"When criminals in this world appear, and break the laws that they should fear, and frighten all who see or hear, the cry goes out both far and near for Underdog!"
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This cartoon, which I actually did watch regularly as a kid, managed to be both a rockem sockem good superhero show and simultaneously somehow a send-up of the whole superhero genre.
I think shows like this helped to instill in my generation an awareness of how formulaic and hackneyed television can be. They helped to break the spell tv had over us, making us smarter watchers and fostering a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.
Remember Dudley Do-Right? Rocky and Bullwinkle? And the absurdly overblown villains they battled?
These shows were like an antidote to the poison we were being fed during the Cold War. Even as kids, we knew that the painting of the West as good guys and the East as dastardly villains was false. We learned to spot and mistrust stereotypes.
And how about Hong Kong Phooey?
Hong Kong Phooey was an underdog, too - a 'humble janitor'. And man, was he jive! This show was just... unreal.
"Not bird, nor plane, nor even frog.... just little old me, Underdog!" I loved watching Underdog -- and introduced him to my granddaughter who immediately wanted to dress up and be "Wonderdog" as she pronounced it!!
ReplyDeleteMy kids loved that show when they were younger and I did too!
ReplyDeleteTelevision does impact our daily living.
ReplyDeleteDon't know that cartoon, but it's clever.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Fractured Fairy Tales the best.
ReplyDeleteThe View from the Top of the Ladder
Goodness, peeking into my childhood. I really loved all these cartoons. Such a great share. Have a great weekend.
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