LITTLE ROCK — What is it? Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp, 17 half-hour episodes and bonus content on three discs from Film Chest
How much? $24.98
When? Now
Who is Lancelot Link? Lancelot Link is an agent for the Agency to Prevent Evil (APE). With his frequent partner Mata Hairi and their boss, Darwin, they protect the world from Criminal Headquarters for the Underworld’s Master Plan (CHUMP) and villains like Baron von Butcher, Creto, Dragon Woman and Dr. Strangemind.
Our heroes foil a series of dastardly plots, including the theft of a diamond, a threat to the water supply and nefarious activities at a dude ranch.
Lance and Mata are also members of the popular musical group Evolution Revolution, and that cover comes in handy in their spy work.
This children’s TV series from 1970-72 rode in on the spy-story boom of the Cold War’s middle years and made ample use of the psychedelic designs and fashions from the flower power movement.
Is there anything that separates this from the other spy shows? Something pretty big, actually. The series is populated entirely by chimps.
No humans allowed.
That sounds pretty bizarre. It is. Think Get Smart. With chimpanzees.
Children of today would probably love it. Adults of a certain age would feel all nostalgic.
For the rest of us, it’s got a certain novelty appeal. If you’re the type who enjoys seeing chimps dressed as and acting like humans, you’d get a kick out of this one.
The oddball nature of the series puts its characters in quite a few amusing situations as they go undercover as doctors and cowboys, ski, ride motorcycles and ponies, sew,cook, play tennis and so on.
Some will find it hilarious. Some will be fascinated at how they managed to get the chimps to perform such complicated activities. Others may be disturbed, worrying whether or not the trainers used less-than-kind means to achieve their goals.
It’s not all lowball, chimp-based humor. There’s actually a slightly more mature layer of parody over all this, as the show targets movies, pop culture and television with references to Dr. Strangelove, James Bond, Bonanza and The Ed Sullivan Show, among others.
Are there extras? A whole disc full. There are 12 Evolution Revolution music videos; music and Chimpy segments; and a 50-minute documentary that includes interviews, a 2011 visit to the Wildlife Waystation refuge in Los Angeles where Lancelot Link now lives; and a wry 1999 piece called “I Created Lancelot Link.”
New this week: The Carol Burnett Show, The Ultimate Collection; Hatfields and McCoys, mini-series; Melrose Place, Season 7.
Next week: Dance Moms, Season 1; Dennis the Menace, 20 Timeless Episodes; Grimm, Season 1; Gunsmoke, Season 6, Volume 1; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Seasons 1-7; Parenthood, Season 3; The Rookies, Season 2.
Style, Pages 48 on 07/29/2012