Snidely Whiplash
Encyclopedia
Snidely Whiplash is the cartoon
arch-villain
to Dudley Do-Right
in the tongue-in-cheek Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
by American animation pioneer Jay Ward
.
The character was voiced by Hans Conried
in the original cartoon series. Snidely was later played by Alfred Molina
in the 1999 live action film version Dudley Do-Right
, starring Brendan Fraser
as Dudley.
Whiplash is the stereotypical villain
, in the style of stock characters found in silent movie
s and earlier stage melodrama
, wearing black clothing, cape, and a top hat
, and twirling his long handlebar moustache
. He has a henchman named Homer, who usually wears a tuque
. In the cartoon's opening segments, Snidely is seen tying Nell Fenwick to a railroad track. He is the antithesis
of Do-Right, a picture-perfect stereotype of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
do-gooder.
In one cartoon episode Whiplash and Dudley change hats; Dudley becomes a Super-villain and Whiplash becomes the Fearless RCMP who receives a medal for bringing the evil Dudley Do-Right in.
A similar villain design derived from the same archetype was later used for Hanna-Barbera
villain Dick Dastardly
.
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
arch-villain
Archenemy
An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
to Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right, created by Alex Anderson, is the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film in the form of the Northern genre....
in the tongue-in-cheek Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
by American animation pioneer Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
.
The character was voiced by Hans Conried
Hans Conried
Hans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
in the original cartoon series. Snidely was later played by Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears...
in the 1999 live action film version Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right (film)
Dudley Do-Right is a 1999 romantic comedy film, based on Jay Ward's Dudley Do-Right, produced by Davis Entertainment for Universal Studios. The film stars Brendan Fraser as the cartoon's title character. It was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
, starring Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
as Dudley.
Whiplash is the stereotypical villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
, in the style of stock characters found in silent movie
Silent Movie
Silent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
s and earlier stage melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
, wearing black clothing, cape, and a top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
, and twirling his long handlebar moustache
Handlebar moustache
A handlebar moustache is a moustache with particularly lengthy, upward curved, extremities. It is named for its resemblance to the handlebars of a bicycle. It is also known as a "spaghetti moustache", because of its stereotypical association with Italian men...
. He has a henchman named Homer, who usually wears a tuque
Tuque
A – variously known as a knit hat or stocking cap among other names – is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter...
. In the cartoon's opening segments, Snidely is seen tying Nell Fenwick to a railroad track. He is the antithesis
Antithesis
Antithesis is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition...
of Do-Right, a picture-perfect stereotype of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
do-gooder.
In one cartoon episode Whiplash and Dudley change hats; Dudley becomes a Super-villain and Whiplash becomes the Fearless RCMP who receives a medal for bringing the evil Dudley Do-Right in.
A similar villain design derived from the same archetype was later used for Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
villain Dick Dastardly
Dick Dastardly
Dick Dastardly is a fictional character and antagonist who appeared in various animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Dastardly's most famous appearances are main character in the series Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines...
.
Cultural references
- Pinky and the BrainPinky and the BrainPinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs...
made a reference to Snidley in the episode "Leave It to Beavers/Cinebrainia" where Pinky, dressed in a top hat and long mustache, ties a rag doll to train tracks and Brain, dressed as a Mounty, attempts to save it. - Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
paid homage to Snidely Whiplash when it was revealed on the episode "Mother TuckerMother Tucker"Mother Tucker" is the second episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on September 17, 2006. The episode follows Peter's mother, Thelma, divorcing from Peter's father, Francis, and dating news anchorman Tom Tucker...
" that Peter GriffinPeter GriffinPeter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
has an evil twinEvil twinThe evil twin is an antagonist found in many different fictional genres. They are physical copies of protagonists, but with radically inverted moralities. In filmed entertainment, they can have obvious physical differences with the protagonist—such as facial hair, eyepatches, scars or distinctive...
brother Thaddeus, who looks exactly like Peter but talks and dresses like Snidely, and wears an identical long mustache.
- One of Lee Publications' invisible inkInvisible inkInvisible ink, also known as security ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and which later on can be made visible by some means. Invisible ink is one form of steganography, and it has been used in espionage...
books contains a puzzle in which Snidely Whiplash has kidnapped a beautiful circus acrobatAcrobaticsAcrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
. - The Sims 2: Bon VoyageThe Sims 2: Bon VoyageThe Sims 2: Bon Voyage is the sixth expansion pack released in The Sims 2 series of PC games. It was released on September 4, 2007 in North America and September 6, 2007 in Europe for the Microsoft Windows Operating System. For the Mac OS X Operating System, it was released on December 17, 2007 by...
features a character who picks pockets and strongly resembles Whiplash. - In the pilot episode of The Fairly OddParentsThe Fairly OddParentsThe Fairly OddParents is an American-Canadian animated television series created by Butch Hartman about the adventures of Timmy Turner, who is granted fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda. The series started out as cartoon segments that ran from September 4, 1998 to March 23, 2001 on Oh Yeah!...
, when Vicky is shot out of a circus cannon, she lands on railroad tracks, and is tied to it by Timmy, who is dressed like Snidely Whiplash. - Hall-of-Fame relief pitcherRelief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Rollie FingersRollie FingersRoland Glen Fingers is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During his 18-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers . He became only the second reliever to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992...
of the Oakland A'sOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
was nicknamed "Snidely Whiplash" because of his handlebar mustache. - Droopy does his impression of Snidely Whiplash in his cameo in the Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit after tying Jessica RabbitJessica RabbitJessica Rabbit is a fictional character from the Roger Rabbit film-and-novel franchise.Jessica Rabbit may also refer to:* Jessica Rabbit vibrator, a sex toy* Melyssa Ford , Canadian model-See also:...
to the tracks of the roller coaster in which Roger Rabbit and Baby Herman are riding. - In the TV series GargoylesGargoyles (TV series)Gargoyles is an American animated series created by Greg Weisman. It was produced by Greg Weisman and Frank Paur and aired from October 24, 1994 to February 15, 1997. Gargoyles is known for its dark tone, complex story arcs and melodrama...
, Elisa's brother Derek says that David XanatosDavid XanatosDavid Xanatos is one of the primary characters of the animated series Gargoyles. In the series, he is the founder, owner and CEO of Xanatos Enterprises and a member of the Illuminati...
is not the reincarnation of Snidely Whiplash. - In the Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
episode riffing Space MutinySpace MutinySpace Mutiny is a 1988 South African science-fiction action film about a mutiny aboard the spaceship known as the Southern Sun.- Plot :...
, Kalgon, the main villain, yells that the main heroes are "meddling fools", prompting CrowCrow T. RobotCrow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Crow is a robot, who, along with others, quips and riffs upon poor-quality B movies.- Overview :...
to remark "Who is he, Snidely Whiplash?" - In The ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny Whiplash has a brief cameo near the beginning and is later seen in a pile of dead bodies near Captain HookCaptain HookCaptain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...
's hand. - The single cover of the Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
song MeanMean (song)"Mean" is a song by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now . The song, written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman and Swift, was first released as a promotional single for the album on October 17, 2010, by Big Machine Records...
features Taylor tied to a set of railroad tracks, watched over by a man who bears a striking resemblance to Snidely.