"Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp" DVD

MarkTheShark · #1 06-13-2006, 09:04 AM

This show is not a cartoon (technically), but it is sort of a cartoon in spirit...besides, in its original run they did show Warner Bros. cartoons on it (one of which was Chuck Jones' "High Note;" I believe others were later ones not included in the Saturday morning network series and syndicated packages, but that's neither here nor there).

The DVD was released by Image Entertainment, a company I normally associate with more high-class material and usually, a better presentation. These are obviously 16mm film prints obtained from some collector. They are not the best...these shows do not look as good as they did on Nickelodeon or Comedy Central...but they are just fine. I imagine this is how these shows would have looked in syndication in the 70s or 80s. There is even a "Distributed by ABC Films" logo at the end of each episode...this is the company that became "Worldvision Enterprises" in the mid-1970s after the Federal Communications Commission forbade TV networks from syndicating their own off-network reruns.

A little background: the series was originally titled "The Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp Hour," and was an hour long (in its first season, I believe). The extra time, as I mentioned above, was filled in with Warner Brothers cartoons, which do not appear in these syndicated versions. (Though a reference to them remained in the closing credits of at least one episode I remember seeing on Nick and Comedy Central.) On the individual segments, "Lancelot Link" is shortened to "Lance Link." When Nick and Comedy Central ran the shows, someone altered the opening titles using a shot of the "Lance Link" title over the "Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp Hour" title card (presumably because the show was not one hour long). These versions have the original series title intact.

There were 17 half-hours in the syndicated series. This DVD set contains 11 1/2 of them. (One show is represented by the first half of the show, but is missing the second adventure.) Each show included a performance by "Lancelot Link And The Evolution Revolution," a TV rock band along the lines of the Banana Splits or the Archies. The chimps do lyp-sync performances on the songs, which can be accessed individually through the DVD menu. Each episode also included a segment called "Chimpies," which basically consists of comedy blackouts. (Note: The episode "There's No Business Like Snow Business," which is a two-parter, does not include a "Chimpies" segment. The final show on Disc 2, including the storylines "Landlubber Lance" and "The Temporary Thanksgiving Turkey Truce," has no musical segment. The second show on Disc 2, "The Chump Code Caper," includes the "Evolution Revolution" and "Chimpies" segments, but the second adventure is missing; after quickly checking the Nostalgia Family Video website, it appears the second segment is "Weather Or Not," which is listed on Nostalgia's Volume 4. I wonder what's up with that. There also are a couple cases where "Ed Simian's" introductions are shortened or missing. Not to be a nitpicker, but that is a rundown of the cuts on this release, at least compared to the syndicated versions of the shows.) I have not seen previous DVD releases of this show, but I have seen references to a release by "Nostalgia Family Video" and also a UK company which released sets with "12 episodes," so I am guessing this is some sort of copy of those. In other words, this is not complete, certainly not authorized, and I guess it means these shows are considered public domain (if not, grab this while you can)!

These shows are not presented in chronological order, and as I mentioned above, this is not a complete series or season set (there are 5 1/2 episodes missing). But it's still great. This was a very clever series, with a lot of witty humor. Apart from the bizarre concept of chimps acting out a spy thriller (with a dash of "film noir"), notice how the dialogue seems like it may have been ad-libbed specifically to match the lip movements of the chimps. It can be hysterical at times. Some of the episode titles (such as "Missile Beach Party") are very clever as well. This probably sailed right over the heads of kids who watched it when it first aired on Saturday mornings.

I could not find a definitive (complete) episode guide for this series on line (everything I found was missing shows and none were in the right sequence; I recall "The Evolution Revolution" as the first episode) so I have just listed them in the sequence in which they appear on the DVDs. I highly recommend this DVD. If you've never seen this show you'll get a kick out of it in kind of a "what were they thinking (or smoking)" sense.

Disc 1

1. The Dreaded Hong Kong Sneeze/The Great Bank Robbery (0:24:30)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Dreaded Hong Kong Sneeze
Evolution Revolution Song: Vibrations
Chimpies: Monk The Magician
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Great Bank Robbery

2. The Reluctant Robot/The Royal Foil (0:24:30)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Reluctant Robot
Evolution Revolution Song: Kissin' Doll
Chimpies: Strained Bananas
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Royal Foil

3. The Great Great Race/The Great Plane Plot (0:24:26)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Great Great Race
Evolution Revolution Song: Rollin' In The Clover
Chimpies: Monk The Magician
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Great Plane Plot

4. The Lone A.P.E./Missile Beach Party (0:24:19)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Lone A.P.E.
Evolution Revolution Song: Magic Feeling
Chimpies: Herman And Sherman
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: Missile Beach Party

5. The Evolution Revolution/The Great Water Robbery (0:24:28)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Evolution Revolution
Evolution Revolution Song: Everything In The World
Chimpies: Yellow Banana
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Great Water Robbery

6. There's No Business Like Snow Business (Parts 1 and 2) (0:24:11)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: There's No Business Like Snow Business (Part 1)
Evolution Revolution Song: Wild Dreams (Jelly Beans)
(No "Chimpies" segment)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: There's No Business Like Snow Business (Part 2)

Disc 2

1. Bonana/The Greatest Chase In The World (0:24:05)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: Bonana
Evolution Revolution Song: Teaser
Chimpies: Snoring Banana
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Greatest Chase In The World

2. The CHUMP Code Caper (0:14:46)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The CHUMP Code Caper
Evolution Revolution Song: Blind Date
Chimpies: Herman And Sherman
(Second "Lance Link" segment--"Weather Or Not"--is missing)

3. Lance Of Arabia/The Doctor Goes A.P.E. (0:24:27)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: Lance Of Arabia
Evolution Revolution Song: Everything In The World
Chimpies: Herman And Sherman
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Doctor Goes A.P.E.

4. The Surfin' Spy/The Missing Link (0:24:43)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Surfin' Spy
Evolution Revolution Song: The Evolution Revolution
Chimpies: Monk The Magician
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Missing Link

5. The Golden Swwword/The Chilling CHUMP Chase (0:24:19)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Golden Swwword
Evolution Revolution Song: Yummy Love
Chimpies: Electric Banana
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Chilling CHUMP Chase

6. Landlubber Lance/The Temporary Thankgsiving Turkey Truce (0:22:17)
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: Landlubber Lance
(No Evolution Revolution song segment)
Chimpies: Deck Of Bananas
Lance Link, Secret Chimp: The Temporary Thankgsiving Turkey Truce

Bartman · #2 06-13-2006, 11:16 AM

The saddest thing is - I REMEMBER THIS SHOW WHEN IT ORIGINALLY AIRED!!!

It was very silly and strange - ah, 1970s!!!

corey3rd · #3 06-13-2006, 11:23 AM

damn shame they didn't make a complete set. hopefully someone will put out the missing episodes. But at least I have enough freakish goodness to drive my brother's kids nuts.

Studio Toledo · #4 06-13-2006, 03:17 PM

Being reminded I have a 16mm B&W dupe print of three Lancelot Link shorts in my collection.

MarkTheShark · #5 06-14-2006, 10:43 AM

I've updated the DVD contents information in the first post in this thread.

David Gerstein · #6 06-14-2006, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Landlubber Lance/The Temporary Thankgsiving Turkey Truce (0:22:17)

Somewhere, I've got an ancient Nick recording of this one with its two-minute Evolution Revolution song segment included.
Sad to hear that Image should apparently be releasing butchered, unlicensed versions of the shows (or worse: that if these are licensed, then the licensor's staff is unable to locate better-looking masters that were used on TV as recently as just a couple of years ago!).

Geezil · #7 06-14-2006, 11:25 AM

...when I was home with the flu and there were no assorted classic toons on TV in the same time slot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkTheShark

[...]A little background: the series was originally titled "The Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp Hour," and was an hour long (in its first season, I believe). The extra time, as I mentioned above, was filled in with Warner Brothers cartoons, which do not appear in these syndicated versions. (Though a reference to them remained in the closing credits of at least one episode I remember seeing on Nick and Comedy Central.)[...]

My recollection is that in its original run, it always was a half-hour show, with no cartoons at all to bolster it. (And, as with so many other PTA-friendly Saturday morning shows of that vintage, one viewing went a l-o-n-g way.) Or am I (probably) confusing that with a later glimpse of the syndicated version? Either way, I still look at it as above ... c'est la vie.

MarkTheShark · #8 06-14-2006, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Gerstein

Somewhere, I've got an ancient Nick recording of this one with its two-minute Evolution Revolution song segment included.
Sad to hear that Image should apparently be releasing butchered, unlicensed versions of the shows (or worse: that if these are licensed, then the licensor's staff is unable to locate better-looking masters that were used on TV as recently as just a couple of years ago!).

Channel 50 in Chicago (actually, at that time, it was Channel 60--the channel number changed in January 1987 when the station moved from Aurora, Illinois to Gary, Indiana; now they are on the North Side of Chicago) used to air the Lancelot Link segments as part of a show called "Cartunes," which featured a bunch of oddball cartoons and then-current (1984-1985) music videos (lots of Michael Jackson, Police, and other early 80s stuff). It was a fun show. They used to show Clutch Cargo, George Of The Jungle, Roger Ramjet, Funny Company, Space Angel, cartoons from the Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel shows, Milton The Monster, and even some B&W Betty Boop shorts (the station's program manager told me those came from his own public domain 16mm prints; later on, the station picked up the NTA/UM&M package of redrawn colorized versions, but in the bargain, they got the Noveltoons, Color Classics and Puppetoons as well).

Only the individual adventures of "Lance Link" were aired on this show. They did leave in the show opening on the first day, and clips of "Ed Simian" and some footage of the "Evolution Revolution" were included in the show opening. I think an "Evolution Revolution" song segment might have aired on the first show, now that I'm thinking about it.

Later on, around 1986 or 1987 or so, Channel 50 had a "Planet Of The Apes" marathon which kicked off with a "Lancelot Link" half-hour show. That airing had no musical segment and no "Chimpies." They had someone imitating Lancelot Link and Mata Hari's voices, to "host" the "Planet Of The Apes" marathon that day. That was a hoot.

I also remember in the mid-1980s, WGN-Channel 9 having a promotion of some of the "Planet Of The Apes" movies and they made a promo which cut some clips of the movies in time with the theme from "The Monkees." That was hysterical.

I also remember "The Comedy Channel" (which later merged with "HA!" to created Comedy Central) airing some of the Lancelot Link segments as part of some show hosted by a character who was a parody of a 1940s movie detective. (Why don't I remember the name of that show?)

(EDIT: It was called "Fast-Forward Detective." This was around 1990 or so.)

Some of the musical segments were shown as filler "cartoons" (along with Clutch Cargo and a bunch of public domain cartoons) on another show, "The Higgins Boys And Gruber." (The Higgins Boys And Gruber *abruptly* disappeared from the Comedy Channel a short time before the merger. Anyone remember this or know what happened? Anyone even know or remember who the Higgins Boys & Gruber *were?*

corey3rd · #9 06-14-2006, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkTheShark

I also remember "The Comedy Channel" (which later merged with "HA!" to created Comedy Central) airing some of the Lancelot Link segments as part of some show hosted by a character who was a parody of a 1940s movie detective. (Why don't I remember the name of that show?)

(EDIT: It was called "Fast-Forward Detective." This was around 1990 or so.)

Some of the musical segments were shown as filler "cartoons" (along with Clutch Cargo and a bunch of public domain cartoons) on another show, "The Higgins Boys And Gruber." (The Higgins Boys And Gruber *abruptly* disappeared from the Comedy Channel a short time before the merger. Anyone remember this or know what happened? Anyone even know or remember who the Higgins Boys & Gruber *were?*

Tommy Sledge was the comic who did the film noir detective schtick

During their prime, I ended up twice hanging out with the Higgins Boys and Gruber. It was weird to sit around a table drinking coffee with them and realizing it was just like being on the show. They even thanked me on an episode for being their tour guide. As for what has happened to them. David Higgins was on Ellen and Malcolm in the Middle for pretty long runs. Steven Higgins is one of the top producers at Saturday Night Live. Gruber pops up all over the place. He was on Freaks and Geeks, King of the Hill, He's done his naked trucker character on Bill Mahar's HBO show.

I so enjoyed watching the Clutch Cargo episodes on the Captain Lucky segment.

MarkTheShark · #10 06-14-2006, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corey3rd

During their prime, I ended up twice hanging out with the Higgins Boys and Gruber. It was weird to sit around a table drinking coffee with them and realizing it was just like being on the show. They even thanked me on an episode for being their tour guide. As for what has happened to them. David Higgins was on Ellen and Malcolm in the Middle for pretty long runs. Steven Higgins is one of the top producers at Saturday Night Live. Gruber pops up all over the place. He was on Freaks and Geeks, King of the Hill, He's done his naked trucker character on Bill Mahar's HBO show.

Thanks for the info, that's cool. But a short time before the HA!/Comedy Channel merger, the Higgins Boys & Gruber show *abruptly* disappeared with no explanation. As I remember, "Night After Night" with Allan Havey took over their timeslot (this was just for a short time before "Comedy Central" launched with a completely overhauled lineup). I seem to recall some odd, vague, cryptic reference to HB&G on Havey's show, and it seemed like he didn't want to say anything. Anyone else remember this?