Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #270

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with a true classic starring Porky and Slyvester, Claws for Alarm (1954). This was the second of two cartoons (both directed by Chuck Jones) featuring Sylvester as the cowardly cat that must protect his owner Porky for murderous mice (the first being Scaredy Cat (1948)). Unlike other appearances of Sylvester, here the cat is treated more like a real cat and has no ability to speak. Chuck Jones would use this basic formula again for Jumpin' Jupiter (1955). That film would again feature Sylvester as a cowardly cat that must protect Porky. However, in that cartoon he would protect his master from a space alien rather than mice.  Claws For Alarm would later be used in the feature length compilation movie, Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988).

Next is the New 3 Stooges cartoon, Tee for Three (1965). These cartoons feature the voices of the real Stooges who also appear in the opening and closing live action segments. About the live action segments Curly Joe Derita would state, “There were 156 cartoons and we made only 40 live-action segments. So, after they ran the whole 40, they’d just start over by using these same introductions on new cartoons. This turned out to be misleading because viewers would say, ‘Oh, I’ve seen this one before.’ and they’d turn off the television. They didn’t know it was a new cartoon."  In the cartoon here the Stooges play a game of golf. They had previously played golf in the classic live action short film, Three Little Beers (1935). However, no gags are borrowed from that previous short, and the story is completely different. 

Now for the Talkartoons short, Silly Scandals (1931). This film marks the first cartoon in which Betty Boop has her first name. 

It is now time for an early Silly Symphonies cartoon, The Merry Dwarfs (1929). For Disney buffs one of the most appealing things about the Disney films of the 1920's is that many of them were directed by Walt Disney himself. While these cartoons may not be a polished or sophisticated as the Disney films of the mid to late 1930's and 40's, they give us a peek into the creative mind of one of the most important names in film history. Though there are no animation credits on this cartoon J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt's indispensable book about the Silly Symphonies states that Ub Iwerks, Les Clark, Johnny Cannon and Wilfred Jackson worked on this film. The background art is by Carlos Manriquez, who worked on many of the Silly Symphonies of the late 1920's and early 1930's. This film opened in New York, December 11-17, 1929, with the feature film, The Sky Hawk (1929) at the Gaiety theatre. It played at Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theatre running from January 17- April 11, 1930, with the feature film The Rouge Song (1930), which features one of the earliest feature film appearances of Laurel and Hardy. The short made its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on February 3, 1956.

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now we join our friend Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life (1945). This marked the only Mighty Mouse cartoon to be nominated for an Academy Award. The other cartoons nominated that year included Donald's Crime (Disney, 1945), Jasper and the Beanstalk (George Pal, 1945), Life With Feathers (Warner Brothers, 1945, the first appearance of Slyvester), Poet and Peasant (Walter Lantz, 1945), Quiet Please (MGM, 1945) and Rippling Romance (Columbia, 1945). The winner was Quiet Please marking the third time a Tom and Jerry cartoon won the Oscar. 

Up next is the Walter Lantz produced cartoon, The Big Cat and the Little Mousie (1938). I personally have a fondness for these black and white Walter Lantz cartoons. This is a really charming and fun film. It may not be exactly hilarious, but it does have a real charm to it. The whole sequence with the drunk mouse is similar to a famous sequence in the Disney cartoon, The Country Cousin (1936) and was perhaps inspired by it. While the character animation here may not be as impressive as that of the Disney film, it is still quite well done. A review in The Film Daily stated, "Kids and grownups alike will find this yarn amusing." A review in the Motion Picture Herald calls this film "unnecessary" and states, "The background commentary with its 'teeny weeny little mousie,' has a burlesque ring in light of the theme of this Oswald Rabbit subject." 

Now Mickey and friends in Potato Land (2013).

Now to close with a song. 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.

Resources Used

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman.

The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lanburg

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Movie Review: K-Pops

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A very charming but familiar feel-good movie. 

In this film, a down on his luck American drummer takes a job in Korea playing for a TV show about finding the next K-Pop star. Unexpectedly this results in him meeting the son, who is one of the constants, he never knew he had. 

The storyline of this movie doesn't do anything we haven't seen before, and you always know exactly what is going to happen next. However, despite this the movie is simply very charming. Much of this comes from the father son relationship. This relationship is just incredibly sweet and heartwarming. You can see both of them growing as a person, the more time they spend together. The father becomes more mature and less selfish, the more time they are together. Meanwhile the son becomes more confident and willing to put himself out there. All of this feels very real and natural. The chemistry between Anderson .Paak (who also directed and co-wrote the movie (as well as written some of the songs)) and Soul Rasheed is simply phenomenal making you never doubt that you are really looking at a father and son. I found the moments in which they shared the screen simply warmed my heart. 

Add to this some good music (Earth, Wind and Fire even appear in the film), funny moments and a good supporting cast and you simply have a charming movie. 

Yes, this may be incredibly predictable and familiar, but it is also a real charmer. 

Movie Review: Midwinter Break

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

A quite moving film. 

This movie tells the story of an older couple who travel to Amsterdam. On their trip they find just how much they have drifted apart and must deal with their failing marriage. For a movie like this, one of the most important aspects is who is cast as the couple. Luckily these characters are played by Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds. Both of them are truly fantastic here fully bringing out the humanity and vulnerability behind these characters. Their performances constantly glue us to the screen, even with the slow pace. Another expected but important aspect for a film like this is the visual look. This movie very much captures the visual beauty of Amsterdam and after watching this film you will want to go there. Yet what really makes this movie work so well is the complexity of the main couple's relationship. I won't give much away, but what I loved about this movie is that there is not a right side or a wrong side in this relationship. Instead, these are simply two people, who view the world in completely different ways. There is no point where a character cheats on the other nor do they set out to intentionally hurt one another. Rather it is simply their extreme differences in worldviews that causes them to wonder if they are actually compatible. This makes the film all that much more moving, thought provoking and heartbreaking. 

This is a rare modern movie in which I think it should have been longer. 90 minutes is simply not enough time to tackle all the complex social matter that this movie wants to and because of this some of the most interesting ideas are not explored to the depth they should be. While the ending is supposed to be ambiguous, it instead comes off as rushed and abrupt.   

Despite any flaws though, this is an excellent movie.     

Movie Trailer: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea

 

Movie Trailer: Mortal Combat II

 

Movie Trailer: Scream 7

 

Movie Review: Redux Redux

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful sci-fi thriller. 

In this film a woman is traveling through each alternative universe in the multiverse. In each of these alternative universes she kills the man who killed her teenage daughter. She gets so caught up in revenge and violence that she starts to lose grip on her own humanity.  

It is no secret that by now the whole multiverse premise has been done to death. That makes it all the more impressive that this film was able to make it feel fresh. Much of this is due to how it approaches this familiar premise in a unique way. While most Multiverse movies show worlds that are drastically different from each other. However here the differences between these different universes are very miniscule to the point where it is difficult to tell the difference. This fits the story and themes of this film perfectly. It places our main character fully in a loop, repeating the exact same actions in nearly the exact same setting. We understand how with this she can get into the position of becoming completely dehumanized. The story also stands out from many other multiverse films as the sci-fi elements take a backseat to characters. This is first and foremost a character study. Both our main character and the teenage girl she befriends along the way are very well-developed characters who are more complex than your average heroes or villains. We find ourselves connecting extremely deeply with these characters, almost feeling that we know them as well as we know ourselves. The relationship between them is also incredibly well developed and at times even quite touching. 

This movie is also boosted a very strong villain, who is so incredibly real that is even more frightening than any supernatural monster we might see in a horror film. Also, heavily because of this character, the movie has one of the most intense and suspenseful climaxes I have seen in a new movie in quite a while. 

This is a top-notch film that I highly recommend.