R.I.P. Jules Bass

[thezaxfactor]

Jules Bass, half of Rankin/Bass and co-executive producer of ThunderCats, passed away yesterday at the age of 87. Most of the press coverage is focusing on Rankin/Bass’s claymation holiday specials, like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman,” but for this community, his involvement in the creation our beloved cartoon can’t be overstated.

In addition to oversight of the show’s premise and initial development, including the hiring of Leonard Starr and Peter Lawrence, Bass wrote and co-wrote a number of early episodes under the pseudonym Julian P. Gardner. He’s also credited by Starr with the “thunder, thunder, thunder” part of the catchphrase, Mumm-Ra’s transformation, the addition of the ThunderKittens, and changing Lion-O’s name from the original Lion-L. Early on, Peter Lawrence took over head writer responsibilities from Starr, and together he and Bass oversaw story for the remainder of the show, collaborating on Silverhawks soonafter.

For more on Bass’s involvement in the development of ThunderCats, I would encourage all of you to check out [I]Hear the Roar[/I] by David Crichton, as well as Nick Mills’ interviews with Peter Lawrence and Stephen Perry.

[Daremonger]

@thezaxfactor

Jules Bass, half of Rankin/Bass and co-executive producer of ThunderCats, passed away yesterday at the age of 87. Most of the press coverage is focusing on Rankin/Bass’s claymation holiday specials, like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman,” but for this community, his involvement in the creation our beloved cartoon can’t be overstated.

In addition to oversight of the show’s premise and initial development, including the hiring of Leonard Starr and Peter Lawrence, Bass wrote and co-wrote a number of early episodes under the pseudonym Julian P. Gardner. He’s also credited by Starr with the “thunder, thunder, thunder” part of the catchphrase, Mumm-Ra’s transformation, the addition of the ThunderKittens, and changing Lion-O’s name from the original Lion-L. Early on, Peter Lawrence took over head writer responsibilities from Starr, and together he and Bass oversaw story for the remainder of the show, collaborating on Silverhawks soonafter.

For more on Bass’s involvement in the development of ThunderCats, I would encourage all of you to check out [I]Hear the Roar[/I] by David Crichton, as well as Nick Mills’ interviews with Peter Lawrence and Stephen Perry.

May Mr. Bass rest in peace. I own Hear the Roar! and have read it several times over.