Davey And Goliath: Volume 1 (1962)
Shriek Show
Cast:
Extras: Featurette, Interactive Read-Along
Rating:

Stop-motion television shows were very popular during the 60s and 70s and many children’s shows were produced that way in those days, as well as many TV specials and films, such as the Rankin/Bass productions.

’Davey And Goliath’ was the story of a boy and his dog as they experienced the world together in countless adventures. This ’Volume 1’ DVD contains episodes from the show, such as ’The Kite,’ in which Davey tries to fly a kite with his friends, but with so many hands in the mix, they get all tangled up. ’Finders Keepers’ is an episodes teaching morals about taking something that doesn’t belong to you while ’Blind Man’s Bluff’ is a poignant episode about racism. ’Stranded On An Island’ rounds out the DVD together with the bonus 30-minute episode ’To The Rescue’ in which Davey and Goliath visit summer camp and help rescue victims of a plane crash.

The visual quality of the episodes is fairly good. No spectacular but mostly free of major blemishes and mars. Some speckles and grain are evidence to the material’s age and the technical limitations of creating these stop-motion films at the time. Color reproduction is good, nicely reproducing the warm earthen tones of the films while also strongly bringing out the color highlights. Black levels are good create solid shadows. No notable edge-enhancement is evident and the compression is also without distracting artifacts.

The audio on the DVD is the original mono language track. The frequency response of the track is somewhat limited, creating a presentation that has a dated-quality, but adds to the overall presentation at the same time, giving it a vintage feel. The track is clean and clear without distortion, hiss or pops.

As an extra, the DVD also features a new 60-minute featurette about the history of ’Davey And Goliath.’ Interviews with the original creators offer good insight into the making of the show, it’s ideals and intentions, as well as an overview over the topics covered throughout the years. The featurette also includes a look behind the scenes during the making of the ’Snowboard Christmas’ special.

An interactive read-along completes the DVD quite nicely.

’Davey And Goliath: Volume 1’ is a nice release that conjures up fond memories of my growing up. I am sure many of you will feel the same way, whether you love this particular show or whether you simply want to revisit the wonderful charm of stop-motion television productions in general.