Hey Good Lookin' (DVD)

From Cool World creator Ralph Bakshi, Hey Good Lookin’ is an outrageous, nostalgic and adult take on a more innocent time. Well, not that much more innocent: not every street corner was a Happy Days setting. Our hero, Vinnie, leader of the ragtag gang known as the Brooklyn Stompers, plays it cool. His lady, Roz, thinks he’s the most wonderful thing on two legs. And his off-the-wall, hot-wired friend Crazy Shapiro would die for the honor of Vinnie and the gang. They’re all sympathetic and familiar characters turned loose in a funky, surreal cartoon landscape that really packs a punch, just as the ‘50s-styled soundtrack of original songs by John Madara and Ric Sandler evokes playful memories. With Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic and Cool World, Bakshi made animation history mixing mature themes and hip humor. If you know his work, then Hey Good Lookin’ is up your alley.