Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #276

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Betty Boop's Ker-Choo (1933). Like many cartoons from the Fleischer Studios at this time, this film is filled with one surreal gag after another. Animator Dave Tender remembered about working at the studio, "Dave Fleischer's theory was that every scene should have a gag; nobody should animate a scene without a gag. He would come around, every other day perhaps, and speak to the guys. He'd pick up your scene and flip it, and he'd say, 'Where's the gag in this?' ... If you couldn't think of something in a scene, you would confer with him, and you would come up with something, what they considered a gag. Whether it was a chair moving across the room or an apple in a bowl of fruit animating up and saying something and then going back in the bowl - this was a gag a surprising bit of business."

Now we join our friend Dinky Duck in Foolish Duckling (1952). This Terry Toons cartoon was directed by Mannie Davis.

 Next comes a real classic, Falling Hare (1943). This cartoon features one of the few characters to get the upper hand of Bugs, the gremlin. Despite only appearing in this one short, the character has proven quite popular and has appeared in quite a few Looney Tunes spin offs. The original title for this movie was going to be Bugs Bunny and the Gremlin. However, since Disney was working on an animated feature film about Gremlins (a movie that would never be finished), the studio took the word Gremlin out of the title of this cartoon to appease the Disney studio. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Literally and figuratively, Bugs Bunny, already a prime favorite among current cartoon characters, gets off to a flying start in the distribution season just started. The buck-toothed, long-eared clown meets up with a gremlin and both find themselves aloft in an airplane, with Bugs or what's left of him being darn glad to get back to earth. There are plenty of laughs throughout. The tough Bunny, if this initial '43-'44 offering of his producer Leon Schlesinger, is any criterion, is in for a further rise in popularity among fans who like humor. Of course, the reel is in Technicolor. It was supervised by Robert Clampett and animated by Roderick Scribner. Warner Foster wrote the story and Carl W. Stalling handled the musical direction." This movie amounts to one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons and it is appropriately in Jerry Beck's book, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes. 

Now for Donald Duck in Dude Duck (1951). This theatrical cartoon short made its TV debut in an episode of the Disneyland TV show entitled On Vacation (1956). Decades later this cartoon would return to movie theaters alongside the animated feature film DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes a Looney Tunes cartoon starring Beans the Cat (one of the Boston beans). Though not as well known Beans made his film debut in the same cartoon as Porky, I Haven't Got a Hat (1935). That cartoon was a takeoff on the Our Gang shorts and featured a bunch of little kid characters in a talent show. The studio did not know right away, which character would be the most popular, so they all appeared starred in some Looney Tunes when the studio was looking for a new character to replace Buddy (the rather bland character that had become that series' star). While Porky would become the most popular of these characters, Beans certainly had his fans in the studio as he would star in eight of these cartoons (Porky would even be relegated to a supporting role in some of these). Hollywood Capers (1935) is a good example of one of these Beans cartoons. While it may not be as laugh out loud funny as a Tex Avery or Bob Clampett Looney Tune, this is a charming little film that always puts a smile on my face. As a character Beans certainly has more personality than his predecessor Buddy. In many ways his personality is like the early Mickey Mouse before Mickey got toned down. He is very mischievous and always on a lookout for the next big adventure. Naturally this gets him in a lot of trouble but he always manages to have quite a bit of fun along the way. A quick joke has Beans disguise himself as Oliver Hardy to sneak into the movie studio. Porky would later try to do the same (less successfully) in You Ought to be in Pictures (1940). Look in the background for a poster advertising a fight between “Punchy” Pierce and “Hurricane” Hardaway. This is referring to two of the writers of Warner Brothers cartoons at the time, Tedd Pierce and Bugs Hardaway. Also, Beans is voiced by Tommy Bond here (who played Butch in the Our Gang shorts). 

Next comes the Fleischer Stone Age cartoon, Springtime in the Rockage (1940). Though on this film and most cartoons from the Fleischer Studio, Dave Fleischer is given a director's credit, on all these cartoons, he functioned more as a general supervisor than an actual day to day director. That job often fell to the first animator you see listed on each of these cartoons, here that is Myron Waldman.    

Now for our friend Kiko the Kangaroo in Skunked Again (1936). 

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

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

100 Greatest Looney Tunes edited by Jerry Beck

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #274

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Sylvester and Tweety in Tweet and Lovely (1959). This is one of my favorite Sylvester and Tweety films. Voice actor Mel Blanc would later write, "Sylvester has always been a favorite of mine. He's always been the easiest character for me to play. When I was showing the first model sheet for Sylvester with his floppy jaws and generally disheveled appearance, I said to Friz Freleng, 'A big sloppy cat should have a big shthloppy voice. He should spray even more than Daffy.' While recording Sylvester cartoons my scripts would get so covered in sylvia I'd repeatedly have to wipe them clean. I used to suggest to actress June Foray, who voiced Tweety's vigilant owner Granny that she wear a raincoat to the sessions." 

Next up comes the Terry Toons short, The Hopeful Donkey (1943). Like When Mules Leave Home (1934) last week, this is also a Terry Toons adaption of the Brothers Grimm story Town Musicians of Bremen. However, this short borrows nothing more from the previous cartoon than the same source material. Both cartoons are charming takes on the classic children's story.  

Now for the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (1930). The title song was written in 1918 by composer John Kellette and lyricists James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent (under the pseudonym Jaan Kenbrovin) The song premiered in the Broadway musical The Passing Show of 1918 (Jul 25, 1918–Nov 9, 1918) where it was sung by Helen Carrington. In 1919 the song would become a number one hit for Ben Selvin's Novelty Orchestra. 

Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, Beanstalk Jack (1946). 

Now for a commercial break.

Next is the new Three Stooges cartoon, Kangaroo Catchers (1965). The Three Stooges not only appear in live action before and after the cartoon, but they also voice themselves in the animated cartoon.

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." This theatrical cartoon made its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on October 31, 1956.

Up next is the Mickey Mouseworks cartoon, Pluto Vs. The Watchdog (1999). This cartoon would later play in the House of Mouse episode, Donald and the Aracuan Bird (2002).

Now let us 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

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck.

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

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

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey's_Fire_Brigade

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/the-passing-show-of-1918-6965

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickeys-fire-brigade-1935/

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #273

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Sylvester in A Kiddie's Kitty (1955). It is worth noting that after Tweety and Sylvester first teamed up in Tweetie Pie (1947), Tweety would not again appear apart from Sylvester (apart from small cameos), yet Sylvester would make many cartoons without Tweety. This is one of Sylvester's solo cartoons where he is not trying to catch the little yellow bird. Also, unlike most classic cartoon characters Sylvester was a fully formed character from his first appearance on movie screens and has not really changed since. Looney Tunes director and animator, Robert McKimson later said of Sylvester, "He had a juicy voice, you know. He's the closest, I would say, that Mel [voice artist Mel Blanc] would come to have an original voice and then fitting the character to it. Of course, Daffy Duck's voice is the same as Sylvester's only sped. So, I guess when Mel recorded Daffy it sounded like Sylvester." Looney Tunes director Friz Freleng [who directed this movie] talked about how he and layout artist Hawley Pratt designed this character, "I designed Sylvester to look subtly like a clown. I gave him a big red nose and a very low crotch, which was supposed to look like he was wearing baggy pants." Despite the little girl, Suzanne only appearing in this one cartoon, she would go on to appear as a back-up feature in many Looney Tunes themed comic books from Dell Comics. (Thanks to Top Cat James for bringing this to my attention in the comments for a previous post). 

Next is Mighty Mouse in The Silver Streak (1945). 

Now for the early color Merrie Melodies cartoon, The Cat Came Back (1936). While it may be far from what would later become the Warner Brothers cartoon style, this Friz Freleng directed short is very charming and fun. The film would be reissued to theaters twice. The first time was July 15, 1944, and the second time was June 5, 1954.

Up next comes the Terry Toons short, Why Mules Leave Home (1934). This cartoon is based off the Brothers Grimm story Town Musicians of Bremen. This was not the only cartoon based off that story. Walt Disney directed a silent version, The Four Musicians of Bremen (1922), Ub Iwerks directed the Comi-Color cartoon The Bremen Town Musicians (1935) and there would be a Soviet animated short film entitled The Bremen Town Musicians (1969).

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next is the last black and white Silly Symphony, Bugs in Love (1932). This is a rather typical Silly Symphony of its time, following the well-established formula of animated characters having a grand time to music until the villain of the piece appears and tries to wreck their fun. As you can guess by the title this film's story involves various bugs. Bugs were a common site in the early Silly Symphonies and the newspaper comic strip. In fact, the newspaper comic strip featured a complete remake of this cartoon. Animation of this film was done from March 30 - May 3, 1932. The Silly Symphonies were a series that at this time was constantly improving and audiences and exhibitors quickly took note of this improvement. For evidence here is an exhibitor's review from 1934 (two years after the film's original release), "BUGS IN LOVE: Silly Symphonies—An old Silly Symphony. Not as good as the new ones. Running time, one reel. —A. B. Jefferis, New Piedmont Theatre, Piedmont, Mo. Small Town Patronage." Of course, the Silly Symphonies were quite appropriately one of the most popular cartoon series of the time. The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "BUGS IN LOVE: Another great Silly Symphony. Give it extra billing. —Charles Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa." Not everybody was so impressed with the series though as shown through the following exhibitors review from The Motion Picture Herald, "BUGS IN LOVE: Silly Symphony—This is just an- other Walt Disney cartoon comedy. Nothing good about it; just ordinary and is only fair entertainment. We have only played one good comedy of this series and every time we hope the next one will be better. Disappointed in these. Running time, nine minutes. - J. J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C., General Patronage." The film had its New York opening from December 11-16, 1932, at the Roxy playing alongside the feature length movie Me and My Gal (1932). This cartoon made its TV debut on an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club that aired on January 26, 1956. 

Now for The New Three Stooges cartoon, Call of the Wile (1965). In this cartoon, a mountain lion pretends to be a stuffed head hanging on the Stooges' wall. The same thing happened in Elmer Fudd's house in the Warner Brothers cartoon, What's My Lion (1961). 

After Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944), the Disney studio planned to make a third South American themed feature film with Donald Duck. Known at the studio as the Carnival feature. That film really began production during the spring and summer of 1945. Like the previous movies, this would have been an anthology film that would have been separated into four different segments, that would essentially resemble Disney's cartoon shorts. When World War 2 came to an end, there would be no longer be a reason for such a film and the project was quietly abandoned. However, one portion of this film would reach the screen. This was Blame it on the Samba, which would become part of Melody Time (1948). As previously mentioned, this short would feature a live action, Ethel Smith. During the 1940's the U.S. government pushed its Good Neighbor policy by having many entertainers on both sides of the border serve as Goodwill Ambassadors and one of these was U.S. born Ethel Smith. Born in Pittsburgh (on November 22, 1902), at a young age Smith discovered Latin music and became a huge fan. In the mid-1930's she discovered the electric organ, a relatively new instrument and used it to play the Latin music she loved. By the late 1930's she was performing in Latin America. With this in mind, she became a perfect good will ambassador. In 1940 she gained an engagement at the Cassino Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro. She was so popular that she would be repeatedly held over, and she was there when the Disney studio visited Rio de Janeiro in August 1941 for the making of Saludos Amigos. While there is no definitive proof that anyone working at Disney came into contact with Ethel Smith, the Disney artists did often have meetings at the Copacabana and in December 1941 Smith sent a custom designed Christmas card to Walt and his wife Lillian. In the summer of 1944, she was in Hollywood working for MGM and performed Tico-Tico (which was a very popular song for her) for the Ester Williams movie, Bathing Beauty (1944). In late 1944, Disney artist Norm Ferguson was trying to bring together musicians for the Carnival feature, and he felt that with Ethel Smith now in Hollywood, she would be a perfect choice. The studio contacted her in early 1945. Mary Blair began working on various costume sketches for her with different costumes representing different countries. This was because it was considered to have appear in each segment and have her music connect the various segments. In February 1945 a Hammond organ was installed on the sound-effects recording stage. She recorded the Mexican song, La Parranda and the Cuban number Cachita paran pan pin. Norm Ferguson had hoped to use the Brazilian song Cavaquinho, yet the copyright status seemed a mystery. Ethel recorded various other songs as possible substitutes for Cavaquinho, but the studio was able to get the rights in May 1945. Disney lyricist Ray Gilbert would be assigned to write new English lyrics for this tune, and the result was Blame it on the Samba. Though this segment would eventually be put on a shelf when the Carnival feature was shelved as a whole, it would later see the light of day again. Ethel Smith was becoming an even bigger star due to supporting performances in live action movies and the option of Disney studio to use her services lasted up until spring 1947. In late 1946 production on the Blame it on the Samba sequence was revived. There was a proposed version of the sequence that at least made it to the storyboard stage, that would have featured both Ethel Smith and Carmen Miranda. In that version, Donald Duck and Joe Carioca went to a theater where both artists were performing. The two crash backstage where Smith is performing and end up in Miranda's dressing room. Later both artists go on stage to perform Blame it on the Samba. Donald and Joe Carioca are still backstage, where Donald is still lovestruck by a kiss from Carmen Miranda. Joe tells Donald romantic tales of Rio and Donald's mind transports the duck to a surreal fantasy world. This lovely dream would morph into a nightmare involving matchboxes and a performance of the Bonfire Ballet. This in turn would turn into a celebration of Brazil's Festa de sao Joao Brazil festival. It is not known if this plan was from before the project was originally shelved or after. There were also plans to have all three Caballeros appear in this segment but eventually Panchito was dropped due to the sequence having nothing to do with Mexico. This is when the Aracuan Bird would be added to the action.

Now let us 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

South of the Border with Disney by J.B. Kaufman.

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.

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/The_Cat_Came_Back

https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Suzanne

 

  

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #272

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Sylvester and Hector the bulldog (named Butch in this cartoon) in Pappy's Puppy (1955). If the storyline of this movie seems very familiar that is because it is quite similar to much more often seen Tom and Jerry cartoon, That's My Pup (1953). However, to the credit of this short it never copies or steals gags from the aforementioned Tom and Jerry cartoon. Considering how many cartoon shorts there were from all the American cartoon studios being released to movie theaters at this time, it is quite possible that the similarities are coincidental. Strangely enough this movie actually features less dialogue than the Tom and Jerry film.

Next comes a World War II era Barney Bear cartoon, Bear Raid Warden (1944). 

Now for Humphrey Bear in Hooked Bear (1956). This marked Humphrey's first solo short. Before this he mostly worked opposite Donald Duck, though he made his debut in the Goofy carton, Hold That Pose (1950). This cartoon was submitted but not nominated for an Academy Award. Other films that were submitted but not nominated that year were, A Cowboy Needs a Horse (Disney), Down Beat Bear (MGM, Tom and Jerry), Pedro and Lorenzo (Paramount), Dutch Treat (Paramount), The Three Little Bops (Warner Brothers), Hillbilling and Cooing (Paramount, Popeye), Mousetro Herman (Paramount), The Talking Dog (Walter Lantz), How to Have An Accident at Home (Disney, Donald Duck), Calling All Cuckoos (Lantz, Woody Woodpecker) and A Short Vision (George K. Arthur). The cartoons actually nominated were all from the UPA studio, Gerald McBoing Boing on the Planet Moo, The Jaywalker and Mr. Magoo's Puddle Jumper. The winner was Mr. Magoo's Puddle Jumper. Hooked Bear made its TV debut on the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color episode, The Ranger of Brownstone (1968). 

Though Betty Boop had appeared in films before, Stopping the Show (1932) was the first one credited as a Betty Boop cartoon. What a perfectly delightful start to one of the great cartoon series of the 1930's. This is a creative, fast paced and very funny cartoon. Reviews in old movie magazines show that this was a very popular film when first released. A review from The Film Daily stated "A knockout animated cartoon number from the Max Fleischer studios. Different, clever and highly entertaining." The review went on to call the film "a treat on any bill." An exhibitors review called the cartoon, "extra good." Another called it "a very clever cartoon." A much less enthusiastic one called it "Fairly interesting."

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, The Owl and the Pussycat (1934).

Now for the Fox and Crow in Room in Bored (1943). Though rather forgotten today, the Fox and the Crow were probably the most popular characters to come out of the Columbia cartoon studio. They were not only popular in these theatrical shorts, but they had a very successful comic book series (published by DC Comics) as well. 

In the mid-1960's Warner Brothers began to team up Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales for a series of cartoons where they were mostly adversaries. Up next is one of the best of these films (and one where Speedy plays a smaller role than usual), A Taste of Catnip (1965). 

Now let us 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 American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/cartoons-considered-for-an-academy-award-1956/

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

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #271

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a black and white Looney Tunes short that I have always had a real fondness for, Porky's Bear Facts (1941). This cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng and while it is not as completely crazy as the black and white Looney Tunes directed by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett or Frank Tashlin it does certainly have moments that show what was quickly becoming the studio's signature sense of humor. Characters break the fourth wall and silly visual gags certainly find their way in at times. Yet at the same time the film feels more grounded, and story driven than some of the studio's other efforts at this time. The story itself is somewhat of a takeoff on The Grasshopper and the Ants (which Disney had made a Silly Symphony based around in 1934). In typical Warner style the ending here goes completely against the moral of the story. Like many Porky cartoons of this era, Porky's role is very minimized. The truth was most of the directors were getting tired of working with the pig and this made him become a supporting character in his own cartoons for a while. A reviewer in The Film Daily was not that impressed with this cartoon stating, "Rate it just as fair." A reviewer in the Motion Picture Daily found the true main character of the film quite likable stating, "An engaging character that shiftless bear." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "PORKY'S BEAR FACTS: Looney Tunes — Fine. Vitaphone is our best bet for good cartoon fare. Running time, nine minutes. —Fred C. Allen, Princess Theatre, Piedmont, Ala. Small town patronage."

Next comes the Terry Toons cartoon, Saw Mill Mystery (1937). 

Next comes the New 3 Stooges cartoon, The Bigger They Are the Harder They Hit (1965). Unfortunately, this series of TV cartoon did little for the Stooges finically. Cambria Studio's distributor was supposed to forward quarterly statements to the Stooges' production company Normandy Productions (owned by Moe's son-in-law and the team's manager Norman Maurer). They did not receive these statements and The Stooges sued but the judge ruled in favor of Cambria. The decision was appealed in 1975 but by that time Moe and Larry had passed away.

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Mickey Mouse film, Mickey's Rival (1936). The titular character is a mouse named Mortimer. Those of you who know your Disney history will know that Mortimer was a name that was considered for Mickey. This was Mortimer's first appearance though he bared more than a little resemblance to Mr. Slicker a character that appeared in the Micky Mouse comic strip. Though Mickey's Rival was his only appearance in a theatrically released short film, it was not his only appearance in animation. He became a reoccurring character in the television shows, Mickey Mouse Works (1999-2000) and House of Mouse (2001-2003). He also has a role in the direct to video movie, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999) and has appeared briefly in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006-2016) and Mickey and the Roadster Races (2017-present). Outside of animation he has been used very often in the Disney comic strips and began to appear in them around the same time he made his debut in movie theaters. Mortimer's design is said to be based off of Walt Disney and those who have seen pictures of a young Walt, will find this easy to believe. The ending to Mickey's Rival has Mickey and Minnie simply shaking hands. However, it was originally planned for Mickey to have a buzzer on his hand to play a Mortimer type prank on Minnie. Though this would have been out of character for Mickey at this time it would have fit perfectly in with the Mickey Mouse of the late 1920's. A review in The Motion Picture Herald stated, "The subject is less complex than many of the recent Disney fabrications but wholly entertaining." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "Mickey's Rival: Mickey Mouse - We find that the bad characters often frighten our small children and they go out into the foyer until it is passed over. - Harland Rankin, Plaza Theatre, Tilbury, Ontario, Canada, General Patronage." The following is another exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Mickey's Rival: Mickey Mouse—Played this the second time as it is one of the best of the Mickeys.— C. L. Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General patronage." A review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Clever animation and fast-moving, but there have been better Mickey's. For instance, 'Alpine Climbers.'" The following is from a 1936 issue of The Film Daily, "United Artists' latest Walt Disney release, 'Mickey's Rival', introducing Mortimer Mouse, will open at the Radio City Music Hall with 'Swing Time' on Thursday, and at the Rivoii Theater with 'The Last of the Mohicans.'"

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, Chinatown, My Chinatown (1929). The title song was written by William Jerome (lyrics) and Jean Schwartz (music). This team also wrote the songs My Irish Molly-O, Handle Me With Care, Over the Hills and Far Away, Meet Me in Rose Time, Rosie, Shooting the Bull Around the Bulletin Board and I'm Going Back Home and Have a Wonderful Time. Other songs Jean Schartz worked on include Tell That to the Marines and Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody, both hits for Al Jolson. Chinatown, My Chinatown was first published in 1910. A 1915 recording by the American Quartet with Billy Murray was the number one record in its day. Artists that recorded this song over the years include Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and Lionel Hampton. The song is considered an early jazz standard.

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 Mutt and Jeff in Ups and Downs (1926). 

Now to close with a song. 

Thank you for joining me. Be sure to come back next week for more classic cartoons. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

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

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

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey%27s_Rival

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

  

 

  

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/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #269

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a real classic, Gold Diggers of '49 (1935). This short film was directed by the one and only Tex Avery. It was the first film, he directed for Warner Brothers and much of his famous style is already here. This cartoon does not feel like the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that came before it. Instead, this cartoon has a faster pace and wackier sense of humor. While there is no doubt that Tex would have timed some of these gags even faster later in his career, you can clearly see the inklings of what would become his signature style. This is also the first black and white Looney Tune to feature Porky Pig (though the character had appeared in a color Merrie Melody beforehand). This is important as Porky would soon become the main star of the black and white Looney Tunes series. Yet in this film he is a supporting character. The real star is Beans the Cat. Both of these characters had made their debut in the color Merrie Melodies short, I Haven't Got a Hat (1935). Beans would remain the star of the Looney Tunes series for short while until Porky took over the series. 

Next is the Talkartoon cartoon, Accordion Joe (1930).

Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, The Tale of a Dog (1959). This film came out after Paul Terry had sold Terry Toons to CBS. CBS as well as having the rights to the cartoons also retained the entire Terrytoons staff. As well as airing the old films on TV, CBS was interested in keeping the theatrical cartoons from the studio going and did so with Gene Deitch as the new artistic supervisor. Gene Deitch had worked with UPA, a studio that specialized in flatter more artistic stylized design work and this look can be seen in almost every Terry Toon made during this period. Cartoon fans today know Gene Deitch best for some truly underwhelming Tom and Jerry shorts in the 1960's. This is not fair though as this was just a small part of his career and elsewhere, he made some great films.

Now for an earlier cartoon from the Terry Toons studio when Paul Terry was still the studio head, A Day in June (1944). 

Now it is time for a commercial break.

Next comes one of Disney's funniest cartoon shorts, Der Fuehrer's Face (1943). This film grew out of a Donald Duck short about paying your taxes during war time called The New Spirit (1942). There was going to be a scene (in a story treatment by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer) in that short that featured a radio announcer talking about the horrors of living in a totalitarian state. This was not used in that short, but the idea stayed in the heads of those working at the Disney studio. These ideas grew into a cartoon that would feature Donald Duck living in Nazi Germany. Jack Kinney, Disney's most comedic and satiric cartoon director being placed in the director's chair guaranteed that this short would be a comedic masterpiece as well as an effective piece of political commentary. The cartoon was originally going to be titled Donald Duck in Nutziland. However, it would be retitled Der Fuehrer's Face after the satirical and catchy song Oliver Wallace wrote for the cartoon. Disney studio staffer Jim Macdonald remembered Wallace improvising the song one day at Walt's request. Macdonald stated, "He did that in about ten minutes. That's spontaneity!" Before the cartoon even reached theaters Spike Jones and his City Slickers released a recording in late 1942 and had a massive hit with it. This film also benefits from some top-notch animation. John Sibley animated the hilariously cartoony marching band animation at the start. The real highlight of the cartoon is the great montage sequence which was animated by Les Clark and Hugh Fraser. This cartoon we earn Donald Duck, his one and only Oscar. It later received the 22nd spot in Jerry Beck's must-own book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. 

Now for the New 3 Stooges cartoon, Stooges in the Woods (1965). 

Next comes Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in The Prison Panic (1930). This is one of the Oswald films produced by Walter Lantz when Walt Disney discovered he didn't have the rights to the character he created, which led to Disney creating Mickey Mouse. These Lantz Oswalds were actually my introduction to the character, and I guess I will always have a soft spot for them. 

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

The 50 Greatest Cartoons edited by Jerry Beck

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

Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #268

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with one of my favorite cartoons from director Norm McCabe, Daffy's Southern Exposure (1942). I absolutely love the way this film treats Daffy. He is very much in his early wild and crazy mode. But at the same time there is a bit more to him than just being crazy. He is also the type of duck who is always simply looking for a good time and will ignore the warnings of others if they try to get in the way of him having fun. Still even when getting his comeuppance, he never learns any sort of lesson and remains the same duck he was the beginning of the cartoon. This is a fun characterization for Daffy, especially as he is still fun of the pure energy that makes the early Daffy so popular. This is just as much of a fully formed character as the one we would see in the later Chuck Jones classics of the 1950's. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "DAFFY'S SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: Cartoon- Good black and white cartoon. Enjoyed by people that saw it.—Conrad H. Tapia, Chief Theatre, Casa Grande, Ariz."

Next comes the Fleischer Screen song cartoon, Bedelia (1930). The title song was first recorded in 1903 by the singer Arthur Collins and was written by William Jerome and Jean Schwartz. Born on February 7, 1864, Collins was a very popular singer in his day and would often be referred to as "king of the Ragtime Singers." Other songs he recorded include (Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey (1902), Under the Bamboo Tree (1902), Any Rags (1903), The Preacher and the Bear (1904) and Steamboat Bill (1911). Arthur Collins is little known today because of racial stereotypes that make much of his work problematic for a modern audience. This can be evidenced on the sheet music for Bedelia which refers to the song as "The Irish Coon Song Serenade." The essential website for old music, Hearing the Americas states, "It’s not clear what makes this record, sung by Arthur Collins, a 'coon' song. It has some elements of the ragtime syncopation that 'coon songs' helped introduce, and Collins was nicknamed 'the King of Ragtime.' Possibly the singer was imagined as an African American in love with an Irish immigrant, but the singer makes no effort at dialect. As the image indicates, women sang the song as well as men. It may simply be an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the genre while also appealing to Irish Americans. The song demonstrates the way American popular music mixed genres and used ethnic, gender and racial identity in slippery ways." However, there are no racial stereotypes in this cartoon based on the song. (Obvious Disclaimer: The use of the word "coon" was wrong then and it is wrong today. It appears here for historical and educational purposes. I do not endorse the use of this word.)

Next comes the New Three Stooges cartoon, Woodsman Bear That Tree (1965).

Now for a truly classic Disney short film, Pluto's Judgement Day (1935). This cartoon was released as part of the Mickey Mouse cartoon series, but the true star of the film is Pluto. Pluto would not receive his own cartoon series until 1940. The writers who brought us this cartoon were Joe Grant and Bill Cottrell. The same year this film came out this story team also brought us the Silly Symphonies shorts, Who Killed Cock Robin and Three Orphan Kittens. This cartoon made it TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on February 4, 1958. A 1938 article (in an issue of World Film News) about films that frightened young children stated, "Not exactly frightened; but the court scene in Pluto's Judgement Day was disliked intensely. I have known some of the younger ones to be rather scared by some of the more terrifying Disney characters. Only momentarily o close-ups of the villains' faces. Never really frightened. The usual gasps are heard when anything grotesque, such as an enormous spider, is shown, but this type of scene is invariably received as part of the picture. The youngest ones by the portrayal of ogres, spiders, etc. Only when the Robber Cat appears in the cartoons, and little ones afraid by Pluto's Judgement Day. Very occasionally, by closeups of weird spiders. Horrific animals. Several Disney cartoons - Donald and Pluto and Modern Inventions have Machiavellian incidents which to many children are frightening. The fear subsequently gives way to sympathy for the victim, so that Donald Duck is liked on a basis of tragedy rather than comedy." 

It is now time for a commercial break. 

Now comes the Pink Panther in Dietetic Pink (1978). 

Now for one of Walt Disney's great silent Alice Comedies, Alice's Wild West Show (1924). This is probably my favorite film in the series. The series combined animation with live action. The early entries in the series (which this is one of) feature extensive use of fully live action scenes with a few cartoon scenes. The cartoon scenes would feature our live action Alice interacting with animated characters (including Walt's first cartoon star, Julis the Cat) in a cartoon environment. Later films would do away with the fully live action scenes and often put Alice in supporting roles. Alice was played by four young actresses over the course of the series: Virginia Davis, Dawn O'Day, Margie Gay and Lois Hardwick. In this short Alice was still played by her first actress Virginia Davis (Leon Holmes and Tommy Hicks also appear in this film). Walt directed this short as well as serving as an animator (Rollin "Ham" Hamilton also animated on this film). Working in the Ink and Paint department was Walt's future wife, Lillian Bounds. A review in Moving Picture World states, "This makes an interesting reel, with considerable pep, human interest and comedy, which should prove a pleasing novelty with the average patron and appeal especially to children."

Up next is Mighty Mouse in Love's Labor Won (1948). 

Now let us 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

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

Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney by J. B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt.

https://hearingtheamericas.org/s/the-americas/item/93

https://mediahistoryproject.org/