On a Futuristic Family

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Meet George Jetson
Works at Spacely’s Sprockets
Work computer is RUDI, Referential Universal Digital Indexer
Grandson to Montague Jetson
“Jane! Stop this crazy thing!”
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Jane, his wife
A dutiful and pleasant homemaker who loves shopping, fashion, and gadgets
Her favorite store is Mooning Dales
A fan of artists Leonardo de Venus and Picasso Pia.
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Daughter Judy
Student at Orbit High School
Typical teenage girl
Full name: Judith Angela Jetson
Crush on rockstar drummer Jet Streamer
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His boy Elroy
Attends Little Dipper Schools
Loves space sciences
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Household
Family lives in the Skypad Apartments in Orbit City
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Rosie
Their outdated household robot (an XB-500) to do the housework
Only two episodes of the original 1960s show
The original spelling of Rosie’s name is “Rosey
Character modeled after Shirley Booth’s Hazel character
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Astro
The family dog
Every word begins with an “R” when speaking
I ruv roo, Reorge
Pre-Jetson name was Tralfas, and he belonged to the fabulously rich Mr. Gottrockets
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Henry Orbit
Apartment repair man
Mac, his robot, has a crush on Rosie
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Cosmo G. Spacely
George’s boss and owner of Spacely Space Sprockets
His secretary is Miss Galaxy
Married to Stella Spacely, and they have one son – Arthur
“Jetson! You’re fired!”
Cogwell Cogs is the main business competitor
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Background
Produced by Hanna-Barbera as a Space Age counterpart to The Flintstones
Basically 1950s sitcom plots in a futuristic setting
Setting in 2062 (100 years in the future)

The original series aired on Sunday nights on ABC from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, with primetime reruns continuing through September 8, 1963

After primetime, the series aired on Saturday mornings for decade on all three major networks

24 original episodes

The first program ever to be broadcast in color on ABC-TV

Music by Hoyt Curtin

Voices actors include Daws Butler, Don Messicks, Mel Blanc, and George O’Hanlon

Tribute to Telstar by The Tornados (December 1962 chart topper)

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History of the Jetsons

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Closing Credits

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On a Crime Fighting Duo

NOTE: Embedding has been disabled in two of these videos, so you will be directed to watch on YouTube, which will open in a new window/tab.

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I dedicate this post to Rich at Brainsnorts for the request. I didn’t watch this cartoon, but Rich is a good guy.  Rich writes stories, so give him a visit and tell him I sent you.

Background

• Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse, the crime-fighting duo protecting Empire City
• Addressed as “Courageous” and “Minute”)
• AKA: Gato Valiente y Minuto Ratón
• Neither have a secret identity
• Live in the Cat Cave

Equipment

• Summoned via the Cat Signal over their television set
• Drive the red Cat Mobile that can convert into the Cat Plane and the Cat Boat
• Courageous uses an all-purpose Cat Gun or items from his cape as trick guns
• Courageous has extra secret gadgets hidden in his belt buckle

Background
Created by Bob Kane as a Batman and Robin parody
Produced by Trans-Artists Productions
130 five-minute episodes
Original run: 1960-1962
First episode: Disguise the Limit
Last episode: The Return Of The Shoo Shoo Fly

Characters
The Chief, Marilyn Mouse (Minute’s gal), Sassy Bones, and Periscope Pete

Villains
Chief antogonist: Chauncey “Flatface” Frog (leader of The Unmentionables) and Harry Gorilla (Chauncey’s henchman)
Others: Professor Shaggy Dog, Big Shot with Little Shot (leaders of the Unthinkables), The Black Cat, Rodney Rodent, Shoo Shoo Fly, Robber Rabbit, Foxy the Fox, The Great Hambone, Iron Shark, Professor Von Noodle Stroudel/Strudel, Comrade and Commissar, Outrageous Cat

Theme music

• By Johnny Holiday
• Patterned after Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn, the theme song features a walking bass line and a jazzy sound

Here’s a rock version of the theme song done by the New York Dolls

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Public Complaints
Too violent
Use of firearms
Flatface Frog smoking a cigar

Enjoy watching an episode: Case of the Cat Cave Treasures

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On a Fly

I dedicate this post to Starla. I haven’t heard from the good lady in Montana, so I hope all is well with her and Navar. She requested this character, and I am pleased to honor her request.

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More powerful than a speeding rocket and faster than a beam of light.

No flypaper can hold him and no insecticide can stop him.

Factoids
Produced by Hal Seeger Productions

Debuted October 9, 1965 on ABC

First episode Fly By Might (1964)

Last (27th) Martians Meet Their Match (1966)

Voiced by Bob McFadden

Never his own show, thus only as a segment in Milton the Monster show (but not in every show)

Milton made a brief cameo in one episode (“Ferocious Fly”) while Hirem is hallucinating

Personal Data
In reality, an ordinary housefly named Hirem

Hirem is mild-mannered

Hangs out at the Sugar Bowl

His girlfriend Flory

His best friend is Horsey

Hiram and Horsey Drinking

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Fearless Fly Bio
When danger arises, Hirem enters a nearby matchbox, and exits as Fearless Fly

Wears a red sweater and special glasses that provide millions of mega-tons of energy through the sensitive muscles in his head.”

Only weakness is losing his glasses: “Without my super high-powered glasses I’m helpless!”

His chief nemesis is the 900-year-old Dr. Goo Fee and his sidekick Gung Ho

Occasionally, Milton the Monster’s Professor Weirdo threatens, as does Ferocious Fly

I discovered these lyrics, but can’t find the tune.

Hey I’m in trouble
and I’m all by myself (so)
I’m callin’ to the fly
I need a little help (help)
Hey fearless, you know you’re really cool (cool)
You know you’re the one who makes me drool (drool)

His name is Fearless Fly
His name is Fearless Fly
His name is Fearless Fly
So fearless
(I’m fearless)

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On the Greatest Moose

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Bullwinkle is more than a classic cartoon character – he is an icon.

#3 (with Rocky) on TV Guide’s Great Cartoon Characters

Resume
Name: Bullwinkle J. Moose

Middle initial J for is from the two J’s: Jay Ward (creator) and Bill J Scott (co-producer, head writer, and Bullwinkle’s voice)

Named after Bullwinkel Motors, a car dealership in Berkeley, California

Gender: Male

Home: Frostbite Falls, MN (a parody on International Falls, MN)

Occupation: Former coat rack

Education: Studied under Francis the Talking Horse, attended M.I.T. (Moose Institute of Toe-dancing), attended Wossamatta U, and received an Honorary Mooster’s Degree from Wossamatta U

Football quarterback at Wossamatta U

As Mr. Know-It-All, received several awards from prestigious universities that have yet to exist

Political: Bull Moose Party

Wealth: Received fortune in the form of a cereal boxtop collection and an Upsidaisium mine from Uncle Dewlap’s will

At one time, a part-owner, part-governor of the island of Moosylvania

Debuted with blue gloves, which became white on the second episode

On to the Show

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60 episodes of Mr. Know-it-All

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39 episodes of Bullwinkle’s Corner

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“Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.”

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Background
Debuted November 19, 1959 as Rocky and His Friends on ABC with Jet Fuel Formula
Moved to NBC in 1961 as The Bullwinkle Show
Ended June 27, 1964

Created by Jay Ward, Alex Anderson, and Bill Scott

Produced by Jay Ward Productions

With satire and humor, the writing appealed to adults as well as children

Animation outsourced to a studio in Mexico

Music by Frank Comstock (1959–1961) Fred Steiner (1961–1964)

Sponsored by General Mills

Voiced by Bill Scott

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Narrated by actor William Conrad

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Show composed of episodes, with each episode ending with a cliffhanger and the announcer giving two titles (actually puns of each other) for the next segment

5 seasons, 163 episodes, 366 segments

27 continuing storylines

Two collection of WAV files sound bites from the show: one and two

Supporting Characters in the Show (tributes linked): Rocky J Squirrel, Boris and Natasha, Peabody and Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, Fractured Fairytales

Ending of a show showing the story continuing another time

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On a Classic Cat and Mouse

Theme song

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A classic cat chases mouse routine leading to mayhem and destruction featuring

Tom

• A cat who naps, eats and chases Jerry
• Seldom talks
• Thinks of schemes to catch Jerry
• Originally called Jasper

Jerry

• The clever mouse with an impish grin
• Seldom talks
• Charmer
• Usually triumphant

Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),

Hanna and Barbera produced and directed 114 from 1940 to 1957

Additional MGM releases include
- 13 shorts by Rembrandt Films (1961)
- 34 shorts by Chuck Jones’s Sib-Tower 12 Productions produced (1963-1967)

Debuting on CBS’ Saturday morning schedule on September 25, 1965, Tom and Jerry moved to CBS Sundays two years later and remained there until September 17, 1972.

Received 13 Academy Award nominations, but won 7 Oscars: The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), Mouse Trouble (1944), Quiet Please (1945), The Cat Concerto (1946), The Little Orphan (1949), The Two Mouseketeers (1952), and Johann Mouse (1953)

#50 on TV Guide 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters

A Short Clip

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Because of the limited dialogue, music was important Musical director Scott Bradley blended classical, jazz, and pop music

Because of limited speaking, easily to reconstruct in other languages; thus shown throughout the world

Enjoy this classic clip with Gene Kelly

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Criticisms
- Excessively violent, though no blood
- Stereotypical scenes of Blacks

Other Characters include: “Aunt” Pristine Figg, Barney Bear, Beegle Beagle, Butch the Cat, Captain Kiddie, Dr. J. “Sweetface” Applecheek, Dripple the Dog, Droopy the Dog, Dweeble, Ferdinand, Frankie the Flea, Grape Ape, Grappley, Lickboot, Lightning the Cat, Mammy Two Shoes, Meathead the Cat, Mumbly, Nibbles the Mouse (later called Tuffy), Puggsy the Dog, Quacker, Red (sometimes called Miss Vavoom), Robyn Starling, Spike and son Tyke, Screwball Squirrel, Squawk, Toodles Galore, Topsy,Wolfie

Tribute

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A full feature from 1956

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