The Gumby Show (1956–1969) User Reviews

Gumby!!

[strong-122-478885 · 6/10 · 15 November 2016]

(*Lyrics excerpt from the "Gumby" theme song*) - "He was once a little, green slab of clay."

(*Gumby trivia*) - Gumby's last name is Gumba (Yep. That makes him Gumby Gumba) and he lives in a place called Gumbopolis, USA.

If you ask me - I'd say that "The Gumby Show" (in its toyland-type setting) was the original "Toy Story" if there ever was one.

Created by American animator, Art Clokey - "The Gumby Show" was first aired on TV in 1957. The Plasticine characters featured in the show were all brought to life through the technique known as "stop-motion animation" which required hours of preparation and set-up work.

I found this show to be quite an imaginative one whose action sequences were all fairly tame and low-keyed when compared to the ultra-violence that prevailed in Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes".

Though 60 years old now - I believe that "The Gumby Show" still remains an entertaining program that can certainly be enjoyed today by both the young and the young-at-heart, alike.

*Note* - In 2010, Art Clokey (who was originally from Detroit, Michigan) died at the age of 88.

Entertaining Early Claymation Series

[Tornado_Sam · 7/10 · 3 August 2020]

Art Clokey was arguably the first man to do claymation (although this is incorrect, as an early French silent short film entitled "Modern Sculptors" (1908) did the technique) and as such an important figure in animation history. His first film that utilized the technique was an abstract one, created while still a college student - a three-minute feature entitled "Gumbasia" (1955). From this brief independent art film alone, "The Gumby Show" was born, thanks to film producer Sam Engel who realized Clokey's potential. What followed from the fifteen-minute Gumby short "Moon Trip" (which I haven't seen) was an entire TV series centered around the clay boy Gumby, his horse Pokey and his dog Nopey, which remained significant in television history as being the first claymation series.

In terms of visual merits, "The Gumby Show" is quite a success: superb animation, interesting stories and fantastic ideas. Being a clay boy, Gumby can do virtually anything - walk into books, use his imagination to create a car out of thin air to win a race, and more. The episodes are creative and clever, with some having no plot and relying mainly on visuals alone (such as "Tricky Train" and "Toying Around") which are quite enjoyable, while others have unique stories to tell ("Gumby Crosses the Delaware" and "Sad King Ott's Daughter"). In general, each episode is always fun to see, and while maybe somewhat outdated-looking today, it retains its entertainment value through the interesting visuals.

On the technical side, the series is rather poor in places, and gives the viewer the assumption that it was meant to be more for kids aged ten and under. The early episodes are more primitive in terms of syncing speech with mouths (Gumby had a much larger mouth originally), but the later ones fix this problem by making Gumby's mouth smaller and changing his look some. Dialogue is mostly horrible and cringey to hear these days, sounding as if it was written by a five-year-old, which is no surprise considering Clokey was an animator, not a writer (although I'm not sure if he wrote the episodes). The voice acting is alright, but is again somewhat amateurish, mainly due to how forced the dialogue is in the first place. These nitpicks definitely show the series was going for a younger audience - so if one was to watch it, it would probably tend to be for the imagination and creativity alone rather than as being a truly 'good' show. Or maybe it was intended to be more like a family show for everyone - in which case, the technical flaws mentioned truly are problematic by today's and possibly the 50's and 60's standards.

Nonetheless, "The Gumby Show" is a fun series to watch, with plenty of enjoyable episodes and being just good, lighthearted and entertaining fun overall. It has a certain charm that for many audiences today would make it work on its own level, and for being the first show of its kind it is probably among the best. Clokey's later claymation show "Davy and Goliath" was more realistic in premise and hence not as fun when seen on the standards of this one.

Hooray For Gumby!

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 25 March 2020]

Gumby (along with his other claymation pals and nemesis) is a happy-go-lucky little green character who was imaginatively created by Art Clokey (1922-2010) back in the mid-1950s.

Since the original TV broadcasting of this entertaining series - Gumby has become an influential pop culture icon, spawning tributes, parodies and merchandising.

Classic Gumby Episodes are Second to None

[galaxy2069 · 5 April 2004]

The 1950's Gumby claymation series has always startled and amazed with its imaginative plots and characterizations. The playful worlds (and moods) created by the steady artistry of Art Clokey (Gumby's creator) continue to mesmerize the youthful hearts and minds of millions.

Gumby is cheerfully captivating - with episode titles like Chicken Feed, Hot Rod Granny, The Zoops, Moon Trip, and King for a Day. The adventures of Gumby (and his pals Pokey, Prickle & Goo) will forever be etched in your mind, so don't miss out. I'd advise all curious readers to purchase any original episodes flying around (for just a few dollars) and don't forget to share them with your kids!

A throwback that still charms

[rannynm · 9/10 · 21 September 2015]

After more than 60 years since Gumby was first created, we are brought back to the good times of the original, and my opinion the best of the iconic Gumby and Pokey characters. Gumby is all about fun and comedy. You watch Gumby not for drama or romance. There is lots of action and fantasy, since it is all about Gumby's fun adventures. Art Clokey (creator of Gumby) does a fantastic job writing fun and unique episodes.

I love each of the characters for the fun and silly adventures they undertake and how unique each one is. Even small characters have their own personality which I love. Not many shows today pay so much attention to each character. I think Art Clokey has done a mind blowing job making these shows. He created some cool special effect techniques such as one episode with a rocket ship where he has scratched each frame so it looks like flames. Techniques like this were used in films for decades afterwards. The stop motion animation itself is very smooth and impressive, particularly since it was made 60 years ago!

My favorite episode is the first one, when Gumby goes to the moon and his Dad needs to save him. I love it because it starts off Gumby's career and is kind of the birth of Gumby. This also includes the rocket special effects mentioned above. The episode is really a joy to watch, not to mention that it was so symbolic for those times when everything was about space travel.

People that enjoyed Gumby growing up will be happy to share their passion with a new generation. After all, Gumby is meant for kids. Ages seven to eighteen would probably enjoy the series more than younger kids and would be able appreciate the beauty of the clay animation. I give it five out of five stars because, what they did was way ahead of their time with the special effects, unique stories, wonderful characters and more. Can't wait to see what's next in store for Gumby! (They are creating some entirely new episodes)

Reviewed by Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more youth reviews, go to kidsfirst dot org.

Why Rhino? Why?

[monstermonkeyhead · 1/10 · 21 February 2007]

Here is an email I sent to Rhino: "I recently bought the Gumby boxset and nearly threw up at what you did to the series. For reasons that can only be attributed to severe mental retardation and brain damage, or just a callous disregard, the powers-that-be at Rhino had the sheer gall to eliminate the original Gumby theme song and replace it with some bland soulless aural-feces. It's truly incomprehensible as to why anyone would do this. You also redid the voices and sound effects which were a signature of the series. Some of the charm of Gumby were the voices and great sound effects. It almost makes the episodes in this DVD box set unwatchable, knowing how great they were originally. It's a tragedy that the Gumby episodes will be forever preserved in this repulsive manner. I really think Rhino owes Gumby fans an apology for this mishandling of this classic." ............ And here is their response: "Dear Mr. Cohen, I apologize for the tardiness of this response and am sorry that you are disappointed with this release. We were not able to license the original voices & music, so the elements from the sydicated (sic) re-runs in the 80s were used. If you would like to return your boxed set for a refund, please send it to:" yadda yadda.............So, now we know the reasons. Sad to say the least. For hardcore fans, hunt down the VHS episodes (not the Rhino releases, obviously), which are readily available on Ebay and Half.com. The quality of the videos vary, but at least you get to see the show as close to as it was meant to be seen.

He was once a little green slab of clay. Gumby!

[hawkeyeandtrapperreside · 29 April 2005]

Gumby is wonderful. He is exactly like any friend you had as a child; full of ideas that over half the time lead you into trouble. Almost secretively, he teaches you good moral values.

Almost freakishly human-like, you can relate to Gumby right away: from not wanting to clean up after yourself and thus doing MORE work so you don't have to clean up after yourself (i.e. making a robot) to downright being annoyed with your little sister (Goo), you learn to both love and hate this little green slab of clay at once; Gumby often does the wrong things for the wrong reasons, and the right things for the right reasons.

He is truly remarkable. He, Pokey, The Blockheads, and even Goo will lead you into amazing adventures every time you watch them!

Incredibly unique!

[Psychist · 10 August 1999]

Gumby was, and still is, a very innovative show. I usually watch it around 12:30 AM on Cartoon Network because it is very hard to find on any other station, morning or night. Gumby was more of an experiment than anything else, and a somewhat successful one, take for example the DANNY! talk show, one season. The lesson learned, Jonathan Taylor Thomas will be gone, eventually, FOREVER!!. But I lose my place. Gumby stretched the limits of what a flat piece of green clay can do. Gumby was a sort of predecessor to all kiddie cartoons (this was 1957). Gumby had fictional violence which you just get up and shrug off an assault by a robot or steamroller crush and then whale the tar out of the antagonist. The Gumby Show also had a cute little band, not much, but surpassing the Archie, Josie & The Pussycat and Jabberjaw cartoons (where do they get off, anyway?). Gumby does have his flaws, mainly the dialogue sounds like a bunch of words taped together and then sent through a tin can and being 100% reliant on claymation. But these problems can detract or enhance the Gumby experience, it depends on the viewer. END

(1957)***:a fascinating claymation series,(1988)***:a still interesting but weaker plot series

[PJS-5 · 29 April 1999]

(1957),Sure you see Cheap Live-action films as potential MST3K films(I'm aware that a certain gumby short "Robot Rumpus" was the MST3K short for episode "The Screaming Skull")but you gotta admit seeing basic claymation is a lot more fascinating than cheap live action(I'm also aware of my wording),& the plots are fascinating so the characters (I even thought the obvious live-action scenes look kinda cool) but the dialogue & sometimes the voice acting is kinda lame. (1988)so they placed in weaker plots (the jousting with the dark knight for ex. & the fact Gumby & his friend are in a band,& Gumby's barnyard friends look a bit more basic animatronic(the chicken,Telley & yes a woolly mammoth),but it still has the highly intriguing characters this time smoother claymation & some of the plots were still interesting. Even though I give this the same rating as the original I personally thought the original was better.