I Heart Jay Ward

I don't think anything permanently warped me as much as exposure to the work of Jay Ward, the animator who created "The Bullwinkle and Rocky Show" and "George of the Jungle" (not to mention cereal superstar Captain Crunch). That signature combination of flat, planar UPA art with Tom Lehrer -style intellectual gags made us preteen viewers feel we were part of a subversive, sophisticated club. Even if we didn't get all the jokes about Norman Mailer and Everett Dirksen.

My favorite Ward efforts were some of his lesser known. Obvious top of the list is Tom Slick,  who ran third banana to George of the Jungle and Super Chicken.

Speaking of Super Chicken: The Case of the Missing Rhode Island!

And the immortal hero of the skies: Roger Ramjet!

Comments

[Elisson]

I heart Jay Ward too.

http://elisson1.blogspot.com/2007/10/hey-rocky.html

[kenmottet]

First off, my impression of Fred the Lion(Superchicken's half-wit sidekick) is nearly flawless. Secondly, my fave line ever from the Superchicken cartoon was a moment in which the duo is in trouble, chained to a wall and stripped of their clothing. To which Superchicken declares, "He has taken away our clothes. But he can't take my most powerful weapon--my superbrain." To which Fred replies, "I thought they went with the hat."