Snidely Whiplash
First appearanceDudley Do-Right, segment of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
Created byJay Ward
Portrayed byAlfred Molina
Voiced byHans Conried (1959-1982)
Corey Burton (1983–present)

Snidely Whiplash is a fictional character who originally appeared as the main antagonist in the Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments of the animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. He is the archenemy of Dudley Do-Right.[1] He was listed among the 100 greatest characters in television animation.[2]

The character was voiced by Hans Conried in the original cartoon series. Alfred Molina played Whiplash in the 1999 live-action film version Dudley Do-Right.[1]

Whiplash is the stereotypical villain in the style of stock characters found in silent films and earlier stage melodrama, wearing black clothing and a top hat and with a handlebar moustache. Whiplash's henchman, Homer, usually wears a tuque.[2] In the cartoon's opening segments, Whiplash is seen tying Nell Fenwick to a railroad track. Whiplash is obsessed with tying young women to railroad tracks; he has no reason to do so and realizes no gain, profit or advantage, but is simply compelled to do it.[2][3] He is the antithesis of Do-Right, who is the archetype of goodness and a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman (RCMP). On one occasion, typical of producer Jay Ward's sense of humor, Whiplash and Do-Right changed hats; Do-Right became the criminal supervillain who actually succeeds at crime and Whiplash became the RCMP hero for capturing the evil Do-Right. This role reversal is repeated in the 1999 film adaptation.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Maslin, Janet (August 27, 1999). "Film Review – He's Still Backward, But Nell's Got Moxie". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Gitlin, Martin; Wos, Joseph (March 15, 2018). A Celebration of Animation; The 100 Greatest Cartoon Characters in Television History. Lyons Press. pp. 277–279. ISBN 9781630762797.
  3. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (July 9, 2013). I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined). Scribner. p. 11. ISBN 9781439184516.
  4. ^ Derenstein, Robert (August 27, 1999). "Dudley Do-Right". Deseret News. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
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