Plot: What’s it about?
Penrod Pooch is a mild mannered janitor, the one who merely cleans up at the police station. But when true danger rears its head, Penrod cleans up more than the floors, he cleans up crime, although no one knows it was him. This is because Penrod dons not only a mask and robe, but also the moniker of Hong Kong Phooey, so that his identity remains unknown. Using tips from dispatcher Rosemary, Phooey races off to take on crime using his keen detective skills and wicked martial art abilities. Also on his side is Spot, his lovable feline friend who is known for getting Phooey out of trouble at times. Another helpful element is the Phooeymobile, a special car that can change shape simply at the sound of a gong. So Phooey can alter his vehicle to his needs at the time, no matter how strange those needs might be. While Phooey means well and wants to use his kung fu to stop crime, more often than not, he bumbles in his attempts. But with the help of his friends and a little luck, perhaps he can make a difference and make the streets a little safer.
As a huge fan of these Hanna-Barbera cartoon classic releases, I’ve been waiting patiently for a few titles and with the arrival of Hong Kong Phooey, I can mark one off. Thanks to Warner, fans can pick up the entire series in this two disc collection and relive all the classic adventures. The rise in popularity of martial arts cinema, as in Bruce Lee and the like, led to the creation of Hong Kong Phooey, an animated martial artist. This was a common practice for Hanna-Barbera, to take popular concepts from other areas of entertainment and incorporate them into their cartoons. This series was rather short lived, with only one run of episodes, but it stands as one of my personal favorites from the Hanna-Barbera cannon. The show is good clean fun, as expected, with a great performance from Scatman Crothers in the title role. He delivers the ample one liners with skill and makes even the less than fresh lines work well. I miss simple, but fun shows like this one and other Hanna-Barbera classics, so it was a lot of fun to revisit these episodes. I simply cannot recommend Hong Kong Phooey enough and in addition, the rest of the cartoon classics line. This is a fantastic series that might be a little dated, but is more fun than cartoons these days, without question.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. The prints do have some grain and worn spots, but that is to expected in this case. I mean, for an over thirty year old television series, especially an animated one, the source materials are in quite good condition. The clean print results in a much sharper image than you’ll see on televised reruns, which is a treat. The grain can be thick at times, but in truth, it never forces much softness, so there is little cause for concern. The colors have held up well too, so Phooey’s robe is as bright as ever, while the other hues also look terrific. No worries with contrast either, thanks to smooth and consistent black levels. So in the end, this classic series has never looked so good and without question, fans are certain to be delighted with the end results.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is not too remarkable, but then again, this is a mono option from a 1970s animated television show, so we shouldn’t expect miracles. I didn’t hear much in terms of hiss or other age related flaws however, aside from a handful of minor instances. The music comes through well, though as is often the case with mono, seems kind of thin, while the various sound effects are as well presented as we could expect. The main element here is dialogue, which is clean and clear at all times, no problems in the slightest there. This release also includes subtitles in French and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You can listen to expert commentary on three episodes, as well as check out the complete storyboards from an episode and watch a cool retrospective featurette on the series.
