Roger Ramjet, he's our man

RIB’S RAMBLINGS

Mark Ribble

I’ve had the pleasure of watching some of the new animated shows with the grandkids and can’t help but reminisce about the animated shows I watched when I was their age.

The animation today is leaps and bounds ahead of animation of the 1960s, but I have a soft spot for those cartoons of yesteryear.

The cartoons of today are nearly all computer-generated and some seem very real — unlike the old ones that were hand-drawn and hand-animated.

Most of my earliest memories are of black and white cartoons.

Popeye comes to mind right off the bat for me and when I looked it up online, they made 231 Popeye shorts over a 25-year period.

Of course, no 60s childhood would be complete without Mighty Mouse — one of my favourites at the time. I guess the superhero wannabee in me warmed up to Mighty Mouse a little more than the traditional Tom and Jerry or Heckle and Jeckle offerings.

I also remember a cartoon called Tom Terrific. It was short-lived and originally ran before I was born, but ran in reruns during the mid-sixties, as part of Captain Kangaroo’s morning lineup. Tom was a kid who could change into whatever he wanted and fought villains alongside his mighty dog Manfred.

I guess I was a sucker for the more obscure cartoons, because I loved shows like Roger Ramjet, Magilla Gorilla, Quickdraw McGraw and Deputy Dog.

Of course, The Flintstones played in primetime in those years and The Jetsons were a very similar creation.

Mr. Magoo always had a large following, as did Bullwinkle and Rocky. I believe Dudley Do-Right, who spent most of his time chasing Snidely Whiplash, was produced by the same studio as Bullwinkle.

It seemed a recurring theme of superhero-types. Spiderman and Superman always had animated versions floating around, and later on, Batman did too. But the real superheroes for this young boy’s life were Underdog, Courageous Cat and Speed Racer. And let’s not forget Felix.

Do you remember Touche Turtle or Tennessee Tuxedo? How about Lippy the Lion and Hardy-Har-Har, or Ricochet Rabbit? Who can forget Snagglepuss?

There were so many, it’s hard to keep track of, and although I haven’t seen them in many years, the theme songs, or even the voices, come back like it was yesterday. The Roger Ramjet theme song is now stuck in my head, and now, it’s stuck in yours. You’re welcome.

The Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Mickey Mouse shows were all great, but the staple of my youth had to be those obscure two-or-three season runs.

As I grew older, I was drawn to the mystery and adventure episodes, like Scooby-Doo and Johnny Quest. Even Journey to the Center of the Earth had an animated version.

Soon, the 1960s came to a close and along came Land of the Lost, and once I set my eyes on Holly Marshall, it was really tough to go back to the animated Saturday morning fare. But that’s a story for another week.