I really never heard of this Scooby Doo movie, it just kind up popped up in my research looking for another piece of Scooby Doo media for our Scooby Doo 50th anniversary posts. So this time we look at 1979 TV film that aired on ABC called "Scooby Goes Hollywood" This is the first Scooby Doo movie special at least with them by themselves.
It starts with a crow cawing on a grave because of course and Shaggy and Scooby running around some spooky place because of course. Now there's a giant crab creature chasing them (Get the butter) but that was all a movie scene. Apparently, the Mystery inc. gang are working on a movie called "The Crabby Creature of Creepy Crag." Shaggy is tired of the this boring routine and he sings (what am I watching?).
Coming soon to Fox/ Copyright Warner Brothers
Shaggy drives to OTV (our favorite television network) to talk to the network president and everyone knows Scooby apparently apparently everyone likes his show. (Wait what?) They talk to C.J the network president to get Scooby a better job. They show him a film they made called "How Scooby Won the West" (he beat the Dodgers?) it shows Scooby as a sheriff. (I'd watch) C.J is not impressed and kicks them out.(This is 1979 , should have gone to NBC, they were picking up anything)
Coming soon to CBS/ Copyright Warner Bros.
Scooby Doo announces that he leaving the show to the Mystery Inc. gang they plead that he shouldn't stop because he wants to be a star , but he already is they tell him. Shaggy says Scooby wants to be a serious star. (yep) So now they are making a film called Lavonne and Scooby starting a woman named Lavonne and of course, Scooby. (I wonder what this was referencing) This filming doesn't go to well.
When Shirley left, things got weird/ Copyright WB
They made another film called "Scooby Days" (Gee, I wonder what they are talking about) in this they meet the fake Fonz. It's as weird as it should be. The Scoob dances with The Groove (the fake Fonz) and yeah sure that's a thing. C.J doesn't like this one either. He suggests Scooby go back ot his old show but they give him a contract to look over instead as they walk out.
I'm confused, which is which? copyright/ WB
Now Scooby goes and mingle with celebrities. This doesn't go well because Scooby is still Scooby. He gets barred from that restaurant. They try this plan again at a hotel and what to do you think? Fred, Daphne and Velma remember when they met Scooby Doo (forgetting the Scooby is Shaggy's dog or something). They do other memories like a birthday party. They sing a song where they miss Scooby (using stock footage). They want him back.
Scooby imagines that's a movie star and did a movie called "Super Scooby" (like Superman) , then does "The Sound of Scooby" I wonder what they are parodying?
No context needed/ Copyright WB
Meanwhile, C.J is holding auditions to replace Scooby on his show. (So this is the origin of Scrappy?) The plan was to convince them to come back to the show instead it just made them do more weird pilots. One of them is a parody of Sonny and Cher. The other is of the Love Boat. They visit their version of Johnny Carson to talk about their new roles. Kids all around the world say "Scooby Doo Where are you?"
They really like Dynomutt/ Copyright WB
Scooby's Angels, the parody you didn't ask for. CJ says he thinks Scooby should go back to his Saturday Morning cartoon series ( what they are cartoons? my head hurts) he shows them everyone yelling they need Scooby doo. Scooby agrees to return to his whole show. Shaggy has pilot ideas too but, he gets thrown out and chases the gang. The end.
Ironically, this special has nothing to do with the normal Scooby Doo conventions in the first place. This is a very strange special but somewhat fun to see Scooby trying all these parody shows yet being very comedic. If I was to over theorize this special cold be saying to viewers back then that Scooby is prefect the way it is so we don't need to change it. Or they were saying that Velma,Fred, and Daphne were irrelevant because they barely in this special of any use. They already did make around the sametime the Scooby and Scrappy show and the next series that came out in 1980 dropped everyone that wasn't scooby, Shaggy, or Scrappy.
Is this special great? No, not really but it is it fun to watch? Yeah it was. I think it should be watched at least once to see it's madness.
That's our lookback tune in next time when Scooby Doo does get a serious role on "Law and Order: SVU" DUN DUN.