The Howdy Doody Show- 40 Episode Collection (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's time to sit back, get nostalgic, and let Buffalo Bob Smith, Howdy Doody, Clarabell and the entire gang entertain you once again in this delightful DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment. Mill Creek you ask? Aren't they the company that releases all of those box collections of public domain movies and television episodes? Yes, it's the very same Mill Creek but with a difference . . . . the 40 episodes included in this reasonably priced collection are all licensed directly from NBC Universal, and Mill Creek has really delivered a first-class DVD release. Somewhat surprisingly, Mill Creek sweetens the deal with a nice array of bonus items in this release, including a scrapbook-like booklet chock full of pictures, a historic timeline, interviews, and three bonus episodes, including the series' farewell episode broadcast in 1960.
The range of the episodes contained in this set run from 1949 through 1954, and the bonus disc includes the show's very last episode in 1960, broadcast in color, which included Clarabell speaking for the first (and last) time on the show. I like the earliest shows the best when the show was originally titled "Puppet Playhouse" since they represent the dawn of television. They're technically crude and some of the missteps become apparent when a camera occasionally catches Buffalo Bob mouthing Howdy's lines (Smith would later tape Howdy's lines). But there's an energy in these earliest shows that makes "Howdy Doody" succeed despite the technical and budgetary limitations; you can sense that the performers and behind-the-scenes technical crew are really giving it their all.
The audio/visual presentation is about what one might expect for one of television's oldest series, particularly as these live shows were recorded using the kinescope process. While kinescopes simply do not look as good as modern videotape or film, the episodes contained in this collection are very watchable. Audio is generally solid, but occasionally the microphone placement misses some of the performers' lines. Considering that some of these episodes are nearly 60 years old, most viewers will recognize the technical limitations of the era.
The only nit that I have to pick with this collection, and it's a small one, is that it begins with a show from 1949. It would have been nice to see some earlier examples. While I have no idea as to whether or not the December 27, 1947 debut show still exists, some of the shows produced in 1948 are still in existence. If Mill Creek releases additional episode collections of "The Howdy Doody Show," it would be interesting, from a historical perspective, to see the earliest surviving episode from the series.
For those of a certain age, the mention of "Howdy Doody" instantly takes one back to the simpler times of their youth. "The Howdy Doody Show" remains not only a landmark series in children's television, but also a landmark series in live television production. Thank you, Mill Creek Entertainment, for releasing a fascinating and entertaining glimpse back in television time.


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Howdy Doody Show- 40 Episode Collection (2008)

The Howdy Doody Show made its debut on television in 1947. When The Howdy Doody Show first aired, there were only 20,000 American homes with television sets and NBC only had stations in six television markets. The show was credited as a major factor in the growth of NBC. The Howdy Doody Show went on to air 2,543 episodes, before running its final episode on September 24, 1960. The Howdy Doody Show set numerous benchmarks for television. It was the first network kids show to air five days a week, the first show on the air each day (it was preceded by the network's color pattern), the first television show ever broadcast in color, and the first show ever to air in more than 1,000 continuous episodes. While Howdy and his friend s entertained American children, they also sold television sets to American parents and demonstrated the potential of the new medium to advertisers. Loaded with Extensive Bonus Features...including Rare Interviews from the Archive of American Television the company that produces The Emmy Awards. This delightful collection contains 40 of the best full length episodes (including commercials) from 1949 to 1954. These 40 episodes were chosen from the NBC Universal vaults because they were the most requested episodes by Howdy Doody fans. Join Howdy Doody, his cousin Heidi, Buffalo Bob Smith, Clarabell the Clown, Chief Thunderthud, Princess Summerfall Winterspring and Mayor Phineas T. Bluster on a journey to through classic entertainment! Bonus Features:
Photo Memories Book containing 32 Collectible photos from the NBC vault!
Interviews with Bob Keeshan, Eddie Kean, E. Roger Muir, Bob Smith, and more!
Howdy Doody Historical and Interactive Timeline
Photo Gallery
Never before seen, unique collectible packaging created specifically for this release!

Click here for more information about The Howdy Doody Show- 40 Episode Collection (2008)