roddekker
(Frequently uttered "Underdog" quote) - "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!" Now, I wouldn't exactly say that I hated these Underdog cartoons. But, then again, I really couldn't say that I liked them all that much, either.If you ask me - I think that a much more appropriate name for this particular animated, canine superhero would have been "Blunderdog" (even though through all of his many blunders he certainly did, indeed, manage to save the day in every episode) - So, I guess, in the long run, the name Underdog was a suitable enough name, as well.Anyway - Along with the animation-style of these cartoons being very limited, flat and uninspired, I also found the situations Underdog got himself involved in to be far too repetitive and predictable in nature. And, as far a humor goes, most of the time, the laughs were all real hit & miss stuff, which got pretty stale, real fast.All-in-all - I thought that these cartoons from the mid-1960s to be best suited for the entertainment of very young kids and nostalgic adults.
bigverybadtom
The cartoon was not only a favorite of mine as a child, but of my late father's as an adult. There were the gimmicks of where every phone booth he heads into to change from Shoe Shine Boy to Underdog explodes, as well as how he always crashes through roofs and walls even when there are door or window openings nearby, as well as his talking in rhyme. But what makes the comic work is the witty writing.Examples include how he makes Simon Bar Sinister dizzy by flying in circles around him, thus preventing him from using his snow gun, or the clever ways he defeats a flotilla of alien flying saucers, or how he makes the Wicked Witch of Pickayoon wealthy by compressing lumps of coal into diamonds, or how he sends villains directly into confinement or jail. Too bad the DC Superman didn't have that level of cleverness...but then he didn't have Underdog's computer brain.
domino1003
I grew up on "Underdog" and, as a kid, I thought it was very cool. Of course, being an adult, you look at some of your childhood choices and shake your head. Recently watching it on Boomerang, I couldn't help but smile.Underdog is like Superman (Although you never do find out where he came from). Under the guise of Shoe Shine Boy, Underdog helps his city from the evils of such characters of Simon Bar-Sinister (Whenever he does evil, he says "Simon Says...")and Riff-Raff (A gangster dog). Sometimes he becomes weakened and can only get back on track with a pill in his ring (What is the pill? Again you don't know, but it IS a children's show). And he is almost ALWAYS saving Sweet Polly Purebred (Who calls him by saying "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Underdog Gone? Oh Where, Oh Where Can He Be?"), reporter of the local news station.But there were other cartoons on this show as well, such as "Tennesse Tuxedo, a penguin with a walrus for a pal (And voiced by Don "Get Smart" Adams), Klondike Cat (Always chasing a mouse called Savoir Faire).It is still cute to watch, and younger kids would love it.
matlock-6
I grew up watching Underdog. Although the series ended in 1973, it continued in reruns for many years after (at least through 1979-1980, when I remember watching it.)Underdog always spoke in rhymes. Normally, he spent his time as "Shoe Shine Boy", and was just that. But when he took one of his super power pills, he transformed into Underdog and saved his love interest, news reporter Sweet Polly Purebred. His nemesis was usually Simon Bar Sinister (voiced by Allen Swift, who is a true living legend of animation voiceovers).The storylines were always pretty much the same, but there was usually a lesson to be learned at some point in the show.It didn't end there, however.After Underdog had beat up Simon Bar Sinister for the 300th time, the show often segued into "Tennessee Tuxedo", a silly cartoon (also involving lessons learned) starring a penguin as the title character (voiced by Don Adams of "Get Smart" fame), his dimwitted walrus pal Chumley, and Mr. Whoopee, who would give them science lessons with his magic expanding chalkboard.There were a number of other cartoons that ran along with Underdog, including one about 2 American soldiers in the old west tangling with two Native Americans (who would probably be seen as racially offensive today). I can't recall the others.It was a great, fun kids show back in its day.
