SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 5 Hours, 52 Min.
First airing on ABC-TV in 1978, this sixteen-episode season was first released by Warner Bros. Video as a double-disc DVD in 2007. Subsequent re-releases have occurred in 2012 and 2017, aside from its separate inclusion in Complete Series packages. The episodes are:
Disc 1:
- Watch Out for the Willawaw
- A Creepy Triangle in the Bermuda Triangle
- A Scary Night with a Snow Beast Fright
- To Switch a Witch
- The Tar Monster
- A Highland Fling with a Monstrous Thing
Disc 2 (Side A):
- The Creepy Case of Old Iron Face
- Jeepers, It’s the Jaguaro!
- Make a Beeline Away From That Feline
- The Creepy Creature of Vulture’s Claw
- The Diabolical Disc Demon
Disc 2 (Side B):
- Scooby’s Chinese Fortune Kooky Caper
- A Menace in Venice
- Don’t Go Near the Fortress of Fear
- The Warlock of Wimbledon
- The Beast is Awake in Bottomless Lake.
REVIEW:
Aside from quantity thumping quality, two other thoughts come to mind. First, though the animation is consistently fine, this assortment of episodes proves forgettable. Not only is the good-natured charm accompanying the first two seasons sadly absent, the plots are too often boring. Suffice to say, early episodes with Scrappy-Doo joining Mystery, Inc. would soon surpass this uninspired season, in terms of recapturing the original concept’s likable scripting.
Secondly, Hanna-Barbera’s rudimentary efforts at cultural diversity are cringe-worthy. Case in point: “Watch Out for the Willawaw” depicts three contemporary Native American characters, but the stereotyping (as if from the Late 19th Century, no less) is stunningly tone-deaf – apart from actor Michael Rye recycling his familiar Apache Chief voice.
As far as depicting South American natives go, the opening sequence of “Jeepers, It’s the Jaguaro!” is practically unwatchable. Predictably, one could describe “Scooby’s Chinese Fortune Kooky Caper” as bad, if not even worse than the second season’s “Mystery Mask Mix-Up,” in terms of pitching offensive Chinese stereotypes.
Though most of these episodes aren’t racially insensitive, let’s leave The Complete Third Season as definitely not Scooby’s finest hours.
BONUS FEATURES:
There’s a self-promoting Hanna-Barbera: From H to B featurette.
PACKAGING:
Each disc’s contents are accurately listed in the fold-out casing. Disc 2 is double-sided, with five episodes per side. The downside is that the discs are partially stacked atop one another.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
