Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #304

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with probably the most popular and well known of Disney's Silly Symphonies, Three Little Pigs (1933). This cartoon is considered to be a breakthrough in personality animation. No less than Chuck Jones would say, "That was the first time that anybody ever brought characters to life. There were three characters, who looked alike and acted differently; the way the moved is what made them who they were. Before that in things like Steamboat Willie [1928], the villain was a big heavy guy, and the hero was a little guy; everybody moved the same. Even in the Fleischer's stuff, the basic difference between Popeye and Bluto was the size difference not the action difference." The animation of the three pigs is mostly handled by Fred Moore and Dick Lundy. Dick Lundy animated all of the dancing scenes. Jack King animated one excellent scene in which Practical Pig is playing the piano. Norm Ferguson animated the majority of the Big Bad Wolf. Art Babbitt animates only two scenes, one in which the wolf catches the pig's by their tails and one in which he falls into a boiling pot. These were some of the best Disney animators of the time and their work here perfectly shows why. This is not just a milestone for its time, but remains a hugely entertaining cartoon today, heavily because of the work of these animators. Walt Disney later remembered this film's premiere, "It caused no excitement at its Radio City premiere. In fact many critics preferred Father Noah's Ark [1933], which was released at the same time. I was told that some exhibitor's and even United Artists considered The Pigs a 'cheater' because it only had four characters in it. The picture bounced back to fame from the neighborhood theatres." Three Little Pigs would become not only a hit cartoon but a sensation with movie goers everywhere. The short also gave the Disney studio its first of many hit songs, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (written by Frank Churchill), a song that is still instantly recognizable to Disney fans today. Time Magazine referred to the song as "the tune by which 1933 will be remembered." Despite all this Walt would later discuss the making of the cartoon stating, "It was just another story to us, and we were gaging it up just like any other picture." The following is from a 1933 issue of Modern Screen Magazine, "Here's some good news for you 'Three Little Pigs' fans: This Silly Symphony has met with such tremendous success that Walt Disney is going to feature them (plus the Big Bad Wolf) in several other Mother Goose rhymes. In other words, they're going to become regular stars like Mickey Mouse. Incidentally folks are seeing 'Three Little Pigs for the umptieth time and still enjoying it." There would only be three sequels (The Big Bad Wolf (1934), Three Little Wolves (1936) and The Practical Pig (1939)), none of which would be as successful as the first leading Walt to infamously say, "you can't top pigs with pigs." This cartoon reached the number 11 spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. Before the studio embarked on Snow White (1937), silent movie queen Mary Pickford approached Walt Disney about making an Alice in Wonderland feature film where she would play a live action Alice and would enter completely animated Wonderland. Mary Pickford had great admiration for Walt Disney's work, and she was the main force driving this planned film. In early 1933, an acquaintance of Mary's named Frank Reily suggested that Mary make an adaption of Alice in Wonderland with the aid of the Disney studio. Some of Mary's associates warned her against such an expensive venture during the midst of the great depression. Mary came to visit the studio when the project and overheard from story artist Ted Sears and composer Frank Churchill about a project in the works involving three little pigs and heard the song, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. As well pitching her idea to Walt, she also told Walt, "If you don't make this cartoon about the pigs, I'll never speak to you again." Even if the proposed feature never happened, Mary was right about this cartoon short. 

Next comes the Fleischer Screen Song cartoon, Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie (1932). The title song was written by composer Harry Von Tilzer and lyricist Andrew B. Sterling in 1905. 

Now for the Betty Boop cartoon, Candid Candidate (1937). At this time Betty cartoons were focusing less on Betty herself and more on her supporting cast. This film stars one of the best members of her supporting cast, Grampy. 

Up next is the first pairing of Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales, It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House (1965). The two would be paired together in 25 more cartoons. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes the MGM cartoon Chips off the Old Block (1942). This short film stars a cat who sounds more than a little bit like Donald Duck. 

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."

Now for Dingbat in All This and Rabbit Stew (1950). 

Now to close with a song. 

Thank you 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

Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart by Scott Eyman

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman The 50 Greatest Cartoons Edited by Jerry Beck Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age by Michael Barrier https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

 

Movie Review: Victorian Psycho

Michael's Movie Grade: C

A style over substance horror film.

In this film, a governess moves into a new house and determines to make herself a member of the family. Unfortunately, with her twisted mind she puts everyone in the house in danger. 

Visually there is a lot to love about this film. The setting is lovely to look at and perfectly contrasts with the dark storyline. Yet even with the lovely surroundings the color pallet is never too brightly lit, given a sense of dread for what is to come. The camera angles are often very unconventional. Not only is this fun and playful but it allows us to see the story from our narrator's twisted mind.

The main reason to watch this movie is Maika Monroe's lead performance. She is perfect as this creepy over the top main character. As this character she commands the screen in every scene she appears in. She is simply a joy to watch, and this movie can be a treat simply because of her. 

Unfortunately, the film's story is a bit of a mess. It borrows heavily from better films without adding much of anything. At many points the filmmakers are constantly giving us shocking images that are there for no reason except to be shocking. They add nothing to the story or characters. After so many of these pointlessly shocking images, they just get tiring and less effective. This leaves us with a hollow story and characters for what had ingredients that could have made a great horror film.

This movie had some promise, but it relies too much on cheap shocks to fully work. 

 

 

Movie Review: Wild Horse Nine

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

This movie may be an acquired taste but for the right viewer it is fantastic. 

This film follows two CIA operatives who are sent to Easter Island. The partnership and friendship between the two are put to the test on this trip as they become unsure of whether they can even trust each other. This is only heightened by the older operative losing his memory and saying things that he shouldn't say.

It is rare to see a film that can go from quirky comedy to serious drama in a matter of seconds actually pull this off successfully. The reason this is so masterfully done here is because even during the quirkiest bits of humor, there is an underlying sense of melancholy. This melancholy feeling comes directly from the main character. Director/writer Martin McDonagh and actor John Malkovich find the humanity behind a character that has done very dark things. We grow to see the vulnerability behind a man living with regret for acts that are truly horrifying. That we can care so deeply about such a character without ever sugarcoating what he has done show how strong McDonagh's writer and Malkovich's acting truly is. By the end of the film, your heart is truly breaking for this guy. Since the humor comes directly from this character, you are often laughing at the same time as your heart is breaking. As quirky as the humor is, the comedy and the drama are perfectly intertwined, both complementing the other perfectly.  

John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell prove to be the perfect team. They both play off each other perfectly. Their interactions are not only funny but genuinely touching. You truly feel the friendship between these two in a way that makes you believe that they have known and cared for each other for years. 

I can't talk about this movie without praising the soundtrack. It is hard not to like a movie where Hank Williams, The Rolling Stones and Joni Mitchell can be heard. That each song is perfectly placed and fits the film's tone of course only helps.

The inner CIA politics seen here often veer towards conspiracy theories and test one's disbelief may have been a major flaw in another film. However, this movie is not about politics, it is a character study and a look at the vulnerability underneath even the darkest parts of humanity. Because of this, it is easy to forgive how little sense some of the politics make. 

For the right type of viewer this is a must-watch.    

  

Movie Review: The Cat in the Hat

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

A decent if unfocused animated Dr. Suess movie. 

What really works about this movie is the main story. Rather than adapting the famous children's book, this film creates a new story based on the popular character. However, this new story is a surprisingly strong idea. It is a perfect fit for the character. Like in the original book, he is on a mission to help cheer kids up. This film imagines him as working for a company that sends out animal characters with rhyming names to accomplish this type of task, which is a clever idea. The kids themselves are pretty good characters that we can easily relate to and care about. Their story arc is surprisingly strong as well, creating some actually emotional resonate moments. All this is helped by a very appealing art style and strong animation. 

The problem with this movie is that despite having a strong story, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The filmmakers feel as if they have to constantly throw things at us to keep as entertained. What makes the original Dr. Suess book so timeless is that it is a simple story told simply. The new story here could easily have the same type of charm and feel. Yet there is just too much going on here for the film to have that kind of charm. The frenetic pacing constantly gives us new story elements, settings and gags (that very few of these gags are actually funny doesn't help). Rather than making the film feel more fun or larger in scale, this just makes it too crowded. Plus, nearly two hours of this frenetic pacing, gets tiring. It can get frustrating at times because there is a great family movie in here somewhere, but it gets lost among all the excess. There are simply too many ideas here to put into one movie. 

This film is accompanied in theaters by a delightful Looney Tunes short called Daffy Season. While it may not be on the level of the best Looney Tunes cartoons, it is fun and that is exactly what we want from Looney Tunes. 

While The Cat in the Hat isn't a bad film, it falls short of being the great family movie it could have been with a lot more focus. 

Cowboy Church #289

 Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Jesus Loves the Little Children.  Jesus would state, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." There is no doubt that Jesus did love the little children and he loves us big children too. If we will humble ourselves and become like little children, the blessings he has for us are immeasurable.

This is followed by The Marshall Family with Amen, There's a Higher Power.

Afterwards is Charlie Rich with Will the Circle Be Unbroken. 

Next is Johnny Cash and U2 with The Wanderer. This song was written by Bono in 1993 (under the working title The Preacher). The song was inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes but takes place in a future time with a narrator who is worried about the lack of God in society. It is considered to be one of Bono's best songs, but for some reason whenever he tried to record it himself, it didn't work for him. Then he came up with the brilliant idea of having Johnny Cash sing the song (this idea came to Bono when he learned Johnny was going to be in Dublin). Bono would say that Johnny would teach him a lot about how to deliver a song like this during this recording section giving advice about how to put over each word effectively. Johnny told a reporter, "I don't know if it will ever be released or even what it's called." The song would be released on the U2 album, Zooropa  (one of U2's most experimental albums) and John would state that this song gave him a sense of artistic renewal.

Then comes Ricky Skaggs with The Old Crossroads. This song was originally written in 1936 by Charlie Monroe and originally recorded by him and his brother Bill Monroe. 

Next comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. This hymn began with a man named Anthony Showalter. As a fan of gospel music and an elder in a Presbyterian church, he held many "singing schools" at various churches in the south. One day he received two letters from former students who were struggling after their wives had passed. To respond to these letters, Showalter consulted scripture. He came across Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." After reading this verse lyrics for a song chorus went through his head and he wrote down, "“Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” After using this in the letters to his former students he sent this chorus to his friend hymnist, Elisha Hoffman. In the letter he also wrote, “Here is the chorus for a good hymn from Deuteronomy 33:27, but I can’t come up with the verses.” Hoffman then wrote the rest of the lyrics to which Showalter put to music. The hymn was published in 1887.

Today's musical selection ends with Ricky Van Shelton with I Wouldn't Take Nothin' For My Journey. This recording comes from his 1992 gospel album, Don't Overlook Salvation. 

Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham 

Now for the 30th episode of The Lone Ranger TV Show.

Psalm 138

Of David.

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple

    and will praise your name

    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,

for you have so exalted your solemn decree

    that it surpasses your fame.

3 When I called, you answered me;

    you greatly emboldened me.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,

    when they hear what you have decreed.

5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,

    for the glory of the Lord is great.

6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;

    though lofty, he sees them from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

    you preserve my life.

You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;

    with your right hand you save me.

8 The Lord will vindicate me;

    your love, Lord, endures forever—

    do not abandon the works of your hands.

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #303

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a silent Out of the Inkwell cartoon, Koko's Big Sale (1929). The live action boss is actually producer Max Fleischer. 

of five the

Casper the Friendly Ghost was created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo. The character was created with the intention of staring him in a 1939 children's book. However there was little interest in this idea. During World War 2, Oriolo sold the rights to the book to Famous Studios, the animation studio which was making the Popeye cartoons at this time. The studio originally viewed this as a one shot cartoon, but Sam Buchwald liked the idea and by 1950, Casper cartoons would officially become a series. Animator Myron Waldman worked on the majority of the Casper films would later state, "The boys at the studio used to kid me when we were doing the Caspers; they'd call them the 'ooh-ahh' pictures, but I always felt those pictures would last much longer than a picture that was just based on gags, because nobody can remember the gags. When they go to see it again, or talk about it, I think they like a story - kids especially."  Up next is the first Casper cartoon and one that was also an adaption of the book. So enjoy The Friendly Ghost (1945). 

Up next is the Terry Toons short, Dingbat Land (1949). This is the second of five theatrical cartoons to feature the crazy little bird character Dingbat. It is also his only theatrical appearance with Terry Toons characters, Gandy Goose and Sourpuss.

Next is one of the most popular and best pairings of Mickey, Donald and Goofy, Lonesome Ghosts (1937). This film provides one with everything they could want from one of these cartoons. It has tons of fast-paced slapstick and creativity throughout. The story of this movie changed over the time it was being made, originally the haunted house was going to be a fake created by gangster Pete to scare others away. As you will see when you watch the film, the ghosts here are completely real. This caused a review for Motion Picture News too call the movie, "rather scary for tiny tots." A review in The Film Daily however said just the opposite stating "The Ghost stuff is all played for laughs instead of spookiness and the kids will eat it up." The following are a couple exhibitors' reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "Lonesome Ghosts: Walt Disney cartoons - Another Disney of outstanding entertainment. - Harland Rankin, Plaza Theatre, Tilbury, Ontario, Canada. General Patronage." "Lonesome Ghosts: Walt Disney cartoons - I feel that Disney is living on his Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs reputation and his cartoons are not up to the usual standard he formally had. Running Time seven minutes - A.J. Jinks, Crystal Theatre, Ligonier, Ind. Small town patronage." This short film made its TV debut on the very first episode of the Disneyland TV series, The Disneyland Story (1954). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next is the Famous Studios cartoon, Land of Lost Watches (1951).

Next comes a real classic, the Bugs Bunny cartoon, The Wacky Wabbit (1942). As many of you know all the major Looney Tunes directors had their different take on Bugs Bunny. Bob Clampett's Bugs was very much a fun-loving prankster. Unlike Chuck Jones' version of the character, this Bugs did not always need to act in self-defense but could just pick on someone to have a little fun. That is true of the way he treats Elmer here. Elmer in this film is not hunting wabbits, but simply minding his own business, when Bugs decides to let the poor fellow have it. Elmer in this cartoon looks different from how many movie fans picture him looking. This is because he was briefly redesigned to look like his voice actor Arthur Q. Byran. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Fourteen carrot entertainer this 'Wacky Wabbit.' There's a laugh in every foot. The wise guy rabbit in this instance tries his trick on a gold prospector. He drives the poor guy crazy confounding him and keeping him constantly on the jump. Bugs Bunny grows in stature with every new Merry Melody release. He bids fair to become as funny as any character now in animated cartoons. The smart showman should grab this short." 

Now for a silent cartoon with Felix in the Bone Age (1922).

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 Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein 

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Movie Review: The Irregular at Magic High School THE MOVIE -Yotsuba Succession Arc- (Gekijô-ban Mahôka Kôkô no Rettôsei Yotsuba Keishô-hen)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A quite well-made anime movie. 

This newest installment in the popular anime franchise has a lot to recommend it. I came into this film not having ever seen or read this franchise before, yet I was I able to grasp the basics I needed to know easily. It very quickly set up what these characters personalities are as well as given us some strong world building. Though there is some strong action here, the focus is always on the story and characters. However, the action scenes that are here are wonderful. They are over the top and fun in the absolute best anime way. There is no doubt that these violent and wild action scenes are simply a lot of fun. They also heavily work because we care about these characters. These are very well developed and at times complex characters that very much feel like real people. The storyline does at times revolve around a romantic plot that is frankly quite uncomfortable. I have no doubt this will turn many off from this film (as it did for me at first). However, it is handled as tastefully as it can be, and the film acknowledges that it is uncomfortable.

The main flaw with this movie however is simply too much exposition. There are times when an expository scene shoves so much information at us at once that it is hard to keep track of everything being said. Towards the last act this becomes very common, where there is constantly dialogue that is explain things to us and introducing new ideas. When this information is important, this can become a major flaw.

Though not perfect, this is a good movie that is welcoming to newcomers.