And This Blog Loves The Great Bill Scott!

MUST tip a top hat worn by Bullwinkle J. Moose to writer-producer-animator-storyman-actor-voice artist Bill Scott, born on this day in 1920.







With apologies for the even more haphazard than usual makeup of today's post - my excuse is a no-fun, ongoing and derriere-kicking bout with a common cold virus this week - we mention with some sadness how much we miss Bill Scott and that team of amazing voice talents and writers he presided over at Jay Ward Productions, all chronicled expertly in the book The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, a Flying Squirrel, and a Talking Moose by Keith Scott.

Here, Bill, a musical theatre devotee, sings "Glad To Be Bullwinkle."



Among many accomplishments, he was the co-producer and head writer at of Jay Ward Productions.



First and foremost, we are happy to re-present Bill Scott: The Portrait of a Moose, the superlative documentary that British voice-over actress and chronicler of comedians, comediennes and improv aces in animation Amber Jones - whose many interviews with animation voice actors are on her You Tube channel - made, with assistance from film historian Kamden Spies of the Termite Terrace headlines website and The Spies Report on Cartoon Research. Thanks again for your outstanding work, Amber and Kamden!



Is it fun to see Mark Evanier to Mark Kausler to Keith Scott to Frank Welker to Will Ryan, Corey Burton, Frank Welker, Billy West, June Foray, Daws Butler, Jay Ward, Skip Craig, Jymn Magon, Brian Cummings and more? Yes! Is the fellow who writes this blog pleased to be in the credits? Heck, yeah!

Invariably, Jay Ward cartoons will get the writer of this blog ROFL, only every time.



Our favorite? The WOSSAMATTA U story from Rocky & Bullwinkle!



Second favorite? Stokey The Bear!



Must call attention, as we did the last time Jay Ward Productions got covered here, to an outstanding article on the celebrated Rocky and Bullwinkle statue on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood by journalist Harry McCracken. Mark Evanier noted it on his excellent News From Me website.

In this piece, The Moose and the Showgirl: The life and times of the Bullwinkle statue, 1961-2021, Harry, a superb writer, has outdone himself here.

Jay Ward Productions fans at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog recommend Maurino Amoruso's film Of Moose and Men: The Rocky & Bullwinkle Story, which begins with clips from the devastatingly funny "Moosylvania" story.



I'll admit it - I'm a sucker for Jay Ward cartoons, especially Fractured Fairy Tales! Love the incredible roster of character actors/voice talents - Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, Bill Conrad, Daws Butler, Edward Everett Horton, Hans Conried, Charlie Ruggles, Walter Tetley, Hal Smith, Chris Allen and more.







And Bullwinkle's Corner. . .





How much? Actually phoned the brilliant Jay Ward Productions producer, head writer and voice actor and conducted several interviews with him way back in November 1981.

Because we are indeed Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog, we won't go into Bill's pre-Jay Ward trajectory, from his time at Warner Bros. Animation writing stories with Lloyd Turner as part of the crew led by veteran animator Art Davis, to a lengthy stretch with UPA, teamed with Phil Eastman on numerous Jolly Frolics, including Gerald and at one point acting and writing for The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show.

Even the lesser-known series (Hoppity Hooper) that Bill presided over at Jay Ward Productions are frequently wonderful, in large part due to all of those incredible voice talents and the consistently brilliant comedy writing by the talented team of writers: Lloyd Turner, Allen Burns, Chris Hayward, Chris Jenkyns, Jim Critchfield and George Atkins.