Watch It: From ‘Wonder Woman’ to ‘Waltons,’ DVD releases have holiday season covered

Kirk Baird

Monday, Dec. 6, 2004 | 8:20 a.m.

As the song goes, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's especially wonderful if someone on your holiday gift list is a fan of DVDs. There are hundreds of DVD box sets available. Some, such as the "Seinfeld" Seasons 1 through 3 gift set and "Star Wars" DVD box set, are obvious. Others, such as the short-lived TV show "Home Movies," may not jump to mind, but would make a great gift all the same.

During the past year several of these obscure box sets and DVDs have come across my desk. Here's a list of some of those that would make for a novel, if not ideal, holiday gift:

"In your satin tights, fighting for your rights and the old Red, White and Blue." Wonder Woman is certainly a wonder, and this DVD box set of the '70s TV series does her justice. A hybrid mystery-action series with hints of comedy, "Wonder Woman" was the feminist answer to "Charlie's Angels" and "Jiggle TV."

"Any civilization that does not recognize the female is doomed to destruction," as Wonder Woman chides a Nazi officer in the series pilot.

Former Miss USA Lynda Carter, an unproven actress at the time she was cast as Wonder Woman, manages the perfect blend of play-it-straight gusto with a occasional wink to the audience she's in on the joke.

It certainly doesn't hurt that she fits the suit well, as noted by series creator and producer Doug Cramer, in commentary for the pilot.

Discussing a skirt option for the Wonder Woman outfit with Carter, Cramer remarks: "Once you took that skirt off, the network never wanted it to go back on again." For once, network intervention proved wise. Cost: $39.98.

Partners Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, who practically created Saturday morning cartoon programming, have impacted almost anyone growing up during the '70s. Finally, some of their efforts have made it to DVD.

It's no secret that "The Flintstones" began as an animated answer to "The Honeymooners." And "The Flintstones" was also a big success in prime time, airing from 1960-1966 on ABC -- a record run for animation in prime time until "The Simpsons" surpassed the mark.

In 1967 "The Flintstones" moved to Saturday mornings, where it ran variously on all three networks through the mid-'80s.

This DVD, though, is the first season of the prime-time series, a time when the show was as much for adults as for children. The fact that Alka-Seltzer served as a sponsor, as seen in commercial clips on the DVD, attests to that.

"Scooby-Doo Where are You!" premiered in 1969 as a Saturday morning cartoon series and ran in various incarnations through the '90s. Of course, the first few seasons remain the best, before the show turned to guest stars such as Jerry Reed, the Harlem Globetrotters, the Mamas & the Papas' Cass Elliot, and Batman and Robin.

While quirky lines on the show such as "and it would've worked if it weren't for you meddlesome kids!" have been culturally worn out, there's still something fresh about the TV show.

"Wacky Races" is one of those animated series that I shouldn't like as an adult. The cartoon deals with a group of zany cartoon characters racing to various towns in strange cars: the Army Surplus Special, the Convert-a-Car, the Creepy Coupe and the Arkansas Chug-a-Bug, to name a few.

The late-'60s animation of "Wacky Races" is crude -- especially by today's standards -- and the jokes are often nothing more than bad puns and sight gags. But I enjoyed the show as a kid and still enjoy it today.

For fans of "Scooby-Doo" or "The Flintstones," either DVD set would make them proud. For fans of old-school Saturday morning cartoons, try the more obscure "Wacky Races."

Cost: "Wacky Races," $34.98;

"The Flintstones: The Complete

First Season," $39.98; "Scooby-

Doo Where are You! The Com-

plete 1st and 2nd Seasons,"

$64.92.

"The Waltons: The Complete First Season" -- 20 hours, 49 minutes.

It has been decades since I watched "The Waltons" during its regular network run on CBS during most of the '70s into the '80s. During the time away from the show, I remembered the series as being insufferably saccharine-sweet. But after watching the DVD box set from the first season, I stand corrected.

Set during the Great Depression, "The Waltons" is certainly archaic by today's standards for family drama -- "The O.C.," anyone? But therein lies "The Waltons' " charm. The show's aw-shucks naivete is refreshing and -- yes -- heartwarming. And there's no shame in that. Simple moral lessons are always relevant, no matter how hokey.

Cost: $39.98.

"How's Your News?" -- 82 minutes.

"How's Your News?" involves a group of disabled adults who act as TV reporters and conduct "man-on-the-street" interviews with strangers they meet in a cross-country trek. With "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker serving as the documentary's producers, conventional wisdom would suggest "How's Your News?" pokes fun at the disabled. But that's not the case.

In fact, the documentary, which first aired on HBO and Cinemax in 2002, serves as an eye-opening examination of how "normal" folks interact with those who are physically or mentally challenged.

Alternately funny and poignant, "How's Your News?" certainly isn't for everyone. But for anyone with an open mind, this good-natured documentary makes you think.

Cost: $19.98.

"H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series" -- 450 minutes.

Urban legends persist that drugs were behind the psychedelic children's show "H.R. Pufnstuf." Just check out the name of the show.

In an interview with the Sun earlier this summer, Marty Krofft, who created the show along with his brother, Sid, maintained any connection between the show and illegal drugs were coincidental: "There may have been drug connotations from the people watching it, but not from us," he said. "We'd be dead by now if we did as many drugs as people think we did."

That said, "H.R. Pufnstuf," which had a 17-episode run in 1969, can be enjoyed on many levels. Undoubtedly, those who enjoy watching "The Wizard of Oz" while listening to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" will appreciate the acid-trip colors and groovy characters on the show.

Others will enjoy the campy nostalgia of it all. Perhaps some pre-teens might appreciate a break from Cartoon Network and watch the series.

Cost: $39.95.

(Also consider "Land of the

Lost: The Complete First Sea-

son" and "Land of the Lost:

The Complete Second Season,"

$39.95 each.)

"SCTV Volume 1: Network 90," and "SCTV: Volume 2," 13 hours and 11 hours, respectively.

What began as a cult Canadian skit series featuring then-unknown Second City comics was promoted to the Friday late-night schedule of NBC in 1981.

Not a moment too soon, considering "Saturday Night Live" reached what many critics say was its lowest creative point that season.

While "SCTV" certainly had its share of misses, the show's percentage of hits is staggering. More heady in its humor than its star-powered Saturday night rival, "SCTV" also boasted a cast of future big names in comedy, including John Candy, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas and Catherine O'Hara.

For years fans of the series clamored for "SCTV" to be released on DVD. Music copyright issues, however, kept the series out of stores -- until this year, when Shout! Factory secured the rights to most of the songs for its "SCTV" box sets.

Yes, some of the jokes on the shows are dated -- as is always the case when being topical -- but good humor always lasts. Which is why "SCTV" will always be in style.

Cost: $89.99 each.

(Note: If you can only afford

one box set, go for the second

season. It's generally funnier

than the first season, with the

cast really hitting its comedic

stride.)

"Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series" -- 18 hours.

"Freaks and Geeks" forced me to hate network television. I discovered the 1980s-set high school drama midway through its 18-episode run. By March 2000, NBC pulled the plug on the struggling series, and I nearly divorced myself from network TV. Of course, I reluctantly returned. But my trust level will never be the same.

Thankfully for me and other fans of "Freaks and Geeks," the show found its way to DVD. All 18 episodes of the series are here, including commentary from the cast and crew on every episode.

Having watched the show again, I can understand why "Freaks and Geeks" never caught on with mainstream audiences. Neither funny enough to be a comedy nor serious enough to be a drama, "Freaks and Geeks" explores a typical day of high school. That is to say, a mixture of laughs -- often at the expense of others -- and painful "life lessons." (Some of these lessons are so painful and humiliating, it's almost impossible not to turn away from the screen.)

Whether you were in high school in 1980 or not, there's something recognizable in nearly every "Freaks and Geeks" character, which gives the series a timeless quality ... even if it's only 18 episodes long.

Cost: $69.98.

"Home Movies: Season One" -- 6 1/2 hours.

There's something almost instantly recognizable about "Home Movies." The show was produced by the same minds behind Comedy Central's "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist," and features the same squiggly style of animation, Squigglevision. Fortunately, "Home Movies" is almost as funny as its predecessor.

"Home Movies" centers on Brendon Small, a neurotic third grader and aspiring filmmaker; his equally neurotic mom, Paula Small (voice of Paula Poundstone); best friends Melissa and Jason; and Coach McGuirk, Brendon's alcoholic soccer coach who, in fact, hates the sport.

Just as with "Dr. Katz," the voices are all provided by comedians (most notably Poundstone) who improvised their lines in the recording studio. The humor often is dry and biting and almost often elicits a laugh or two.

Although "Home Movies" had a three-month run on UPN in 1999, the show was picked up by Cartoon Network for its "Adult Swim" block of adult cartoons, and is in its fourth season. "Season One" on DVD is a great way to get started on the series.

Cost: $34.98.

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