APOLOGIES 8/99: Many parts of the Cartoon zone of this site are in desperate need of updates. I'm working on having some new info here by the end of September, so please excuse some of the virtual dust while I do some cleaning. Thanks
Despite the lasting influence that Jay Ward and his partners in crime had on animation shorts, and the instant recognition most of us in this culture have to the characters of the Rocky and Bullwinkle shows, many of Ward's other creations never managed to get past the pilot stage. Television never seemed to want his brand of humor.
When he started in the late 40s, Ward teamed up with Alex Anderson to produce Crusader Rabbit, which, despite the clever writing, had low production values and a limited run. Ward and Anderson were eventually forced to sell their company due to legal problems, but kept their ownership of characters to be used in future pilots. Two of these characters, Bullwinkle J. Moose (whom Ward named after a used car dealer) and Rocket J. Squirrel, were to debut in The Frostbite Falls Review. The show involved a group of animal characters running a TV station in the North Woods, and included cameraman Oski Bear, director Blackstone Crow, Sylvester Fox as the overbearing actor, and Flora Fauna as the leading "lady." When the series failed to develop, Anderson left the partnership and Ward joined a studio to produce Phineas Fox, about a bear and fox detective agency, where he met future collaborator Bill Scott. The project was a wash when Ward had a "falling out" with the studio head, but contacted Scott later to begin a new project based on two of the characters from an earlier project. Rocky and His Friends debuted in November 1959 on ABC, and later entered into prime time in September 1961, hoping to capitalize on the new success of then-prime-time show, The Flintstones.Even with the praise and success surrounding the show, the animators struggled to get another show on the air. Hoppity Hooper was sold into syndication with difficulty, and didn't match the success of its predecessor. They then syndicated Fractured Flickers, utilizing old silent-film clips, and later, The Nut House, a live show that was similar to the soon-to-be-popular Laugh In. Once again, they were denied the success of previous projects. The one show that managed to do well was George of the Jungle, though their naiivete about the business, according to Scott, who claimed the studios wanted a piece of the action, they never managed to sell another show. Several animated pilots were produced, such as Wah Way Woolsie (about a laboratory guinea pig and mouse who escape and act like the college students the see), Fang the Wonderdog (a Lassie parody with a really stupid dog), and Hawkear (a dim Davy Crockett-like character with a wisecracking Indian companion). All were turned down.
Word got out that networks were looking for holiday specials which could be run every year. Several unorthodox choices were mulled over (Valentines Day, Millard Filmore's Birthday, Groundhog Day), with script approval given for Superbowl Sunday. After completion, though, the cartoon was killed, due to (it was believed) the bad light in which it portrayed and parodied football owners.
The team were finally contracted to produce animated commercials for the Quisp and Quake cereals, which over the years diminshed as attention over the "harmful" aspects of cartoons increased.
In 1982, Bill Scott, in an interview with Jim Korkis, stated that with the new outbreak of comedians and parody during the decade, the time was ripe for the return of some veterans. He unfortunately died in 1985 before that dream was realized. Ward died several years later in 1989. In his article, Korkis points out that Walt Disney's dream of the stalled-project Hiawatha, a reflection of Native Americans meant to push the current bounderies of animation, was later turned into a feature film after his death, and postulates (as I do) that someday, the same may happen for some of those lost Ward/Scott treasures.
Back to Toon Town
Back to Dan's Wide World of Stuff!