Underdog, which began, strangely, as part of a promo scheme to sell cereal for General Mills, is clearly one of the best things to come out of the 60s. The show always came in four parts, the third beginning with the epic Underdog theme song, which occasionally gets the alternate verse:
In this episode, evil mad scientist Simon Barsinister ventures into electoral politics by inventing a tickle machine that makes people too happy to care about voting, thus securing his election as dictator of the world. Sweet Polly Purebred's Bongo Congo song in Part 4 is a beautiful metaphor for the general state of the mainstream media. Maybe it's a reach, but I think I see a tribute here to the 1967 Chilly Willy Mukluk Bop.
When criminals in this world appear,
And break the laws that they should fear,
And frighten all who see or hear,
The cry goes up both far and near
for Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!
Speed of lightning! Roar of thunder!
Fighting all who rob or plunder!
Underdog! Underdog!
While in this world the headlines read,
Of those whose hearts are filled with greed,
Who rob and steal from those who need,
To right this wrong with blinding speed
goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!
Speed of lightning! Roar of thunder!
Fighting all who rob or plunder!
Underdog! Underdog!
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