Happy Saturday morning again my friends. That is right it is time for more classic cartoons.
We start off with a classic Betty Boop cartoon, Ha Ha Ha (1934). Before the Fleshier Brothers made Betty Boop cartoons they made a series of silent cartoons called Out of the Inkwell. This cartoon certainly takes influence for that series. In the beginning of the cartoon we see in live action an inkwell and a board to draw on. From this a live action hand comes and draws Betty on that board. This is how Koko the Clown entered in most of the Out of the Inkwell cartoons. Speaking of Koko, he plays a supporting role in this cartoon. He actually was a supporting player in many of the Betty Boop cartoons of the 1930's. The following is an exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald (dated May 12, 1934). "Ha! Ha! Ha!: Betty Boop cartoons - This is another good cartoon from Paramount featuring Betty Boop and assisted by Koko. Betty as the dentist and Koko as the patient are very funny and will please everyone in your audience. Just the kind of entertainment we like and want more of them. Running time eight minutes. - J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, NC, General Patronage."
Next comes the last of the great series of cartoons of the 1940's teaming Donald Duck and Goofy together, Crazy With the Heat (1947). These cartoons are delightful all the way, with Goofy's obliviousness to his circumstances (however bad they may be) playing off of Donald's insane temper. This just gets Donald more and more annoyed as the films get funnier and funnier. This is a rare Disney cartoon short directed by Bob Carlson, who mostly worked as an animator by the studio. With how funny this film is that certainly seems a shame. A review in The Film Daily called this cartoon, "Exceptionally good." I can't argue with that.
Now comes a really late Merrie Melodies cartoon staring Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales, Mucho Locos (1966). This cartoon is what is known as a cheater meaning it uses clips from various older cartoons, similar to a TV clip show. One of the clips used is from Robin Hood Daffy (1958). Since in that cartoon Daffy co-starred with Porky and the pig appears in the clip, this marks the last use of Porky in a Looney Tunes or Merrie Melody. Despite this he doesn't say a word. The last cartoon where the pig played a major part was Corn on the Cop (1965). This cartoon is the only Warners cartoon in which Herman Stein does the music. Stein was much more prolific as a composer from live action movies and TV. This cartoon hardly marks the characters' finest hour, but it is entertaining in a weird way.
Since I mentioned the Out of the Inkwell series when talking about our first cartoon, I feel it is appropriate to end with an Out of the Inkwell cartoon. So enjoy, Bedtime (1923).
Thank you for joining me come back for more classic cartoons next week.
-Michael J. Ruhland
RE: Muchos Locos. That's not an actual clip from Robin Hood Daffy. They rotoscoped the animation from the original, and placed it on a new background. Blanc even re-recorded his dialogue--In fact, he re-recorded ALL the dialogue in the clips.
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