Eva's Retro 60s Flashbacks

 NATASHA—That Femme FATALE

Natasha Fatale: Boris, Dollink!    

Though I lacked Dead Man’s curves at the age of ten-- a little Russian dressing enabled me to hammer-and-sickle the mannerisms, accent, and dialogue of Natasha Fatale as animatedly as her voice actress, June Foray. Ms. Fatale, Cold War cartoon villainess of Rocky & Bullwinkle (1961 – 1973) fame, became slightly more curvaceous with each progressing episode.  In Jet Fuel Formula, the first and longest story arc of the series, covering forty episodes, Natasha’s last name is pronounced “Fuh-TAH-lee”, while in the second story arc, it is pronounced “Fuh-TAHL.” 

Though the Cold War mushroom cloud hovered over the Baby Boomer generation, R&B’s political satire about the political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing between the  United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, went over my head like the desk I crouched under during those lame duck and cover drills.   

Boris Badenov: Shut up your mouth!    

Natasha’s short, stout sidekick who began the first story arc as a menacing villain with a demonic, red-eyed look, transformed into a more comic character and master of disguise vis a vis “Sir Thomas Lippenboris,” the millionaire yachtsman, spoofing Sir Thomas Lipton, the tah tah tea totalitarian. Natasha posed as “Lady Alice.” 

Правильно!(pra-vil’- na) That’s right! I experienced espionage Jet Fuel jet lag when it came to a burial under Cold War parodies Nikita Khrushchev style. The fictional nation of Pottsylvania represented the Soviet Union, though certainly not devoid of Nazi occupied Germany either. After all, Pottsylvania was ruled by a Fuhrer type “Fearless Leader,” a thin, scarred, monocle-wearing character. The name, Boris Badenov, my dollink, was punned from the 16^th century Russian czar, Boris Godunov. Easier than spotting a KGB agent, Natasha Fatale was simply herself-- a femme fatale! The nuclear arms race, space race, tech competition, and espionage of two world powers were as formulaic to the series as a benzochlorine chemical explosion which occurred in episode 1. 

Equally lost on me were the exchanges of double entendres, as elusive in their meanings as spy code:  

Boris Badenov: Ah, it good to be back on campus.

Natasha Natale: Boris, you went to college? Penn State?  

Boris Badenov: No, state pen. 

Ah, those two no good-niks!  Pottsylvanian spies in various disguises, they were relentless in their attempts to hoodwink Rocket J. Squirrel and his dim-witted pal, Bullwinkle J. Moose.  In their serial efforts to sabotage   the US economy, they counterfeited the cereal box top.

Jay Ward and Alex Anderson formulated the idea for The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show. Considered metafiction because the characters often reveal that they’re inside a work of fiction, its choppy animation has critics describing the series as a “well-written radio program with pictures.”

Boris Badenov: Phooey! Foiled again!

Natasha Fatale: Don't you mean, "Curses! Foiled again!"?  

Boris Badenov: Please, Natasha. This is kiddie show.

In the cartoon, the villainous antagonists proved to be as bumbling as the protagonists were naïve. During the Cold War, American spies for the CIA and Russian spies for the KGB conducted clandestine operations to gather intelligence about the other.  Rivaling June Foray’s impression of NATASHA—that femme FATALE—I ask: Boris, you think maybe “intelligence” big exaggeration?  

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