Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!

This is one of those movies that I am glad I waited for.

Hey There, It's Yogi Bear was released in movie theaters in 1964. I wasn't born, but if I was I would have been in a theater watching From Russia With Love... but after that I would have definitely made my next trip to theater a trip to see Hey There, It's Yogi Bear.

Just the name makes me smile.

They finally put this out on DVD and although it doesn't have the special features I would hope for, it did have a widescreen transfer and nothing classes up a poorly drawn Hanna Barbara production like some W I D E S C R E E N.

If I had my way, however, the DVD would have a deleted scenes, an alternate ending (where Yogi eats Ranger Smith) and a commentary track featuring Yogi Berra where he apologizes for ripping Yogi's name off... or asks Hanna Barbera for an apology for ripping him off... I am not sure which is the case.

The film opens with Boo Boo waking up from hibernation and he runs to Yogi's cave to wake him up. Then you get about 10 minutes of pic-a-nic basket stealing fun. Then they start to sing.

Whaaa?

I can except that a bear would stand upright, wear a tie AND a shirt collar- but no shirt OR PANTS! But he can sing? Preposterous.

Anyway, Cindy Bear (Yogi's love interest and possible relative judging by the last name... actually don't judge... it's a bear thing. We don't like it when others criticize our culture, so we shouldn't judge the bears.)

Where was I? Oh, right:

Anyway, Cindy Bear is pretty central to the story here. See, she loves Yogi and Yogi just wants to eat. But he can't because the Ranger keeps coming around and pointing to the "don't feed the bears" sign.

But why? I have never seen Ranger Smith feed Yogi. So what should he eat? I looked at the backgrounds and they are far too poorly drawn to contain adequate honey to feed Boo Boo- let alone Yogi.

Hungry as a beast (remember he JUST finished hibernating) Yogi goes up to the window of a diner and shoots an arrow into the restaurant.

I SAT IN TERRIFIED SILENCE AS THE ARROW EMERGED FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RESTAURANT COVERED IN MEAT.

Luckily it was food, not hunks of a waiter or a patron.

You know, maybe the Ranger should let 'em feed the bears just so he doesn't accidentally shoot someone.

Ranger is really, really mad. Remember how angry you were when they killed off Dan Conner on the last episode of Rosanne? Well, I had stopped watching two years before, but when I overheard someone say that when the DVD came out last year... I was really teed off.

Teed off enough to send a bear to San Diego.

So was the Ranger and that is what he does... only Yogi fools another bear to go in his place. Then he hides out on the lam... or lamb... I don't know the right term and spell-check is no help at all.

It might be lam because lamb sounds just silly.

Anyway as he is on lam/lamb Cindy starts to miss him and purposely gets the Ranger angry enough to send her away.

When Yogi finds out... he goes of the lam or lamb and tries to find her.

Cindy, meanwhile is in the circus. And although everything I have ever heard from protesters outside every circus I have ever attended seemed silly... this movie proves it.

THEY KEEP THE BEARS IN CAGES.

Suddenly the Ranger seems like a saint.

Well, will Yogi rescue her? Will Yogi and the Ranger have a showdown in the streets of New York? Will I ever learn the truth about Yogi Berra and the word "lam"???

The only way to find out is to watch this movie... and assume that I never learn from my mistakes... I only publish them.