Wossamotta U
Wossamotta U — a mondegreen of "what's the matter [with] you" — is the ninth story arc from the fifth season of The Bullwinkle Show. It was broadcast on the NBC network during the 1963–1964 television season.
"Wossamotta U" | |
---|---|
The Bullwinkle Show episode | |
Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 9 (12 segments) |
Directed by | Gerard Baldwin, Pete Burness, Bill Hurtz, Gerry Ray, Bob Schleh, George Singer, Ernie Terrazas |
Written by | George Atkins, Chris Hayward, Chris Jenkins, Lloyd Turner |
Production code | 351–362 |
Original air date | 1963–1964 |
Summary
When two scouts see Bullwinkle tossing Rocky, Rocky and Bullwinkle are offered scholarships to Wossamotta U., a school with a dreadful football record. Bullwinkle's passing skills enable Wossamotta to consistently win, so Boris concocts the fiendish plan of having his team of brutal thugs and murderers, the Mud City Manglers (coached by Fearless Leader), compete — disguised as girls. Since the latter are certain to lose, Boris can safely bet the Pottsylvania treasury on their winning, and rake in a fortune at 200:1 odds. The Big Game is played following Civil War ("Tha's War between the States!") battle plans, and proceed to play on until Bullwinkle scores the decisive Touchdown to presumably win the game.
Even moreso than other Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes, this story arc contains numerous editing errors and inconsistencies, including a final score that actually left Mud City ahead by a single point; the show's dialogue made it clear that Wossamotta was the intended winner.
The dialog includes one of the series' most-memorable exchanges. When Rocky is informed they'll be playing against females —
- "Bullwinkle, this is terrible!"
- "It is?"
- "What kind of game can you play with girls?"
- [addressing the audience] "Boy, this really is a children's show, isn't it?" <beat> "Parcheesi, of course!"
The University of Wossamotta was shown as Rocky and Bullwinkle's alma mater in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle movie. The Wossamotta U alma mater contains the following lines: "Our praise for you will never cease / All hail magenta and cerise."
Episode segments
Episode 1
- Wossamotta U
- Aesop and Son: The Fox and the Hound
- Mr. Know-It-All: How to be a Top Flight Stock Salesman
- Peabody's Improbable History: Lord Francis Douglas
- A College for Two or Rock Enrolls
Episode 2
- The Hidden Ball Play or Goal Is Where You Find It
- Fractured Fairy Tales: Snow White Meets Rapunzel
- Bullwinkle's Corner: Simple Simon
- Dudley Do-Right: Trading Places
- Wager at Dawn or Early to Bet
Episode 3
- Standing Room Only or Bullwinkle Sells Out
- Fractured Fairy Tales: The Seven Chicken
- Mr. Know It-All: How To Buy A Used Car
- Peabody's Improbable History: Christopher Columbus
- Bullwinkle Scores Again or Fool’s Goal
Episode 4
- Rogue’s Gallery or Hold That Line-Up
- Aesop And Son: The Tree Bears
- Mr. Know-It-All: How To Direct A Temperamental Movie Star
- Peabody's Improbable History: Lawrence Of Arabia
- Male Bags or Homely Are the Brave
Episode 5
- Mine Eyes Have Seen the Gory or Moose’s In the Col’ Col’ Ground
- Fractured Fairy Tales: Tale Of A Frog
- Bullwinkle's Corner: Grandfather's Clock
- Dudley Do-Right: Mechanical Dudley
- Bullwinkle’s Battle Plan or Civil Defense (that's War Between the States Defense)
Episode 6
- Bullwinkle Buys a Fence or Pickets Charge
- Fractured Fairy Tales: The Powerful Duke
- Bullwinkle's Corner: The Cherry Tree
- Dudley Do-Right: Mechanical Dudley
- A Rock for Rock or To Each His Stone
Video releases
In the late 1970s, this story arc was released in complete form on an RCA SelectaVision disc, including episodes of Fractured Fairy Tales, Peabody & Sherman, and Dudley Do-Right. In the early 1990s, it was released in a version that deleted about seven minutes, as the main feature of the video "Norman Moosewell" (VHS and LV). These episodes have been excerpted on the 2007 Best of Rocky and Bullwinkle: Volume 2 DVD. Volume 5 of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, released on March 29, 2011, includes all 12 episodes, unedited.
External links
- Rocky and Bullwinkle Episode Guide at Toontracker
- The Bullwinkle Show at TV.com
- Rocky and His Friends at IMDB