheer or cry or anxiously want to see what comes next.

A new quirk is that the seasons are broken up, with around half offered up over the summer, when we want lighter fare, and you get a cliffhanger until January, when the networks tend to avoid burning new episodes in the post-holiday fatigue period.  This way, we get fresh, fun fare with familiar characters as a nice bridge.

USA isn’t alone in this arena, but they started it and capitalized quite nicely adding show after show, with two new ones coming soon. Tonight, [[[White Collar]]] returns for its third season and today, the second season is available on a four-disc box set.  The show, for those unfamiliar, is largely a buddy story of a seemingly uptight FBI agent, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay), and the notorious forger and thief Neil Caffrey (Matt Bomer), whom he has captured twice and now uses as a consultant. (more…)