Caesar's Salad

Caesar's Salad

September 11, 1957 (estimated) TV Episode Crusader Rabbit

Studio
TV Spots
Distributor
Capital Enterprises

Synopsis

Crusader and Rags are put on trial by Julius Caesar, found guilty, and put in a slowly closing room with daggers on the walls. When that fails, Brutus puts them in a room full of deadly snakes.

Characters

Crusader Rabbit, Ragland T. (Rags) Tiger, Julius Caesar, Emperor Nero, Brutus

Credits

Directing

Director
Sam Nicholson

Producing

Producer
Shull Bonsall (Executive Producer)

Writing

Writer
Barbara Chain, Chris Bob Hayward
Story Sketch
Jack Miller

Voices

Voice
Gege Pearson (Crusader Rabbit), Vern Louden (Ragland T. Tiger, Julius Caesar, Emperor Nero), Roy Whaley (Brutus, Narrator)

Music

Music
Art Becker

Editing

Editor
Charles McCann, Norman Vizents

Crew

Layout
Ed Levitt
Background
David Weidman, Eleanor Bogardus, Rosemary O'Connor
Ink and Paint
Martha Buckley, Maggi Alcumbrac
Production Planning
Dave Hoffman
Camera
Julian E. Raymond, Ted Bemiller
Sound Effects
Ray Erlenborn, Gene Twambley
Production Supervision
Bob Ganon

Production notes

The second series of Crusader Rabbit- this time without Jay Ward (and it shows). This time, in color.

This series was composed of 20 five-minute episodes. The Guinness World Records says this was the earliest animated TV series.

Though broadcast in black & white, the cartoon was produced in color. Original production was done by William Hanna, Michael Lah (Shield Productions) and Jay Ward. This series first appeared in the form of two-reelers distributed by Jerry Fairbanks. Questions arose as to ownership of the characters. Original producers Jay Ward and Alex Anderson- tired of endless legal hassles- sold their rights to Shull Bonsall, who took over production with his TV Spots company. The lawsuit, which involved Fairbanks, the animators and NBC Films, kept the early version of "Crusader Rabbit" off TV screens throughout much of the 1950s. Jay Ward sold the rights to the Crusader Rabbit and Rags the Tiger characters in 1957 to Shul Bonsall, who filmed 260 five-minute Crusader Rabbit cartoons.

Left out in the cold (but liking the idea of a regular TV series), William Hanna called up longtime partner Joe Barbera, formed Hanna-Barbera, and started work on The Ruff and Reddy Show.