Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #204

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with one of the greatest Christmas cartoons of all time, Santa's Workshop (1932). This movie marks the fourth Silly Symphony in color and as is true of many of Disney's early color films, the filmmakers never took color for granted. I would dare to say that few filmmakers have ever used color as effectively as the Disney studio did at this time. All these decades later and this cartoon still looks incredible. Many of you may know that Walt Disney himself voiced Mickey in many cartoons. In this movie we get to hear him voice another character in a similar falsetto voice, this is one of Santa's elves and I am sure many of you will quickly recognize the voice. The other elves were voiced by J. Delos Jewkes and Pinto Colvig (the voice of Goofy). Walter Geiger voiced Santa. A working title for this film was Santa's Toy Shop. It premiered at the Roxy in New York on December 16, 1932 playing alongside the feature film, Man Against Woman. It played with this movie from the 16th to the 23rd. It would continue to play at the theatre from the 24th to January 1st, 1933 this time playing alongside the feature. Rare for a short cartoon at this time, Santa's Workshop was revived in big name movie theatres in 1933. This film went through production relatively fast beginning in September 1932 and hitting movie theatres by December of the same year. This cartoon would later receive a sequel, The Night Before Christmas (1933). In 1936 an idea for another Silly Symphony cartoon centering around Santa and his helpers at the north pole was proposed. In this cartoon a little boy would have been shrunk to the size of a toy and given a chance to see Santa's workshop. One title for this would have been The North Pole. This idea never came to be. The following is an Exhibitors Review from the Motion Picture Herald. "Santa's Workshop: This is the greatest one-reeler we have ever had the pleasure of screening in our theatre and did the kids flock in! It is filmed in glorious color and there is only one word that can describe it - beautiful. Just as the name suggests, it shows Santa's workshop where all of the toys are made and just the type of short for this season. We played this three days and many patrons young and old, saw it two or three times. Many thanks to Walt Disney and United Artists for this great short. Running time, eight minutes - J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C. General Patronage." The following are some Exhibitors Reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. "Santa's Workshop: Silly Symphony - An excellent all color short you will do well to book. They just rave over it. Running time, seven minutes - Wm. A. Crute, Victoria Theatre, Vancouver, B.C. Neighborhood Patronage." "Santa's Workshop: Silly Symphony - Excellent and drew considerable business. - B.R. Johnson, Orpheum Theatre, Kerrobert, Canada, Rural Patronage." "Santa's Workshop: Silly Symphonies - These cartoons are good but an exhibitor can feed his public up on them by booking too many. Once a week is plenty. Running time, eight minutes. - Edmund M. Burke, Fort Plain Theatre, Fort Plain, N.Y. General Patronage."

Next is Daffy Duck in Boston Quackie (1957). This film is a parody of the character Boston Blackie. That character first appeared in a 1914 book by Jack Boyle, followed by many other books featuring the characters. In only a few years the character was appearing in silent films. In the 1940's Chester Morris played the character in a series of 14 B-movies. In 1944 Morris also played the character in a radio series. In 1951, Kent Taylor played the character in a TV series called Boston Blackie that ran for 58 episodes. 

Now for some black and white Terry-Toons fun with Home Town Olympics (1936). 

Possibly the best of the Fleischer Brothers' Color Classics cartoons and a must watch for me every Christmas season is Christmas Comes But Once a Year (1936). As well as a really catchy title song and some fun gags, this cartoon has a warm Christmas-y feel. Unlike some of the studio's other attempts at sentimentality, this film never feels forced in this respect. Instead the sentimentality feels genuine and earned. Though most of the Color Classics featured one off characters, this short stars Grampy from the Betty Boop cartoons. Grampy was one of the best things about the later Betty Boop films and he definitely gets to shine here. The title song in this short movie would later be reused in the Popeye cartoon, Let's Celebrake (1938) with the lyrics changed to be about New Years instead. Some of Grampy's household toy ideas would later be used in the Casper cartoon, True Boo (1952). 

Motion Picture Herald, 1936

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for a delightful early Looney Tunes cartoon, The Booze Hangs High (1930). This short film predates such characters as Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. Instead the star of the movie is Bosko, who was the first starring character for the Looney Tunes cartoons. While this movie may not feel much like the Looney Tunes cartoons that were yet to come, it is still a fun little film. The Booze Hangs High was only the 4th Looney Tunes cartoon. 

If the Columbia cartoon, Up N' Atom (1947), feels like a Looney Tunes cartoon, there is a reason for this. The cartoon was directed by Bob Clampett, who directed some legendary cartoons for Warner Brothers, and directed by Sid Marcus, who would later write the first Tasmanian Devil cartoon for Warner Brothers. Notice that the cat in this film looks a lot like Sylvester. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with the TV special, A Garfield Christmas Special (1987).

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

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #124

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

One thing I have always loved about DePatie-Freleng Inspector cartoons is the wide variety of strange and creative villains, our hero finds himself up against. One time villains in this series prove to be just as memorable as the regular characters. Case in point here is Canadian Can-Can (1967). 

Chess-Nuts (1932) has everything I love about the early Betty Boop cartoons. In other words it is absolutely insane. In the style of the Fleischer Studio's earlier Out of the Inkwell shorts, this film starts off in live action before our cartoon heroes take over. In typical Fleischer fashion this is done to surreal and very funny effect. As the movie goes along, it only gets more surreal and funnier. This cartoon was made during the pre-code era and the short could not make this more obvious (if you don't know what pre-code means click here). Betty's dress comes off multiple times and it is obvious that the evil king is only interested in one thing. The following is an exhibitor's review (for Betty Boop cartoons as a whole) from the Motion Picture Herald. "Betty Boop Cartoons: I believe these cartoons are getting better all the time. My Patrons like them better than Mickey Mouse and I am running them both. The sound on these cartoons is wonderful and the cartoon is original and clever. Get the Betty Boop and Bimbo buttons and give them to the kids. The Bimbo and Betty Boop dolls are clever and worth the price for advertising. -S.H. Rich, Rich Theatre, Montpelier, Idaho. Town and rural Patronage." 

                                              Motion Picture Herald, 1934


Some of Disney's best and funniest cartoon shorts are those that teamed Mickey, Donald and Goofy as a comedy trio. Next up I have the second of these cartoons and the first one in color, Mickey's Fire Brigade (1935). This movie opens with the title card burning away in flames, a creative touch by effects animator Cy Young. In this short Mickey is the fire chief, a role he had played earlier in The Fire Fighters (1930). Two of the animators on this film are Bill Tytla (possibly my favorite Disney animator) and Grim Natwick, both of whom had joined the studio in 1934. They animate the majority of the scenes with Clarabella Cow. The scene where Goofy tries to take a coffee break is animated by Wolfgang “Woolie” Reitherman, who would later become a specialist at animating the character. Jack Kinney, who would go on to direct some of the funniest cartoons to ever come out of the Disney studio, animated Donald's struggles with flypaper and pails of water. It is common for cartoon fans to think of the old Disney shorts as being slow moving and sentimental, however that is not the case here at all. This is a fast moving and very funny film that puts a smile on my face every time. The following is from an issue of The film Daily (dated Sept. 5, 1935), " 'Mickey's Fire Brigade,' is to have its premiere in the New York theatrical sector this evening when it opens at the Rivoli Theater with the new Samuel Goldwyn production, 'The Dark Angel.'" A review in National Board of Review Magazine stated, "Noisier and less clever than most of this series but still better than most of its kind." A review in The Film Daily states, "This is one of the liveliest and funniest of the Walt Disney cartoon creations." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "MICKEY'S FIRE BRIGADE: Mickey Mouse—One of the best of the Mickey Mouse series. Running time, eight minutes.—M. H. Harrington, Avalon Theatre, Clatskanie, Ore. Small Town and Rural Patronage."

Not long ago I shared the post-golden age Looney Tune, Little Go Beep (2000). Here is another very good later Looney Tune effort, Blooper Bunny (1991). This short was directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, who also brought us the feature length, Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988). 

Now to go to a much earlier Looney Tune, up next is Bosko's Store (1932). Bosko was the first major Looney Tune character and he was created by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. Learning for their former boss Walt Disney not owning the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, they kept the rights to Bosko. So when in 1933, they left the Warner Brothers Studio, Bosko no longer could appear in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Harman and Ising would make a few more Bosko cartoons for MGM though. Despite this Bosko would later make apperances in Looney Tunes media with the TV show, Tiny Tunes Adventures and the feature length Space Jam (1996). The following is a review from The Film Daily, "A thoroughly entertaining animated cartoon number. Shows Bosko at work in a grocery store, where he performs various amusing antics in slicing boloney and doing other chores around the shop. Lively and tuneful."

Next comes a delightful Terry-Toon, A Hare-Breadth Finish (1957). This short is a take-off on the story of the tortoise and the hare, but more than that it bares a quite close resemblance to Warner Brothers' Bugs vs. Cecil Turtle cartoons. Some of these jokes are very similar to those used in the pre-mentioned Warners cartoons, especially the last two jokes. The hare's personality here is also quite similar to that of Bugs Bunny in those cartoons. One of the best bits of animation here is the tortoise in Hawaiian get-up, this gag was animated hilariously by Jim Tyler. In my opinion this is one of the best Terry-Toons from this time period. 

One of my favorite parts of the Garfield and Friends TV show is the Garfield quickies. These short skits were taken directly from Jim Davis' newspaper comic strip.

Today's cartoon selection ends with a classic Pink Panther, In the Pink of the Night (1969). The title is a take off of the then recent movie, In the Heat of the Night (1967). 

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

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #115

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

The Betty Boop cartoons from the early 1930's were some of the most risqué cartoons from the golden age of American animation. Anyone who thinks of old cartoons as sweet, innocent and squeaky clean may be surprised to see scenes in these cartoons. One of the most risqué images from one of these cartoons comes from Red Hot Mama (1934), where we are given a look through Betty's dress. Though admittedly the rest of this cartoon is not exactly innocent either. The setting for this film is Hell, where Betty's sexiness excites the various demons. Not everyone back then was fine with what happens in this film as the following exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald shows. "Red Hot Mama: Betty Boop - I can remember several years ago after sound had been established that a great cry arose within the industry that the youngsters of that day ( and the show patron of tomorrow) were unable to find any entertainment in the movie palaces because the biz had gone high hat and no entertainment for them. I screened 'Red Hot Mama,' a cartoon yesterday on my Sunday matinee hence this letter. I have always felt that in booking these cartoons the youngsters were getting a treat. I enjoy their hearty laughs and suppressed excitement when their favorite cartoon is on the screen. However 'Red Hot Mama' must have been drawn when the guy was drunk. Betty Boop starts out sweetly, is suddenly transported to Hell and pursued and tortured by all sorts of fire devils, imps and what have you. One variety, the ability to bound in the air and come down on a spear studded tail stabbed in the floor. A grand subject for your juvenile trade? Naturally my Sunday matinee was without a cartoon. The only recommendation I have for this is that the one responsible for it be compelled to sit through a screening every time he has a pink elephant fantasy. Some exhibitor's have said they hesitate to report on products through the Herald for fear of getting in bad with the local exchange. My opinion is that the people who are sincere in this business welcome constructive criticism. Report fairly on pictures with merit and likewise that class of product which is detrimental to our investments. I'm not a crank but it is cartoons such as the Symphonies and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Little Red Hen' that are in demand and not such a thing as 'Red Hot Mama'. -E.A. Reynolds, Strand Theatre, Princeton, Minn. Small Town and Country Patronage." With the praise of the Silly Symphonies, I am wondering what this exhibitor would have to say about the Silly Symphony, Hell's Bells (1929). The following is a much more positive exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Red Hot Mama: Betty Boop - This is a great cartoon comedy that will please everyone. It is full of good clean entertainment and much better than the average comedy. More time should be given to shorts in order to fill in a poor feature and everything would be better. Running Time eight minutes. -J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, N.C. General patronage."

  Surrealness in 1930's cartoons was not limited to Betty Boop as is evidenced in the Toby the Pup cartoon, The Milkman (1931). While Charles Mintz was producing Krazy Kat cartoons for Columbia , he decided to create a separate series of cartoons for RKO, these starring a character named Toby the Pup. To head this series Mintz handed the duties to Dick Huemer, Art Davis and Sid Marcus. Dick Huemer had been a major contributor to the style of the Fleischer studio earlier and this is probably why these shorts have a Fleischer-type feel to them. Huemer, Davis and Marcus would later be the major creative factors for Columbia's Scrappy cartoons (also produced by Mintz).

When in 1963 the Warner Brothers cartoon studio closed, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies would not be gone for long. Friz Freleng and David DePattie would soon produce more of these cartoons with much reduced budgets. Interestingly these cartoons never used one of the studio's biggest stars Bugs Bunny. A character who became a mainstay during this period was Speedy Gonzales. For the most part instead of being pitted against Sylvester (as he had been previously) he was pitted against Daffy Duck in most of these outings. Cats and Bruises (1965) was an exception to this and it is fun to see a pairing of Sylvester and Speedy from DePattie-Freleng. This is definitely one of Speedy's better outings during this period. 

Now we jump from the final days of the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies to the earliest days with a cartoon staring the earliest star of Looney Tunes, Bosko. The film is Big Man From the North (1930). At this time the main creative forces behind the Looney Tunes were Hugh Harmon and Rudolph Ising, both of whom had worked with Walt Disney during the silent era. As such the Disney influence is often strongly felt in these films. This cartoon is a remake of a silent era Disney cartoon, Ozzie of the Mounted (1928) starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. 

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 these 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 we join The Pink Panther in Sink Pink (1965). Around this time the filmmakers were experimenting with how much dialogue they should use in the Pink Panther cartoons. Most of this experimenting was with talking supporting characters or narrators the Panther interacted with. However there were two cartoons in which the Panther actually spoke himself. This was the first of the two and the Panther only speaks one line. In the second of these cartoons (Pink Ice (1965)) the panther has a more substantial use of dialogue. The experiment of using spoken words in Pink Panther cartoons was one that was quickly abandoned but these films still stand as very interesting and entertaining experiments.  

Today's cartoon selection ends with a classic Disney Silly Symphony, The Pied Piper (1933). Walt Disney had made two Alice Comedies based around the classic story during the silent era (Alice the Piper (1924) and Alice Rattled by Rats (1925)). This cartoon strongly differs because while the previous films were parodies this one is an adaption. During this time the Disney studio had not quite mastered human animation the way they had later. This short film marks a giant step towards what the studio would master in their later features. This is very clear when it comes to Art Babbitt's animation of the Mayor and Ham Luske's animation of the titular character. In his must have book, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, Michael Barrier writes "More than any of the other Disney animators, Babbitt and Luske showed in their work an intense interest in how people really moved. If other Disney animators, under the influence of Don Graham's life classes, measured their animation against the real world and adjusted it to get a closer fit, Babbitt and Luske went much further: they looked long and hard at the real world before they ever started animating." Another delight for Disney fans is some songs by Leigh Harline, who also wrote the songs for such Disney features as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Pinocchio (1940). Harline's earliest work with the Disney studio was earlier the same year with the Silly Symphony, Father Noah's Ark (1933). A review in The Film Daily stated "Incredible as it may seem, these Walt Disney Silly Symphonies keep getting better every time." The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "PIED PIPER: Silly Symphony—Another excellent colored cartoon. Good enough for anybody's program any time.—Charles Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General patronage."

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

Selected Resourses Used

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

Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in it's Golden Age by Michael Barrier

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

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

.

Happy Birthday to Me

Hello my friends, guess what, it is my birthday. Yay!

While I will not be spending my entire day at home (as I work in a grocery store and therefore am not able to work from home), I have come to the realization that after work I am going to have to spend the rest of my day at home instead of being out and having birthday themed adventures. However this hardly means that I can't have birthday themed adventures in my own house. While I can't except my friends to be waiting to greet me with a big party when I get home, I can celebrate with my movie-land friends, with some birthday themed films like the following.

Despite me being born on this day, it wasn't exactly a great day in history in other respects. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and the Titanic sunk for instance.






(Yes... So much of this movie is extremely racist and hard to watch but this scene and others stand out as great filmmaking of the highest quality, it is equally possible to hate the racism while loving the filmmaking)

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings wrote a song about the terrible things that happened on my birthday.




On the bright side one of the all time great country singers was born today as well, Loretta Lynn. Speaking of Loretta, Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) still stands as one of the best country music movies ever made.


















Here is a scene from my personal favorite movie, Show People (1928).

This is not related to my birthday but lately I have been reading the new book Chase! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops (edited by Lon & Debra Davis, you can buy it here). The more I have been reading the more I have been watching the Ketstone films and the more I am realizing that these classic shorts are just plain fun movies.









For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

So happy birthday to me. Yay!

-Michael J. Ruhland

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #61

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

Today’s selection starts off with a short film from Russian director Fyodor Khitruck called Story of One Crime (1961). This movie was the first directed by Khitruck (who had spent 25 years as an animator) and differed from earlier society animation by having a more stylized look. This film gained some controversy on its release by being critical of Soviet society. However the movie proved very popular and finally helped animators in Soviet Russia to gain more artistic freedom.

The Max Fleischer Color Classic cartoons are mostly a response to Disney’s Silly Symphonies. As such many of these films feel more like a Silly Symphony than a Fleischer cartoon. There were however exceptions that had a personality all their own. One of the best of these was A Car-Tune Portrait (1937). A review in the Motion Picture Herald called this, "A swiftly-paced animated cartoon effectively photographed in Technicolor." An exhibitor's review (also in the Motion Picture Herald stated, "One I kept away from. Why I don't know but its good and if you haven't played it pick it up." Another stated "This is as a good a short as has been made by any producer. Play it in a top spot."  

Motion Picture Herald, 1935

Next comes a delightful Pooch the Pup cartoon from the Walter Lantz studio, The Crowd Snores (1932). I love early 1930's rubber hose animation and this film is full of it. In fact there as many rubber hose gags as can possibly fit into a 7 minute cartoon. Every object is alive and made of extra stretchy rubber. An exhibitor's review in The Motion Picture Herald stated "These are always good." This shows that though forgotten today, Pooch had some popularity back in his day. Watching this film it is not hard to figure out why.

Following is a Looney Tunes cartoon starring the series' first starring character Bosko. The film is Bosko's Dog Race (1932). Though these early Bosko cartoon may not greatly resemble later Looney Tunes, they are very entertaining in their own right. A review in the Motion Picture Herald stated "Not unusual, this animated cartoon is nevertheless entertaining." An exhibitor's review (also in The Motion Picture Herald) stated, "Extra good cartoon for kids as well as adults enjoyed it."






Next is a fun Terrytoons cartoon, Just a Little Bull (1940). An exhibitor's review in The Motion Picture Herald stated, "A dandy short. None better."

 

In the later years of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales were often pitted against one another. While these were hardly the best films of either series, they are entertaining in their own weird way. Here is one of those cartoons, Feather Finger (1966).




Ending today’s cartoon selection is a classic Donald Duck cartoon Trombone Trouble (1944).

Thank you for joining me and come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then peace, love and cartoons.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #55

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

I personally love the Walter Lantz Oswald cartoons of the late 1920's and early 30's. Though in 1935 the Lantz studio would cutesy up this great character and make him loses much of his charm, the Lantz Oswalds before that are delightful affairs, that I am always in the mood to watch. I know these films don't have the best reputation because of unfavorable comparisons to the Walt Disney Oswalds. However this has never stopped me from loving though. However I will admit I was very familiar with these cartoons before I ever saw a Disney Oswald. Here is a highly enjoyable example of these early Lantz Oswald films, Permanent Wave (1929). Notice how the villain is Peg Leg Pete, Mickey Mouse's main nemesis. Peg Leg Pete dated back to an Alice Comedy called Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925) and had appeared in some of Walt Disney's Oswald cartoons. The character was carried over when Universal continued making Oswalds without Walt Disney, yet Walt would the character himself for his self-produced cartoons. This makes him one of the rare characters to appear in cartoons from two major cartoon studios at the same time. 

When I first saw one of the Columbia Krazy Kat cartoons, I was immediately disappointed in how little they resembled George Herriman's comic strip (which I have been a huge fan of for most of my life). However the more of these films I watched the more I began to appreciate them for what they were. They were fast paced, funny and very creative cartoons. Next is a typically fun example of the series, A Happy Family (1935). A reviewer in The Motion Picture Herald however wasn't impressed calling the film "poor in idea and execution." Another review called the cartoon simply “fair.” An exhibitors review for Krazy Kat cartoons as a whole stated, "I believe the children would try and mob me if I discontinue these."  As someone who enjoys old rubber house cartoony animation of the 1930’s, I find this film to be a lot of fun.


   

I have mentioned many times on this blog that I consider the Goofy cartoons Jack Kinney directed for Disney to be among some of the funniest cartoons ever made. Here is another great example, Goofy Gymnastics (1949).




With all the Looney Tunes cartoons that were made from 1931 to 1969 it should come as no surprise that two should share the same name. Such is the case with an early Bosko cartoon and a later Bugs Bunny cartoon, both called Dumb Patrol  (1931, 1964). With a title referencing the Howard Hawks World War One movie it should be no surprise that both these films take place during the great war. Here are both of these cartoons.








The following few pages from a 1931 article from the Motion Picture Herald discuss Junior Matinees including a Krazy Kat Klub. If you have trouble reading click on the following pages and use your touch screen to zoom in.

 





Thanks again for joining me come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then peace, love and cartoons.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #35

Hello my friends and welcome to another round of classic cartoons. 

I have mentioned before on this blog how I am a fan of Walter Lantz's Oswald cartoons. They are so cartoony and over the top strange that I just can't help but have an affection for them. The Hash Shop (1930) is one of my favorites. These gags are so unashamed about how corny they are and the animation is the very over the top cartoony early 1930's style that I love so much. So enjoy this great cartoon. A review in The Film Daily stated, "All in all 'The Hash Shop' is a filler certain of providing considerable entertainment."
 

I have also mentioned before that I am also a fan of the cartoons Jack Kinney directed for Disney. These were some of the studio's funniest, often providing an almost Tex Avery like sense of humor that I find irrespirable. Next comes one of those great cartoons, Motor Mania (1950). Despite this film being such a comedic tour de force, it also had a successful life as a safety film. This film received the National Safety Council Award. This cartoon was even used in 1953 in Oakland, California as a mandatory part in its Traffic Violator School. No need to look at this film as an educational experience, it is just as fast paced and funny as any of Jack Kinney's great cartoons for Disney.

 

Though the Columbia Krazy Kat cartoons bared little to no resemblance to George Herriman's classic comic strip (even changing the title character from a character without a stated gender to an obviously male character) on which they were supposedly based, they are quite fun in their own right. Case in point, Weenie Roast (1931).




We end with an early Looney Tunes cartoon. In fact this is the third one released, Hold Anything (1930). This is a fun little musical cartoon starring the first Looney Tunes star, Bosko. I love Frank Marsales' music in many of these early Looney Tunes and this one is no exception. Also those mice don't look anything like Mickey, do they?




-Michael J. Ruhland

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #25

Hello my friends. It is once again Saturday morning and time to look at some more classic cartoons. 

We start with an early Looney Tunes cartoon. This film was made before such characters as Porky, Daffy and Bugs were created. Instead it stars the often forgotten Bosko. Bosko was the main character of Looney Tunes from 1930 to 1933. In fact while its sister series Merrie Melodies featured various non-reoccurring characters, every Looney Tune during this period starred Bosko. Bosko was like many of the cartoon stars of the early 1930's. This is to say he was very much in the mold of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. He even had a girlfriend (Honey) and a dog (Bruno), meant to remind audiences of Minnie and Pluto. The creators of Bosko were Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising, both of whom had previously been employed by Walt. When they left the studio in 1933, they took the rights to the character of Bosko with them. They would make a few cartoons with Bosko at MGM, but it wasn't long until the character faced retirement from cartoons. This cartoon is one that uses much of Bosko's dog, Bruno, as Bosko enters him in a dog race. Animation of the actual race would be reused in Bosko's Picture Show (1933). The ending reminds me rather vaguely of the Porky Pig cartoon, Milk and Money (1936). Though that cartoon being Tex Avery would be timed much faster. So enjoy the delightful, Bosko's Dog Race (1932).    


Next comes a much later Warner Brothers cartoon, from Looney Tunes' sister series Merrie Melodies. This is one of the many cartoons of the 1960's which placed Daffy Duck as Speedy Gonzales' anatogist. This was an odd pairing to say the least. The cartoon is directed by animation legend Robert McKimson who had worked on Warners cartoons as early as some of the Bosko's. McKimson's cartoons were certainly the strongest Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies of this late era. So enjoy, Mexican Mousepiece (1966).




Next comes a real oddity. This is a Popeye cartoon, where the sailor is not voiced by either Jack Mercer or Billy Costello. Instead the voice is provided by Floyd Buckley, who a few months after this recording session would voice Popeye on a popular Popeye radio show. This would be the only time he would voice Popeye in a cartoon short. The voice of Popeye certainly does sound more than a bit off here, but the cartoon is delightful despite that. This is one of those excellent Fleischer shorts, where a character learns a lesson by being subjected to the creulty he placed on others. So enjoy, Be Kind to Animals (1935).




Next comes another classic Fleischer Brothers short of the 1930's. This one stars their most famous original character (Popeye was a comic strip before they started the cartoon series), Betty Boop. This is one of the three Betty Boop cartoons to feature the voice of jazz legend Cab Calloway (the other two being Minnie the Moocher (1932) and Snow White (1933)). All three of these cartoons to capture the magic of Cab's on stage movements, rotoscoped (tracing over live action film) Cab's dancing. Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), will recognize that that movie made a direct reference to this cartoon even borrowing a bit of dialogue. So enjoy, The Old Man of the Mountain (1933).




Thanks for joining me, come back next week for more animated treasures.

-Michael J. Ruhland