William Scott was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army’s First Motion Picture Unit (reporting to Lt. Ronald Reagan), where he worked with such animators as Frank Thomas. After the war, he became what was then known as a “story man” at Warner Bros., working under director Arthur Davis. He later worked at the cutting-edge studio United Productions of America where he was one of the writers who adapted Dr. Seuss‘s original story for the 1951 Academy Award-winning short Gerald McBoing-Boing, which later became a television show, as well as adapting the 1953 Academy Award-nominated short film of Edgar Allan Poe‘s The Tell-Tale Heart.
Scott began work as a voice actor as well when he joined Jay Ward as head writer and co-producer, and voice acted in such television series as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (most notably as Bullwinkle, as well as Dudley Do-Right). In a 1982 interview, Scott said, “I got a call from Jay [Ward] asking if I’d be interested in writing another series, an adventure script with a moose and a squirrel. I said, ‘Sure.’ I didn’t know if I could write an adventure with a moose and a squirrel, but I never turned down a job.”[2]
Bullwinkle in Manhattan:
The Jay Ward team and the Freberg people all worked closely together. June Foray did Natasha, I believe, as well as virtually all the female voices in Fractured Fairy Tales. Scott’s voice for Bullwinkle probably had as much to do with the show’s success as the writing. All of these right through George of the Jungle were that rarest of breeds, kid’s cartoons with a little something special for the adult. One of the fellows carving up George’s jungle, for example, was named Jerry Mander. Great stuff.
Now that you mention it my dad used to always sit and watch these cartoons with me… Hey, wonderful Thanksgiving post you put up and I wanted to thank you for recommending “Did She Fall?”. It just arrived in the post from the UK, a 1939 edition with the price marked in shillings and pence and smelling of old paper and dust. I can’t wait!
“Hey Rocky, wanna see me pull a rabbit outta my hat?”
Always!
xox, V
“no doubt about it…I gotta get another hat!”
I always loved Rocky and Bullwinkle! An absolute classic. Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving to you.
And Mr. Peabody and the Wayback Machine! Happy Thanksgiving, Morgan.