Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #240

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

Today's cartoon selection starts with a true Disney classic, Mickey's Circus (1936). Though this movie features major stars like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Walt Disney himself had a fondness for a supporting character in this cartoon. That character was the littlest of the seals. Walt loved this character and because of that he suggested gags for the seal and even wished to revive him in later cartoons. The character would appear in only one more film and that would be over a decade later. That cartoon was Mickey and the Seal (1948). Mickey and the Seal would also give the character a name, Salty. The following is from a review from the Film Daily, "There are serval barrelsful of laughs in this Technicolor Mickey Mouse cartoon from Walt Disney's workshop. The very ridiculousness of the antics of Donald Duck, Mickey and the trained seals bring laughs whether one wants to laugh or not." The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald. "MICKEY'S CIRCUS: Mickey Mouse— Average Mickey Mouse, not as good as several previous ones but still good. - John A. Mulligan, Broadway Theatre, Schuylerville, N.Y. General Patronage." 

Now for one of the best Casper the friendly ghost cartoons, Ghost of Honor (1957). This short film tells the story of how Casper became a cartoon star.

Up next is the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, My Gal Sal (1930). The title song was written by Paul Dresser (born April 22, 1857, passed away January 30, 1906), brother of novelist Theodore Dreiser. Having performed in minstrel shows, medicine shows and vaudeville, he was a popular singer, composer and actor of his day. He had even been compared to Stephen Foster. His biggest hit was the 1897 song, On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away. Unfortunately, around the turn of the century, his music fell out of style and in 1905 his music publishing company would declare bankruptcy. 

Next is Hoot Kloot in Gold Sturck (1974). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes the first Daffy Duck cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939). Today many cartoon fans associate Chuck with being one of the main people who changed Daffy from his early high energy crazy self into a more vain, jealous and greedy character. This film however features Daffy in his early crazy high energy mode. A review in The Motion Picture Herald even stated, "The gags and situations are appropriately matched to the zany personality of the duck." Another review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Leon Schlesinger delivers good color cartoon work in this "Merrie Melody," but the striving for whimsy hits only in spots." The following is an exhibitors' review also from The Motion Picture Herald, "Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur: Merrie Melodies—Very few laughs in this one. Not up to standard of most cartoons in this series. Running time seven minutes. - Don Bloxham, Place Theatre, Exira, Iowa, General and rural patronage."
 

Now for Felix the cat in The Cold Rush (1925). 

Up next is the Disney short, Goofy Gymnastics (1949). I have mentioned many times here that I am a massive fan of the Goofy cartoons that Jack Kinney had directed for Disney. Kinney remains one of my favorite cartoon directors and I view him as being on the same level as Tex Avery and Chuck Jones. This short film made its TV debut on an episode of the Disneyland TV show entitled The Goofy Sports Story (1956). It would later air on an episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color entitled In Shape with Von Drake (1964). 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Space Patrol (1987). This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the animated family got their own series. 

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

Resources Used

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

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

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Goofy_Gymnastics

https://mediahistoryproject.org/