Editing Colonel Bleep

{{Short description|First color cartoon series on television}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Colonel-bleep-video-cover.jpg
| caption            = VHS cover art<br />Top row (L-R): Squeak, Scratch, Colonel Bleep<br />Bottom row (L-R): Black Patch, the Black Knight of Pluto, Bruto the Black Robot
| genre              = [[Science fiction]]
| creator            = [[Robert D. Buchanan]]<br />Jack Schleh<ref name="Streamline notes">''Colonel Bleep #1'' liner notes (1991) Streamline Pictures 90008. Quote: "Created in 1956 by Jack Schleh and Robert D. Buchanan..."</ref>
| writer             = Robert D. Buchanan
| director           = Jack Schleh
| presenter          =
| voices             = 
| narrated           = Noah Tyler
| starring           = Colonel Bleep<br />Squeek<br />Scratch
| composer           = 
| country            = United States
| language           = English
| num_seasons        = 
| num_episodes       = 100<ref name="CWTMM">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cantwaittillmond00kemp|title=Can't Wait Till Monday Morning|last=Kempner|first=Marvin|publisher=Rivercross Publishing Inc.|year=1998|isbn=0944957730|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/cantwaittillmond00kemp/page/70]|oclc=1029261298}}</ref><ref name="Woolery"/><ref name="Broadcasting 1970">https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/70-OCR/1970-03-30-BC-OCR-Page-0084.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> (45 are known to survive)
| list_episodes      = 
| producer           = 
| executive_producer = 
| company            = [[Robert D. Buchanan|Soundac]]<br>Richard M. Ullcan Inc.
| runtime            = 3–6 minutes
| network            = [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1957|09|21}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|1960|05|9}}
| related            =  
}}

'''''Colonel Bleep''''' is a 1957 American [[science fiction]] animated TV series which was the first color [[cartoon]] series made for [[television]].<ref name=Perlmutter>{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |page=131}}</ref> It was created and written by [[Robert D. Buchanan]] and Jack Schleh on June 8, 1956,<ref name="Streamline notes"/> and was animated by [[Soundac]], Inc. of Miami.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dooley |first=Jim |title=What Makes Col. Bleep Blip? |work=[[The Miami News]] |date=1958-01-25}}</ref> The show was originally syndicated on September 21, 1957, as a segment on ''Uncle Bill's TV Club''.<ref name="Erickson2005">{{cite book|author=Hal Erickson|title=Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WiLuAAAAMAAJ|date=30 July 2005|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=978-0-7864-2255-5|page=15}}</ref> One hundred episodes,<ref name="CWTMM"/><ref name="Woolery"/><ref name="Broadcasting 1970"/> of varying length of between three and six minutes each, were produced.  Of these episodes, 45 episodes are known to exist in some form, eight of which are only available in black and white.

==Summary==
[[File:Colonel Bleep intro.webm|200px|left|thumb|Intro for the series]]
[[File:Col. Bleep's Arrival on Earth.webm|200px|left|thumb|"Col. Bleep's Arrival on Earth", which introduces the characters and synopsizes the series]]

In 1945, the [[Trinity (nuclear test)|first nuclear explosion on Earth]] has cosmic effects: Scratch, a hibernating [[Stone Age]] [[caveman]], is awakened/transported to the present by the blast; and the denizens of the possible [[exoplanet]] Futura become alarmed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Markstein |first1=Don |title=Colonel Bleep |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/bleep.htm |website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |accessdate=2 April 2020}}</ref> The Futurians, an alien race with heads shaped like [[Reuleaux triangle]]s and small, slender bodies, send one of their own, Colonel Bleep, to investigate. Upon reaching Earth, Bleep commissions Scratch as a deputy, with Bleep representing the future and Scratch the past.<ref name=Woolery>{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946–1981 |date=1983 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1557-5  |url=https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool |url-access=registration |accessdate=14 March 2020 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/70 70]–71}}</ref>

Representing the present day is Squeak, a [[cowboy hat]]-wearing puppet ("a happy-go-lucky boy...very much like you") and former actor that can move on his own volition but cannot speak (as a puppet, he cannot speak on his own; this concept was eventually abandoned, and Squeak occasionally spoke in some of the later episodes). Together, the three establish a base at [[Null Island|Zero Zero Island]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to protect Earth's [[Solar System]] from extraterrestrial threats.

Colonel Bleep was typically seen with a transparent bubble as a helmet, with a [[Helicopter|helicopter-like propeller]] and two antennae. The propeller, used in conjunction with Bleep's ever-present [[unicycle]], helped propel the creature through space. The antennae shot beams of "futomic energy" (a portmanteau of future and atomic), which could manifest itself in any number of ways, most commonly as a [[raygun]].  The amount of futomic energy Colonel Bleep could absorb at any given time was finite, and in a few episodes he runs out of energy and becomes vulnerable; there were also situations where the heat that the futomic beam generated would pose a hazard and make it an unsuitable choice. His helicopter could also be pressed into service as a drill or auger. Scratch's main weapons were his [[superhuman]] strength and a large [[Club (weapon)|club]]. Squeak, other than his unexplained sentience and ability to move on his own, had no identifiable superpowers.

The series drew heavy influence from the [[Space Age]] of its time. Occasionally, the planet Futura and its denizens would be seen; most of the series took place within Earth's Solar System, with intelligent life forms existing on most planets. [[Interplanetary travel]] was facilitated by [[robot]]s, and a [[space station]], X-1, served as a transportation hub. The accuracy of the science varied widely from episode to episode.

Episodes could follow any number of formats. Training episodes would often follow a format of [[binary opposition]]s in which the savvy learner Scratch would follow Bleep's instructions while the hotshot Squeak blew off his duties and got himself into trouble. [[travel documentary|Travelogues]] featured the trio visiting areas such as the [[Belgian Congo]] or [[New Orleans]], with no substantial conflict. Most commonly, the trio would be pit against intergalactic villains, some of whom were recurring: the hooded archvillain Dr. Destructo, who escaped from the [[rings of Saturn]] early in the series; Bruto the Black Robot, Dr. Destructo's former henchman; Black Patch, a [[space pirate]]; and the [[Black knight|Black Knight]] of [[Pluto (dwarf planet)|Pluto]].

==Production==
[[File:Colonel Bleep credits.webm|right|thumb|A credits sequence that was produced for the Streamline VHS releases in the early 1990s]]

''Colonel Bleep'' was produced by Soundac, Inc. Soundac was originally formed in 1951 in [[Buffalo, New York]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/1959businesss1960creenmav20v21rich/page/n171 | title=Business screen magazine | year=1959 }}</ref> by [[Bobby Nicholson]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cantwaittillmond00kemp|title=Can't Wait Till Monday Morning|last=Kempner|first=Marvin|publisher=Rivercross Publishing Inc.|year=1998|isbn=0944957730|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/cantwaittillmond00kemp/page/56]|oclc=1029261298}}</ref> After Nicholson left, [[Robert D. Buchanan]] took his place.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cantwaittillmond00kemp|title=Can't Wait Till Monday Morning|last=Kempner|first=Marvin|publisher=Rivercross Publishing Inc.|year=1998|isbn=0944957730|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/cantwaittillmond00kemp/page/57]|oclc=1029261298}}</ref> In 1955, Soundac relocated to [[Miami, Florida]].<ref>https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-Television-Magazine-IDX/IDX/50s/1958/Television-1958-Dec-OCR-Page-0031.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

A collection of wraparounds for a hosted show illustrated the initial concept of ''Colonel Bleep'': the animated shorts would serve as the framework for a full-service children's [[variety show]], complete with quizzes, riddles and interactive content. It may have had a public airing on ''Colonel Bleep's'' Buffalo affiliate, [[WGRZ|WGR-TV]] (channel 2).<ref name=beck_colonelbleepshow>{{cite web|first=Jerry|last=Beck|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-colonel-bleep-show/|title=The Colonel Bleep Show|date=September 12, 2018|access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref>

The show was syndicated by Richard H. Ullman in Buffalo,<ref name=beck_colonelbleepshow/> and the wraparound segment reel was sponsored by the Canadian grocery store chain [[Loblaws]], which had locations in the Buffalo area at the time.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211210/Ghyf2zHbiME Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200514125619/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghyf2zHbiME&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghyf2zHbiME| title = The Colonel Bleep Show | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The show's working title was ''The Adventures of Colonel Bleep''.<ref name=beck_colonelbleepshow/><ref>https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_yR0EAAAAMBAJ/bub_gb_yR0EAAAAMBAJ_djvu.txt {{Bare URL plain text|date=March 2022}}</ref> The animation in the show was extraordinarily [[limited animation]], as was typical of TV animation during that era. Local newscaster Noah Tyler was the narrator for the show and provided virtually all of the vocal characterizations (most of the characters were mute).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=208–209}}</ref> Jack Schleh directed all of the episodes.  The design of the series was greatly influenced by the futuristic [[Googie Architecture|googie]] designs of the 1950s and early 1960s: space vehicles included angular designs and large tailfins, [[boomerang]]s were frequently incorporated into signs, architecture and some vehicles, and stereotypical atomic symbols were used frequently, particularly to represent Bleep's futomic energy.

Schleh and Buchanan also produced a series of syndicated physical fitness cartoons for children through Soundac called ''The Mighty Mister Titan''. The series premiered on January 1, 1964, with 100 episodes airing.<ref>https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Annuals/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/60s-OCR-YB/1968-YB/1968-BC-YB-OCR-Page-0485.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Unlike contemporary animated television shorts of the era, which were mostly preserved, practically no original material from the production of ''Colonel Bleep'' is known to exist today.

The show aired as late as 1971.<ref name="BridgeportPost">{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/bridgeport-post-sep-10-1971-p-23/ |title=TV Listings |work=Bridgeport Post |date=1971-09-10 |accessdate=2020-01-11 }}</ref> The copyrights of the show's episodes lapsed, without being renewed, in 1985.<ref>{{cite book|author= David Pierce|title=Motion Picture Copyrights & Renewals, 1950–1959|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GaUqAAAAYAAJ&q=%22colonel+bleep%22|date=1989|publisher=Milestone|isbn=978-0927347020|page=63}}</ref> Two [[videocassettes]] from the series were released by [[Streamline Pictures]] in 1991, containing most episodes still known to exist at the time (reportedly discovered in the film storage vault of a southwestern U.S. TV station which had formerly aired the show during a bankruptcy proceeding).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Cohen |first=Karl |date=1993-12-08 |title=The Legacy of Jack Schleh Colonel Bleep TV's First Animated Space Age |url=https://archive.org/details/wck_2/page/6/mode/2up |magazine=[[Wild Cartoon Kingdom]] |publisher=Wild Cartoon Kingdom |access-date=2023-04-20}}</ref> Apart from "The Treacherous Pirate", no more episodes were released until August 23, 2005, when [[Alpha Video]] released a [[DVD]] entitled ''Colonel Bleep Volume 1''. The DVD contains 23 episodes, about 20 of which do not appear on earlier video releases. Among the known episodes are the [[series premiere]] ("Col. Bleep's Arrival on Earth") and a [[clip show]] believed to be the [[series finale]] ("Test of Friendship").

Eight previously lost episodes were uploaded to YouTube on September 12, 2019, procured from [[sepia tone|sepia-toned]] black-and-white prints. A ninth lost episode ("Winner Take All") was also discovered and uploaded to YouTube on October 19, 2019; all nine of the rediscovered episodes were in the personal archives of Ron Kurer and his website Toon Tracker. In September 2018, animation historian Jerry Beck located black-and-white wraparounds, including the show's original title sequence, in the archives of Mark Kausler, and posted the film on [[YouTube]].<ref name=beck_colonelbleepshow/> A higher-quality version of the wraparounds was uploaded to YouTube on February 18, 2024. In October 2019, YouTube user D Fan (Los Angeles radio personality Jhani Kaye) uploaded a kinescope of an episode of the [[Local children's television|Local children's show]] ''[[Bill Stulla|Cartoon Express with Engineer Bill]]'' which included a title card for the lost episode ''Squeak and the Black Knight''; Kaye had previously included the ''Colonel Bleep'' snippet in a 2017 video posted on a previous account, but noted in a comment that the lost episode had already been cut from the film by the time he received it.

In March 2023, a lost episode "The Malicious Mailman" was discovered by film archivist Sarah Smith. The episode, a sequel to the existing episode "The Lunar Luger," <!-- as noted in an explanation from 1:24 to 1:38 on the posted video -->was restored at Multicom Entertainment Group.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarah-victoria-smith-094b5145_colonelbleep-lostfilms-television-activity-7038918292589199361-JidF | title=Sarah Smith on LinkedIn: #colonelbleep #lostfilms #television #filmhistory #televisionhistory… }}</ref> and released on the streaming service The Archive on August 23, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colonel Bleep: The Malicious Mailman {{!}} The Archive |url=https://www.thearchive.tv/feature/colonel-bleep-malicious-mailman |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=www.thearchive.tv |language=en}}</ref>

One episode, "The Treacherous Pirate", can be seen as part of ''The [[Speed Racer]] Show'', an anthology film released by Streamline Pictures in 1993; it was released on VHS, [[LaserDisc]] and DVD by [[Family Home Entertainment]] as ''Speed Racer: the Movie''. The episode occurs between ''Speed Racer'' episodes ("The Car Hater" and "Race Against the Mammoth Car, Part 1"). Production notes for ''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show]]'' cite ''Colonel Bleep'' as an inspiration to the show's animators, and the episode "''[[Space Madness (Ren & Stimpy episode)|Space Madness]]''" includes a recreation of ''Colonel Bleep's'' title sequence.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rea |first=Steven |url=http://articles.philly.com/1993-07-23/entertainment/25977825_1_tatsuo-yoshida-chim-chim-cartoons |title=A Fleet Of '60s 'Speed Racer' Cartoons |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=1993-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220183728/http://articles.philly.com/1993-07-23/entertainment/25977825_1_tatsuo-yoshida-chim-chim-cartoons |accessdate=2014-12-11 |archive-date=2014-12-20 }}</ref>

A clip from the ''Colonel Bleep'' episode "The Killer Whale" was seen in the ''[[Severance (TV series)|Severance]]'' season two episode "[[The After Hours (Severance)|The After Hours]]".<ref>{{cite web|first=Joshua M.|last=Patton|url=https://www.cbr.com/severance-the-twilight-zone-the-after-hours-reference/|title=Severance Just Made the Most Obvious Twilight Zone Reference (& Most People Missed It)|date=March 18, 2025|access-date=April 8, 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Animation|Cartoon|Television|1950s|1960s}}
* [[List of animated television series of the 1940s and 1950s]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Colonel Bleep|''Colonel Bleep''}}
* {{Wikisource-inline|Colonel Bleep|''Colonel Bleep''}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0280246|title=Colonel Bleep}}
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3Amovies%20AND%20collection%3Amore_animation%20AND%20subject%3A%22Colonel%20Bleep%22 ''Colonel Bleep'' episodes at the Internet Archive]

[[Category:1957 American animated television series debuts]]
[[Category:1950s American animated television series]]
[[Category:1960 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1960s American animated television series]]
[[Category:1950s American science fiction television series]]
[[Category:1960s American science fiction television series]]
[[Category:American children's animated science fiction television series]]
[[Category:American children's animated space adventure television series]]
[[Category:First-run syndicated animated television series]]
[[Category:Television series about cavemen]]
[[Category:Animated television series about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:Animated television series set on fictional islands]]
[[Category:Television series about sentient toys]]
[[Category:Space Age]]