Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #192

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

Today's cartoon selection starts off with a real treat, the Porky Pig short, The Case of the Stuttering Pig (1937). This short film is (in my opinion) one of the best black and white Porky Pig cartoons as well as one of the best cartoons directed by Frank Tashlin. Tashlin was a major movie fan and would later go on to direct live action features. Because of this his cartoons often have a real cinematic look and feel to them. This can especially be felt in this film, which captures the same spooky sense of atmosphere as can be seen in the best haunted house and monster movies of this time period. Yet this short is also laugh out loud funny. The ending gag is a personal favorite of mine. 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Arctic Rivals (1954).

Next is the first Mickey Mouse cartoon made, Plane Crazy (1928). This was back in the days when Mickey was still a simple country mouse who went around barefoot and didn't wear gloves. These early Mickey cartoons have a genuine rural feel to them (partly because Walt always considered himself a farm boy at heart) that I personally find irresistible and definitely prefer over the suburban settings featured in his later cartoons. In this film Mickey dreams of being a pilot and makes himself a homemade plane that would make the Our Gang kids jealous. This is because aviation was a popular topic around this time due to the fame of Charles Lindbergh (briefly caricatured here) after his New York to Paris flight of 1927. Walt had already had his earlier star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in an aviation themed cartoon with The Ocean Hop (1927). This cartoon began production in March 1928. The production of this cartoon was done in secret due to the fact that Walt was still under contract to make Oswald cartoons for Universal. Animator Ub Iwerks (who animated the film by himself) was separated from the artists working on the Oswald shorts so that he could not be seen by them. Hugh Harman later described this saying, "They curtained off part of the studio with a great black drop, black skim of some kind, so that I and a few others who were leaving couldn't see the great secret that was going on." Ub Iwerks was one of the fastest animators of the time and finished this cartoon in only a matter of weeks. It has been said that he made as many as 700 drawings in one day. This cartoon was originally made as a silent film, yet you will notice the opening title card says, "Sound Cartoon." The reason for this is that after the success of Steamboat Willie (1928, which was a sound cartoon), a soundtrack was added to this cartoon. 

Now we join our old friend Dimwit in the Terry Toon short, How to Keep Cool (1953). Dimwit started life as a supporting player in other characters' cartoons, especially those of Heckle and Jeckle. Because of the popularity of Disney's hilarious Goofy cartoons of the 1950's, it was decided to put Dimwit in similar roles and similar films. How to Keep Cool could have easily been a Goofy cartoon with no story changes at all. This idea would only last for three films (this one, How to Relax (1954) and Daddy's Little Darling (1957)). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

As many of you know when Fleischer Studios was shut down, it was succeeded by Famous Studios who not only created new series, but continued the series started by the former studio. Many cartoon fans feel that this series went downhill after this, but the falling of quality was hardly something immediate. I especially am a fan of the early Famous Studios Popeye films. These cartoons may be different from the Fleischer output, but they are fast paced, energetic and a lot of fun. There were also a wide variety of storylines used during this time that were not the simple one of Popeye and Bluto fighting over Olive. One great example of how good these films are is Me Musical Nephews (1942). The following is a review from The Film Daily, "One of the best Popeye shorts to hit the screen in years. Popeye's young nephews keep their uncle awake by practicing on their musical instruments and the grief they cause him is the central theme for some hilarious fun. This one deserves prominent billing."

Next comes the silent Aesop's Film Fables cartoon, The Fable of the Alley Cat (1923). The short stars our old friend Farmer Alfalfa and features a wonderfully creative dream sequence. It is a pure delight. 

Next we join the one and only Donkey Kong in How Much Is That Gorilla in the Window (1983). This cartoon comes from a TV Show called Saturday Supercade. Each episode of this show was made up of multiple cartoons based on popular video game characters. Other video game characters featured in this show included Frogger, Donkey Kong Jr., Q*bert, Space Ace, Kangaroo and Pitfall Harry. In this cartoon, Donkey Kong is voiced by Soupy Sales, a comedian best known for his TV work in the 1950's and 60's. Mario is voiced by Peter Cullen, best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers. 

Now it is time for some real culture with Bullwinkle's Corner. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with a very educational short film.

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

Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age by Michael Barrier

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/