Talk:Underdog (TV series)

Underdog Super Energy Pill
I distinctly remember this as the "Proton Energy Pill".
 * Unfortunately, you are distinctly remembering Roger Ramjet. Kww 03:14, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Merchandise
I've removed the following reference, because as far as I can tell, no such DVD is commercially available.
 * All 120 episodes are available on a DVD anthology.

The only Underdog DVDs I can find in production are several volumes of incomplete selections from the series. I cannot find any evidence of the complete single volume anthology that the article mentions.

If someone is certain an official release exists, by all means, post a link for confirmation and revert my edit. ~CS 11:51, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Live action feature
I just saw them filming in providence RI today, April 6 2006

Underdog (disambiguation)
Why isn't Underdog a disambiguation page? The cartoon is not the origin of the term or (I think) the most common use. I expect a page about the general idea of an underdog... shouldn't the main page be about the common use of the word? Or the disambiguation page? futurebird 13:33, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

I'm thinking something like:


 * 1) The predicted losing team in a particular contest.
 * 2) "the beaten dog in a fight," Merriam-Webster 1887, from under + dog. Cf. top dog "dominant person in a situation or hierarchy." —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Futurebird (talk • contribs) 08:46, 17 June 2006.


 * There are a several reasons the current naming came to be:


 * First: Wikipedia is not a dictionary. Unless there is a lengthy article to be written about the concept of an underdog, it would be innapropriate to have a stub that simply defines the word.  I wouldn't want this article replaced with your short article above, for this reason.
 * Second: Looking at the content at Underdog (disambiguation), only the Underdog cartoon and Underdog (competition) are in competition for the most common use of the word, as far as the articles Wikipedia has are concerned. The cartoon should probably be moved to Underdog (TV Series) or Underdog (cartoon) and Underdog (competition) moved directly to this article.
 * Third: Sometimes the genesis of pages leads to an article that is not the most pertinant sitting in the 'top' namespace. In our case, the cartoon's article was created in 2003, and competition article a year later.  We can always move pages when something like this occurs. ~CS

I think I would have to advocate Underdog being the disambiguation page, with the top two links to Underdog (TV series) and Underdog (competition). Powers 17:16, 17 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Is there any particular reason you'd want this, rather than having Underdog (competition) as the primary page? I can go either way, but it seems like having Underdog (competition) as the primary page, with a link to the disambiguation, would look cleaner.  I *think* the manual of style prefers this approach as well.  I'm out of town for a few days, if someone had a moment to look this up, it would be helpful. ~CS 17:20, 17 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Yes. I think either possibility is close to equally likely, so we shouldn't presume which meaning the user wants. The Manual of Style doesn't say much (as far as I can tell) about it, but this article does: Naming conventions (precision) Powers 13:16, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

Character homages
Simon seems plausible to be based on Lionel Barrymore, but does any particular performance by Barrymore come to mind? Cad reminded my dad of Lon Chaney Jr, and am I the only one who thinks that Polly could have been based on an early-career Barbara Walters? What say you? knoodelhed 07:19, 30 June 2006 (UTC)


 * I was actually looking at the Barrymore page when I found he had died in 1954. I came here to see who voiced Simon, as it had always sounded dead-on Lionel Barrymore to me. I think it was not uncommon for animated voice-players to use imitations of real actors for appropriate roles, whether they were based on specific performances or not. Jororo05 (talk) 00:23, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

In regards to the "Overcat" character: I remember at the time (being about 8 or so) thinking that it was merely meant as a direct opposite to "Underdog." Do we have a cite for this reference to "Top Cat?" It seems like a bit of a stretch to me. Jororo05 (talk) 00:16, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Theme song
The theme song for Underdog comes from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. This is OR, so I haven't added it to the page. Any suggestions as to what to do, other than just sit on it? Matchups 02:13, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
 * There could have been an influence on some level, but in a classic case of visually-impaired people encountering an elephant for the first time, I'lll have to say it bears more resemblance to early 20th century "singing cowboy" music, like Ghost Riders In The Sky. knoodelhed 01:56, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

The theme song was actually originally sung by Peter Tevis. Check out the wiki page for him. Also, listening to Underdog, then "A gringo like me" cements the reality in one's mind. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.232.198.130 (talk) 21:02, 23 December 2020 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Underdog.jpg
Image:Underdog.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 15:57, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Episodes
According to the episode guide I saw on TV.com

There are 4 regular episodes ("Safe Waif," "March of the Monsters," "Simon Says," and "Tricky Trap By Tap Tap") and 30 4-part episodes (it looks like each four-part episode aired on the same day as one 1/2 hour episode, you know, with commercials inbetween parts). So, logically these 30 4-part episodes, should be 1 episode each instead of 4... thus equaling 34 episodes total instead 124. Does anyone else see what I am saying? 170.104.115.26 16:35, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

The first three are stand-alone cartoons (not multi-part continuing storylines). The fourth title you mention ("Tricky Trap By Tap Tap"), is an epilogue to the four-part story "From Hopeless To Helpless." All the rest of the cartoons are in the form of four-part storylines. In the original run, two of these segments would run in a half-hour, with other cartoons (featuring other characters) in between. For a later NBC run (1969-1973), all four parts of an Underdog storyline would air in one half-hour. The series has been re-edited and re-compiled in many different configurations. The most widely seen in the United States has been the syndicated series (62 half-hours), and I compiled a list of these, which I added to the episode guide page. I'm not crazy about the way that page is formatted, but all the titles are listed there, at any rate. So to answer your ultimate question, there are 124 Underdog cartoon segments altogether. We could split hairs over whether "Tricky Trap By Tap Tap" is a single storyline or a part of "From Hopeless To Helpless," but I prefer not to debate that. Ultimately, the U.S. syndicated series consists of 62 "shows." That's good enoughy for me.TooterTurtle 15:08, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Spyware
I clicked the External Link labeled "Lyrics to the Underdog theme song" and my Netscape browser gave me a scary warning about an alleged spyware hazard. I didn't continue. Art LaPella 14:46, 8 August 2007 (UTC)
 * McAfee SiteAdvisor agrees ... killed the link. Kww 15:02, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Pollypurebred.jpg
Image:Pollypurebred.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 20:17, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

Energy pill -- when was it cut out?
I have always heard that latter-day reruns of Underdog cut out the scenes where Underdog took his super energy pill. However, there were definitely rebroadcasts in recent years that retained those scenes; I remember seeing him take his super energy pill back when Nickelodeon showed it in the early 90s. Does anybody else remember this?--76.205.143.83 (talk) 05:58, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Same here. I was too young to see the original broadcasts, but I also distinctly remember him taking the energy pill - I would tape a raisin to my finger to emulate his ring that contained the pill. So the pill was not excised from the episodes until the early 80s at the earliest. 172.223.149.225 (talk) 13:41, 28 January 2018 (UTC) Verified with my wife who is a few years younger than I. She also remembers the ring/energy pill. 172.223.149.225 (talk) 12:18, 29 January 2018 (UTC)

Underdog a Nazi?
Here's an essay that provides either food for thought or a hilarious laugh (or both) for Underdog fans:


 * BruceLewis.com—"Underdog or Uberhund?"-—This essay asserts that Underdog is a cartoon that represents the ideals of the Nazi party: Keraunos (talk) 01:02, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

A reminder to all: Talk page guidelines states that talk pages are for discussion on "how to improve the associated article" and "not for general chatter". Please use this space as it was meant to be used. Wlmg (talk) 03:12, 30 July 2010 (UTC)

Underdog Episode List On Main Article Page
Just so general folks and editors alike know ...

The Underdog Episode List as presented on the Underdog wikipedia article page is the post-1960s syndicated version. The original series first ran on NBC from October 25th 1964 to September 3rd 1966, during which time Tennessee Tuxedo ran on CBS. For the 1966-67 season, when CBS began showcasing various super-hero programs such as Space Ghost and Superman, Underdog replaced Tennessee on the CBS Saturday morning line-up. For two years, 1966 thru 1968, Tennessee was a Sunday afternoon show on ABC.

This is only my personal recollection. If old 1960's issues of TV Guide could be found, they could at least verify Tennessee's Sunday tenure on ABC.

Thanx-A-Lot. Stay Safe and Well. Fgf2007 (talk) 02:18, 4 April 2021 (UTC)