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?
Fractured Fairy Tales and Aesop & Sons were two segments on various versions of Rocky and Bullwinkle. They presented fairy tales or fables in a humorous, modernized manner while altering the storyline.
Commonalities
Debuted in 1959 on ABC’s Rocky & His Friends (The first of the Rocky & Bullwinkle show titles)
Produced by Jay Ward
Became part of The Hoppity Hooper Show in 1964
Became part of the Dudley Do-Right Show in 1969
Did not spinoff into books or comics
Fractured Fairy Tales
Fractured Fairy Tales had three different introductions
Produced by Jay Ward
Narrated by Edward Everett Horton
Voices by June Foray, Bill Scott, Paul Frees, and an uncredited Daws Butler
91 episodes were made; first – Goldilocks; Last – The Youth Who Set Out to Learn What Fear Was (Click for episode list)
Each episode 4½ minutes long
One of the few TV cartoon series with no continuing characters,
Enjoy the Three Little Pigs
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Aesop and Son
Same theme music as Fractured Fairy Tales
Structure: Aesop attempting to teach a lesson to his son using a fable. After carefully listening to the story, the son undermines the moral with a pun.
Continuing Tag Line: ..and do you know the moral of the story?
39 episodes: First – The Lion and the Mouse; Last – The Fox and the Three Weasels (Click for episodes list)
Voices: Aesop by Charles Ruggles (the only Jay Ward character he did), Junior by Daws Butler
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
George, George, George of the Jungle,
Strong as he can be.
(Ahhhhahhhahhhhhh)
Watch out for that tree.
George, George, George of the Jungle,
Lives a life that’s free.
(Ahhhhahhhahhhhhh)
Watch out for that tree.
When he gets in a scrape,
he makes his escape
with the help of his friend,
an ape named Ape.
Then away he’ll schlep
on his elephant Shep
While Fella and Ursula
Stay in step.
Well….George, George, George of the Jungle,
Friend to you and me.
Watch out for that tree.
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George is a dim-witted parody of Tarzan
#30 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters
Basic plot: District Commissioner Alistair contacts George to save jungle inhabitants from various threats
Running gag: George forgetting he lives in a treehouse, thus falling to the ground every time he leaves home
Other Characters
Ursula, a Jane-like character whom George refers to as “Fella”
Ape (an ape) is George’s closest friend
Shep, George’s pet elephant (“great big peanut-lovin’ poochie”)
Tookie Tookie, a bird whose call is, “Ah ah ee ee tooky tooky”
Frequent foes are hunters”Tiger” Titherage and “Weevil” Plumtree, plus Dr. Chicago (a mad scientist)
Production
Produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott
First Jay Ward production since Rocky and Bullwinkle
Appeared on ABC Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967
Only 17 original episodes, so reruns continued through 1970
Unlike previous Ward series, the animation production was done in Hollywood
Limited number of episodes due to production going over budget
Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, and Daws Butler provided most of the character voices over all three segments.
The Show
Each episode featured three segments in the form of three unrelated cartoons: George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken.
Each segment’s theme song was written by the team of Stan Worth and Sheldon Allman
Tom Slick Intro
. Super Chicken Intro
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Other Tidbits
“Weird Al” Yankovic did a cover version of the George of the Jungle theme on his 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid
Disney released George of the Jungle movies in 1997 and 2003
#3 (with Bullwinkle) on TV Guide’s Greatest Cartoon Characters
Of the duo, Rocky is the upstanding, slightly naive, and smarter than Bullwinkle
Proper name is Rocket J. Squirrel
Middle initial J for is from the two J’s: Jay Ward (creator) and Bill J Scott (co-producer, head writer)
Home: Frostbite Falls, MN (a parody on International Falls, MN)
Created by Jay Ward, Alex Anderson, and Bill Scott as part of The Frostbite Falls Review
Voice artist June Foray
Ability to fly with a jet engine sound effect
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
It the first episode, Rocky’s flying ability limited to gliding
Learned to fly at Cedar Yorpantz Flying School (get it?)
Appeared in Gary Larson’s The Far Side
Also in video games and comics
Catch Phrases
Hokey Smoke!
Those two look familiar!
That voice, where have I heard that voice?
KNEW we shouldn’t have left him! We haven’t been apart in thirty-five years!
Hokey smoke, are you all right?
Don’t say it!
I don’t think that’s very funny.”
“And now, here’s something we hope you’ll really like!”
Not again.
Rocky: “Look, Bullwinkle, a message in a bottle.”
Bullwinkle: “Fan mail from a flounder?”
Rocky: “This is what I really call a message.”
Enjoy a segment of Jet Fuel Formula (you will have to watch on YouTube)
A Frank Angle 