On November 27, 1977, as the Thanksgiving weekend was winding down, "A Doonesbury Special" premiered on the NBC TV network. The special was based on the Garry Trudeau comic strip "Doonesbury". Trudeau wrote and directed the special, alongside John and Faith Hubley. This was also the last thing John Hubley worked on as he died during the storyboard stages.
The special, and the comic strip that it is based on, is about a group of people living together under the same roof from various backgrounds and ideals. The characters live in a commune together. They are led by a man named Mike, whose surname is the title of the strip. The people living under the roof with Mike were a part of the counter-culture that took place during the late 1960's to the early 1970's. Like the strip, the special pointed out that the times were changing and that some of the roomates' beliefs and ideals were slowly becoming passe, including commune living, as Zonker, one of the most popular characters in the strip, pointed out in his speech at the dinner table. After that, the people reflect on the times of their youth and all of the activity that they participated in and the pride they showed while doing so, alongside the music that they enjoyed. This showed the importance that these events had on the impact of US history and the impact that they had on the changing times.
Each and every aspect of this special was totally with the times when it was initially shown, and also, still remains as relevant today as it was back then as the times continue to change. The special, like the strip it's based on, is very realistic while also entertaining and never getting stale nor dull. It also shows that when personalities clash, anything can happen. The special happens to be well written and both the animation and the voice acting is top notch. Trudeau works wonders as both writer and director of the special and it really shows it very positively. The special is a winner hands down. It never gets stale nor dull and also, as stated, remains as relevant today as it was back in 1977 when it was initially shown on the NBC TV network. The film picked up an award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Acedemy Award.
This special, as far as I know, was only shown once on TV, and never was repeated. I watched this when it premiered on NBC. I was seven years old at the time when I watched this. At the time, at that age, I really couldn't understand much of the subject matter of this special, although I later understood it when I got older and revisited it. I managed to buy a used VHS of this at a video store for only 99 cents when I first got a VCR and it was wonderful to revisit this special after a little over a decade. I even had a friend burn it to DVD so I can enjoy this again and again. I still enjoy watching this and again, it still entertains without it ever getting stale or boring. Again, it also still remains relevant.
I highly recommend this special as essential viewing regardless of the time and year that is lived in. Give it a look of you can find it anywhere as it is a wonderful, entertaining and well made special.
The special, and the comic strip that it is based on, is about a group of people living together under the same roof from various backgrounds and ideals. The characters live in a commune together. They are led by a man named Mike, whose surname is the title of the strip. The people living under the roof with Mike were a part of the counter-culture that took place during the late 1960's to the early 1970's. Like the strip, the special pointed out that the times were changing and that some of the roomates' beliefs and ideals were slowly becoming passe, including commune living, as Zonker, one of the most popular characters in the strip, pointed out in his speech at the dinner table. After that, the people reflect on the times of their youth and all of the activity that they participated in and the pride they showed while doing so, alongside the music that they enjoyed. This showed the importance that these events had on the impact of US history and the impact that they had on the changing times.
Each and every aspect of this special was totally with the times when it was initially shown, and also, still remains as relevant today as it was back then as the times continue to change. The special, like the strip it's based on, is very realistic while also entertaining and never getting stale nor dull. It also shows that when personalities clash, anything can happen. The special happens to be well written and both the animation and the voice acting is top notch. Trudeau works wonders as both writer and director of the special and it really shows it very positively. The special is a winner hands down. It never gets stale nor dull and also, as stated, remains as relevant today as it was back in 1977 when it was initially shown on the NBC TV network. The film picked up an award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Acedemy Award.
This special, as far as I know, was only shown once on TV, and never was repeated. I watched this when it premiered on NBC. I was seven years old at the time when I watched this. At the time, at that age, I really couldn't understand much of the subject matter of this special, although I later understood it when I got older and revisited it. I managed to buy a used VHS of this at a video store for only 99 cents when I first got a VCR and it was wonderful to revisit this special after a little over a decade. I even had a friend burn it to DVD so I can enjoy this again and again. I still enjoy watching this and again, it still entertains without it ever getting stale or boring. Again, it also still remains relevant.
I highly recommend this special as essential viewing regardless of the time and year that is lived in. Give it a look of you can find it anywhere as it is a wonderful, entertaining and well made special.