November 16, 2012

The voice of Crusader Rabbit and Smurfette...

... Lucille Bliss has died at the age of 96. She was also Elroy on "The Jetsons."
But her groundbreaking role was in the original "Crusader Rabbit," the first animated series produced specifically for television. Its first incarnation ran on NBC from 1950 to 1952 and was co-created by Jay Ward, who went on to produce such notable franchises as Rocky and Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right.

"She was a pioneer in television animation," said Charles Solomon, an author and animation historian. Crusader Rabbit "really set a pattern for a lot of future shows — the smart little character and the big dumb sidekick."

23 comments:

edutcher said...

I remember it well.

Hope she had as good a time as she gave everyone else.

rhhardin said...

The theme of Crusader Rabbit always reminded me of some classical piece, but I didn't know which one then and I still don't know.

It would have to be one I'd heard as a kid, though.

Farmer said...

I'm sure she was wonderful but I'm pretty tired of everybody being crowned a groundbreaker and envelope pusher when they die.

Anonymous said...

RIP. She and June Foray (still going strong at 95) were pioneers for women wanting to make voice-acting a full-time job.

edutcher said...

rhhardin said...

The theme of Crusader Rabbit always reminded me of some classical piece, but I didn't know which one then and I still don't know.

Fanfare and then,

"One little, two little, three little Indians..."

Anonymous said...

No mention of Rags the Tiger? Great show.

Anonymous said...

No mention of Rags the Tiger? Great show.

McTriumph said...

I remember the Jetsons, they and Popular Mechanics are the major causes our unrequited hopes for a flying car.

Baron Zemo said...

Crusader Rabbit "really set a pattern for a lot of future shows —the smart little character and the big dumb sidekick."

And some blogs too. Just sayn'

bagoh20 said...

So if you watch the whole episode, it ends with the punch line: "I can lick any man at this bar."

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sam L. said...

And the villainous Blaggard (Blackgard?) brothers.

Loved it.

Rusty said...

My earliest recollection of television was Crusader Rabbit.Couldn't have been more than 1 or 2.

Darleen said...

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and Crusader Rabbit ran on Sheriff John's Lunch Brigade show.

wow ... what a different time ...

Chip S. said...

Crusader Rabbit?

Did Aladdin declare a fatwa on him?

Ambrose said...

Their boy Elroy - the very image of modernism in the American century - such a long time ago.

Chip S. said...

I wanted to like The Jetsons, but I couldn't buy the premise that sprockets would be a major industrial product in an era of flying cars.

Palladian said...

Wow, I thought Hanna-Barbera in the '70s was the nadir of animation.

bagoh20 said...

"...I couldn't buy the premise that sprockets would be a major industrial product in an era of flying cars."

They will still need them for the bullet trains that the Democrats inhabiting Uranus will continue to foist upon the future human race even after we have teleporters to beam the jars containing our pickled heads around the universe for face to face meetings to argue the merits of high speed rail - the technology of the future and the futures's future.

Jaske said...

The technology of the future
bagoh20

Methadras said...

The Farmer said...

I'm sure she was wonderful but I'm pretty tired of everybody being crowned a groundbreaker and envelope pusher when they die.


Please die now, so I can proclaim how much of a fucking chump you were in real life. Oh wait.

Dick Stanley said...

I seem to remember Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale best from this series. Very timely Cold War humor.

Rusty said...

Baron Zemo said...
Crusader Rabbit "really set a pattern for a lot of future shows —the smart little character and the big dumb sidekick."

And some blogs too. Just sayn'

And some administrations too.

Anonymous said...
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