The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and Underdog original cartoons (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Hey guys-

I was thinking about these two shows suddenly. I did a search and did not find any posts about some recent complete series sets for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and Underdog. The later being from Shout and Bullwinkle from Universal.

I grew up on these cartoons. I hadn’t really had too much interest in collecting these before, but suddenly had the itch. I did really like the Mr. Peabody and Sherman Wayback Machine segments. I see they are available separate from Bullwinkle. But I liked Bullwinkle to a degree too, so I would think just getting the complete Bullwinkle series makes more sense.

As for Underdog, there was a two volume set released many years ago and I never could watch it because it was sped up. So hopefully the Shout set is without that issue.

As I didn’t find any posts on these sets, thought I’d ask here about the quality of the transfers. They do look pretty reasonable priced too. It would be interesting if they are as watchable as an adult.

 

[Mark Y]

They are mostly decent standard-def transfers and they appear to originate via video transfers from 35mm film, done who knows when.

They look and sound good for the most part, although there appears to be some DVNR as well as speed-up issues on the Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo sets.

The Rocky and Bullwinkle sets have some music changed. Mostly it's nothing bad, there were two sets of music cues created for the series, one for the ABC run and the other for the NBC run. The latter music is used for the DVDs.

Also note that these shows are not presented in broadcast order, but some approximation of same. All the cartoons from the Rocky and Bullwinkle shows are present, even the long-excluded Dudley Do-Right cartoon "Stokey The Bear."

The Total TV material did not fare as well. All of Underdog, Tuxedo, McBragg, Go Go Gophers and Klondike Kat are included (although some of the cliffhanger narration is missing from some of the Underdog segments). King & Odie, Hunter and Tooter Turtle are featured but not every cartoon is included. And since the format for King & Odie was two-part storylines, this is a problem because sometimes one part of a cartoon is included without the other.

Hope this helps.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks a lot Mark. I did some reading up after seeing your post to better understand what’s going, such as the Bullwinkle two network runs, ABC, then NBC. I didn’t know that. Glad you think the music change isn’t that bad. It will be great that all the other segments are included such as Peabody and Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, Fractured Fairy Tales and the rest.

I’m disappointed to hear that the speed issue is there on Underdog. All the episodes are sped up? I’d forgotten that Tennessee Tuxedo was a separate show, I thought it was part of Underdog. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen these! I liked Don Adams as Tennessee Tuxedo.

 

[moviebuff75]

TT has some of the worst DVNR I have ever witnessed. Entire lines of animation wiped out.

 

[David_B_K]

I have the complete Bullwinkle, which I collected as individual seasons before they came out with the complete set. I love to put on a disc and watch several shows at one time. The music substitution bothered me a bit because it was not what I heard during years of watching it in syndication. However, as Mark says, it is not even close to being a deal breaker.

If you can find it for a good price, I also recommend the complete George of the Jungle, another gem from Jay Ward and Bill Scott. All the episodes are included, as well as the Tom Slick and Super Chicken segments, and all their theme songs are intact. It must be out of print because I have seen some ridiculous prices for it.

On another note (something that probably belongs in the "things that annoy you" thread) - why is Bullwinkle always shown on cover art with yellow or gold antlers when his antlers are as brown as the rest of him in the actual cartoons?

 

[ScottRE]

If you can find it for a good price, I also recommend the complete George of the Jungle, another gem from Jay Ward and Bill Scott. All the episodes are included, as well as the Tom Slick and Super Chicken segments, and all their theme songs are intact. It must be out of print because I have seen some ridiculous prices for it.

I love the Jay Ward style of humor. I gotta say, though, my favorite "Not Jay Ward" Jay Ward kinda show was Roger Ramjet. That was laugh out loud funny even as an adult.

 

[darkrock17]

Both Rocky & Bullwinkle and Underdog would look good remastered for Blu, too bad that wont happen as long as Universal Studios has the rights to the series.

When the original DVD's came out for Rocky & Bullwinkle, I never understood why the series was retitled to Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends, why the name change at all; what was wrong with just calling it what most everyone knows it as, The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show. Also I too didn't like the music being changed for the intro and outro. I grew up hearing Fred Steiner's big Broadway show stopping theme so without it its not Rocky & Bullwinkle.

 

[BobO'Link]

It's because that was the way Jay Ward preferred it done so the family also insisted on the discs. That's how it originally aired. Like you, I only knew it from the Steiner theme so it was quite a shock to hear the original. No matter, I just skip that open when watching the shows.

 

[RBailey]

When the show was on NBC on Sunday nights, it was titled simply THE BULLWINKLE SHOW, wasn't it?

 

[Mark Y]

When the show was on NBC on Sunday nights, it was titled simply THE BULLWINKLE SHOW, wasn't it?

Yes. Originally called "Rocky And His Friends" on ABC, "The Bullwinkle Show " on NBC.

 

[Mark Y]

Thanks a lot Mark. I did some reading up after seeing your post to better understand what’s going, such as the Bullwinkle two network runs, ABC, then NBC. I didn’t know that. Glad you think the music change isn’t that bad. It will be great that all the other segments are included such as Peabody and Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, Fractured Fairy Tales and the rest.

I’m disappointed to hear that the speed issue is there on Underdog. All the episodes are sped up? I’d forgotten that Tennessee Tuxedo was a separate show, I thought it was part of Underdog. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen these! I liked Don Adams as Tennessee Tuxedo.

I don't think EVERY cartoon is sped up, but there are some speed issues and also some DVNR abuse, but again I don't think it affects every cartoon. I would check them but my sets are misplaced at the moment.

 

[darkrock17]

Yes. Originally called "Rocky And His Friends" on ABC, "The Bullwinkle Show " on NBC.

ABC aired it for two years 1959-1961 and then NBC ran it for an additional three years from 1961-1963. After NBC cancelled it in 1963, there were talks that ABC was interested and taking the series back for more seasons, but that never came to be and NBC just ran the series on Saturday morning until 1973 when it was put into syndication.

 

[Mark Y]

"The Bullwinkle Show" open and close are nowhere to be found on these DVDs. The openings and closings are modified versions of the Season 1 and 2 "Rocky And His Friends" but with the 1961 music as heard on the individual Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon intros. Some incidental music is also removed or replaced in the backgrounds of some cartoons, but the only thing that sounds "fake" or not original to the show (at some point during its run) is the redubbed music on "Bullwinkle's Corner," which kind of sticks out like a sore thumb.

They changed the "brand" to "Rocky And Bullwinkle And Friends" across the board. This even extends to the individual Rocky & Bullwinkle segment intros, which is pretty crazy -- they originally said "The Adventures Of Rocky The Flying Squirrel," then the next screen said "Featuring Bullwinkle The Moose."

At some point (1961?) this was changed to "The Adventures Of Bullwinkle And Rocky," then it still said "Featuring Bullwinkle The Moose." So now it says "The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle And Friends, Featuring Bullwinkle The Moose."

 

[Mark Y]

ABC aired it for two years 1959-1961 and then NBC ran it for an additional three years from 1961-1963. After NBC cancelled it in 1963, there were talks that ABC was interested and taking the series back for more seasons, but that never came to be and NBC just ran the series on Saturday morning until 1973 when it was put into syndication.

Actually the reruns did move back to ABC later in the 1960s (then returned to NBC for one season in 1981).

 

[Nelson Au]

I wasn’t old enough to see Bullwinkle in its original run, but I remember seeing later, so I never knew the original music, at least I think I’ve ever seen it with the original music. Now I’m curious to see it again!

On YouTube, I found a couple of Tennessee Tuxedo episodes and some look unrestored and one looked restored. The speed seemed OK to me on those. I’ll look for Underdog too.

Thanks Mark for the comments about the speed. I guess there’s not much choice, this is what it is until someone does a new transfer.

Great to see the comments guys! I think I recall the Jay Ward stuff too.

 

[darkrock17]

Actually the reruns did move back to ABC later in the 1960s (then returned to NBC for one season in 1981).

I thought I read somewhere that it stayed at NBC until it entered syndication in 1973. Odd that it would return to NBC in 1981 after being in syndication for 8 years up to that point.

 

[Matt Hough]

Rocky and His Friends/The Bullwinkle Show was my absolute favorite show growing up. I saw every episode and every rerun. When ABC began rerunning them on Sunday morning at 11, I would skip church to be able to see them. I was obsessed with the show. Even in my office right now, I have small plushies of Bullwinkle, Natasha, and Boris, and I have Peabody sitting on a shelf above the TV in my home theater giving his knowing approval to anything and everything I watch.

Yep, I was unhappy the DVD sets didn't provide the shows exactly as they were originally presented, but I have them and revisit them often.

 

[David_B_K]

I didn't really get into Bullwinkle until around high school. It was on its first run when I was a kid, but I thought it was stupid then. I started watching it in syndication in my teens and when I could really get the jokes and found it hilarious. Still do.

Matt, does your Bullwinkle plush have the (incorrect) yellow antlers?

 

[darkrock17]

I wasn’t old enough to see Bullwinkle in its original run, but I remember seeing later, so I never knew the original music, at least I think I’ve ever seen it with the original music. Now I’m curious to see it again!

On YouTube, I found a couple of Tennessee Tuxedo episodes and some look unrestored and one looked restored. The speed seemed OK to me on those. I’ll look for Underdog too.

Thanks Mark for the comments about the speed. I guess there’s not much choice, this is what it is until someone does a new transfer.

Great to see the comments guys! I think I recall the Jay Ward stuff too.

I too didn't see it in it's original run, what I saw was the syndication package from The Program Exchange on Cartoon Network. They had their own intro that they created, but the end credits were kept from The Bullwinkle Show (1961-1963).

With Tennessee Tuxedo, Don Adams spoke fast to being with, so I've not noticed the speed of the cartoons being sped up, if they are sped up then it has to be the UK/European version that likes to speed things up to 5 times for some reason or another.

New transfers for all three shows, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Tennessee Tuxedo, and Underdog would be nice like I've said before, but unfortunately they're all currently owned by Universal as they acquired Dreamworks who had the rights to Classic Media after they got them from original owner, Sony Wonder.

 

[BobO'Link]

I watched them in the original airings. The local stations here time shifted them to early weekday mornings and I never understood why they were only on one day a week, after all - I looked for them every day at that time. I loved "Fractured Fairy Tales," "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties," and "Peabody's Improbable History." "Aesop and Son" was OK as were the rest of the short bits with Rocky and Bullwinkle. I didn't "get" "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle" at all... That made them all the better once I got the discs and watched it all again with adult eyes.