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Roger Ramjet was an animated children's television comedy series created in the United States that first ran in 1965 and has aired in syndication since. Starring Roger Ramjet and the American Eagle Squadron, the show was known for its crude animation, frenetic pace, and frequent references to popular culture, which allowed the show to entertain various age groups.

Plot

Roger Ramjet is a patriotic and highly moral but not too bright superhero (kind of a jet age Dudley Do-Right), who is typically out to save the world, with help from his Proton Energy Pills ("PEP"), which give him "the strength of twenty atom bombs for a period of twenty seconds". The World is invariably saved by dispensing violence towards the various recurring criminals who are traditional characters in this form of entertainment.

On government missions assigned by General G.I. Brassbottom, Ramjet encounters various nemeses during his missions. Typically he is caught, and must be rescued by his crew of sidekicks, the American Eagles (named Yank, Doodle, Dan and Dee - a play on "Yankee Doodle Dandy".) Although his Eagles appear to be children, each of them, except for Dee, flies his own individual ramjet aircraft expertly, along with being obviously much more savvy than their leader.

The various recurring criminals include:

• The Solenoid Robots, who talk in barely-understandable electronic voices
• Gangster Noodles Romanoff (a play on the pasta dish of the same name.)
• Red Dog the Pirate
• Foreign spy femme fatale Jacqueline Hyde (a play on "Jekyll and Hyde")
• Tequila Mockingbird (a play on To Kill a Mocking Bird.)

Along the way, Lance Crossfire, Ramjet's rival for the affections of Lotta Love, is also likely to get in the way.

Voices

Gary Owens was the voice of Roger himself. The narrator was David Ketchum. Gene Moss and Jim Thurman, who wrote the episodes' teleplays, and Paul Shively who wrote the lyrics for the theme song, were also among the voice artists. Another recognizable voice (especially noticeable in the song) was the childlike voice characterization by Dick Beals, identical to that of another famous characterization of his, "Speedy Alka-Seltzer".

Theme song

The theme song's lyrics were sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle" and it was written and composed by Paul Shively and Charles Koren, and performed at the organ by Ivan Ditmars (of Let's Make A Deal fame). The first and third verses were sung over the opening credits. The second and third verses were sung over the closing credits. The chorus was sung after each verse.

Verse 1

Roger Ramjet and his Eagles

Fighting for our freedom

Fly through in and outer space

Not to join 'em, but to beat 'em

Verse 2

When Ramjet takes a Proton Pill

The crooks begin to worry

They can't escape their awful fate

From Proton's mighty fury

Verse 3

So come and join us all you kids

For lots of fun and laughter

As Roger Ramjet and his men

Get all the crooks they're after

Chorus

Roger Ramjet, he's our man

Hero of our nation

For his adventures just be sure

And stay tuned to this station

• Note: When the series aired on Cartoon Network in the 1990s, the original opening sequence and theme music was replaced with a sequence made by Cartoon Network, consisting of animation from the series set against a new background and a re-recorded theme in a rock & roll style. The new theme song kept the basic structure of "Yankee Doodle" (though played faster than the original, and many of the words were spoken rather than sung) and the lyrics of the original theme's chorus, used instead as a verse, and added lyrics for a new chorus:

Roger Ramjet, he's our man

Hero of our nation

For his adventures just be sure

And Stay Tuned to this station

When Ramjet takes a Proton Pill

The crooks begin to worry

They can't escape their awful fate

From Proton's mighty fury!

So come and join us all you kids

For lots of fun and laughter

As Roger Ramjet and his men

Get all the crooks they're after!

Yeah, Roger Ramjet, he's our man

If he can't do it, nobody can!

Beatin' up the bad guys where they lurk

Right here on Cartoon Network!

Episodes

Air dates

• Roger Ramjet first aired on syndication in 1965, then on NBC in 1978 to 1986, then on Nickelodeon in 1988 to 1994 and on Cartoon Network in 1994 to 1997. The show was also on the BBC from 1979 to 1994 in the UK and Europe wide on Sky Channel from 1985 to 1989. In Australia, in 1966 the show appeared on the ABC in the afternoon, and has been shown regularly on Australian television ever since.

Other production notes

• The creators of the series were from Lompoc, California, and worked in many references to the town into the series, including setting several episodes there. Invariably, the name of the town was mispronounced.

• The name 'Roger' was actually thought up after producer Fred Crippen had an inteview with a reporter called Roger Smith. Fred was asked about his new TV series and Roger joked that the main character should be named Roger.

Cast

• David Ketchum as the narrator
• Gary Owens as Roger Ramjet
• Bob Arbogast as General G.I. Brassbottom and Ma Ramjet
• Dick Beals as Yank and Dan of the American Eagles
• Gene Moss as Doodle of the American Eagles and Noodles Romanoff
• Joan Gerber as Dee of the American Eagles and Lotta Love
• Paul Shively as Lance Crossfire and Red Dog the Pirate

Credits

• Produced by: Fred Crippen
• Associate Producers: Dick Reed, Paul Shively
• Supervising Director: Fred Crippen
• Written by: Gene Moss, Jim Thurman
• Production Coordinator: Fred Calvert
• Animation: Don Schloat, Alan Zaslove, Bill Hutton, George Nicholas, Fred Crippen
• Background: Jack Heiter
• Layout: Rosemary O'Connor, Sam Weiss, Joe Bruno, Dave Hanan, Bob Kurtz
• Sound Effects: Phil Kaye
• Ink and Paint: Constance Crawley
• Checking: Dottie Mullens
• Camera: Roger Brown, Jerry Smith, Larry Hogan
• Sound: TV Recorders, Western Recorders
• Music: Ivan Ditmars
• Theme Song Written by: Charles Koren, Paul Shively
• Editor: Dee Futch
• Executive Producer: Kenneth C.T. Snyder

DVD release

On February 8, 2005, Classic Media (distributd by Sony Wonder) released Roger Ramjet: Hero Of Our Nation (Special Collector's Edition), a 3-Disc box set containing 119 of the 156 episodes of the series (although the box incorrectly states that 120 episodes are included). Another company, Image Entertainment, previously issued two single DVDs (Roger Ramjet: Hero Of Our Nation and Roger Ramjet: Man Of Adventure), each including 15 cartoons not featured in the three-disc set. This leaves seven cartoons unreleased on DVD (as of November 2007): #36 (Scotland Yard), #125 (Bunny), #128 (Jolly Rancher), #152 (Air Devil), #154 (Dry Dock), #155 (Machines), and #156 (Stolen).

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Roger Ramjet

• Roger Ramjet at the Internet Movie Database
• RogerRamjet.com-The Official Site of Roger Ramjet
• Roger Ramjet Intro YouTube

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