MovieChat Forums > Rocky and His Friends (1959) Discussion > Were the cartoons always in color?

Were the cartoons always in color?

posted 17 years ago by TheCheshireCody
3 replies | jump to latest

I remember years ago (mid '90s) I purchased a two-VHS set of Rocky & Friends from a bargain bin for $9.99. The tapes were EP (*gag*) and black and white. It's been a long time since I watched them, don't even own them any longer, since the DVDs are available.

Now,it seems silly to think that an animated cartoon would be produced in b&w, but it seems almost as silly to think that someone would take a color cartoon and turn it into b&w for commercial release. Does anyone have an explanation?

___________________
...I was cured, all right.

[–] wermuth601 16 years ago

A lot of animated cartoons from the 1950s and 1960s were produced in black and white, but broadcast in color. Other examples include The Bugs Bunny Show and The Flinstones. And I don't understand how it would be silly to think that an animated cartoon would be produced in black and white.

I think Jay Ward's earlier cartoon Crusader Rabbit was produced in black and white, as a rare exception. But often, I think that kinescopes form the black and whtie broadcasts exist, which is probably why some epsidoes exist in black and white. I know that very vew color copies of The Bugs Bunny Show linking segments exist (most only exist in black and white).

[–] skiop 15 years ago

The tapes were EP (*gag*)

What's wrong with EP? SP just doesn't have very much room. All the things I've taped have been on EP. My father used to tape on LP, though, and I can't see a visual difference.

[–] HarlowMGM 13 years ago

Not an expert on this show but the show was in B&W the first two seasons it was on ABC under it's original title ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS, when it moved to NBC in 1961 the show was retitled THE BULLWINKLE SHOW and in color. Reruns of ROCKY & HIS FRIENDS aired in syndication and of course were in B&W. The wikipedia page on the show has quite a bit of info including on the VHS "EP" tapes you mention!