As this is a Jay Ward production, you'd be correct in thinking that the core entertainment of the piece comes from the banter, the jibes and the witticisms. Like Rocky and Bullwinkle, this is a show which is very much aware of its own existence as an entertainment and calls attention back to itself all the time. The world at large is the source of some of the humor, though self-deprecation is a major component. The host is the delightful character actor Hans Conried and he does a really fine job of managing the inbetweens as the show shifts from gag reel to gag reel.
I'm actually pretty glad I saw this show now, after years of watching silent films, as that knowledge adds to the warm glow of recognition as a classic like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Tarzan of the Apes is skewered with glee. The early episodes take more of a stab at mocking the classic films in their totality but as the first and only season rolled on , the show became a bit more hodge-podge with certain images recurring with nigh regularity as if to amplify the joke. The show jokes about lawsuits over the use of the classic movies and apparently there were some attempts, but I cannot see how anyone would lose given the satirical nature of the show and public domain status of the movies (though back then they might not have so).
The guests appear almost as an afterthought and seem to be mostly time wasters to fill out the half-hour episodes, but as the show continues the bogus interviews with real B-List celebs gets funnier and sometimes is the best thing in a given show. The opening credits are quite entertaining as well -- go here to take a look or just see below.
These are fun, especially for fans of Bullwinkle cartoons. The humor is pretty much on brand and like that vintage classic cartoon, still works.
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