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Commander McBragg facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Commander McBragg is a fun cartoon character who starred in short animated stories. These stories were usually about 90 seconds long. They were made by Total Television Productions and animated by Gamma Productions.

Commander McBragg first appeared in 1963 on the cartoon show Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales. Later, you could also see him on the Underdog show from 1964 to 1973. His adventures have also been shown in reruns of The Bullwinkle Show, Hoppity Hooper, and Uncle Waldo's Cartoon Show.

How Commander McBragg's Stories Worked

Each cartoon segment began with a picture of a spinning globe and the title "The World of Commander McBragg."

Commander McBragg was a retired British naval officer. He would often corner a friendly but unlucky person at his gentleman's club. Then, he would tell an amazing story. These stories were always full of unbelievable and impossible events, just like his name suggests! They always ended with him making a very narrow escape.

For example, McBragg might point to a map or globe and say, "There! Zanzibar! Did I ever tell you about the time I...?" His friend would usually try to say "NO, Commander," but would soon get caught up in the exciting tale. At the end, the friend would always praise the Commander's cleverness, often with a funny pun. Commander McBragg would usually reply, "Quite."

Who Inspired Commander McBragg?

The deep, rough voice of Commander McBragg was done by a talented voice actor named Kenny Delmar. He was also famous for his fast-talking character "Senator Claghorn" on The Fred Allen Show.

The character of Commander McBragg is a classic example of a "boastful soldier" or miles gloriosus. This type of character, who brags about their military adventures and makes unbelievable claims, has been around since ancient Roman times!

Several things influenced the creation of Commander McBragg:

  • English Actor C. Aubrey Smith: He often played roles in movies that were similar to McBragg's adventures.
  • Baron Munchausen Stories: Many of McBragg's tales were inspired by the famous Baron Munchausen stories by Rudolf Erich Raspe. These stories are known for their incredibly tall tales.
  • P.G. Wodehouse's "Oldest Member": The way the Commander insists on telling his far-fetched stories, even when his audience doesn't want to listen, is similar to the "Oldest Member" golf stories by P. G. Wodehouse.
  • Brigadier Gerard: Arthur Conan Doyle also wrote stories about a character named Brigadier Gerard who had similar adventures.
  • Colonel Heeza Liar: This was an early animated character created by John R. Bray and directed by Walter Lantz (who later created Woody Woodpecker).
  • Captain Geoffrey Spicer-Simson: He was a real Royal Navy officer known for telling his own amazing and improbable stories. He even won the Battle of Lake Tanganyika during World War I with two small boats named Mimi and Toutou!

Commander McBragg Episodes

  • "Over the Falls"
  • "Fish Story"
  • "The Himalayas"
  • "The North Pole"
  • "Khyber Pass"
  • "Ace of Aces"
  • "Niagara Falls"
  • "Dodge City Dodge"
  • "Football By Hex"
  • "Rabelasla"
  • "Okefenokee Swamp"
  • "The Flying Machine"
  • "The Giant Elephant"
  • "The Great Bird"
  • "Chicago Mobster"
  • "The Monster Bear"
  • "The Kangaroo"
  • "The Giant Mosquito"
  • "The Black Knight"
  • "The Flying Pond"
  • "The Old Ninety-Two"
  • "Our Man in Manhattan"
  • "Oyster Island"
  • "The Steam Car"
  • "Swimming the Atlantic"
  • "Fort Apache"
  • "The Flying Trapeze"
  • "Around the World"
  • "Indianapolis Motor Speedway"
  • "The Rhino Charge"
  • "Mystifying McBragg"
  • "Mamouth Cavern"
  • "The Astronaut"
  • "Dam Break"
  • "The Eclipse"
  • "Ship of the Desert"
  • "Egypt"
  • "The Singing Cowboy"
  • "The Lumberjack"
  • "The Bronco Buster"
  • "Echo Canyon"
  • "Tightrope"
  • "Lake Tortuga"
  • "Coney Island"
  • "Rainbow Island"
  • "The Insect Collector"
  • "Lost Valley"
  • "The Orient Express"

Commander McBragg in Other Shows

Commander McBragg also made a special appearance in The Simpsons episode called "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story". In this episode, he was voiced by Maurice LaMarche. He acted as a judge for a scavenger hunt between Montgomery Burns and the Rich Texan. Both were very rich men who belonged to the same very exclusive club, called "The Excluder's Club."

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