"Rocky and His Friends" (1959) TV series 1959-1964

Writers:

Jim Critchfield (writer)
Bill Scott (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

19 November 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Animated antics of flying squirrel Rocket J. Squirrel, or Rocky, and his dim companion, Bullwinkle J...

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Cartoon Moose | Cult Cartoon | Spoof | Time Travel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 7 of 9)

Edward Everett Horton	...	Fractured Fairy Tales narrator (12 episodes, 1959-1960)
June Foray	...	Natasha Fatale / ... (12 episodes, 1959-1960)
Paul Frees	...	Boris Badenov (12 episodes, 1959-1960)
William Conrad	...	Narrator (12 episodes, 1959-1960)
Walter Tetley	...	Sherman (12 episodes, 1959-1967)
Daws Butler	...	Various Fairy Tale Characters (12 episodes, 1959-1960)
Bill Scott	...	Bullwinkle J. Moose / ... (12 episodes, 1959-1960)

Also Known As:

Frostbite Falls Follies (USA) (working title)
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Bullwinkle Studios

Trivia:

During the early stages of pre-production, the show was going to be titled "Frostbite Falls Follies".

Quotes:

Narrator: Well, today we find our heroes flying along smoothly...
Rocket J. Squirrel: Flying along smoothly?
Bullwinkle J. Moose: You're just looking at the picture sideways!
Rocket J. Squirrel: Actually it's like this!
Narrator: Oh... OH GOOD HEAVENS! Today we find our heroes plunging straight down toward disaster at supersonic speed!
Bullwinkle J. Moose: That's better.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures: Snow White and the Motor City Dwarfs/Don't Touch That Dial (#2.4)" (1988)

"Hey, Rocky!" or "Hat Tricks Aren't Necessarily Hockey"

Rocky and Bullwinkle is "Must See TV" today as it was for me when I was four years old. Back then, the story lines went over my head, but the star characters were so strong, their personalities so vivid that they have stood the test of time while many of their contemporaries and those that followed have languished in obscurity.

Looking back at the very onset of the show with the Adventures Of Rocky & Bullwinkle DVD set, the show seemed to attempt to find itself both from a story nature and the art (Rocky's appearance changes quite drastically between episodes seven and eight of the "Rocket Fuel" serial and again between episodes five and six of "Box Top Robbery"), but once the show found itself deservedly attracting a grown-up audience, the story writers let it all hang out. Pop culture wasn't the target of the show, it was culture of all persuasions. It came fast and furious and that's what made the show so funny. Consider the following from the "Treasure Of Monte Zoom" serial, when Boris Badenov sets fire to a bridge:

Bullwinkle: "This is an ethical dilemma fraught with portents!"

Rocky: "What does that mean?"

Bullwinkle: "I dunno...I heard it on 'Meet The Press'."

Rocky and Bullwinkle has shown that brilliant writing and terrific heroic characters can offset the low-budget animation, and that heroes that can thrill us and make us laugh will have a spot in our hearts for life.