Roger Ramjet

Roger Ramjet
Company type	Television series
Industry	Animation, Entertainment
Founded	1965
Defunct	1969
Headquarters	United States
Products	Animated television series

Roger Ramjet is an American animated superhero series that aired from 1965 to 1969, centering on the adventures of Roger Ramjet and the American Eagle Squadron. The show is distinguished by its minimalist animation style, rapid storytelling, and numerous pop culture allusions that engage audiences of all ages. It was originally broadcast on NBC.

Plot

Roger Ramjet serves as a patriotic and virtuous hero who defends the world with the aid of his Proton Energy Pills ("PEP"), which provide him with "the strength of twenty atom bombs for twenty seconds." Under the direction of General G.I. Brassbottom, he confronts various recurring foes but often requires assistance from his teammates—the American Eagles: Yank, Doodle, Dan, and Dee—a clever nod to "Yankee Doodle dandy." Although they appear childlike, the Eagles are skilled pilots of their own ramjet planes and possess greater savvy than Roger himself.

The series features several notable villains who appear repeatedly:

Noodles Romanoff, a diminutive mobster heading N.A.S.T.Y. (National Association of Spies, Traitors, and Yahoos), recognizable by his dark sunglasses, fedora hat, trench coat, and silent henchmen.
The Solenoid Robots—green extraterrestrial robots equipped with gas mask-like faces, wheeled locomotion instead of legs, and electronic-sounding voices.
Red Dog the Pirate, a red-haired buccaneer sporting an eyepatch and peg leg, accompanied by his witty parrot companion Carl Bob.
Jacqueline Hyde, a blonde foreign agent with a Zsa Zsa Gabor-style accent who pursues secret intelligence for her government.
Dr. Frank N. Schwine, a mad scientist assisted by Sidney; together they create Frankenstein-like creatures that Roger defeats and converts into American football players.
Count Batguy, a bald vampire from Transylvania speaking with a Bela Lugosi accent.
Dr. What, a globally dreaded evil mastermind.
Tequila Mockingbird, a seductive senorita allied with bandit brothers Beef and Chicken to spark a revolution in San Domino.

Season one (1965)

"Dr. Ivan Evilkisser"
"The Sheik"
"Bat Guy"
"The Shaft"
"Kokomo"
"Baseball"
"The Cowboy"
"Dee Kidnap"
"Drafted"
"TV Crisis"
"Miss America"
"The Pirates"
"Revolution"
"Torture"
"The Race"
"Jack the Nipper"
"Ma Ramjet"
"The Cockroaches" – a Beatles parody
"Moon"
"Hi Noon"
"Bank Robbers"
"Sun Clouds"
"Football"
"Bullfighter"
"Bathysphere"
"Skydiving"
"Monkey"
"Dr. Frank N. Schwine"
"The Martins and the Coys"
"Planets"
"Orbit"
"Tennis"

Season two (1966)

"Werewolf"
"Flying Saucers"
"Skateboards"
"Scotland Yard"
"Long Joan Silver"
"Moonshot"
"Treasure in Sierra's Mattress"
"Tarzap"
"Comics"
"Jet Boots"
"Little Roger"
"Cycles"
"Air Devil"
"Spy in the Sky"
"Hollywood"
"Track Meet"
"Surf Nuts"
"Dry Dock"
"Machines"
"Coffee"
"Stolen"
"Assassins"
"Genie"
"Airplane"
"Woodsman"
"K.O. at the Gun Fight Corral"
"Mars"
"Puck"
"Pirate Gold"
"Fox"
"Super Mother"
"Dr. What"

Season three (1967)

"Party"
"Large Leslie"
"Gamey"
"Time Machine"
"Horse"
"Pool"
"Ancestors"
"Hoop-dee-Doo"
"Big Woof"
"Robot Plants"
"Robot Plot"
"Turkey"
"Fishing"
"Purloined Pinky"

#  "Snow" 
#  "Ripley" 
#  "Monster Masquerade" 
#  "Lompoc Diamond" 
#  "School" 
#  "Vaudeville" 
#  "Coffee House" 
#  "Pirate Games" 
#  "Horse Race" 
#  "Missing" 
#  "Dentist" 
#  "Rip Van Ramjet" 
#  "Desert Ox" 
#  "Ad Game" 
#  "Lotsa Pizza" 
#  "Land Rush" 
#  "Show Business" 
#  "The Catnapper"

Season four (1968)

#  "Opera Phantom" 
#  "Pies" 
#  "Small World" 
#  "Cousin" 
#  "Doodle League" 
#  "Ark" 
#  "Sauce" 
#  "Whale" 
#  "For the Birds" 
#  "Abominable Snowman" 
#  "Hero Training" 
#  "Lompoc Cannonball" 
#  "Safari" 
#  "Tiger" 
#  "Rodeo" 
#  "Dumb Waiter" 
#  "Blast Off" 
#  "Twas the Night Before" 
#  "Portrait of Roger" 
#  "Prince and the Doodle" 
#  "Water Sucker" 
#  "Volcano" 
#  "Limberlost" 
#  "General Kidnap" 
#  "Drought" 
#  "How's Your Pass?" 
#  "Rabbit Man" 
#  "Pill Caper" 
#  "Three Faces of Roger" 
#  "Private Eye" 
#  "Espionage Express" 
#  "Winfield of the Infield"

Season five (1969)

# Branch Office
# Wedding Bells
# Bunny
# Hypnochick
# Doctor
# Jolly Rancher
# Little Monster
# Flying Town
# Daring Young Man
# Crown Jewels
# April Fool
# Dry Sea
# Pay Cut
# Killer Doodle
# Polar Bear
# Ruggers
# Nut
# The Law
# Hassenfeffer
# Manhole
# Blockbuster
# Sellout
# Scout Outing
# Love
# Decorator
# Lompoc Lizards
# Blunderosa
# General Doodle

Cast and crew

Gary Owens – provided the voice for Roger Ramjet, the central character
David Ketchum – served as the Narrator
Bob Arbogast – voiced General G. I. Brassbottom, Ma Ramjet, and other supporting characters
Dick Beals – portrayed Yank and Dan from the American Eagles
Gene Moss – lent his voice to Doodle of the American Eagles and Noodles Romanoff; also contributed as a co-writer
Joan Gerber – voiced Dee of the American Eagles, Lotta Love, and Jacqueline Hyde
Paul Shively – performed as Lance Crossfire and Red Dog the Pirate; additionally wrote lyrics for the theme song
Jim Thurman – provided various voices and co-authored the series
Ken Snyder – contributed additional voice work

Airdates

In the United States, Roger Ramjet debuted on NBC where it aired from 1965 until 1969, later reappearing on Cartoon Network between 1996 and 1998. The series was also broadcast on KTV during the years from 2017 to 2019.

Globally, the show was transmitted by the BBC and ITV in the United Kingdom from 1979 through 1994. Across Europe, it aired on Sky Channel between 1985 and 1989, followed by broadcasts on Bravo from 1992 to 1993. In Australia, it was shown on the ABC starting in 1966 and continued through to 2003. Additional international networks airing the program included ZNBC (Zambia), Dubai 33 (United Arab Emirates), SABC1 (South Africa), KBC (Kenya), multiple New Zealand channels (NZBC, South Pacific Television, TV One, and TV2), as well as the PTV in the Philippines.

A selection of Roger Ramjet "minisodes" can be streamed at no cost via Sony’s platform, Crackle.

Production notes

The series’ creators originated from Lompoc, California, integrating numerous allusions to their hometown within episode settings; however, the name of Lompoc was frequently pronounced incorrectly.
The name "Roger," assigned to the protagonist, was inspired by an encounter producer Fred Crippen had with reporter Roger Smith, who humorously suggested it during an interview.
The theme music is based on the tune of "Yankee Doodle."
Several individuals involved in production later became part of Sesame Workshop.

Other credits

Associate Producers: Paul Shively, Dick Reed
Production Coordinator: Fred Calvert
Animation Team: Don Schloat, Bill Hutton, Alan Zaslove, Fred Crippen, George Nicholas
Background Artist: Jack Heiter
Layout Artists: Rosemary O'Connor, Sam Weiss, Joe Bruno, Dave Hanan, Bob Kurtz
Sound Effects: Phil Kaye
Ink and Paint Department: Constance Crawley
Quality Control: Dottie Mullens
Sound Recording: TV Recorders, Western Recorders

On February 8, 2005, Classic Media, with distribution by Sony Wonder, issued Roger Ramjet: Hero Of Our Nation (Special Collector's Edition), a three-disc collection containing 119 out of the 156 episodes from the series (although the packaging mistakenly claims 120). Prior to this release, Image Entertainment had produced two separate DVDs—Roger Ramjet: Hero Of Our Nation and Roger Ramjet: Man Of Adventure—each featuring 15 cartoons that were not part of the box set. As of November 2007, seven episodes have yet to be made available on DVD: #36 (Scotland Yard), #125 (Bunny), #128 (Jolly Rancher), #152 (Air Devil), #154 (Dry Dock), #155 (Machines), and #156 (Stolen).

Soundtrack

In 1966, RCA Victor released an official soundtrack album.

External links