We watched some of the coverage of the Iowa caucuses last week, as well as the New Hampshire debates (Republican and Democratic). It’s amazing what one will watch when there is a writer’s strike on. I wonder what David Letterman offered his writers in order to bring them back. Though I do not know what the issues are in this latest strike, I am glad that people are made to recognize how important a writer’s contribution is, not only to television, but to movies, and music. So often, I think the front line performers receive the lion’s share of the credit.
In desperate need of some levity, the other night, I tried to name all of the cartoon characters I remember from my youth, dating back to the very old Looney Tunes. The trigger for this exercise was listening to an old blues song which featured a Hammond organ. That reminded me of the theme from an old cartoon I used to watch called “Q.T. Hush”. Q.T. Hush and his sidekick Shamus were animated K-9 versions of Sherlock Holmes and his companion Watson. Does anybody remember “Clutch Cargo”, perhaps the most poorly animated popular cartoon in history? My hands down favorite cartoon characters are the creations of Jay Ward, Alex Anderson, and Bill Ward: Rocky the Flying Squirrel (a.k.a Rocket J. Squirrel) and Bullwinkle J. Moose, and to this day, I still love watching those cartoons. Remember Shermon and Mr. Peabody, the Wayback Machine, Fractured Fairy Tales, Boris Badenov, Natasha Fatale, Fearless Leader? In the Town of Banff, many of the streets are named after animals, and there is actually an intersection of Moose and Squirrel. I always thought it would be fun to live at that corner. Let’s see how many other cartoon characters I can summon up (in no particular order) : Huckleberry Hound, Augie Doggie, Doggie Daddy, Quickdraw McGraw, Baba Looey, Foghorn Leghorn, Felix the Cat, Master Cylinder, The Jetsons (George, Mary, Judy, Elmo, Rosie, Astro, Mr. Spacely), The Flintstones (Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty, Pebbles, Bam Bam, Dino), Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Tom and Jerry, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Tweedy Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Pepe Le Pew, Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, Dr. Benton Quest, Hadji, Bandit, Race Bannon, Beanie and Cecil, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Huey, Dewey, & Louie, Underdog, Yogi Bear, BooBoo Bear, Top Cat, Droopy Dog, Hong Kong Phooey, George of the Jungle, Magilla Gorilla, Chip and Dale, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Baby Huey, Woody Woodpecker, Speedy Gonzales, The Tasmanian Devil, Dudley DoRight, Horse, Nell, Snidely Whiplash, Inspector Fenwick (Nell’s dad), Mr. Magoo … and that’s off the top of my head. I’m sure I’ve forgotten plenty of good ones. Cartoons played an important part in my twisted development, and I still enjoy watching them today. Jasper does too; sometimes, we all watch Saturday morning cartoons together. She has developed my fondness for Moose and Squirrel.
Fun Facts: Walter Lantz, creator of Woody the Woodpecker, penned his first cartoon character, Dinky Doodle, back in 1924. Frostbite Falls, home of Rocky and Bullwinkle, was based on the Town of International Falls, Minnesota, located near the Canadian border. International Falls was once called “The Icebox of America.” “The Frostbite Falls Review” was the predecessor to the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, and included many characters later cut from the roster. Google “Hanna Barbera” or “Looney Tunes” or “Rocky and Bullwinkle” if you too wish to take a trip down cartoon memory lane. If you ask me, it beats evaluating the increasingly irresponsible attack ads influencing the upcoming primaries.
- Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c 2007 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
In desperate need of some levity, the other night, I tried to name all of the cartoon characters I remember from my youth, dating back to the very old Looney Tunes. The trigger for this exercise was listening to an old blues song which featured a Hammond organ. That reminded me of the theme from an old cartoon I used to watch called “Q.T. Hush”. Q.T. Hush and his sidekick Shamus were animated K-9 versions of Sherlock Holmes and his companion Watson. Does anybody remember “Clutch Cargo”, perhaps the most poorly animated popular cartoon in history? My hands down favorite cartoon characters are the creations of Jay Ward, Alex Anderson, and Bill Ward: Rocky the Flying Squirrel (a.k.a Rocket J. Squirrel) and Bullwinkle J. Moose, and to this day, I still love watching those cartoons. Remember Shermon and Mr. Peabody, the Wayback Machine, Fractured Fairy Tales, Boris Badenov, Natasha Fatale, Fearless Leader? In the Town of Banff, many of the streets are named after animals, and there is actually an intersection of Moose and Squirrel. I always thought it would be fun to live at that corner. Let’s see how many other cartoon characters I can summon up (in no particular order) : Huckleberry Hound, Augie Doggie, Doggie Daddy, Quickdraw McGraw, Baba Looey, Foghorn Leghorn, Felix the Cat, Master Cylinder, The Jetsons (George, Mary, Judy, Elmo, Rosie, Astro, Mr. Spacely), The Flintstones (Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty, Pebbles, Bam Bam, Dino), Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Tom and Jerry, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Tweedy Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Pepe Le Pew, Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, Dr. Benton Quest, Hadji, Bandit, Race Bannon, Beanie and Cecil, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Huey, Dewey, & Louie, Underdog, Yogi Bear, BooBoo Bear, Top Cat, Droopy Dog, Hong Kong Phooey, George of the Jungle, Magilla Gorilla, Chip and Dale, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Baby Huey, Woody Woodpecker, Speedy Gonzales, The Tasmanian Devil, Dudley DoRight, Horse, Nell, Snidely Whiplash, Inspector Fenwick (Nell’s dad), Mr. Magoo … and that’s off the top of my head. I’m sure I’ve forgotten plenty of good ones. Cartoons played an important part in my twisted development, and I still enjoy watching them today. Jasper does too; sometimes, we all watch Saturday morning cartoons together. She has developed my fondness for Moose and Squirrel.
Fun Facts: Walter Lantz, creator of Woody the Woodpecker, penned his first cartoon character, Dinky Doodle, back in 1924. Frostbite Falls, home of Rocky and Bullwinkle, was based on the Town of International Falls, Minnesota, located near the Canadian border. International Falls was once called “The Icebox of America.” “The Frostbite Falls Review” was the predecessor to the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, and included many characters later cut from the roster. Google “Hanna Barbera” or “Looney Tunes” or “Rocky and Bullwinkle” if you too wish to take a trip down cartoon memory lane. If you ask me, it beats evaluating the increasingly irresponsible attack ads influencing the upcoming primaries.
- Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c 2007 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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