Writer: Paul Haggis
Cast: Don Messick, Sparky Marcus, Casey Kasem, Nancy Cartwright, William Callaway, Frank Welker, Joan Gerber, Stan Jones, Heather North, Christian Hoff, Patricia Stevens
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video/Turner Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 20, 2008
I was just a little too young to catch The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show from 1980-1982. I’m sure my brother watched the show (he was born in ’78 and I was born in ’80), but I couldn’t tell you a thing about it, other than that it contained segments of both the Richie Rich show and Scooby Doo adventures. Upon receiving this DVD for review, I couldn’t wait to pop it into my player and get caught up, because I’m a pretty big Scooby Doo fan.
It’s hard to be a child of the 80s and not know who Richie Rich is. I saw the occasional Richie Rich cartoon in reruns. I also remember the less than stellar live action take on the cartoon by Macaulay Caulkin. As an adult, I really think I hate Richie Rich. Why does he get to have so much money? I could use a billion dollars myself, so this show just reinforced my dislike of Richie, although, as a character he is mildly entertaining.
Release Information:
The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show first aired on September 7, 1980. It featured an hour long filled with the adventures of Richie Rich and friends, Scooby Doo, Scrappy Doo, Shaggy, the occasional Mystery Gang member and a series of ghosts/scary things. The show ran through 1982 and was a part of the ABC Saturday morning lineup. The show was developed by Hanna-Barbera.
The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One was released on DVD by Warner Home Video and Turner Home Entertainment. This is a two-disc DVD set that offers the first seven episodes of the series. Each hour long episode moves back and forth between a Richie Rich story and a Scooby Doo story. The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One DVD is available at Amazon for $22.99 USD and at Wal-Mart for $22.94 USD.
The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One Plot
Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One consists of seven episodes that are made up of six segments. There are three Scooby Doo segments and three Richie Rich segments. The episodes are split across two discs with four on the first and three on the second.
The episode breakdown is as follows:
DISC ONE
-Episode One (“Scooby Ghosts West”, “Piggy Bank Prank”, “Swamp Witch”, “Muscle Beach”, “Waxworld”, “Robotnappers”)
-Episode Two (”A Close Encounter with a Strange Kind”, “The Rare Scare”, “A Fit Night Out for Bats”, “Kitty Sitter”, “The Chinese Food Factory”, “One of Our Aircraft Carriers is Missing”)
-Episode Three (“Scooby’s Desert Dilemma”, “Spring Cleaning”, “Stuntman Scooby”, “Silence is Golden”, “Mummy’s the Word”, “The Shocking Lady Strikes Again”)
-Episode Four (“The Old Cat-and-Mouse Game”, “The Blur”, “Scooby’s Three-Ding-a-Ling Circus”, “Cur Wash”, “Hang in There, Scooby”, “The Kangaroo Hop”)
DISC TWO
-Episode Five (Scooby’s Bull Fight”, Irona vs. Demona”, “Stow-aways”, “Chef’s Surprise”, “Long John Scrappy”, “The Snow Bounders”)
-Episode Six (“Scrappy’s Birthday”, “The Abominable Snow Plan”, “Sir Scooby and the Black Knight”, “Miss Robot America”, “Bungle in the Jungle”, “Constructo”)
-Episode Seven (“Scooby in Wonderland”, “Counterfeit Dollar”, “Scooby’s Fun Zone”, “The Greatest Invention in the World”, “Scooby’s Mysterious Island”, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bug”)
I really liked the Scooby Doo segments. Some of my favorites include “Scooby in Wonderland”, where Scooby takes on the Lewis Carroll classic, “Scooby Ghost West”, where Scrappy insists they visit an old west ghost town, “Scooby’s Three-Ding-a-Ling Circus”, where Scooby has a circus adventure, and “Scrappy’s Birthday”, where we all learn the story of Scrappy’s illustrious birth! The rest of the Scooby segments are worth watching and it is fun to know that Bart Simpson’s voice actress is also the voice of Richie’s friend Gloria, so Richie Rich is occasionally worth watching, as well.
It is a pretty interesting concept putting Scooby Doo with Richie Rich. Kids will love to hate Richie because I know if I’m jealous of him, kids who might not have a lot will despise the bratty Richie. The hard thing about this is that if Richie weren’t rich he’d be a likable guy if not a bit corny. I was most annoyed with his dumb dog, Dollar. The Scooby segments primarily feature Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy. Some people don’t like Scrappy, but I do and I always thought he was funny when I was a kid. I believe people will buy this for the Scooby segments as opposed to the Richie ones, and there are some fun adventures here for Scooby to get into, especially since trouble is Scrappy’s middle name.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Considering this show was made nearly 30 years ago, the video presented on the Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One DVD is quite good. With the occasional scratch and minor compression errors, the show looks excellent for its age. Presented at an aspect ratio 1.33:1, the picture is standard for a television show made in the 1980s.
The audio for the Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One DVD is available in an English Dolby Digital mono track. There is also a French Dolby Digital Mono track. I used the English and everything came through clearly. The sound wasn’t overly dynamic, but for a cartoon it worked well. No volume toggling was needed and subtitles are available in English.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One DVD is quite limited when it comes to the bonuses included in this set. There is only one bonus and fans that purchase this DVD for the Scooby Doo segments won’t give a rip about this extra. The extra is called “The Story of Richie Rich”. Lasting ten minutes, this featurette does exactly what it says. It tells the story of Richie Rich. While Richie fans might like it, I have to wonder why Warner didn’t offer us some Scooby bonuses.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show: The Complete Series - Volume One is a decent collection, though I much prefer the original Scooby Doo show. Fans of Scooby and Scrappy will want to get this and so will fans of Richie Rich. Nostalgic 80s lovers might also want to pick this up. Otherwise, I recommend a rent before purchase, just to make sure this mixed bag show is right up your alley!
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show, The Complete Series, Volume One, Casey Kasem, Hanna Barbera, Frank Welker, Don Messick, Cartoon, Kids
Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
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