Seldom a ratings superstar,m but it’s longevity speaks volumes. From the originals to reruns to syndication to remakes to movies and more, Rocky, Bullwinkle, and their friends are legends.
Based on The Frostbite Falls Review, a proposal that never aired
Premiered on November 1959 as Rocky & His Friends on ABC for airing on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons
Original series in black and white
Moved to NBC (1961) in a Sunday night timeslot
After moving the series into different timeslots, the last show aired June 27, 1964
5 seasons provided 163 episodes
Created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott
Produced by Jay Ward Productions
Voices by Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, Walter Tetley, Daws Butler, Charlie Ruggles, Hans Conried, William Conrad, and Edward Everett Horton
Previously-Honored Characters – Visit as many as you want … Which did you visit?
Here’s one for the ages, so for those who don’t know the words, look below the video.
If you’re on the highway and Road Runner goes beep beep.
Just step aside or might end up in a heap.
Road Runner, Road Runner runs on the road all day.
Even the coyote can’t make him change his ways.
Road Runner, the coyote’s after you.
Road Runner, if he catches you you’re through.
Road Runner, the coyote’s after you.
Road Runner, if he catches you you’re through.
That coyote is really a crazy clown,
When will he learn he can never mow him down?
Poor little Road Runner never bothers anyone,
Just runnin’ down the road’s his idea of having fun.
Lyrics source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com
History
Created by Chuck Jones (Interview with him below) for Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies
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48 shorts (majority by Chuck Jones) with Wile E Coyote (his tribute here)
First: Fast and Furry-ous (Sept. 17, 1949)
Last: Sugar and Spies (1966) (directed by Robert McKimson)
Beep Prepared (1961) received an Academy Award nomination
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Additional TIdbits
Road Runner only vocalizes “Beep, Beep” by Paul Julian
#38 (with Wile E Coyote) on TV Guide’s list of 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters
This one may be new to most readers, but this may be the first cartoon series I can recall watching. The words to sing along are below the video, so scroll down before playing the theme song to Ruff and Reddy.
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Get set, get ready,
Here come Ruff and Reddy.
They’re tough, but steady,
Always rough and ready.
They sometimes have their little spats,
Even fight like dogs and cats,
But when they need each other,
That’s when, they’re rough and ready.
Characters
Ruff, a straight and smart cat; Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog
Villains: “Scary” Harry Safari, Captain Greedy and Salt Water Daffy; and Killer and Diller
Ruff and Reddy, plus Professor Gizmo meeting aliens from Muni-Mula (a strange planet of metal) is their most memorable episode
Muni-Mula is (“aluminum” spelled backward)
. The Show
Created by Hanna-Barbera, and their first production
Ruff, voiced by Don Messick with a similar voice he would later use for Pixie the mouse
Reddy, voiced by Daws Butler with this southern draw later becoming the voice of Huckleberry Hound
The show featured a live action host/emcee (Jimmy Blaine), and the episodes had a narrator (Don Messick)
In the show (but between cartoon episodes), Puppeteers Rufus Rose and Bobby Nicholson provided comedic relief as Rhubarb the Parrot and Jose the Toucan.
For those needing more Muni-Mula
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Production
NBC originally broadcasted Ruff and Reddy in black and white in December 1957 on NBC
3 seasons, 156 episodes
First: Planet Pirates (Dec 14 1957)
Last: Have Blop Will Travel (Feb 4, 1960)
The episodes were not much longer than four minutes, including an opening song and much repetition of preceding events.
There were 13 episodes in each of the 12 stories of the serials
The show’s episodes borrowed from the serialized storytelling format of such shows as Crusader Rabbit that used episodes with cliffhanger storylines
Although NBC cancelled the show after 1959-1960, they revived the show the spring of 1962 with Captain Bob Cottle as the host
NBC cancelled the series in September 1964
Additional FYI
Ruff and Reddy was translated into other languages: Jambo & Ruivão (Brazilian Portuguese), Pouf & Riqui (French), Ruff e Reddy (Italian), Жолтко и Лутко (Zoltko i Lutko) (Macedonian), Ruff y Reddy (Spanish), Ruff och Reddy (Swedish), つよいぞラフティ (Japanese), Ralofo le Rali (Tswana)
Dell Comics published 12 issues of Ruff & Reddy (1958-1962)
Here’s another episode, but without Muni-Mula, enjoy The Long Gone Leprechaun
It’s Dudley Do-Right: The conscientious and cheerful Canadian Mountie who wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack
Segment on Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
Music was in the style of a silent-movie melodrama with a piano in the background
Theme song derived from Franz von Suppe’s Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna; Light Cavalry, and Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin
Trumpet played by Branwell Smith, Jr. – who later played in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Band
Dudley’s Profile
Rides his horse sitting backwards
The name of his horse is Horse
Under the command of Inspector Fenwick
Smitten over Nell, the daughter of Inspector Fenwick (and voiced by Jane Foray)
Nell is more interested in Horse than Dudley
Main nemesis is Snidley Whiplash, who usually captured Nell and tied her to train tracks
The Show
Created by Alex Anderson with Chris Hayward and Allan Burns
Voiced by Bill Scott
Narrated by William Conrad
Produced by Jay Ward Productions
Debuted: September, 1961 (The Disloyal Canadians)
Last episode: September 6, 1970 (Snidley Arrested)
39 segments, but only 38 syndicated because one segment (Stokey the Bear) was pulled after the US Forest Service objected to a bear starting fires – but it was released in 2005
. Other Stuff Dudley Do-Right Show aired on ABC from April 27, 1969 to September 6, 1970 featuring segments of Dudley Do-Right, Commander McBragg, Tooter Turtle, and The Hunter
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Appeared in a few Rocky & Bullwinkle comic books from Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics; plus briefly in his own comics by Charlton Comics
A Frank Angle 