"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."

    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.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Alex Anderson

    Alex Anderson on bringing Crusader Rabbit to television 

    03:03
    Thumbnail of Alex Anderson

    Alex Anderson on legal difficulties he had with the Bullwinkle characters

    03:10
    Thumbnail of Alex Anderson

    Alex Anderson on his friendship with Jay Ward

    06:06
    Thumbnail of Alex Anderson

    Alex Anderson on pitching his ideas to the networks early on and the production of Crusader Rabbit

    04:06
    Thumbnail of Alex Anderson

    Alex Anderson on his duties at Terry Toons

    04:23
    Thumbnail of Alex Anderson

    Alex Anderson on the concept of Crusader Rabbit

    02:50
    Play Full Interview

    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

    11:46

    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

    10:42

    On bringing Crusader Rabbit to television; on meeting Jay Ward

    05:43

    Chapter 2

    On his friendship with Jay Ward; on the formation of Television Arts Productions and striking a deal with Jerry Fairbanks at NBC

    11:13

    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

    11:28

    On animating Crusader Rabbit to accommodate for television; on the process of writing for Crusader Rabbit

    06:01

    Chapter 3

    On the production of Crusader Rabbit; on the end of Crusader Rabbit

    12:41

    On going to work for an advertising agency in the 1950s; on closing Television Arts Productions and the fate of Crusader Rabbit

    09:22

    On the creation of The Bullwinkle Show

    06:26

    Chapter 4

    On the various segments of The Bullwinkle Show; on legal difficulties he had with the Bullwinkle characters

    08:35

    On working for Jay Ward in the 1970s and their relationship; on the legacy of Jay Ward

    05:14

    On then-current projects; on advice to aspiring writers and animation producers; on career highlights

    15:47

    Chapter 5

    On career highlights and regrets and how he would like to be remembered

    02:56

    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"

    11:24

    Bullwinkle Show, The

    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

    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

    Advertising and Sponsorship

    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

    Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II

    01:49

    Television Industry

    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

    Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II

    01:49

    World War II

    Alex Anderson on his experiences during World War II

    01:49

    Animation Professionals

    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

    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

    Animation

    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

    Jerry Fairbanks

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

    05:08

    Jay Ward

    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

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