I didn't have a huge amount
of choices on Saturday mornings growing up, because I was only limited
to 60 minutes of television time. So I had to be choosy about
which shows I watched. Ruby-Spears' Plastic Man (formally
The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show), which ran from 1979 to 1981,
was one of the few programs I really looked forward to each weekend.
When I saw Plastic Man, it was in reruns shortly after its original
broadcast, and it was one of my earliest encounters with a superhero
character. Although Superman (1978) was the very first
feature film I ever saw, I did not really connect with superheroes as
a kid. So Plastic Man represents a first exposure to a
Justice League character, and even though it did not lead to a sustained
interest in comic book heroes as a child, it certainly planted the seeds
of the fairly deep appreciation for DC characters that I now hold as
an adult.
There's no doubt that the
broad humor of Plastic Man - which distinguishes it from other
superhero shows, past and present - played a major part in my appreciation
of the show as a child. I loved slapstick, and still have a weak
spot for it; Plastic Man, more than any other DC character, presents
a wonderful basis for a lot of visually-inventive gags.
In the television show, Plastic
Man is provided neither origin story nor much context for his adventures
- and has little to do with the original hero of the comic books.
As was true in many Saturday morning cartoons, action was paramount,
and characters often existed in a vacuum-like environment. Adventures
started and ended, without any reference to a larger world around them.
Plastic Man blithely skips from episode to episode with sidekicks Penny
(a pretty blond) and Hula Hula (a Polynesian, apparently, who speaks
with a vague Northeastern accent). Each show finds the group fighting
a new villain bent on world domination; they pursue justice on behalf
of the "chief," a woman who "Plas" has the hots for, and whose
authority is never really explained.
Lack of background information
on our characters is not the reason that Plastic Man fails to
hold up. For one thing, it was probably never particularly good
to begin with in the eyes of anyone over the age of six. More
importantly, Plastic Man suffers from a dull beige-ness of the
sort that befell so many cartoons of its era; like the bulk of the cartoons
that populated the Hanna-Barbera stable, it plods along driven only
by a very tired and routine formula. The villains are freakish,
the jokes lame, and the stories rote. The only interest lies in the
different shapes and forms taken by Plastic Man himself - and even
those begin to seem monotonously outlandish after awhile.
The DVD package proclaims this
set is The Complete Collection. However, these discs jettison
the "Baby Plas" and "Plastic Family" segments from the latter
part of the series' run, after Plastic Man and Penny were married
and had a kid. I'm not really complaining, because I remember
being bored by those segments as a kid - which indicates that they
are probably totally disposable. Still, I'm not sure why this
set is called The Complete Collection when about a third of the
total program content is missing.
What we do have is a four-disc
set containing 35 episodes totaling almost ten hours of Plastic Man.
This will be far too much Plas for almost anyone to sit through.
Monotony sets in early, and does not really let up. This program
was produced for kids - and I suspect it will still be entertaining
for those aged perhaps five to seven. But beyond them - and
the most die-hard nostalgia buffs - this show will only induce daydreams
of superior animated superhero series.
The DVD
The Package
Warner Brothers has efficiently packaged the four discs within a
single-width keepcase. A card slipcover slides over the container.
The Video
These full-screen shopworn transfers indicate indifference on the
part of Warner Brothers. Many of the shows look like they are
from video masters, and artifacts are plentiful. The main problem,
though, are the faded colors, which look rather drab for a show about
such a colorful and energetic character. A basic remastering job
would have been nice.
The Audio
A dull mono track is included. It is in reasonably good shape.
Dialogue is comprehensible. Music is broadly present, but sounds
like a soggy mess on this track.
The Extras
A new retrospective featurette provides some interesting
background. Perhaps more significant is the inclusion of the Cartoon
Network's 2006 pilot for a re-booted Plastic Man animated series,
starring Tom Kenny as Plas. This unaired pilot tries to hard to
be contemporary and edgy, although it's probably more successfully
entertaining than anything else on this set.
Final
Thoughts
My fond memories of Plastic Man are not ruined by any stretch,
but the show is dated, lazy, and repetitive. I would not discourage
parents of young children from introducing them to the show, because
it will probably entertain them. But everyone else, even the curious
and nostalgic, should just rent it.
Casey Burchby is a writer and editor who lives in San Jose, CA.
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