The New Scooby-Doo! Movies: The Ghost of Bigfoot (1972)

 

As a fan of both Laurel and Hardy and Scooby-Doo! naturally a crossover between the two would appeal to me and while this may not be as great as a real Laurel and Hardy film it is still a lot of fun. 

The New Scooby-Doo! Movies was an excellent series in many ways. It followed the formula set by Scooby-Doo! Where Are You, but added enough to make it feel like its own series. The idea of Scooby and the gang teaming up with a different guest star ever episode and the incresed length (hence the word "movie" in the title) give this series its own unique feel. My favorite episodes are the ones where the gang teams up with classic movie comedy teams like Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stooges. This was not the first time, Hanna-Barbera had made cartoons with Laurel and Hardy. In 1966, the studio teamed with Larry Harmon (Bozo the Clown) to create a series of TV cartoons centering around the comedy duo. So teaming Stan and Ollie was a naturally idea. Since Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had passed by the time of Hanna-Barbera's Laurel and Hardy series, the Stan and Ollie characters were voiced by Larry Harmon (Stan) and Jim MacGeorge (Ollie). Both of them returned to voice the characters in this episode. It is worth noting that despite voicing Oliver Hardy here, Jim MacGeorge played Stan Laurel in an episode of TV's Get Smart, House of Max (1970). 

As the episode starts the Mystery Inc. Gang is driving to a ski lodge called MacKinac Lodge. Meanwhile Stan and Ollie are driving to the same lodge to get jobs as bellhops. Stan gives Ollie directions to the lodge stating, “Follow the blue road til you get to the red one and turn left”. Ollie doesn’t like this and asks Stan to hand him the map. Stan says he can’t because it is in the suitcase. Ollie asks, “What is it doing in the suitcase?” Stan answers “You said to be sure not to lose it, so I packed it in the suitcase.” Then giant white hands push a huge rock down to crush Stan and Ollie. Stan turns the car out of the way but crashes it into a stump. Ollie states “Here is another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.” (in duo's films the line "Here is another nice mess you've gotten me into," is one of Ollie's catch phrases, this is a common misquote). Stan and Ollie look up and see a giant snow ghost. Stan and Ollie are stranded but luckily the Mystery Inc. gang passes by and picks up the hitchhiking animated comedy team. Velma asks, “Have an accident?” Stan responds, “No thank you we just had one.” (This joke had appeared in the Laurel and Hardy film, The Dancing Masters (1943), but with the age of this joke that is probably just a coincidence). When they all arrive at the ski lodge it is deserted. They learn this is because the ghost of Bigfoot is said to be around. Scooby, Shaggy, Stan and Ollie are afraid, but the rest of the gang is not scared at all. Stan and Ollie ask about a job. When asked if they have an experience Stan proudly says “No.” Ollie responds, “But we have lived in some of the best hotels in the world.” Stan asks, “Which ones are those, Ollie?” Their first job is to bring the Mystery Inc. gang’s luggage up. The suitcases block Ollie’s sight and Stan promises to steer him. This works as well as you might expect. Stan and Ollie later do a routine much more in the style of Abbott and Costello. This routine involves Stan seeing Bigfoot but Ollie not. Stan has trouble sleeping so Ollie reads Goldilocks and the Three Bears to him (a small girl read Stan this story in the Laurel and Hardy film, Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)). However later in the episode everybody will see the ghost. Ollie states he will protect Stan but gets frightened and hides when he sees the ghost. Later Stan and Ollie try to serve dinner to a guest and find the room empty. Everybody worried that he might have been kidnapped, split up to go looking. Interestingly Stan and Ollie are in different groups as they split up. Ollie tells Stan “Behave yourself Stanley.” Stan responds, “I certainly will.” ("I certainly will was one of Stan's catchphrases in the Laurel and Hardy movies) Later when Shaggy asks Stan if he is sure the guest is missing Stan responds “I certainly am.” Stan, Shaggy and Scooby discover a secret passageway. Interestingly when Shaggy and Scooby are spooked by some white sheets and think they are ghosts, it is Stan that knows they aren’t ghosts. The rest of the gang catches up. They see Bigfoot. Bigfoot gets away but Scooby finds a clue, which will help them discover who Bigfoot is. I will end my summary here to keep you in suspense. 

While this may not be the best Scooby episode, it is a highly entertaining one. The humor hits very well and there are quite a few funny moments here. The characters of Stan and Ollie are well handled and for the most part are very much in character. The voices in particular are fantastic. As well as this Stan's blissful ignorance and Ollie's failed attempts to keep an aurora of dignity around him. It is obvious that those who worked at the Hanna-Barbera studio were fans of Laurel and Hardy movies. One thing missing in this episode though is the perfect use of facial expressions and pantomime gestures that were so prevalent in Laurel and Hardy's actual films. However it should be noted that this would be very hard to capture in limited animation and something no one could do better than Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy themselves. The comedy duo and the Mystery Inc. gang work perfect together. They have great chemistry and the interactions between them are excellent.

Unfortunately though the ghost of Bigfoot is one of the weaker Scooby villains. He is too similar to previous Scooby villains and there is nothing to make him stand out. 

This may not be a masterpiece but it has more than enough to keep fans of both Scooby and Laurel and Hardy very entertained.