Jet Fuel Formula
| Jet Fuel Formula | |
|---|---|
| Rocky and Bullwinkle story arc | |
Bullwinkle, Rocky, Gidney & Cloyd, in a scene from Jet Fuel Formula
|
|
| Season | 1 |
| Story arc # | 1 |
| No. of Segments | 40 |
| Air date (start) | 19 November 1959 |
| Air date (end) | c. 31 March 1960 |
| Program title | Rocky And His Friends |
| Network | ABC |
| Directed by | Gerard Baldwin Pete Burness Bill Hurtz Gerry Ray Bob Schleh George Singer Ernie Terrazas |
| Produced by | Ponsonby Britt |
| Written by | George Atkins Chris Hayward Chris Jenkins Lloyd Turner |
| Production | 1–40 |
| Guests | Gidney Cloyd |
| Boris's disguises |
Swami Ben Boris Sir Thomas Lippenboris Sir Hillary Pushemoff Scientist Federal Plant Inspector Ace Rickenboris Clarence Darronoff Indian canoeist taxi driver Barnacle Boris Badenov |
Jet Fuel Formula is the first and the longest Rocky and Bullwinkle story arc. (Jet Fuel Formula covers forty episodes while the average story arc includes approximately sixteen.) It is also noteworthy in that it established most of the characters, themes, running gags, and other elements that would be employed in later stories and that would become so closely identified with the Rocky and Bullwinkle programs in the years since. The first few episodes contained a laugh track, which was removed when the episodes were released as part of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends Complete Season 1.
In spite of the title, the story actually concerns the pursuit of a formula for rocket fuel.
The first and second episodes of Jet Fuel Formula first aired on Thursday, November 19, 1959, as part of the series premiere of Rocky and His Friends on the ABC television network. Two new episodes were broadcast as part of each week's show. Sources are at odds regarding the broadcast of the final episodes, with at least one reporting April 1, 1960 (a Friday) and another April 3 (a Sunday). Published television listings indicate that the series aired on Thursdays throughout the run of Jet Fuel Formula, suggesting that the final episodes (39 and 40) likely aired on March 31 or, perhaps, April 7.
As with many subsequent Rocky and Bullwinkle adventures the title characters stumble into an absurd situation, which leads to a sequence of further absurd situations.
Rocky and Bullwinkle attempt to bake a Mooseberry fudge cake using Grandma Bullwinkle's recipe, unaware that the raw cake batter is actually a revolutionary rocket fuel. While attempting to light the old-fashioned oven Bullwinkle ignites the first layer, launching the oven to the Moon. In order to retrieve the appliance they build their own rocket ship and use the remaining cake layers to propel them to the moon and then back to Earth. Upon their return, the U.S. government places Bullwinkle in charge of "moosile" research and he sets about to recreate the cake recipe, half of which was destroyed in the initial explosion. Two Moon Men, Gidney and Cloyd, arrive to prevent Bullwinkle from recreating the formula, as they fear an invasion of tourists from Earth. Hypnotized by Boris, Bullwinkle is able to remember the recipe. However, by the time he does so Boris has fallen asleep, and when Bullwinkle reveals the formula he is "scrootched" (frozen) by the Moon Men. Boris then steals the frozen Bullwinkle. When he revives Boris puts him to work in a new lab where he remembers the new recipe is "2 cups of flour, a pound of kumquats and a hat full of vanilla to give it character" along with "3oz of methylene bromide and a cube of diphenyl phosphate and now a dozen benzochloranes". Boris transmits the moose's research to his superiors, who are blown up trying to repeat it. He also attempts to immobilize the Moon Men with sleeping pills. Rocky rescues Bullwinkle and the Moon Men. Gidney and Cloyd become media celebrities but soon tire of their fame. They insist that Rocky and Bullwinkle return to the Moon with them, but their ship's fuel has been stolen by Boris. Rocky and Bullwinkle agree to help make more fuel, and they head to Frostbite Falls to procure the secret ingredient: mooseberries. Boris sends the Moon Men's stolen fuel to Pottsylvania, but it explodes upon arrival, leveling the seaport. Boris kidnaps Rocky and Bullwinkle en route to Minnesota by posing as a pilot offering to fly them home. They crash land near Frostbite Falls, only to find that a blight has decimated the mooseberry crop. Bullwinkle manages to obtain the only remaining bush, which is promptly stolen by Boris.
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