King Of The Hill - Series 1

Starring: Mike Judge, Pamela Segall Original UK Premiere: 1997 Dvd Release: 13th March, 2006 Number Of Discs: 3 Format: Animated, PAL, Region 2 Encoding Dubbed In: Spanish

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The 1993 film King of the Hill -- not to be confused with Mike Judge s animated cartoon of the same name -- was Steven Soderbergh s third feature film & the second he directed from his own screenplay following his 1989 Palme dOr -winning effort sex, lies & videotape. Based on the Depression -era bildungsroman memoir of writer A E Hotchner, it follows the story of two brothers struggling to survive on their own in a fleabag hotel in St. Louis while their mother is committed to a sanatorium with tuberculosis & their father, a traveling salesman, is off on long trips from which they cant be certain he will return. The film is distinctive in part because the antagonists who drive much of the plot are relatively mild by cinematic standards. The two primary ones -- a cop on his beat & a hotel porter -- share the characteristic of taking joy & pride in sadistically enforcing the property rights of the rich against the poor.

What a shame King of the Hill never really caught on in the UK as it did in the US. I guess erratic scheduling & Simpsons saturation conspired to dispatch it to the 'cult' rather than 'mainstream' category.

But this underrated series never really attempted to be a Simpsons me-too but was presented as an animated sitcom / drama that takes a wry look at Texas life through the eyes of a comically bizarre bunch of characters. It takes a couple of episodes to get you into the setting & the characters but once you're in you're hooked!

If you enjoy holidaying in the states then you will love this series as it really puts you in an American frame of mind. Bung on an episode & you can taste the cold beers & barbequed steak . The episodes included are:

Pilot - A group of people are lead to believing that Hank is an abusive father & husband. They try to take Bobby away to live with another family.

Square Peg - When Peggy is recruited to teach sex ed, Hank insists Bobby not go. First appearance of Stewart Dooley & the Strickland Propane building. The Order of the Straight Arrow - On a camping trip, the crew accidentally kills a whooping crane

Hank's Got the Willies - When Hank catches Bobby playing his prized guitar with a piece of cheese Hank realizes he needs to get his son golfing to take his mind off comedy.

Luanne's Saga - Buckley, Luanne's boyfriend, dumps her. Hank & the guys try to set her up with an all-American type guy, but she falls for Boomhauer instead. This episode features the first, & certainly not the last appearance of Chuck Mangione. Also featues the first appearance of Luly's Cafeteria, & the first look inside Boomhauer's house.

Hank's Unmentionable Problem - Hank becomes constipated, & is forced to try various methods of curing it. First episode in which Peggy is seen playing Boggle.

Westie Side Story - A family of Laotians moves into the neighborhood. Through an odd twist of events, the neighborhood thinks the new neighbors have butchered & eaten Ladybird, the Hill family dog. First appearance of Kahn, Minh, Kahn Jr. , & Doggie.

Shins of the Father - Hank's father, a World War II veteran with no shins, visits the Hill household. Bobby begins to mimic his downright rude behavior on a regular basis. First appearance of Didi, & the first non-flashback appearance of Cotton Hill.

Peggy the Boggle Champ - Peggy takes Hank to Dallas for a Boggle championship. Once there, Hank ditches her & goes with the guys to a lawnmower convention.

Keeping Up With Our Joneses - Hank catches Bobby smoking a cigarette, & forces him to smoke a whole carton. Before long, the entire Hill family is addicted to nicotine. My favorite episode of the first season.

Plastic White Female - Bobby is invited to a boy & girl party, & to prepare for the possible kissing, he practices on Luanne's plastic hairstyling practice head.

Hank The Company Man - Hank must go to extremes to please a potential propane customer. First appearance of Buck Strickland, though he is drawn in a much more crude fashion than in later seasons. Also the first appearance of M.F. Thatherton.

King of the Ant Hill - When Hank tells Dale his services as an exterminator are no longer needed, Dale uses fireants to destroy Hank's new lawn.

Although her name is not well known, Pamela Segall provides voices of many famous characters of memorable kids shows, such as Bobby Hill in the show King of the Hill & Spinelli in Recess. She is also sometimes credited as Pamela Segall Adlon. Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks. The Animatrix. Final Flight of the Osiris. Pajama Sam. You Are What You Eat from Your Head to Your Feet. Recess Christmas. Miracle on Third Street. The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald. Scared Silly. Fallout. A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game. Pamela Segall at the Internet Movie Database

Editors Choice: King Of The Hill, View DVDology

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