Jay Ward

Born September 20, 1920, in San Francisco, California.
Died October 12, 1989, in Hollywood, California, of kidney cancer.

Jay Ward was the head of Jay Ward Productions. Together with Alex Anderson, he produced Crusader Rabbit. Together with Bill Scott, he produced Rocky and His Friends and all subsequent Jay Ward shows. Jay Ward was neither an animator nor a writer, though he did collaborate with Bill Scott in the writing of a few early episodes before the other writers were hired.

Jay Ward cartoons are full of allusions to his name, especially in characters' middle initials. In addition to Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel, there were such minor characters as Fiduciary J. Blurt, Sordid J. Scrivener, Hasty J. Rabbit, and Tycoon J. Fox. Sometimes the writers poked fun at Ward. Boris Badenov used the pseudonym Avaricious J. Wardheeler. The Earl of Crankcase's three nephews were named Filcher, Belcher, and Jay. A segment of Fractured Flickers entitled "What is Jay Ward Really Like?" portrayed the producer as a stingy, ultra-conservative tyrant. The inclusion of all these jokes provides further evidence that Ward's strongest personality trait was his sense of humor.

Frostbite Falls Page