Misplaced Pages

Colonel Bleep: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 23:01, 3 January 2020 editGVO8891 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,114 edits →Legacy: I've seen possible evidence that Soundac was still around as late as 1981.← Previous edit Revision as of 01:19, 4 January 2020 edit undoJMyrleFuller (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users69,624 edits varying episode formatsNext edit →
Line 17: Line 17:
| language=English | language=English
| num_seasons= | num_seasons=
| num_episodes=104 (44 are known to survive) | num_episodes=104 (53 are known to survive)
| list_episodes= | list_episodes=
| producer= | producer=
Line 33: Line 33:
}} }}


'''''Colonel Bleep''''' was the first color ] series made for ]. It was created and written by ], and was animated by ], Inc. of ]<ref>{{cite news |last=Dooley |first=Jim |title=What Makes Col. Bleep Blip? |work=] |date=1958-01-25}}</ref> (some sources have ] with a hand in its creation as well, although his contribution was short-lived before he rejoined ] to form ]). The show was originally syndicated in 1957 as a segment on ''Uncle Bill's TV Club''.<ref name="Erickson2005">{{cite book|author=Hal Erickson|title=Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WiLuAAAAMAAJ|date=30 July 2005|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=978-0-7864-2255-5|page=15}}</ref> 104 episodes, of varying length of between three and six minutes each, were produced. Of these episodes, slightly more than one-third are known to survive today. '''''Colonel Bleep''''' was the first color ] series made for ]. It was created and written by ], and was animated by ], Inc. of ]<ref>{{cite news |last=Dooley |first=Jim |title=What Makes Col. Bleep Blip? |work=] |date=1958-01-25}}</ref> (some sources have ] with a hand in its creation as well, although his contribution was short-lived before he rejoined ] to form ]). The show was originally syndicated in 1957 as a segment on ''Uncle Bill's TV Club''.<ref name="Erickson2005">{{cite book|author=Hal Erickson|title=Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WiLuAAAAMAAJ|date=30 July 2005|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=978-0-7864-2255-5|page=15}}</ref> 104 episodes, of varying length of between three and six minutes each, were produced. Of these episodes, a majority, 53 episodes, are known to exist in some form, with eight only existing in monochrome.


==Summary== ==Summary==
Line 41: Line 41:
In 1945, the ] are noticed by two figures: Scratch, a caveman from a vague prehistoric era who had been asleep since the last Stone Age and was awakened by the bombings; and the denizens of the ] Futura. The Futurans, an alien race with heads shaped like ]s and small, slender bodies, send one of their own, Colonel Bleep, to investigate. Upon reaching Earth, Bleep commissions Scratch as a deputy, with Bleep representing the future and Scratch the past. Representing the present day is Squeak, a cowboy puppet toy and former actor that can move on his own volition but cannot speak (as a puppet, he cannot speak on his own; this conceit was eventually abandoned, and Squeak spoke—albeit rarely—in some of the later episodes). Together, the three establish a base at ] in the ] to protect Earth's ] from extraterrestrial threats. In 1945, the ] are noticed by two figures: Scratch, a caveman from a vague prehistoric era who had been asleep since the last Stone Age and was awakened by the bombings; and the denizens of the ] Futura. The Futurans, an alien race with heads shaped like ]s and small, slender bodies, send one of their own, Colonel Bleep, to investigate. Upon reaching Earth, Bleep commissions Scratch as a deputy, with Bleep representing the future and Scratch the past. Representing the present day is Squeak, a cowboy puppet toy and former actor that can move on his own volition but cannot speak (as a puppet, he cannot speak on his own; this conceit was eventually abandoned, and Squeak spoke—albeit rarely—in some of the later episodes). Together, the three establish a base at ] in the ] to protect Earth's ] from extraterrestrial threats.


Colonel Bleep was typically seen with a transparent bubble as a helmet, with a ] and two antennae. The propeller, used in conjunction with Bleep's ever-present ], helped propel the creature through space. The antennae shot beams of "futomic energy" (a portmanteau of future and atomic), which could manifest itself in any number of ways, most commonly as a ]. The amount of futomic energy Colonel Bleep could absorb at any given time was finite, and in a few episodes he runs out of energy and becomes vulnerable; there were also situations where the heat that the futomic beam generated would pose a hazard and make it an unsuitable choice. His helicopter could also be pressed into service as a drill or auger. Scratch's main weapons were his superhuman strength and a large club. Squeak, other than his unexplained sentience and ability to move on his own, had no identifiable superpowers of his own. Colonel Bleep was typically seen with a transparent bubble as a helmet, with a ] and two antennae. The propeller, used in conjunction with Bleep's ever-present ], helped propel the creature through space. The antennae shot beams of "futomic energy" (a portmanteau of future and atomic), which could manifest itself in any number of ways, most commonly as a ]. The amount of futomic energy Colonel Bleep could absorb at any given time was finite, and in a few episodes he runs out of energy and becomes vulnerable; there were also situations where the heat that the futomic beam generated would pose a hazard and make it an unsuitable choice. His helicopter could also be pressed into service as a drill or auger. Scratch's main weapons were his superhuman strength and a large club. Squeak, other than his unexplained sentience and ability to move on his own, had no identifiable superpowers.


The series drew heavy influence from the ] of its time. Occasionally, the planet Futura and its denizens would be seen; most of the series took place within Earth's solar system, with various intelligent life forms existing on most planets. Interplanetary travel was facilitated by ]s, and a space station, X-1, served as a transportation hub. The actual science was grossly fictionalized and sometimes used ]. For instance, Scratch, before his long sleep, is shown to have had a pet ], despite dinosaurs becoming extinct millions of years before cavemen appeared, and characters were completely unaffected by the vacuum of space. ] is featured. Even with this ], there were moments when actual scientific topics were discussed: a discussion on the moon gave an accurate overview of various then-current theories for the moon's heavily cratered appearance, and another accurately noted the coexistence of cavemen and ] along with the occasional freezing of mammoths in ice. Although in the latter episode, a pseudoscientific approach is given for frozen mammoths coming back to life. The series drew heavy influence from the ] of its time. Occasionally, the planet Futura and its denizens would be seen; most of the series took place within Earth's solar system, with various intelligent life forms existing on most planets. Interplanetary travel was facilitated by ]s, and a space station, X-1, served as a transportation hub. The actual science was grossly fictionalized and sometimes used ]s. For instance, Scratch, before his long sleep, is shown to have had a pet ], despite dinosaurs becoming extinct millions of years before cavemen appeared, and characters were completely unaffected by the vacuum of space. ] is occasionally featured. Even with this ], there were moments when actual scientific topics were discussed: a discussion on the moon gave an accurate overview of various then-current theories for the moon's heavily cratered appearance. Earth's geologic history was discussed in one episode, and another accurately noted the coexistence of cavemen and ]s along with the occasional preservation of mammoths in ice. In the latter episode, a pseudoscientific approach is given for frozen mammoths coming back to life.


Episodes could follow any number of formats. Training episodes would often follow a format of ]s in which the savvy learner Scratch would follow Bleep's instructions while the hotshot Squeak blew off his duties and got himself into trouble. ]s featured the trio visiting areas such as the ] or ], with no substantial conflict. Most commonly, the trio would be pit against intergalactic villains, some of whom were recurring: the hooded archvillain Dr. Destructo, who escaped from the ] early in the series; Bruto the Black Robot, Dr. Destructo's henchman; the Black Patch, a ]; and the ] of ].
The trio's usual nemesis was a dark and mysterious hooded figure called Dr. Destructo, who could typically be found in his flying saucer. Dr. Destructo was originally imprisoned on the ] at the beginning of the series, but, in an episode believed to be lost, broke free. Other regular villains included the Black Knight of Pluto, Bruto the Black Robot, and the pirate Black Patch, who occasionally conspired with each other.


==Production== ==Production==

Revision as of 01:19, 4 January 2020

American children's animated science fiction space adventure television series; first color cartoon series made for television
Colonel Bleep
VHS cover art
Top row (L-R): Squeak, Scratch, Colonel Bleep
Bottom row (L-R): Black Patch, the Black Knight of Pluto, Bruto the Black Robot
GenreScience fiction
Created byRobert D. Buchanan
Written byRobert D. Buchanan
Directed byJack Schleh
StarringColonel Bleep
Squeek
Scratch
Narrated byNoah Tyler
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes104 (53 are known to survive)
Production
Running time3-5 minutes
Production companySoundac
Original release
NetworkSyndication
Release1957 (1957) –
1960 (1960)

Colonel Bleep was the first color cartoon series made for television. It was created and written by Robert D. Buchanan, and was animated by Soundac, Inc. of Miami (some sources have Joseph Barbera with a hand in its creation as well, although his contribution was short-lived before he rejoined William Hanna to form Hanna-Barbera). The show was originally syndicated in 1957 as a segment on Uncle Bill's TV Club. 104 episodes, of varying length of between three and six minutes each, were produced. Of these episodes, a majority, 53 episodes, are known to exist in some form, with eight only existing in monochrome.

Summary

Intro for the series
"Col. Bleep's Arrival on Earth", which introduces the characters and synopsizes the series

In 1945, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are noticed by two figures: Scratch, a caveman from a vague prehistoric era who had been asleep since the last Stone Age and was awakened by the bombings; and the denizens of the exoplanet Futura. The Futurans, an alien race with heads shaped like Reuleaux triangles and small, slender bodies, send one of their own, Colonel Bleep, to investigate. Upon reaching Earth, Bleep commissions Scratch as a deputy, with Bleep representing the future and Scratch the past. Representing the present day is Squeak, a cowboy puppet toy and former actor that can move on his own volition but cannot speak (as a puppet, he cannot speak on his own; this conceit was eventually abandoned, and Squeak spoke—albeit rarely—in some of the later episodes). Together, the three establish a base at Zero Zero Island in the Atlantic Ocean to protect Earth's solar system from extraterrestrial threats.

Colonel Bleep was typically seen with a transparent bubble as a helmet, with a helicopter-like propeller and two antennae. The propeller, used in conjunction with Bleep's ever-present unicycle, helped propel the creature through space. The antennae shot beams of "futomic energy" (a portmanteau of future and atomic), which could manifest itself in any number of ways, most commonly as a raygun. The amount of futomic energy Colonel Bleep could absorb at any given time was finite, and in a few episodes he runs out of energy and becomes vulnerable; there were also situations where the heat that the futomic beam generated would pose a hazard and make it an unsuitable choice. His helicopter could also be pressed into service as a drill or auger. Scratch's main weapons were his superhuman strength and a large club. Squeak, other than his unexplained sentience and ability to move on his own, had no identifiable superpowers.

The series drew heavy influence from the Space Age of its time. Occasionally, the planet Futura and its denizens would be seen; most of the series took place within Earth's solar system, with various intelligent life forms existing on most planets. Interplanetary travel was facilitated by robots, and a space station, X-1, served as a transportation hub. The actual science was grossly fictionalized and sometimes used anachronisms. For instance, Scratch, before his long sleep, is shown to have had a pet dinosaur, despite dinosaurs becoming extinct millions of years before cavemen appeared, and characters were completely unaffected by the vacuum of space. Time travel is occasionally featured. Even with this artistic license, there were moments when actual scientific topics were discussed: a discussion on the moon gave an accurate overview of various then-current theories for the moon's heavily cratered appearance. Earth's geologic history was discussed in one episode, and another accurately noted the coexistence of cavemen and woolly mammoths along with the occasional preservation of mammoths in ice. In the latter episode, a pseudoscientific approach is given for frozen mammoths coming back to life.

Episodes could follow any number of formats. Training episodes would often follow a format of binary oppositions in which the savvy learner Scratch would follow Bleep's instructions while the hotshot Squeak blew off his duties and got himself into trouble. Travelogues featured the trio visiting areas such as the Belgian Congo or New Orleans, with no substantial conflict. Most commonly, the trio would be pit against intergalactic villains, some of whom were recurring: the hooded archvillain Dr. Destructo, who escaped from the rings of Saturn early in the series; Bruto the Black Robot, Dr. Destructo's henchman; the Black Patch, a space pirate; and the Black Knight of Pluto.

Production

A credits sequence that was produced for the Streamline VHS releases in the early 1990s

Colonel Bleep was produced by Soundac, Inc. Soundac was originally formed in 1951 in Buffalo, New York by Bobby Nicholson. After Nicholson left, Robert D. Buchanan took his place and, by the time Colonel Bleep began production, had relocated Soundac to Miami, Florida. All of the episodes of Colonel Bleep were copyrighted in Buchanan's name.

The show's working title was The Adventures of Colonel Bleep. The animation in the show was extraordinarily limited, as was typical of TV animation during that era. Local newscaster Noah Tyler was the narrator for the show and provided virtually all of the vocal characterizations (most of the characters were mute). Jack Schleh directed all of the episodes. The design of the series was greatly influenced by the futuristic googie designs of the 1950s and early 1960s: cars had huge tailfins, boomerangs were frequently incorporated into signs and architecture, and atom symbols were used as frequently as possible.

Schleh and Buchanan also produced a series of syndicated physical fitness cartoons for children through Soundac called The Mighty Mister Titan. The series premiered on January 1, 1964, with 100 episodes airing. Although Colonel Bleep is generally well-regarded today, The Mighty Mister Titan is not.

Legacy

Unlike contemporary animated television shorts of the era, most of which were preserved, practically no original material from the production of Colonel Bleep is known to exist today. In the early 1970s, while Jack Schleh was closing Soundac and moving the company's materials to a van, car thieves stole the van. Its contents have never turned up.

Colonel Bleep has probably not been shown on television in the United States since Soundac's closure (and the aforementioned theft of the master films) in the early 1970s. The copyrights of the show's episodes lapsed, without being renewed, in 1985. Two videocassettes from the series were released by Streamline Pictures in 1991, containing most episodes still known to exist at the time (reportedly discovered in the film storage vault of a southwestern U.S. TV station which had formerly aired the show). The remaining extant episodes were not released until August 23, 2005, when Alpha Video released a DVD entitled Colonel Bleep Volume 1. The DVD contains 23 episodes, about 20 of which do not appear on earlier video releases. Among the known episodes are the series premiere ("Col. Bleep's Arrival on Earth") and a clip show believed to be the series finale ("Test of Friendship"). Eight previously-lost episodes were uploaded to YouTube on September 12, 2019. A ninth lost episode ("Winner Take All") was also discovered and uploaded to YouTube on October 19, 2019; all nine of the rediscovered episodes, most procured from sepia-toned black-and-white prints, were in the personal archives of Ron Kurer and his website Toon Tracker.

One episode, "The Treacherous Pirate", can be seen as part of The Speed Racer Show, an anthology film released by Streamline Pictures in 1993; it was released on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD by Family Home Entertainment as Speed Racer: the Movie. The episode occurs between Speed Racer episodes ("The Car Hater" and "Race Against the Mammoth Car, Part 1"). Production notes for The Ren & Stimpy Show cite Colonel Bleep as an inspiration to the show's animators, and the episode "Space Madness" includes a recreation of Colonel Bleep's title sequence.

Stations

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

See also

References

  1. Colonel Bleep: Volume 1 liner notes (2005) Alpha Video ALP-4847D. Quote: "The brainchild of Robert D. Buchana..."
  2. Dooley, Jim (1958-01-25). "What Makes Col. Bleep Blip?". The Miami News.
  3. Hal Erickson (30 July 2005). Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003. McFarland & Co. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-7864-2255-5.
  4. https://archive.org/details/1959businesss1960creenmav20v21rich/page/n171
  5. Kempner, Marvin (1998). Can't Wait Till Monday Morning. New York: Rivercross Publishing Inc. p. 56. ISBN 0944957730. OCLC 1029261298.
  6. Kempner, Marvin (1998). Can't Wait Till Monday Morning. New York: Rivercross Publishing Inc. p. 57. ISBN 0944957730. OCLC 1029261298.
  7. https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-Television-Magazine-IDX/IDX/50s/1958/Television-1958-Dec-OCR-Page-0031.pdf
  8. https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_yR0EAAAAMBAJ/bub_gb_yR0EAAAAMBAJ_djvu.txt
  9. http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-colonel-bleep-show/
  10. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Annuals/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/60s-OCR-YB/1968-YB/1968-BC-YB-OCR-Page-0485.pdf
  11. David Pierce (1989). Motion Picture Copyrights & Renewals, 1950-1959. Milestone. p. 63. ISBN 978-0927347020.
  12. Rea, Steven (1993-07-23). "A Fleet Of '60s 'Speed Racer' Cartoons". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  13. "TV Listings". The Bradford Era. 1958-02-12. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Colonel Bleep" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

External links

Categories:
Colonel Bleep: Difference between revisions Add topic