During the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon studio turned
out dozens of cartoons, some doing very well, but many lasting only one –
maybe two – seasons. Such is the case with Dastardly & Muttley
in Their Flying Machines, which lasted just 17 weeks. This Wacky Races
spin-off was set in World War I and featured Dick Dastardly, his dog Muttley,
and the rest of the Vulture Squadron as they relentlessly tried to “stop
the pigeon.” Despite the short run, the show made a lasting impression
on Hannah-Barbera and cartoon fans and is now available to own on DVD.
For those not old enough to remember the show: Premiering on September 13,
1969, Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines was
one of two spin-offs of a very popular cartoon called The Wacky Races
(the other spin-off being The Perils of Penelope Pitstop).
Dick Dastardly, who apparently grew tired of losing all those Wacky Races, is
now in charge of the Vulture Squadron, a band of airborne misfits whose mission
is to (as anyone who remembers the theme song can attest) “stop that pigeon
now!” Their motivation is the possibility of earning a medal or maybe
even a 30-day furlough. The only problem is that the crafty pigeon always seems
to be one step ahead. The less-than-magnificent flyers under Dastardly's command
start with his snickering canine sidekick, Muttley, who always demands a medal
for following the dimwitted deeds of his master, and often saving his life too.
Klunk is the squad's mechanic and inventor of gizmos, and Zilly is nothing more
than a ball of nerves, so frazzled he can barely muster the courage to get into
his plane, let alone fly it. Dastardly receives his orders from "The General"
who is never seen but is always heard barking orders to poor Dick over the phone.
Yankee Doodle Pigeon is a carrier pigeon whose heroic messenger duties were
to deliver messages to the other side of the enemy’s lines… or so
that is what everyone guessed. Truth be told, it was never actually explained
why the Vulture Squadron needed to stop the pigeon, nor was it ever revealed
what exactly they were stopping the pigeon from doing.
Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines was produced
by Hanna-Barbera. Dick Dastardly was voiced by Paul Winchell (most famous for
his voice of Tigger, amongst a slew of other random Hanna-Barbera characters),
while Muttley, Klunk and Zilly were voiced by Don Messick (the infamous voice
of Scooby Doo). The show started in September 1969 on the CBS network, and was
cancelled by January 1970; a total of 17 half-hour programs were aired. Each
episode contained two “Flying Machine” chapters/shorts, a “Magnificent
Muttley” short and two or three “Wing Dings.” This collection
contains all 17 programs – over 90 shorts in all.
The show itself is pretty entertaining, however, it is easy to see why it didn’t
last. It has a very “cookie-cutter” format, and it is seems that
the creators just ran out of steam – at the same time the audience lost
interest. That doesn’t mean that the 17 episodes that exist are anything
less than delightful; to this day they appeal to kids of all ages, as the premise
is a wacky form of the simple cat-and-mouse chase. I recommend the show to all
cartoon fans.
The show is presented on DVD in its original Full Frame exhibition. The soundtrack
has been mastered into Dolby Digital, but preserves the original Mono format,
available in English, French and Spanish languages; subtitles in the three languages
are also available. Packaging for the set is standard cardboard double-gatefold
(containing episode breakdowns on the first flap, then discs one, two and three
in order) housed in a sturdy plastic case. Artwork is colorful and included
in the packaging is a bonus animation cell from the show – a nice touch
for collectors.
Bonus features on the Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines
collection are pretty lackluster. Considering that most purchasing will be done
by an older generation, it is surprising that more effort didn’t go into
the extra bits. What is included is worth watching once, but certainly isn’t
jaw-dropping. Drat… and double-drat! Here’s a look at the “delightfully
Dastardly extras:”
• The Vulture Squadron’s Greatest Misses – This extra runs
7½ minutes and is nothing more than a montage of clips from the show
that center on the squadron missing their target and getting bonked, slammed,
bashed, dropped, torn apart and “pie’d.” It’s kind of
an original thought, but also kind of pointless.
• Audio Commentaries – Episodes 11 and 15 have audio commentaries
available to accompany the shorts. Commentaries are performed by: Iwa Takamoto
(designer), Jerry Eisenberg (designer), Scott Awley (Warner Bros. Animation)
and Scott Jeralds (Warner Bros. Animation). Iwao and Jerry actually worked on
the show back in ’69; they have some interesting insight. But for the
most part, all participants are kind of quiet. Still, both commentaries are
very much worth listening too – I actually wish there were one or two
more to hear.
• Dastardly & Muttley’s Spin Offs: What Wacky Races Wrought
– This is a mini-documentary and contains interviews with Takomoto and
Eisenberg, among others, who give good insight into the creation of the show.
Sadly, it runs less than 5 minutes – I would have really enjoyed a lot
more.
• Trailers – There are trailers on the third disc for a slew of
Hanna-Barbera DVD sets.
Rassuh-frazza-pazza-nutshell: Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying
Machines is a spin-off from the popular Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races cartoon,
featuring Dick Dastardly, Muttley and the Vulture Squadron as they try to “stop
the pigeon!” Though the series was short-lived, it has a rightful place
in the history of Hanna-Barbera toons that, and continues to entertain kids
of all ages. The release of the complete series on 3 discs is certainly a plus
for long-time fans, but a lack of thorough extras may not be enough to provoke
a purchase from others.
DVD Show Content/Packaging Score: B
DVD Show Special Features Score: D
DVD Show Collection Overall Score: C
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