Worthless tidbits from Brainatra...

[Anthonynotes]

For starters, on "The Weakest Link" a few weeks ago, these questions were asked (and with the contestants supplying these answers):

"Which sitcom on fox features a talking dog named Brian and a homicidal baby named Stewie?" Contestant's answer: "Futurama?"

"What speedy blue hedgehog stars in a series of Sega video games?" Answer: "Uh, Barney Rubble?"

*Ouch*....

The Emmy Awards have been pushed back to early October... not that I have a strong reason to care I guess, given that all the nominated shows are ones I don't watch (and the foregone conclusion of that "HOMR" episode of the "Simpsons" winning it all.... ).

Been watching "Bullwinkle" episodes on my local WB affiliate (which reruns them at 6:30 AM weekdays....hence one use for a VCR). They're in the middle of the "Upsidaisium" storyline, with Friday's show the one where Rocky's trying to get up to the floating upsidaisium-filled mountain, and winds up needing two episodes to do it in---his first attempt, he loses his moose-provided momentum/stalled out before he reached the mountain...

Also been reading the book "The Moose that Roared", that discusses the development of Jay Ward's various shows (particularly R&B), including the Mexican studio that did the show's animation (and it being the main reason for its lackluster quality, esp. in the first season's episodes). The book's author (Keith Scott, the voice of Bullwinkle/the Narrator in the recent movie) also praised Animaniacs and the Simpsons for carrying on the mantle of R&B's style of humor. It even shows some model sheets from the characters (for Rocky, it notes that his flying squirrel wing flaps are only supposed to show when flying). It even mentions (in a summary of all the episode titles/promos/etc. for the various Ward series in the back) that the "Rocky and His Friends" opening titles with Rocky flying along the circus parade (what I recall seeing as a kid all the time, but haven't seen since) was made for the show's syndicated run in 1961 (the original opening apparently has the "R&B" theme music and calls Rocky "that Jet Age aerial ace, Rocket J. Squirrel" with sounds of Rocky soaring through the air, and has R&B mentioning by name the show's sponsors, per the .WAV file I downloaded).

-B.

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

The Weakest Link questions were hilarious! I really like the Sonic question, but for the life of me can't imagine Barney in a blue suit...
....as for Family Guy, I would think it'd be interesting if we got to see Stewie with the gang. Imagine him taking over the world in 3000...

...but as for R&B, that sounds like a really interesting book. And I like those little facts you mentioned! Any other strange ones?

Eh, I never cared for the Emmys either. Just another reward show, though I still like HOMR.

[Anthonynotes]

>>>The Weakest Link questions were hilarious! I really like the Sonic question, but for the life of me can't imagine Barney in a blue suit...<<<


I can---in a late 70's/early 80's "Flintstone" spinoff on Sat. mornings, he was a police officer (along with Fred) in a variety-show format as one of the segments (where they co-starred with the "Shmoo" from "Lil' Abner" fame); other segments included: Dino chasing some "cave mouse", Wilma and Betty as reporters for the "Daily Granite" (with editor "Lou Granite"---get it? Other possible joke tie-in: post-"Mary Tyler Moore" show, Lou Grant was given his own spinoff series as a newspaper editor...) and interacted with Capt. Caveman; and finally, various "Scooby Doo" type mysteries/adventures with Dino and teenaged Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (which I think was the last series with their teenaged versions shown on Sat. mornings, since the following Flintstones series was the "Flintstone Kids").

>>....as for Family Guy, I would think it'd be interesting if we got to see Stewie with the gang. Imagine him taking over the world in 3000...
<<<

STEWIE: Blast it all, you member of whatever population segment we haven't made some crude, tasteless joke about yet! I don't want to take over the world in *3000*---I want to take over the world of---*2000*! (Dum-dum-duuuummmm....) Or rather, the world of *2001*. (Sternly) I *will* have my way----and the Chicagoland area *will* be, forever more, known as the *Stewieland* area! (Laughs evil-like)

>>>...but as for R&B, that sounds like a really interesting book. And I like those little facts you mentioned! Any other strange ones?
<<<

Let's see: there's a whole chapter devoted to the Mexican company that animated the show, and the troubles they had with it (it was extremely underfunded, rather poorly run, and had inexperienced talent in its earliest days, and hence the reason some of the episodes looked the way they did), including tidbits on the various Mexican/American workers that ran the place and the problems faced (the underfunding, internal politics-type stuff, etc.). Also stuff like the attempt by Jay Ward to turn an island he bought and renamed "Moosylvania" to ratify it as a state, but arrived (with a blaring sound van) at the White House on the same day as the first day of the Cuban Missile Crisis; proposals for various series that never made it to the air; the commercials they animated; and troubles with the network censors. Also, the book claims that Bill Scott (the voice of Bullwinkle/Boris) was a member of the NAACP...


>>>
Eh, I never cared for the Emmys either. Just another reward show, though I still like HOMR.<<<

Well, I still watch the show admittedly, but still think it's kind of lame (said choice of animated episodes to award to boot :-) The one suspenseful thing this year's supposed to be the "West Wing" against "ER"/the Sopranos(?) for some award....

-B.

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

Well, maybe I should have clarified and said I can't imagine Barney in a Sonic suit! Though with the way he and Fred run away from problems in some eppys, the speed part may not be THAT far off the mark! :eek:

Oh, man....Mossylvania as a state. Scary, simply scary...and probably would be VERY unpopular with Congress even without the missle crisis (and the population too). I'm sorry, but this island as a state?! Was Ward crazy?!

The animation studio explains a lot...it deserves that chapter. And I thought the Korean studios had it tough.

And that comment by Stweie could pretty much some up any crossover, I guess. :)

[Anthonynotes]

>>Well, maybe I should have clarified and said I can't imagine Barney in a Sonic suit! Though with the way he and Fred run away from problems in some eppys, the speed part may not be THAT far off the mark! :eek:
<<<

Well, they must be pretty decent runners, to make their cars work the way they do ;-)

>>
Oh, man....Mossylvania as a state. Scary, simply scary...and probably would be VERY unpopular with Congress even without the missle crisis (and the population too). I'm sorry, but this island as a state?! Was Ward crazy?!
<<<

Apparently so, judging from the other stuff the book mentions he did to promote the show :-)

ANother tidbit: apparently the "Bullwinkle Show" episodes on NBC used a Bullwinkle puppet to introduce the program...one episode had the puppet admonish the kids watching to yank the tuner knobs off their sets so they could "stay tuned for next week's episode". Apparently the network got a few complaints of kids who actually did this, and forced a retraction on air (with the puppet saying "be sure to use lots of glue and make [the knobs] stick"....).

>>>
The animation studio explains a lot...it deserves that chapter. And I thought the Korean studios had it tough.
<<<

No kidding....apparently it was done to guarantee the show would be cheaper to produce (vs. doing it in L.A.), except that it cost gobs of money just to get them barely up to par (along with the inconvenience of international shipping of the filmed episodes, the international long-distance phone call costs, dealing with customs agents, and for one "Peabody" episode having Mexican censors say "no" to doing one episode there outright [the Pancho Villa one...which they opted to do in Ward's Hollywood animation studio (where some of the "Fractured Fairy Tales" and other segments were done according to the book)]...).

>>>
And that comment by Stweie could pretty much some up any crossover, I guess. :) <<<

STEWIE: By George C. Scott....I am *not* some lame, one-trick-pony villain! I *am* a potent menace, and that Chicago-based plan was the *acme* of my evil career, until those has-been characters ruined it! I *will* prevail---while *you* will be eating your words! (Re-checks above line) Or bothering instead to buy a bloody *spell-checker*---dear Lord, "some up any crossover"?! That's *SUM UP*, you pathetic Internet-using fanboy! Hmm...there's one population aspect we haven't mocked yet...better save that appalation for a future "Family Guy" episode...

:-)

-B.

[Danielle]

Originally posted by Brainatra

Well, they must be pretty decent runners, to make their cars work the way they do ;-)

Wha? Michael Johnson's a caveman? Sorry, I'm kinda off-center right now......


AAAHHHH!!!!! GET THE KILLER SEA MONKEYS AWAY FROM ME!!!!


'K, I think I'm alright now........YAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!



ANother tidbit: apparently the "Bullwinkle Show" episodes on NBC used a Bullwinkle puppet to introduce the program...one episode had the puppet admonish the kids watching to yank the tuner knobs off their sets so they could "stay tuned for next week's episode". Apparently the network got a few complaints of kids who actually did this, and forced a retraction on air (with the puppet saying "be sure to use lots of glue and make [the knobs] stick"....).

Ah, I heard about that somewhere. I don't know where, just somewhere.



STEWIE: By George C. Scott....I am *not* some lame, one-trick-pony villain! I *am* a potent menace, and that Chicago-based plan was the *acme* of my evil career, until those has-been characters ruined it! I *will* prevail---while *you* will be eating your words! (Re-checks above line) Or bothering instead to buy a bloody *spell-checker*---dear Lord, "some up any crossover"?! That's *SUM UP*, you pathetic Internet-using fanboy! Hmm...there's one population aspect we haven't mocked yet...better save that appalation for a future "Family Guy" episode...


Oooooh, someone needs a bottle. :p

BTW, that's complaint #254 about the speelink kheks.

[Roman Legion]

Originally posted by Danielle
AAAHHHH!!!!! GET THE KILLER SEA MONKEYS AWAY FROM ME!!!!Uh-oh... We have an outbreak!!!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

Romey
--Call in the troops!

[don Jaime]

Wait a minute - I thought Paul Frees was Boris, not Bill Scott! What's wrong with my head?!

[Anthonynotes]

Originally posted by don Jaime
Wait a minute - I thought Paul Frees was Boris, not Bill Scott! What's wrong with my head?!

You're right....Frees was Boris' voice....

-B.