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Summary: NOW FOR SOMETHING THE HOPE YOU'LL REALLY LIKE!
Review: Great insider info about the team responsible for creating not only Bullwinkle and friends, but also George of the Jungle and even Cap'n Crunch. The author knows his stuff -- he's the voice behind the Bullwinkle movie that's being released later this summer. Fun, fun book with lots of pictures and drawings and other goodies!
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Summary: Nothin' up my book sleeve!
Review: Having seen and enjoyed the movie SHREK, I can't help but think it's the kind of "Fractured Fairy Tale" that Jay Ward (famed creator of "Rocky and Bullwinkle") would have made if he'd only had the budget. This observation comes after having read THE MOOSE THAT ROARED, a delightfully irreverent biography of Ward, his partner Bill Scott, and their unique animated creations. It's hard to believe that about thirty years ago, animation was a dying art with little or no recorded history. Happily, it is now receiving the accord it deserves, and this encyclopaedic bio of Ward is the latest evidence. Author Keith Scott (no relation to Bill) began as a star-struck fan, moved on to meeting his idols, and eventually became the narrator of the live-action movie versions of "Bullwinkle" and Ward's other wacko masterpiece, "George of the Jungle." Scott's love of all things Wardian shines through on every page and gives these wonderful cartoons their due. At the same time, Scott has no qualms about showing Jay Ward's darker side, inspired perhaps by a late-'40s car accident that nearly killed him and assuredly caused his mental breakdown. It was after that accident that Ward started pursuing TV animation as a viable outlet for his nuttier side. Ward created "Crusader Rabbit" as the first made-for-TV cartoon creation, had it taken away from creditors who resemble Snidely Whiplash, and vowed never to answer to anyone else but himself from now on. This eventually resulted in Rocky and Bullwinkle, who were never a ratings hit but inspired a feverish cult that continues to this day. Ward was not one to share the wealth explicitly--he indulged in sports cars and high-priced art while his workers toiled away--yet his peers have mostly fond memories of working for Ward, who kept TV sponsors and censors at bay while they indulged their wildest ideas. Scott seems to have tapped into that spirit in eulogizing Ward, and it makes for a breezy, satisfying read.
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Summary: The world's no1 moose and squirrel and their friends.
Review: Hi its me again. I just received the copy of this book and quite frankly, once again its brilliant. Keith Scott has certainly done his homework. Keep up the good work, Keith.
Rating:
Summary: The world's no1 moose and squirrel and their friends.
Review: Hi its me again. I just received the copy of this book and quite frankly, once again its brilliant. Keith Scott has certainly done his homework. Keep up the good work, Keith.
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Summary: THE MOOSE IS LOOSE!-- Jay Ward + Bill Scott = GENIUS
Review: I am probably one of the top 25 Jay Ward officiannados in the world -- And it's a fact I'm really proud of-- The man was an absoloute genius storyteller and cartoonist, who created the first made for TV cartoon series--(now they all are!) Crusader Rabbit was emersed in red tape though right from the beginning--- But Jay prevailed--his next endeavors became even bigger and even more embedded in the nation's psyche---Rocky and Bullwinkle, George of the Jungle, Cap'n Crunch, Quisp, Quake--- the list goes on--- Keith Scott's book is truly a BIBLE for Ward-ites like myself-- He knew Bill Scott and Jay Ward , as a teen he flew himself to America--from his native Australia - because of his love for their incredible cartooning style and productions! This book has it all! Keith is also the official voice of Bullwinkle now-- portraying him in cartoon form in the new movie---even!Who better to write this gem?--- probably no one. The pages are filled with pictures and material that will appeal to EVERYONE.Remember the Kerwood Derby? and "you knew the job was dangerous when you took it Fred" and "A cereal so good they named it after me"-- it all came from the moose --er house (of ideas)that Jay built.---I cannot tell you enough---BUY THIS BOOK!--It is the best book on the subject--EVER!--Thanks Keith Scott!But most of all--- THANKS JAY WARD AND BILL SCOTT!--GO AHEAD< PULL A RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT!--- review by Bill Field
Rating: 
Summary: Funny & Enchanting in Places, But Largely a Chore to Read
Review: I once read a review that began: "This book told me more about penguins than I ever wanted to know about penguins." Similarly, I'm tempted to say that this book told me far more about Jay Ward, Bill Scott, and the ups and downs of their years in show business than I ever wanted to know--and far less about one of the favorite t.v. programs of my long-ago adolescence, Rocky and Bullwinkle. (The book spends a lot of time discussing Ward's and Scott's other ventures into cartoon series, including Crusader Rabbit, Hoppity Hooper, and George of the Jungle as well as ads for Captain Crunch and other Quaker cereals.) If you venture into this book expecting it to be as full of zany humor and excruciating puns as Rocky and Bullwinkle were--as I did--you are in for a disappointment. While parts of the book are quite absorbing, it is on the whole a chore to read. The book badly needs edited down, especially given its repititiousness. The author tends to be a bit too gushingly adulatory of the work of Ward and Scott, too; while they were comic and artistic geniuses, they did misfire a few times. There are gems along the way--including the origin of the name Bullwinkle, the real identity of Ponsonby Britt, how the names Gidney and Cloyd were chosen for the moonmen, and the never-ceasing wars between Ward and Scott and their sponsors and networks--but you have to sift through a lot of gratuitous detail to find them. One of the most engaging parts of the book is the Reference Section. (Curiously, the reference section, the appendices, and the index account for 128 pages of the book's total 442 pages.) In the Reference Section, the reader finds synopses of all the episodes of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Fractured Fairy Tales, Bullwinkle's Corner (aka, Mr. Know-It-All), Mr. Peabody's History, Aesop and Son, and Dudley Doo-Right. Just glancing through the names of the Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes is a delight (e.g., "A Creep in the Deep, or Will Success Spoil Boris Badenov?" "Fast and Moose or Charlie's Antler"). It is a reminder, too, of how much funnier and more engaging this book might have been if better focused and better written.
Rating:
Summary: Funny & Enchanting in Places, But Largely a Chore to Read
Review: I once read a review that began: "This book told me more about penguins than I ever wanted to know about penguins." Similarly, I'm tempted to say that this book told me far more about Jay Ward, Bill Scott, and the ups and downs of their years in show business than I ever wanted to know--and far less about one of the favorite t.v. programs of my long-ago adolescence, Rocky and Bullwinkle. (The book spends a lot of time discussing Ward's and Scott's other ventures into cartoon series, including Crusader Rabbit, Hoppity Hooper, and George of the Jungle as well as ads for Captain Crunch and other Quaker cereals.) If you venture into this book expecting it to be as full of zany humor and excruciating puns as Rocky and Bullwinkle were--as I did--you are in for a disappointment. While parts of the book are quite absorbing, it is on the whole a chore to read. The book badly needs edited down, especially given its repititiousness. The author tends to be a bit too gushingly adulatory of the work of Ward and Scott, too; while they were comic and artistic geniuses, they did misfire a few times. There are gems along the way--including the origin of the name Bullwinkle, the real identity of Ponsonby Britt, how the names Gidney and Cloyd were chosen for the moonmen, and the never-ceasing wars between Ward and Scott and their sponsors and networks--but you have to sift through a lot of gratuitous detail to find them. One of the most engaging parts of the book is the Reference Section. (Curiously, the reference section, the appendices, and the index account for 128 pages of the book's total 442 pages.) In the Reference Section, the reader finds synopses of all the episodes of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Fractured Fairy Tales, Bullwinkle's Corner (aka, Mr. Know-It-All), Mr. Peabody's History, Aesop and Son, and Dudley Doo-Right. Just glancing through the names of the Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes is a delight (e.g., "A Creep in the Deep, or Will Success Spoil Boris Badenov?" "Fast and Moose or Charlie's Antler"). It is a reminder, too, of how much funnier and more engaging this book might have been if better focused and better written.
Rating:
Summary: Funny & Enchanting in Places, But Largely a Chore to Read
Review: I once read a review that began: "This book told me more about penguins than I ever wanted to know about penguins." Similarly, I'm tempted to say that this book told me far more about Jay Ward, Bill Scott, and the ups and downs of their years in show business than I ever wanted to know--and far less about one of the favorite t.v. programs of my long-ago adolescence, Rocky and Bullwinkle. (The book spends a lot of time discussing Ward's and Scott's other ventures into cartoon series, including Crusader Rabbit, Hoppity Hooper, and George of the Jungle as well as ads for Captain Crunch and other Quaker cereals.) If you venture into this book expecting it to be as full of zany humor and excruciating puns as Rocky and Bullwinkle were--as I did--you are in for a disappointment. While parts of the book are quite absorbing, it is on the whole a chore to read. The book badly needs edited down, especially given its repititiousness. The author tends to be a bit too gushingly adulatory of the work of Ward and Scott, too; while they were comic and artistic geniuses, they did misfire a few times. There are gems along the way--including the origin of the name Bullwinkle, the real identity of Ponsonby Britt, how the names Gidney and Cloyd were chosen for the moonmen, and the never-ceasing wars between Ward and Scott and their sponsors and networks--but you have to sift through a lot of gratuitous detail to find them. One of the most engaging parts of the book is the Reference Section. (Curiously, the reference section, the appendices, and the index account for 128 pages of the book's total 442 pages.) In the Reference Section, the reader finds synopses of all the episodes of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Fractured Fairy Tales, Bullwinkle's Corner (aka, Mr. Know-It-All), Mr. Peabody's History, Aesop and Son, and Dudley Doo-Right. Just glancing through the names of the Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes is a delight (e.g., "A Creep in the Deep, or Will Success Spoil Boris Badenov?" "Fast and Moose or Charlie's Antler"). It is a reminder, too, of how much funnier and more engaging this book might have been if better focused and better written.
Rating:
Summary: And now for something you'll really like...
Review: I've always believed in the maxim that the best books on animation are written by animation fans--and this book proves my point. Longtime Rocky and Bullwinkle fan Keith Scott takes us on a long-overdue historical tour of the studio run by one J. Troplong Ward. Ward, a former real estate salesman, started with a vague desire to "get into television" during the medium's infancy in the late forties. Through his lifelong friendship with animator Alex Anderson, he drifted into the pioneering field of made-for-TV animation. Anderson, nephew of Terrytoons founder Paul Terry, had been knocking around a "comic strip for television" for some time with no takers. Once teamed with Ward and armed with a wicked sense of humor, he introduced the world to Crusader Rabbit, TV's first animated star. Scott (no relation to Bill Scott, legendary voice of our favorite moose) has penned a winning addition to the ever-growing number of behind-the-scenes books on animation. It is far more detailed than another recent history of the Jay Ward studio (the name of which escapes me). Too detailed, perhaps--the long, convoluted legal battles Ward fought with the "Crusader Rabbit" distributors (and those of "Bullwinkle" and other Ward creations) are spelled out in excruciating detail, and can get more than a little boring. The book, however, does give us a glimpse inside the wackiest animation studio since Termite Terrace. The only studio (in the words of head ringmaster Ward) approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This, by the way, turns out to be no joke: Ward had popcorn, peanut, and cotton candy vendors stationed in the lobby. Ward himself occasionally could be seen decked out in a ridiculous uniform that made him bear more than a passing resemblance to Cap'n Crunch. That may well have been the inspiration for the character, as Ward's studio produced those commercials until 1984. Scott recounts for us the sometimes silly, often hilarious promotions (Ward parading with girls in mock Salvation Army uniforms, exhorting "sinners" to "watch the Bullwinkle Show," for one). And, of course, the infamous "Statehood for Moosylvania" campaign which, in a classic example of lousy timing, Ward brought to the doorstep of the White House at the height of the Cuban missle crisis. See Ward go apoplectic in the face of too-tight budgets and incompetant Mexican animators. See Ward battle idiot censors and executives (when one such network "suit" objected to a scene with Rocky and Bullwinkle in a cannibal's pot, screaming "You can't show cannibalism!" the response was typical Ward. "Is it really cannibalism," he asked, "to eat a moose and a squirrel?") The book also tells us of lesser-known projects, such as "Fractured Flickers" and "Hoppity Hooper", as well as those that didn't quite make it (one abortive project, a puppet show called "Watts Gnu" seemed quite promising). We also get a rare glimpse of Jay Ward behind the public facade--the nervous, insecure, giggling, shy individual racked with chronic pain from a near fatal injury. It makes the brilliant legacy he left all the more remarkable.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book for Rocky, Bullwinkle, Jay Ward fans
Review: If you are a fan of Jay Ward and Bill Scott's zany animated creations, you really owe it to yourself to read this book. "The Moose That Roared" is filled with entertaining and enlightening quotes, observations, tales and all kinds of enjoyable information about the voice artists, writers, musicians and other folks responsible for these unforgettable programs. I can't imagine any author doing a better job at presenting the vast amount of material Keith Scott has compiled. In short, this is a terrific book.
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