How ROCKY & BULLWINKLE Became One of the Most Beloved CARTOONS of ALL TIME!

[@richardadams4928]

This show was a genuine MASTERPIECE! LOTS of humor that was whip-smart and sophisticated. The most tortured pun I ever saw in my LIFE was when Bullwinkle found a model sailboat encrusted with mud. Upon cleaning, the name Omar Kayyam could be seen on the prow, and the boat was bejeweled. They took the boat to a jeweler, who declared the gems to be rubies. Rocky says, "Then this must be...." Bullwinkle responds, "If you think I'm going to finish that, you're crazy." The jeweler interjects, "I don't have the guts to finish it." Rocky continues, "...the Ruby Yacht of Omar Kayyam!" Bullwinkle and the jeweler look straight into the camera and say in unison, "Ugh." Still cracks me up to this day.

[@TricksterDa]

As I recall, the voice of the narrator of Fractured Fairy Tales was, in the early years, Edward Everett Norton. When I was a kid that's how he was known to my generation. I think I also remember him doing a couple of commercials. But, it wasn't until years later, watching an old Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie on late night TV that I had a clear understanding of just how long his career was and how famous and well known he was to my parents and grandparents. It made me appreciate Rocky and Bullwinkle all the more.

[@AlyraMoondancer]

Edward Everett Horton, but yes. :) One of the reasons I loved Rocky and Bullwinkle was that it introduced me to so much culture from previous decades. It helped that my parents often watched with us and could identify and explain these things. I think I first knew who he was because my mom recognized his voice, even before we saw the name in the credits.

[@camdix3250]

Interesting and entertaining to people of all ages - Rocky and Bullwinkle was brilliant because of this. It had depth.

[@garygalawan7816]

It not only entertained kids but taught them some history. One of the few shows that parents would watch with their kids. I always loved the Way Back Machine and the spoofs with history.

[@drakefallentine8351]

From beginning to end, William Conrad's distinctive voice set the stage for Rocky and Bullwinkle in our minds as kids. Little did we know this familiar voice would reappear as tv detective Frank "Cannon" as well as the voice-overs for "The Fugitive" and much more. Thanks for these memories.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Actually, when ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS started out with THE JET ROCKET FUEL STORY, Paul Frees was the Narrator in the first episodes. As the scripts started to create more characters, Frees was doing more voices, and Conrad was brought in as the Narrator. The current issue of the first adventure has Conrad dubbed, replacing Frees' original narration.

[@godfreymccammon4531]

This is great. I have watched Rocky and Bullwinkle forever, I laughed uncontrollably as a kid, but I still laugh now because of the adult humor that slid through. Rocky and Bullwinkle is one of those cartoons that is timeless...it truely keeps us forever young!

[@kennyhagan5781]

The moose and squirrel? True American heroes. There's more than a little bit of Kennedy era optimism in the show. We could definitely use some of that optimism in 2021. I grew up watching reruns of of this wonderful show, and I consider myself lucky.

[@johnc.bojemski1757]

OMG! You are reliving my entire childhood back in the 1960's!!! Fantastic history. Great memories. Thank you!!!

[@RerunZone]

My memories too, John. Thanks for the kind words, this is a labor of love for me and I'm glad that you liked it.

[@sdgakatbk]

You mean someone else used to skip church to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle?

[@MilitaryVideoWorks3742]

Born in 1951 and enjoy Rocky & Bullwinkle as I was growing up they were a hoot and always brought a laugh and a smile.

[@marybianca2722]

Loved this show as so many other youngsters. We had the best cartoons in the sixties. Getting up on a Saturday morning as early as possible to see all the cartoons and we had plenty of great ones. ❤️🙏

[@jonathanwallis3300]

Rocky and Bullwinkle are two of those rare cartoon characters that always felt like family to me! Even with their worst jokes, I still smile every time I watch the duo cause, like I said, they feel like family.

[@papabones6307]

Great review. Just goes to show, not only did we have the best music in the 60's & 70's but also the best cartoons.

[@RerunZone]

Thanks Papa and I would totally agree with you on those points.

[@catlover788]

They don't make um like that anymore 4 sure!!!!

[@jamesrobiscoe1174]

Rocky & Bullwinkle are the best. I still say "Nuttin' up ma sleeve..." The whole show had segments I loved, with humor I found nowhere else. Tributes to Bill Ward and June Foray especially.

[@diannewest8896]

Presto!

[@steve8567]

I grew up watching Rocky and Bullwinkle on Australian TV (in black & white) in the 60s. It was one of my favourite cartoons. About 15 years ago I bought the full colour series on DVD. Still great to watch.

[@bruceboman9801]

A proud graduate of Wasamatta U. in Frostbite Falls, Minnesota.

[@klwm6432]

Loved this show when I was a child in the 1970's! Great memories!! I really enjoyed the Fractured Fairytales!!

[@robbiefarabee6954]

Good job with the video. In my opinion, the Rocky and Bullwinkle show is one of the best animated shows from the 60’s.

[@Zejgar]

Born some thirty years after Rocky's prime, in a country the show's villains were satirizing, the show just happened to be syndicated and broadcast on a channel I just happened to watch in my childhood, and even though the translation most likely butchered the original dialogue with the little me not knowing any better, the show and its characters are, to this day, deep in my heart.

[@TheBeatlesShow]

I am still obsessed with this show. I even adore the 2000 movie; THAT'S how much of a fan of this series I am.

[@AlyraMoondancer]

I loved that movie, too! I don't usually like live-action adaptations of cartoon shows, but I thought they did a great job. They kept the feel of the original, right down to the awful puns (I love 'em!) and they had an actual plot reason for the characters to become 3-D.

[@cocoaorange1]

The movie was cute, but nothing beats the classic cartoon!

[@johnc.bojemski1757]

Friend of mine studied at NYC's "SCHOOO OF VISUAL ARTS". An "academy" for many world class artists like the late Keith Haring, et al. He met "R&B's" creator, Jay Ward and he gave my friend a hand drawn on the spot pencil sketch of "our heroes"! It's now framed at his own, very successful studio.

[@RerunZone]

Wow, that is a great story, John!

[@thesuperamazingalex810]

I could assume the show is indeed popular due to it inspiring many future animators and entertainers, such as Matt Greoning, creator of the Simpsons and Futurama. This show's humor was indeed ahead of its time.

[@sethkaicer319]

The rerun Zone showed the flying squirrels and mooses of the world that they had true love and meaning for each other

[@tomloverin9073]

This was my favorite cartoon series because it was intelligent and both childish and mature. This show and Mad Magazine were my favorite forms of entertainment. Thanks so much for the mammories. 👍

[@petersurdo4984]

R&B and Mad Mag. Shaped a generation.

[@michaelsmyth3935]

My Father graduated in 54, I was born in 64, do no remember a time without Bullwinkle, Rocky and the gang.

[@edryba4867]

Let’s get one thing straight right now. There was NEVER a show on broadcast, cable or streaming television called “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends”! That title was an invention of Jay Ward’s daughter for the DVD sets, long after Ward died. There was no such thing as home video during Jay Ward’s lifetime. And how about some credit where it’s due? There were quite a few Voice Actors involved in the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons. Ready? June Foray - Rocky the Flying Squirrel, and also: “Nell Fenwick” on Dudley Do-Right, as well as supplying an incredible number of female voices to the “Fractured Fairy Tales” and “Aesop and Son” cartoons. And my friend June may be the only Voice Actor (certainly the only one I know of) to play the same character, with the same name and voice for THREE cartoon studios: Disney, Warner Brothers and Hanna Barbera. That character was Witch Hazel. Bill Scott - Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody, Dudley Do-Right, and lots of other incidental voices, including plenty for “Fractured Fairy Tales” and “Aesop and Son”, besides being Producer. And he never took a voice credit! William Conrad - The Narrator, as well as a character voice here and there on the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, including both Gidney AND Cloyd, the two Moon Men. Paul Frees - Boris Badenov, Captain Peter “Wrongway” Peachfuzz, Inspector Fenwick, both Moon Men, Gidney and Cloyd (the reason I credit BOTH Mr. Conrad and Mr. Frees this way for the Moon Men is that according to my friend, the late June Foray, neither of them could remember who played which Moon Man, so they’d flip a coin before recording a Moon Men episode to decide which man played which Moon Man). and literally DOZENS of other characters on ALL the cartoons featured on the show. Walter Tetley - Sherman, Mr. Peabody’s Boy; as well as the occasional character voice on some of the other cartoons. Hans Conreid - Snidely Whiplash, villain on “Dudley Do-Right”. Daws Butler - Aesop Jr. on “Aesop and Son”, and DOZENS of characters on “Fractured Fairy Tales”, “Aesop and Son”, and HUNDREDS at Hanna-Barbara Productions, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and Quick Draw McGraw. He was also a good friend of mine. Edward Everett Horton - Narrator of every single “Fractured Fairy Tale” Charlie Ruggles - Aesop Sr. on “Aesop and Son”

[@thomasewing2656]

Thank you for a detailed run-down on voice credits. I will archive this tid-bit, as I, too, was an early viewer in the 50's and 60's. Great stuff.

[@RayPointerChannel]

I believe Paul Frees was Gidney. Cloyd was by Bill Scott.

[@johnbowen2956]

Thanks for the information. When you indicated the roles of William Conrad, Hans Conried, and Charlie Ruffles, had an instant flash of recognition.

[@jonhinson5701]

Rocky and Bullwinkle still holds up . Boris and Natasha were the best kind of villains because they were screwups.

[@johntiggleman4686]

"Boris Look! Is Moose and Squirrel!"

[@johnbowen2956]

Boris Badunov's name is an example of the program's outrageous puns. The name is derived from Modest Mussorgsky's great opera, "Boris Godunov," based upon the life of the tsar who followed Ivan the Terrible and preceded the founding of the Romanov dynasty. Like the best of the cartoons from the 30s and 40s, adults as well as children could enjoy Rocky and his friends.

[@tadonplane8265]

I loved Rocky and Bullwinkle so much that I wanted to attend Watsamata U!

[@hanoc101]

This show was brilliant

[@annarodriguez9868]

My dad and I used to watch Rocky & Bullwinkle and he pointed out that a lot of the jokes were political. I was about 14 or 15 so I was not interested in anything in the news on tv or in the newspaper, but this show made me curious. Knowing what was going on in the real world made the jokes more interesting and funnier to me. This was the only cartoon show that teens admitted watching. We watched Bandstand, Rocky and the Soupy Sales Show!

[@camdix3250]

Your words are a true compliment to the brilliance of this television program.

[@BigAL68xyz]

I didn't appreciate this cartoon until years later, when I became old enough to get its relatively sophisticated sense of humor. It didn't have the greatest art or the best animation, but it had by far the funniest scripts of its time, and it's still pretty funny even today.

[@RSEFX]

Thanks. Top notch overview of this wonderful supremely silly series! I have to say that I loved the general simplicity and even roughness of it. That was a huge part of its charm. "Slickness" can really create a blah sameness that is detrimental to real fun and novelty.

[@jimkreider9997]

One of the best shows of all time. Never ever missed it.

[@marcduhamel-guitar1985]

I watched the episodes when they aired in syndication in the 70's, I think even up the early 80's. So many awesome characters and name places. Thanks for bringing back memories! Cheers!

[@da041]

Jay Ward also produced the first cartoon show specifically made for TV, Crusader Rabbit and Ragland T. Tiger...my introduction to puns...oh those adventures in Galahad Glen.

[@johntiggleman4686]

I barely recall Crusader Rabbit on TV...I used to have one comic book years ago.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Yes. Actually, CRUSADER RABBIT was the blueprint for what became ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

I remember watching it as a young kid. I watched it up until it disappeared. I was in my 20s when it went off the air. I had a little sister about 18 years younger and she always watched it. My favorite was Fractured Fairytales

[@PatricksCrazyPlace]

I first saw the show when my Dad got my siblings and I the volume 1 VHS. It was one of his favorite shows in his youth and he wanted to get us into it, and he was so happy that we instantly fell in love with it. There was something about the way the four leads (Bullwinkle, Rocky, Boris, and Natasha) talked to and interacted with each other that grabbed us right away and we were hooked.

[@mcgloinm1]

I watched them and I really liked them. They were one of the few TV shows that made sense.

[@pamelahall517]

Without a doubt my absolute favorite cartoon growing up in the 60's. We first watched Rocky and Bullwinkle religiously after school with my grandparents. Loved the originality of this show. I loved the satire and sarcasm. Nothing compared to it even with all the cartoon choices we had. I think I liked Fractured Fairytales the best. The Mexican animation was terrible but the show was so hilarious we loved it. It made us laugh more than any other cartoon. Thank you so much for making this very entertaining post.

[@underdog1117]

By far the greatest cartoon ever

[@richardranke3158]

At age 5, in late 1959,I was looking at the TV Magazine in our newspaper and saw a new show listed called Rocky & His Friends. It looked like something for kids, so I started seeing it. I was partly right, but I realized years later that it wasn't just for kids.:-)

[@michaelfried3123]

Ah...childhood memories!

[@danturner8741]

Miss them love them.

[@martharunstheworld]

It was and still is, one of the BEST!!!!!!!!!

[@roberttelarket4934]

My favorites were Boris and Natasha! - I was about 12 when it first came out.

[@RerunZone]

And let's not forget the villain Snidely Whiplash from Dudley Do-RIght. Great cartoon bad guys!

[@roberttelarket4934]

@@RerunZone: Are you for real? Me Forget? Ha! Loved Snidley Whiplash - 10 "lashes" for you Rerun Zone for insinuating I would forget! For your information on Ventura Blvd. in Los Angeles, Ca. there used to be Snidley Whiplash dance hall. As for Dudley Do-Right you must complete it with: of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - another 10 lashes for you for ommiting!

[@rickkinki4624]

I wouldn't compare Rocky & Bullwinkle to The Simpsons, Spongebob, or South Park. The closest comparison would be to The Animaniacs, which mixed wacky fun for the kids with a lot of subtle adult humor.

[@gregcorwin8316]

Although it could be that it's only because it's how I remember the program, but I think that the unpolished animation makes the show even better than if it had been more refined. I see higher quality animation blurring or blunting the irreverent aspects and non-mainstream appeal of the cartoons. Kind of like Charlie Brown Christmas was considered a disaster by the network when it first aired, but it's a classic and I can't imagine that any other way would have the same appeal.

[@johntiggleman4686]

A Charlie Brown Christmas is the best.

[@RRaquello]

It was in its Saturday morning run on ABC that it was known as the "Bullwinkle Show". It was on channel 7 (WABC) in New York when I was a kid and, besides the Bugs Bunny show on CBS, was really the only Saturday morning cartoon I'd watch. I'm pretty sure it ran simultaneously on ABC as "The Bullwinkle Show" on Saturday mornings, and in syndication as a daytime daily program under its original (Rocky & his Friends). I remember it being on around lunch time on WNEW, channel 5, in New York around 1969-70.

[@kennyhagan5781]

Two years later and I'm back to bask in the glory of the moose and the squirrel. With the world being what it is in 2023, I believe that there are some vital lessons to be learned from this program.

[@paulakpacente]

Loved the cartoons of the late 50's and early 60's.

[@rick00770]

I loved the off the wall ( I call it) humor . Great memories.

[@watchmanschannelofdespair]

Loved that show!

[@adrienebailey9010]

I love these old cartoons. ❤❤❤ These new ones don't make sense.

[@2BESTdogBLUE]

I WISH WE COULD ALL RELIVE THOSE DAYS ONCE MORE📺💯

[@UtahGmaw99]

I'm sorry I lost the knob dad. My brother and I liked to pull them off. I loved the show for years.

[@mrcryptozoic817]

Of all the cartoons, I missed R&B the most when it went away. I was about 15 y.o. The cartoons I miss in second place are any that involved Chuck Jones, especially his that leaned toward the surrealistic.

[@hound3kz]

You forgot Edward Everett Horton! I loved Moose & Squirrel !! They are still fantastic. (I bought them on ITunes and laugh my head off) 😂❤

[@cocoaorange1]

As a 70's child,I liked them.

[@taknothing4896]

The direct predecessor to Rocky & Bullwinkle was Crusader Rabbit. The title character was very much like Rocky, and his pal Rags The Tiger was quite a bit like Bullwinkle. The main difference was the humor - Crusader Rabbit was definitely for kiddies like me, while Rocky & Bullwinkle totally suited the snarky, sarcastic teenager I became in the early '60s. You can read all about it in the Picayune Intelligence.

[@oo0Spyder0oo]

I watched it growing up in NSW early 70’s, I remember being impressed by how grown up the humour was and reminded me of MAD comic satire, fractured fairytales was a hoot. Just goes to show that kids don’t have to have things dumbed down for them. No doubt the show wouldn’t please the pc crowd these days.

[@curtishollerback1517]

thank you!

[@1hinita]

I remember this use to come on late nights on cartoon network in the late 90s lmbooo

[@onlyrick]

I remember Boris and Nataha's boss as "Meester Beeg". Have I got it confused with another show? We watched all the cartoons in the 50's and 60's, but my favorites were R&B and King Leonardo. Thanks for the rundown.

[@AmberTheFangirl]

Mr Big!! He only appeared in one story arc

[@jonhinson5701]

Their boss was Fearless Leader, a Germanic type, even though Boris and Natasha were Slavic.

[@acholl980]

@@AmberTheFangirl He appeared in two. The Search of Upsidasium and Metal Mice Munchers.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Also, Natasha's original last name was Nogoodnick. It was changed later to Fatale to associate her with the expression " la femme fatale."

[@garyruark9506]

In 1966 before school I would watch cartoons, 3 stooges, Mack and Meyer for Hire, etc.

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

Rocket Jonathan Squirrel(“Rocky”)and Bullwinkle Jerome Moose(“Bullwinkle”)

[@johntiggleman4686]

THE best cartoon on TV back then. Oh sure, I watched Yogi, Huck, Jetsons and the Flintstones, but for me, R & B were the best...and still are. The segues into commercials still make me laugh...especially Bullwinkle trying to pull a rabbit out of the top hat.

[@petepal55]

Yup, parents watch this with us kids. But we didn't get a tv until the USAF sent us back home in '60. The knobs thing is hilarious, lol!

[@justmeeagainn]

I used to take the knobs off the TV set, but I put them back on before anyone noticed.

[@fredricclack7137]

Tennessee Tuxedo and his Tales as well!

[@DrDespicable]

"Rocky & Bullwinkle" was not conceived as just a children's show - from the beginning, Ward and Scott wanted to produce something that adults and kids - families - could enjoy *together.*

[@STho205]

The still at 11:28 looks like a rendering of what MSNBC thinks is going on at Mara-Lago.

[@damonhines8187]

I certainly shall. Thank you sir. jk no, it really was a bit of a trip. I always thought Walter Lantz's wife was named Happy. Nope, Grace. Hopped away a sec. Thanks for the content. Go to town.

[@msharmony2001]

Because Rocky called Bullwinkle "Jackson," a time or two, I had up until today thought that the "J" was for Jackson. I appreciate knowing for certain about the "J".

[@RerunZone]

Another little known fact, Harmony, is that Matt Groening of Simpsons and Futurama fame gave the middle initial "J" to many of his characters in a tribute to Jay Ward (e.g. Homer Jay Simpson, Philip J. Fry, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth to name just a few.

[@margaretmcguire3241]

Cartoons for those of us that had or have the ability of critical thinking... 😆

[@RSEFX]

i'm not sure much of the adult humor and satire were missed on us kids: We grew up from a very young age reading MAD, CRACKED, HUMBUG etc magazines, which exposed us to a lot of real world "adult" issues (and adult nonsense), so we really appreciated the jabs at all kinds of things. Satire was revered back then (having been replaced by something far more akin to cynicism today. Not the same thing, tho they overlap.)

[@mgman6000]

I would preferred a higher contrast with a black sky ala Ansel Adams nice shots though

[@fredricclack7137]

Prof. Peabody & Sherman #1

[@allan5750]

Bill Conrad narrator.

[@drakefallentine8351]

a.k.a. William Conrad. The Radio voice of Gunsmoke's Matt Dillon as well as tv private eye "Cannon" and numerous voice overs...the Fugitive and more.

[@juliocaban465]

Is their a channel that still plays these classic cartoons?

[@RerunZone]

Not to my knowledge. Does anyone know if they are still in sydication or streaming somewhere? I did see the complete collection at my local Walmart for $39.96 and Amazon has all five seasons for $69.90.

[@Otaku-420]

A bit late to the party but you can watch on youtube, just search rocky and bullwinkle, official channel will come up.

[@stephenholloway6893]

If you can get an channel called MeTV Toons they have Rocky and Bullwinkle.

[@billmanzke758]

You forgot to mention the narrator!

[@johnc.bojemski1757]

Most of us saw these cartoons in black&white anyway. Colors didn't matter!!!

[@RerunZone]

Very true, John. The first 'color' TV I saw was around 1964 at my Aunt's house and the color was terrible. I watched many programs on an old black and white set well into the mid 1970's.

[@randyhixon9209]

Were did George of the jungle go?

[@ivane5110]

Is it just me or do those aliens from "The Scrooched Moose" look a lot like the Quisp cereal alien?

[@fredricclack7137]

"Moooss&Skuewrl"!

[@simonrooney7942]

The best episode is the robot rat eating tv antennas

[@melissaferguson9650]

Mexico

[@TricksterDa]

Uh...sorry. I should have identified the actor as Edward Everett HORTON, not "Norton."

[@fredricclack7137]

THESE r 🚗 🎶 👁️ Know! ☯️

[@JohnDoe-wb4iv]

A great show lbj was Po d because he thought Bullwinkle satyred him n Capt wrong way peter peach fuzz referred to William Westmoreland

[@AaronCMounts]

0:25 - The '60s were a HORRIBLE time for cartoons. Hanna Barbera set the bar so low for animation quality, it was practically back to the stone age. However, in an incredible feat of toilet bowl salvaging, Jay Ward somehow managed to dig down and set it even lower. At least Disney's animation studio was still producing quality, as was Paramount studios.

[@wiseguymaybe]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm sorry, but I'm still laughing at the fact that the puppet, Bullwinkle J Moose encourge children to pull the channel knob off their TV sets to keep it on that station. It's loads of fun! I must have a mischievous streak in me that parents don't appreciate. Sorry. 😁

[@fredricclack7137]

Nope- Caught Most

[@unc1589]

As a kid I knew that some of the jokes on rocky were way over my head but the parts I understood were hilarious. I still say stuff I learned from the show like “Again?” “Darlink” “Moose and squirrel” “That trick never works” “Whatsa Matta U” Lmao.

[@fireballxl-5748]

Speaking only of Rocky & Bullwinkle....it was a very evil cartoon.

[@ljre3397]

Never realized what poor quality cartoons were when I was a kid. Great show lousy animation.

[@roberttelarket4934]

As far as I know the voices of all or most the characters on the program was voiced by a woman.

[@RerunZone]

June Foray was the voice of Rocky, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, and various witches, princesses, and hags in Fractured Fairy Tales, and every other female character in the show. Bill Scott was the voice of Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody, Dudley Do-Right, Fearless Leader and various others. The great Daws Butler was the voice of Aesop Junior and various other characters. He is well known as the voice of Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Huckleberry Hound and many others.

[@roberttelarket4934]

@@RerunZone: Thanks for reminding me her name June Foray. However I'm almost sure June did the voices of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[@RerunZone]

Hi Robert! June was great and did many voices on the show but Bill Scott was definitely the voice of Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody, and several others. Thanks for the reply though and thanks for watching!

[@diannewest8896]

Wrong hat!

[@georgeemmons5128]

And Edward Everett Horton and Hans Conried were also great voice actors. IMHO!! And w came up with hush A boom and upsedasium! Great ideas from great minds. Only in Frost bite Falls could this happen Great humor from great people!!