Hello again my friends. It is once again Saturday morning, meaning it is once again time for some classic cartoons.
Next comes a classic Norman McCabe directed Daffy Duck cartoon. Though he only directed three Daffy cartoons, Norman McCabe more than proved himself as a perfect match for this character. Though his Daffy was still wild and crazy, Norman's cartoons gave him a more fully formed personality than previous directors did. Besides just the personality these films were extremely high energy cartoons that were extremely fun. Norman McCabe would continue working with the Looney Tunes characters well past the golden age of Looney Tunes, as he would be a timing director for the TV shows, Tiny Toon Adventures (1990-1991), Taz-Mania (1991-1995) and The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995-1996). So enjoy Impatient Patient (1942).
Next is a Winnie the Pooh cartoon, not from Disney but rather from the Russian studio, Soyuzultfilm. This film was directed by Fyodor Khitruck. Some animation buffs would even go so far as to say he is one of the greatest directors in the history of animation. He started his career with Soyuzultfilm in 1924 as an animator. However he did not direct a film there until 1961's Story of One Crime which is declared by many fans of art-house animation as one of the best animated shorts and with its razor sharp commentary even caused some controversy when it was released. Though many of Khitruck's films were definitely more artsy and experimental, he did make some more mainstream films as well. Such examples are his short Winnie the Pooh films, which started with 1968's Winnie the Pooh. Our short is Winnie The Pooh Pays a Visit (1971). This film is based off an A.A. Milne story of the same name. The cartoon is extremely charming. The characters are just as likable and well thought out as in the Disney version. This film also has very charming look to it. The backgrounds seem to be colored in crayon to emphasize that this is a world in a child's imagination, and it is extremely effective giving the cartoon a unique feel. Also adding to this are the simple but very expressive designs of the characters. There is also some great humor here. I particularly love the ditty that Pooh makes up. For fans of these classic characters this film is a must watch.
Anyone who says Betty Boop cartoons are for kids has either not seen them in a long time or not at all. These films were full of much sexual innuendo and jokes aimed specifically at adult audiences. Case in point is the following cartoon, Boop Oop a Doop (1932).
Next let us enjoy one of Walt Disney's great silent Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons, Hungry Hobos (1928). This is a very fast paced and funny cartoon. The gags are as imaginative and clever as you should except from the best of this series. Oswald's "pal" in this cartoon is the future Mickey Mouse villain Pete. Pete in fact dated back before Oswald, having appeared in some of Walt's Alice Comedies.
To close us off is one of my favorite Donald Duck cartoons of the 1950's, Donald's Dairy (1954). This film was directed by Jack Kinney, the Disney studio's wildest and funniest cartoon director. This film takes more of a cynical and sharply satirical tone than would be used by almost any other Disney director of the era. This is a laugh out funny and very clever cartoon, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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