Crusader Rabbit


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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From Wikipedia

Crusader Rabbit was the first animated series produced specifically for television. The concept was test marketed in 1948, while the initial episode - Crusader vs. the State of Texas - aired on KNBH in Los Angeles, California on August 1, 1950.

The concept of an animated series made for television came from animator Alex Anderson, who worked for Terrytoons Studios. Terrytoons preferred to remain in film animation, so Anderson approached Jay Ward for financing. Ward became business manager and producer, joining with Anderson to form "Television Arts Productions" in 1948. They tried to sell the series (initially presented as part of a proposed series, The Comic Strips of Television, which also featured an early incarnation of Dudley Do-Right) to the NBC television network, which assigned Jerry Fairbanks to be "supervising producer".[2] NBC did not telecast Crusader Rabbit on their network, but allowed Fairbanks to sell the series in national syndication, with many of the NBC affiliates (including New York and Los Angeles) picking it up for local showings. WNBC-TV in New York continued to show the original Crusader Rabbit episodes from 1949 through 1967, and some affiliates used the program as a time filler as late as the 1970s.

The original series had limited animation, appearing almost as narrated storyboards with frequent cuts and minor movement by the characters. This was due to the limited budget producers Jay Ward and Alex Anderson had to film the series.

Each program began with a title sequence of a mounted knight galloping across the screen. The episodes then featured a short, usually satirical, adventure in the form of a movie serial, ending with a cliffhanger.

Crusader Rabbit was originally syndicated from 1950 to 1951, totalling 195 episodes (divided into ten "crusades"), and was re-aired for many years. It featured Crusader Rabbit, his companion Ragland T. Tiger (Rags), and their occasional nemesis - Dudley Nightshade (called Ill-regard Beauregard in a few episodes). Ragland Tiger's name came from the jazz tune Tiger Rag, while Dudley Nightshade's was a play on the poisonous plant, "deadly nightshade".[3]

The series was revived and 13 new "crusades" (totalling 260 color episodes) were produced in 1957 by Shull Bonsall's Capital Enterprises. Bonsall had bought out Television Arts Productions and gained the rights to Crusader Rabbit, after a long legal battle between Jay Ward and Alex Anderson, Jerry Fairbanks and NBC over who owned the series. Animation was provided by Bonsall's Creston Studios, also known as "TV Spots, Inc.", supervised by Bob Ganon and Gerald Ray. Bonsall was one of the animators on the original Anderson and Ward episodes. The new series was not seen until early 1959.

Lucille Bliss provided the voice of Crusader Rabbit in the original series, and by Ge Ge Pearson in the revived series. Vern Louden played Rags in both. Dudley Nightshade was voiced by Russ Coughlan, and narration was by Roy Whaley.

Legacy

The success of Crusader Rabbit inspired many more television cartoons series. Jay Ward would later produce The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. In 1985, Rhino Entertainment released the first two volumes of Crusader Rabbit in a planned[citation needed] home-video release of all the original episodes. However, 20th Century Fox claimed right by their acquisition of previous owner Metromedia Producers Corporation. No further Rhino releases of Crusader Rabbit were allowed.

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Highlights
Allan Burns on Jay Ward creating Crusader Rabbit
00:18
Alex Anderson on animating Crusader Rabbit to accommodate for television 
01:53
Alex Anderson on bringing Crusader Rabbit to television 
03:02
Alex Anderson on casting the voices for Crusader Rabbit
02:15
Alex Anderson on Jay Ward's involvement with Crusader Rabbit
02:15
Alex Anderson on the concept of Crusader Rabbit
02:50
Who talked about this show

Alex Anderson

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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

Lucille Bliss

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Lucille Bliss on the creation of the animated show Crusader Rabbit by Jay Ward and Alex Anderson 
15:56
Lucille Bliss on production on and the characters of the animated show Crusader Rabbit
04:10
Lucille Bliss on the popularity, recording, and legacy of the animated show Crusader Rabbit
06:50

Allan Burns

View Interview
Allan Burns on Jay Ward creating Crusader Rabbit
00:18
Allan Burns on Jay Ward creating Crusader Rabbit
00:18

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