Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #245

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Heckle and Jeckle in Fishing by the Sea (1947). Paul Terry felt that the Heckle and Jeckel films were the best cartoons his studio produced, and I tend to agree. 

Next comes a true classic, Orphan's Benefit (1934). This film marks the second Donald Duck cartoon and the first time Donald appeared alongside Mickey and friends. As many of you know, Donald first appeared in The Silly Symphony short, The Wise Little Hen (1934). However, some of those who worked on the Disney cartoons at this time (including Walt), misremembered this as the first Donald Duck cartoon. This may be because the short was the first one the studio started work on. Historian J.B. Kaufman has stated that the Disney story department began work on this cartoon (with an outline entitled The Surprise Party) in November 1933, before they started work on The Wise Little Hen.  However, this outline was quite different from the finished film. Donald was a small boy who was dragged to a party by his mother and made to recite Mary Had a Little Lamb. The recitation of Mary Had a Little Lamb has its origins in the origin of Donald's voice. Clarence Nash had created this voice as a child himself not to be the voice of a Duck but of a crying baby goat. He used to entertain his friends by reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb in this voice. He would later do this act professionally both live and on radio. Walt Disney, having heard Nash do this voice on radio, felt that it sounded more like a duck and pitched the idea of voicing a duck to Nash. In the early 1940's several older Disney cartoons were considered for some shot for shot remakes. However only one of these were made and that was Orphan's Benefit (1941). The remake was almost exactly like the earlier picture except being that in color and using the 1941 designs of the characters. In fact, the remake even uses the exact soundtrack of the original. However, I personally prefer this 1934 black and white original and I hope you love it too. A review in The Film Daily stated, "It's all very clever, screamingly funny and with a dandy of a musical score." 

Next comes Flip the Frog in Room Runners (1932). Anyone who expects old cartoons to be sweet and innocent, may be very surprised by some of the gags in this film. 







Now comes 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). 







Now it is time for a commercial break.




Next is a wonderful example of Walt Disney's silent Alice Comedies, Alice Rattled by Rats (1925). This short film features Margie Gay as Alice. She was the second child actress to play the role after Virgina Davis and she appeared in more Alice Comedies than any of the three other actresses to play the role.  

We continue with Popeye in I'm in the Army Now (1936). This short film is a bit of a cheater and features clips from previous Popeye cartoons. The cartoons that clips are used from include Blow Me Down (1934), Shoein' Hosses (1934), Choose Your 'Weppins' (1935) and King of the Mardi Gras (1935). This is one of my favorite cheater cartoons, because the new scenes are just as entertaining as the clips. I especially love Bluto talking about what a big star he was in the movies. This serves as a good reminder for those of us who grew up watching these films on TV that they were originally made for movie theaters. 




Today's cartoon selection ends with the Hanna-Barbera Abbott and Costello cartoon, Gator Baiter (1968). In these made for TV cartoons, Bud Abbott voiced himself. Lou Costello had passed away and was voiced by Stan Irwin. Bud at this time was not in the best of health. Stan Irwin later remembered, "Whenever Bud started slurring- you know it was in his teeth - the director [Art Scott] would say, 'Bud we had a little problem with the sound in here. Mind if we take it over?' or a techintion would say, 'Our fault, Bud, our fault. We weren't ready. Mind doing it again?"




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

Resources Used

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald 

The Abbott and Costello Story by Stephen Cox and John Lofflin