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Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: June 19, 2012.
Director: Various
Cast: Christine Taylor, David Brisbin
Year: 1990
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The Series:
Hey Dude!, which ran for two years between 1989 and 1991, was Nickelodeon's first original non-animated series, starring real kids in the real West. Season Three saw the return of all the characters from the first two seasons - David Lascher as troublemaker Senior Staff member Ted, Christine Taylor as nice girl lifeguard Melody, David Brisbin as the bumbling ranch owner Benjamin Ernst, Joes Torres as the clichéd wise Native American Danny, and Kelly Martin as riding instructor Brad. Also part of the gang is Debrah Kalman as ranch hand Lucy and Josh Tygiel as Mr. Ernst's son Buddy. Season Three also introduced two new characters - Jonathan Galkin as Mr. Ernst's drummer nephew Jake and Geoffrey Coy as the true American cowboy Kyle. Jake arrived in place of Ted who left mid-season to go back home for summer school. Not as loveable and sneaky as Ted, but his character adds some laughs to the show and overall he was a decent replacement. Kyle showed up for the last episode as the son of an old flame of Lucy's - a rodeo star who's moved his son around all his life. Kyle just wants a place to call home and the Bar None has become just that. Both characters continued into the fourth season. What made Hey Dude! unique, other than being an innovator in children's programming at the time, is the setting of the series which was all shot in the real Arizona desert at a real dude ranch. It definitely adds charm.
When I was a kid, I was a big fan of this series. I was a little old for it - maybe by a few years, but I was probably the same age as the main characters which made it okay! It was a nice escape from the real world which, at the time, kind of sucked. I liked stories I could immerse myself in and characters I could depend on. As someone who's grown out of very little that I once loved, I was pretty psyched when I found out Season One was coming to DVD. I didn't know how well it would do, so I'm really glad it did well enough for Shout! Factory to put out seasons two and three. Will I rewatch these ever? Who knows, but I'm sure getting a kick out of watching them now!
Hey Dude! - Season Three includes all thirteen episodes which are as follows:
Inmates Run the Asylum - Ted's been put in charge of the Bar None Ranch when Mr. Ernst is away and inevitably the power's gone to his head. Is there any way the gang can stop him?!
Hey Cinderella - A dreamy socialite comes to visit the ranch and Melody pretends to be Brad to impress him. Will she eventually tell him the truth? Will he still like the real Melody?
Date Nite - Ted finally gets Brad to agree to go on a date with him. Will either of them make it back alive? Unknown to Brad, Ted is leaving the Bar None Ranch.
New Kid on the Block - With Ted gone, Mr. Ernst has to fill his spot. He's chosen his drum-crazy surfer nephew Jake and Buddy is not happy about it to say the least…
Sewn at the Hip - Melody's friend from home, Amy, comes to visit and isn't at all impressed by Melody's “new†friends.
Superstition - Jake, as it turns out, is incredibly superstitious and after some bad luck, he has to find a way to make things right again.
Dueling Ranches - The rival ranch from down the road is causing trouble for Mr. Ernst. Now he needs everybody's help to win a baseball game against them to get rid of them.
Ex-static - Buddy's mom comes to the ranch to bring him home after a call from him telling her he was unhappy there. Once there, Buddy tries to re-kindle his parents' marriage.
No More Mr. Nice Guy - Melody goes on strike after Brad and Danny take advantage of her niceness for the last time!
Killer Ernst - In a scheme to make money, Mr. Ernst decides to bring professional wrestling to the ranch. On the bill is Cap'n Lou Albano vs. The Masked Marauder but who will be able to fill his mask when the Marauder can't make it???
Melody's Brother - Melody's brother comes to visit and brings with him an old problem. This episode's quality is below that of the rest of the set (see video section below).
Bad Seed - Some guests convince Mr. Ernst to babysit while they take care of an “emergency.†The staff is fooled by the girl's sweet faí§ade, but Buddy sees her for what she really is!
Stick Around - The Bar None has a new employee, Kyle, after Lucy's old flame comes to visit.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Video quality is what you'd expect from a 20-year-old series that was shot on video. The picture is soft at times, though generally clear. If you've bought a show like this, you're probably not looking for awesome picture quality. It is what it is and for the most part it's fine. There is one episode on this set, episode 11 - “Melody's Brother,†which “was mastered from the only known video source at the time of this release.†The original master tape must have been destroyed or lost and although this episode is fluttery, dark and fuzzy it's necessary for the set to be complete. Despite the inferior quality, to have left it out would have been unacceptable.
Audio quality on this set is pretty much what you'd expect. Levels seem pretty balanced and there is no noticeable distortion. Audio is English only with no subtitles.
This set has no extras.
The Final Word:
While not as endearing as the “Ted years,†season three of Hey Dude! was still a lot of fun. Jake and Kyle were good additions and it's nice to see the rest of the cast has stuck around. This is a show that's totally aiming for the nostalgia factor and if this is a show you remember fondly, you'll get a kick out of revisiting it. New fans might be few and far between, but R!S!P!'s own Ian Jane, is one of that elite group! Kids nowadays might enjoy it as well because the location really “takes you there†and while it's dated as far as t-shirts (Danny sports an INXS tee in one episode) and catchphrases, the westernwear and locale really remove a lot of the fashions that might have otherwise screamed 80s. (1990 still counts as the 80s ;) ). Cheesy?... definitely. But SO worth it!
