As a child of the 50s, I found it impossible to resist a couple of new collections of Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
“The Huckleberry Hound Show: Volume 1” (Warner, 26 episodes, four discs, $44.98) is a pretty fond memory; like a lot of Hanna-Barbera stuff, the animation wasn’t great but the verbal humor and the songs could carry you through.
Besides, “Huckleberry Hound” was the first home of Yogi Bear, who is also celebrated in “The Yogi Bear Show: The Complete Series” (Warner, 33 episodes, four discs, $44.98). Which is also a home for the legendary Snagglepuss.
The sets come with considerable extras, but they are still lacking in one respect: the packaging of episodes.
Basically each set presents a three-cartoon compilation as an episode, minus the opening credits, theme and warmup.
A handful of “Huckleberry” episodes and the premiere of “Yogi Bear” are presented in their original form, and so are a lot more interesting as cultural documents.
You can see, for instance, how completely the shows’ cereal-company sponsor was integrated into the show’s openings.
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