Alex Anderson

Animator
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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

In his two-and-a-half-hour interview, Alex Anderson (1920-2010) speaks about his early years when he began his animation career at his uncle's Terrytoons. He talks about deciding to produce animated cartoons for television (at the time of the medium's introduction) and forming a partnership with Jay Ward to produce the first animated cartoon for television, Crusader Rabbit, which debuted in 1949. He describes the technique that was used for the series called "limited animation." He discusses the creation of the prototypes of "Rocky" and "Bullwinkle" and "Dudley Do-Right" – characters that Ward later used to create those classic cartoons. Karen Herman conducted the interview on July 20, 2001 at Anderson's home in Pebble Beach, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"I created the concept of 'Rocky' the flying squirrel and he had to have a teammate. I thought, squirrels are up in the north woods, maybe a moose would be a good possibility, so I came up with 'Bullwinkle' the moose. There was a fellow named Clarence Bullwinkle who had a used car lot in Oakland, and  I thought Bullwinkle was such a funny name, because Bull is usually followed by something not quite as appropriate as 'winkle.' It was a joke in itself."

People Talking About ...
Alex Anderson
Highlights
Alex Anderson on bringing Crusader Rabbit to television 
03:03
Alex Anderson on legal difficulties he had with the Bullwinkle characters
03:10
Alex Anderson on his friendship with Jay Ward
06:06
Alex Anderson on pitching his ideas to the networks early on and the production of Crusader Rabbit
04:06
Alex Anderson on his duties at Terry Toons
04:23
Alex Anderson on the concept of Crusader Rabbit
02:50
Full Interview

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Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on his early interest in movies and animation; on Terry Toons, the animation production company headed by his uncle Paul Terry
On his duties at Terry Toons; on his experiences during World War II; on the first time he saw television and its potential for animation
On bringing Crusader Rabbit to television; on meeting Jay Ward

Chapter 2
On his friendship with Jay Ward; on the formation of Television Arts Productions and striking a deal with Jerry Fairbanks at NBC
On pitching his ideas to the networks early on and the production of Crusader Rabbit; on the concept of Crusader Rabbit; on the animation process of the show
On animating Crusader Rabbit to accommodate for television; on the process of writing for Crusader Rabbit

Chapter 3
On the production of Crusader Rabbit; on the end of Crusader Rabbit
On going to work for an advertising agency in the 1950s; on closing Television Arts Productions and the fate of Crusader Rabbit
On the creation of The Bullwinkle Show

Chapter 4
On the various segments of The Bullwinkle Show; on legal difficulties he had with the Bullwinkle characters
On working for Jay Ward in the 1970s and their relationship; on the legacy of Jay Ward
On then-current projects; on advice to aspiring writers and animation producers; on career highlights

Chapter 5
On career highlights and regrets and how he would like to be remembered
On b-roll pictures from his career- his uncle Paul Terry; his uncle's business partner Art Bartsch; his uncle's associate Connie Rasinski; storyboard from "The Reluctant Dragon"; newspaper clipping about Anderson from the Berkley Gazette; his early animation crew; early version of "Rocky" and "Bullwinkle"; "Rocky" and "Bullwinkle" storyboard; still from "Duffy Dobbs, Private Eye"; photo of Jackie Jenkins, the model for "Crusader Rabbit"; early version of "Crusader Rabbit"; "Rags" and "Crusader Rabbit"; "Rags", "Crusader Rabbit" and "Maid Marion"; with Jay Ward; "Rocky" and "Bullwinkle" with "Natasha"; "Dudley Do-Right"
Shows

Bullwinkle Show, The

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Alex Anderson on the creation of The Bullwinkle Show
06:26
Alex Anderson on the various segments of The Bullwinkle Show
05:26
Alex Anderson on legal difficulties he had with the Bullwinkle characters
03:10

Crusader Rabbit

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Alex Anderson on bringing Crusader Rabbit to television 
03:02
Alex Anderson on pitching his ideas to the networks early on and the production of Crusader Rabbit
04:06
Alex Anderson on the concept of Crusader Rabbit
02:50
Alex Anderson on the animation process of Crusader Rabbit
04:32
Alex Anderson on animating Crusader Rabbit to accommodate for television 
01:53
Alex Anderson on the process of writing for Crusader Rabbit
04:09
Alex Anderson on Jay Ward's involvement with Crusader Rabbit
02:15
Alex Anderson on casting the voices for Crusader Rabbit
02:15
Alex Anderson on the production of Crusader Rabbit and the production team
04:37
Alex Anderson on the network dealings and sponsorship of Crusader Rabbit
01:06
Alex Anderson on the end of Crusader Rabbit and moving to Hollywood
02:28
Alex Anderson on closing Television Arts Productions and the fate of Crusader Rabbit
03:39
Topics

Advertising and Sponsorship

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Alex Anderson on going to work for an advertising agency in the 1950s
05:42
Alex Anderson on the network dealings and sponsorship of Crusader Rabbit
01:06

Historic Events and Social Change

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Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II
01:49

Television Industry

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Alex Anderson on going to work for an advertising agency in the 1950s
05:42
Alex Anderson on the network dealings and sponsorship of Crusader Rabbit
01:06
Alex Anderson on the progress of television animation
01:35

War

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Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II
01:49

World War II

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Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II
01:49
Professions

Animation Professionals

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Alex Anderson on the animation process of Crusader Rabbit
04:32
Alex Anderson on the process of writing for Crusader Rabbit
04:09
Alex Anderson on advice to aspiring animators 
05:07

Animator

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Alex Anderson on the animation process of Crusader Rabbit
04:32
Alex Anderson on the process of writing for Crusader Rabbit
04:09
Alex Anderson on advice to aspiring animators 
05:07
Genres

Animation

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Alex Anderson on animating Crusader Rabbit (Part 1)
03:02
Alex Anderson on Crusader Rabbit (Part 2)
17:30
Alex Anderson on animating Crusader Rabbit (Part 3)
22:02
Alex Anderson on The Bullwinkle Show (Part 1)
06:26
Alex Anderson on The Bullwinkle Show (Part 2)
08:36
People

Jay Ward

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Alex Anderson on meeting Jay Ward
02:40
Alex Anderson on his friendship with Jay Ward
06:06
Alex Anderson on Jay Ward's involvement with Crusader Rabbit
02:13
Alex Anderson on working for Jay Ward in the 1970s and their relationship
03:19
Alex Anderson on the legacy of Jay Ward
01:54

Jerry Fairbanks

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Alex Anderson on the formation of Television Arts Productions and striking a deal with Jerry Fairbanks at NBC
05:08

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