Underdog

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.

It was great stuff, fun, educative, and morals were a bit higher then than they are now.

10/10

Underdog, was of course, purely Wally Cox's persona

Simon Bar-Sinister was based on Lionel Barrymore(Mr. Potter in "It's A Wonderful Life")

Riff Raff - The name is taken from George Raft, but sounded a lot like Sheldon Leonard

Tennessee Tuxedo - Of course, this was Don Adams' characterization

Baldy Eagle - Based on Ned Sparks, known for the deadpan monotone delivery of lines in his movies, in the 1940's

Yakety Yak - Based on Joe E. Ross (Fred Gwynne's partner in "Car 54: Where are You?")

Major Minor - Terry-Thomas, comedic British Actor of the 1960' and 70's

Savoir Fare - Kind of like the Pepe LePew variety of characterization.

Colonel Kit Coyote - The name is based on Kit Carson, a figure in the old American west, but his mannerisms are liked many characterizations of Colonel/President Teddy Roosevelt(see: Robin William's portrayal of Roosevelt in "A Night At The Museum"[2006])

Seargent - sounded something like Brian Keith, or Buddy Ebsen's portrayals in the Daniel Boone TV series? Maybe not.

I'd love to know if anyone has any ideas on what personalities Stanley Livingston, Chumley, Jereboah Jump, Tiger, Cad, Miss Polley, and Klondyke Kat were based on.

When I was a kid, this show would come on TV at 6 AM, and I would force myself to get up that early to watch it. I remember always feeling that the other cartoons (Gopher Indians and Commander McBragg) were underwhelming. I just wanted to get back to the Underdog stories. Some other reviewers here mention Tennessee Tuxedo and other cartoons as being part of the show. I'm almost at the end of season 2, and the other cartoons have all been the Gopher Indians and McBragg. It would be nice to get some variety here. Before reading the other reviews, I predicted that a few people would have an issue with the lack of political correctness in the Gopher Indian cartoons. I found these cartoons repetitive and only mildly amusing. However, I wasn't offended by them. Too bad, that we can't rewrite history, and make everything the way some people think it should have been. It's only a silly cartoon! Get over it! Overall, the Underdog segments were more imaginative and more interesting. My only quibble with Underdog was Sweet Polly singing "Where, oh where has my Underdog gone?" I could have easily done without that.

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.