The Best of Mr. Peabody & Sherman: Vol. 1 (1961)

TV. A classic kids' cartoon from 1961 but seriously dated for adult viewers. Think Boris Badenov speaking with a mild German or French or Italian accent and you can peg every historical character that Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman visit through the Way Back time-travel machine (15 episodes on this disc). History is bent in service of the story, so Beethoven can hear our friends and converse with them. Cultural stereotypes of the 1950s are the biggest tin ear of the show (all Chinese eat chop suey, for example). Yes, the show parodies history, but like reading Dave Barry's history of America, you have to be an adult who knows history to laugh at the scallawaggery of the in-jokes. The characters of Peabody and Sherman are the real gems of the show and like any good cartoon, the parts that appeal to adults -- in this case, Peabody's pedantry and wry humor -- are what make it succeed and survive the generations. Be warned, though: The punch lines are far worse groaners than I remember (the best one is "crown Jules" as in Verne). Frankly, I think Jay Ward's shows explain how I developed my warped sense of humor. 4 stars.