1. What A Night For A Knight
Aired: September 13, 1969
Plot: A stroll at night leads a reluctant Scooby-Doo and Shaggy into a mystery Knight, when they stumble
upon the abandoned car of a noted archeologist. The archeologist is gone, and the only clue is a suit of black armor sitting
in the drivers seat. This clue sends them hot on the trail to a privately owned museum. Scooby's sonar scenting nose finds
the archeologist bound and gagged inside a wax dummy. It had been an elaborate scheme to keep the archeologist from making
his planned visit to the museum... for the museum curator, posing as the Knight, was fearful of being exposed as an art swindler.
My Two Cents: This was the series pilot and was very well done and probably gets a small bonus just for being the first episode.
The Black Knight is a good traditional first villain although he has relatively few scenes and no real vocals or noises (ends up being Mr. Wickles).
The theme is dark and spooky and the storyline is very well done, including a few good laughs along the way while introducing the gang.
My Rating 7.5 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 4.5)
2. A Clue For Scooby Doo
Aired: September 20, 1969
Plot: At Rocky Point beach, the gang encounter the ghost of an old sea diver. A sailor named Ebenezer
Shark claims it to be the ghost of Captain Cutler, who, according to legend, died at sea many years ago. After first
hunting for clues around the marina, the gang dons scuba gear to look for the ghost underwater.
My Two Cents: Not a bad follow up, but not as good generally as the first episode. There is some confusion if this
or Don't Fool With A Phantom is the second/third episode - this aired second, but Hassle in the Castle comes up as the second episode on the DVD.
Villain gets points for being unique, yet not particularly frightening or showing much personality. Most of episode is spent under water and is done well graphically.
My Rating 6.0 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 3.0)
3. Hassle In The Castle
Aired: September 27, 1969
Plot: The gang goes out on a boating expedition, but gets lost in a fog and runs around on Haunted
Isle. They decide to venture to the abandoned Vazquez Castle on the island for help, but instead encounter a transparent
phantom who appears to be able to walk through walls.
My Two Cents: A moderate success, the island and castle are visually well done - dark, with creepy music
and scary, if not annoying, laugh from the phantom. The phantom itself is rather generic looking, but has more scenes and personality
than say, the Black Knight or Ghost of Captain Cutler.
My Rating 6.0 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 3.0)
4. Mine Your Own Business
Aired: October 4, 1969
Plot: Thanks to Shaggy's poor map reading, Mystery, Inc. find themselves lost on the backroads. They
end up in Gold City, an Old West ghost town, where a guest ranch caretaker tells the kids the town is empty because of a
ghost known as the "Miner 49er". The gang subsequently explores the city, and it's vast abandoned gold mines for clues.
My Two Cents: The best episode yet. The graphics for Gold City are excellent and make for a spooky setting
complete with lightning, a squawking vulture and player piano. The miner himself isn't necessarily the greatest nor scariest villain, but
he has some excellent scenes with Scooby appearing/disappearing behind doors and mirrors.
My Rating 8.0 (Villain 3.5; Storyline 4.5)
5. Decoy For A Dognapper
Aired: October 11, 1969
Plot: When a rash of local dognappings alarms prize-winning dog trainer Buck Masters, the gang offers to
have Scooby-Doo pose as a decoy to catch the dognappers. However, their plan works too well as Scooby is himself
dognapped, leading the gang to discover that the dognappers appear to be under the command of a ghastly witchdoctor.
My Two Cents: This episode goes down a different path, away from some of the more traditional stories and villains, but
it only partially hits. The dogs being kept on some strange Indian grounds outside the city and the even more strange witch doctor with the giant
head mask don't live up to earlier episodes, or the later and far superior "A Bum Steer For Scooby". The Geronimo shooting arrows is never really explained.
My Rating 5.0 (Villain 2.5; Storyline 2.5)
6. What The Hex Is Going On
Aired: October 18, 1969
Plot: The kids pay a visit to their friend Sharon Weatherby, whose Uncle Stewart is being haunted by
the ghost of Elias Kingston. When Stewart disappears altogether, Mystery, Inc. ventures into the abandoned and allegedly
haunted Kingston Mansion in search of him and the ghost.
My Two Cents: This episode has a lot going for it - creepy mansion, cool looking villain, but there are too many
weaknesses to keep it from rating among the elite. The villain is a bit short, and has an almost annoying voice that could have been
much better. The ghost running in fright at the end of the episode doesn't help any. You see various clips of this episode on the
introduction, but the ghost is entirely green, as opposed to the actual episode where he has normal coloring.
My Rating 6.5 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 3.5)
7. Never Ape An Ape Man
Aired: October 25, 1969
Plot: Daphne's Uncle Maxwell, a film producer, hires the gang as extras on the set of his latest picture, The
Apeman of Forbidden Mountain. However, trouble arises when the titular Ape-Man begins disrupting the set and
endangering the cast and crew.
My Two Cents: The storyline and the scenery rank merely as average, not particularly spooky, and the Ape-Man is a pretty generic villain, albeit large and intimidating at times.
That being said, the scene with Shaggy and Scooby playing pool in the room with animal heads has always been a favorite, as Scooby counts the heads and realizes one is missing. Another good scene is
when Scooby punches, then kicks the Ape-Man while bouncing off the branch.
My Rating 6.5 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 3.5)
8. Foul Play In Funland
Aired: November 1, 1969
Plot: Funland, an abandoned local amusement park, appears to be haunted by a strange robot named
Charlie. The gang goes to investigate, and instead find themselves defending each other against the strange-behaving
humanoid robot.
My Two Cents: I might be in the minority, but this gets one of my lowest ratings. The villain is merely
a robot running around the park, not a villain with some evil plan. I'll give Charlie points for being large and strong, but that's about it.
There are also few scary or funny scenes that most of the other early episodes have.
My Rating 4.5 (Villain 1.5; Storyline 3.0)
9. The Backstage Rage
Aired: November 8, 1969
Plot: Shaggy and Scooby-Doo find a violin case filled with money, which is extracted from them while Scooby
is distracted by a puppet. Shaggy, Scooby, and the rest of the gang follow this lead to the local theater, where they
uncover a counterfitting scheme masterminded by a shadowy figure.
My Two Cents: Strange episode that has some good and bad - the storyline is interesting at first, and the theater
is spooky and mysterious. The villain has potential too, but has minimal scenes, while others are wasted on a Pirate and a Viking that
are on strings. In the end it's an average episode that feels like it could have been more.
My Rating 4.5 (Villain 2.5; Storyline 2.0)
10. Bedlam In The Big Top
Aired: November 15, 1969
Plot: Mystery Inc. meets a strongman and a midget, both on the run from a circus allegedly haunted
by a ghost clown. The gang goes to the circus grounds to investigate, but one-by-one fall victim to the Ghost Clown's
powers of hypnotism before solving the mystery at hand.
My Two Cents: One of the best episodes. Consistently appears in rankings for best episodes and best villains.
The Ghost Clown is a classic - one of the scarier looking clowns you'll see. The circus setting is done well and includes several
points where someone from the Mystery, Inc. is hypnotized and doing something dangerous. This would become a benchmark that few other
episodes would reach.
My Rating 10.0 (Villain 5.0; Storyline 5.0)
11. A Gaggle Of Galloping Ghosts
Aired: November 22, 1969
Plot: On the road, the gang pulls up to an ancient castle, transported "brick-by-brick" from Transylvania. Upon
entering the castle, however, they find that it is apparently haunted by three monsters: a vampire, a werewolf, and a
Frankenstein's monster pastiche.
My Two Cents: Interesting episode has three villains all played by the same bad guy (four, if you count the fortune
teller). With so many villains, time and personality is somewhat limited, but the episode has some genuinely funny parts, especially when
Shaggy and Scooby are playing Mad Scientist. This episode has grown on me over the years, and it's rating has gone up a bit.
My Rating 7.0 (Villain 3.5; Storyline 3.5)
12. Scooby-Doo And A Mummy, Too
Aired: November 29, 1969
Plot: The professors of archaeology at the local college show the gang the school's latest acquisition: the
mummy of Ankha, an ancient Egyptian ruler who placed a curse upon any who would violate his tomb. The curse appears to be
valid, as the gang finds their professors apparently turned to stone, and a mummy figure roaming the grounds looking for
a particular Egyptian coin.
My Two Cents: Not much creativity to the villain in this one, but the story and scenery are well done.
One favorite scene is when Scooby fights with the mummy in his karate outfit. While the villain lacks much creativity, he seems
plenty strong, and the turning people to stone is far-fetched but done well, especially when Shaggy thinks Scooby is turned to stone.
My Rating 6.0 (Villain 2.5; Story 3.5)
13. Which Witch Is Which?
Aired: December 6, 1969
Plot: On the way home from a fishing trip, Mystery, Inc. runs across the mystery of a witch and a zombie, two
figures who, according to local myth, haunt the countryside. When Daphne is kidnapped by the witch and zombie, the gang trails
them to an abandoned haunted riverboat.
My Two Cents: While the witch is the primary villain, it's the zombie who has more scenes and is more amusing with
his moans and groans and constant chasing of Scooby and Shaggy. The scenery of a very swampy area and the old riverboat is well done, as are the voodoo dolls of the gang. Solid, but not great.
My Rating 6.0 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 3.0)
14. Go Away Ghost Ship
Aired: December 13, 1969
Plot: The newspaper reports that local shipping magnate C.L. Magnus's ships are being haunted by the
ghost of the pirate Redbeard. After reading the story and consulting Magnus, the gang ventures out into the bay, but
soon find themselves kidnapped by Redbeard and his crew.
My Two Cents: Probably one of the better known episodes and villains. Redbeard and his thugs make for perfect bad guys.
Overall a very good episode. The villains are done well as is the pirate ship scenery. Includes several funny parts, including "Ghost Pirate Stew" made by
Shaggy and Scooby. The ending and capture of the pirates is a bit weak (with plungers shot from arrows?).
My Rating 9.0 (Villain 4.5; Storyline 4.5)
15. Spooky Space Kook
Aired: December 20, 1969
Plot: A fluorescent alien figure terrorizes an old abandoned airfield. When the Mystery Machine runs
out of gas not far from the airfield, Mystery, Inc. learns about the alien, and decides to explore the airfield and
solve the mystery.
My Two Cents: Interesting episode - the villain has a cool look and evil laugh, but otherwise shows
very little personality, almost robotic thru the episode. The scenery at the old airfield is well done with the usual dark
blues and blacks that made the early years feel so dark and creepy.
My Rating 5.5 (Villain 2.5; Storyline 3.0)
16. A Night Of Fright Is No Delight
Aired: January 10, 1970
Plot: Scooby-Doo is a potential heir to the fortune of Colonel Beaureguard Sanders... provided he stays
the night in the Colonel's allegedly haunted Southern mansion. This proves to be more difficult than first assumed when
two green phantom figures do away with the other four heirs and set their sights on Scooby and the gang.
My Two Cents: In the discussion for best episode ever, and as a child it was one of the few that seemed sort of scary.
The two green phantoms, their horrible laughs and rattling chains, are among the top villains of all Scooby episodes. The mansion
scenery, bit characters and storyline are all very well done, and as usual, there are plenty of funny parts.
My Rating 10.0 (Villain 5.0; Storyline 5.0)
17. That's Snow Ghost
Aired: January 17, 1970
Plot: A planned ski-trip to Wolf's End Lodge goes awry when it seems that a Yeti-like Snow Ghost is
haunting the mountain ridge. In their search for clues, the gang eventually turns up at an old abandoned saw mill, where
they find both clues and danger, by way of the Snow Ghost.
My Two Cents: Not a classic, but still a good, solid episode. The Snow Ghost is a Yeti-like creature and the story
and scenery are done well for a winter setting in the mountains. Perhaps the most memorable part of this episode is the over-the-top
laugh of the hotel clerk ("be sure to lock your doors at night, or the Snow Ghost will get you!"). Also a rare episode where Velma, not
Daphne, is captured by the monster - rescued by Scooby while chained to a log heading towards a running saw blade.
My Rating 6.5 (Villain 3.0; Storyline 3.5)
