Today's first cartoon stars that old friend of both you and me, Scrappy. The film is Treasure Runt (1932) and is everything I could want from a Scrappy cartoon. This movie is full of creative and silly gags that come one after another with all the surreal-ness that us film lovers enjoy about cartoons of the early 1930's.
Next is another cartoon from Columbia, Mother Goose in Swingtime (1939). As you can guess from the title this movie brings Mother Goose characters into the modern day. This is done through both swing music and through the characters being turned into caricatures of celebrities of time. The music is very fun and the caricatures are of course fun for us old movie buffs. The following is an exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Mother Goose in Swingtime: Color Rhapsodies - Some interesting caricatures of movie stories, but outside of that very "ho-hum"-ish. The smell of burnt flesh was noticeable as my goose was cooked by the comments on it later. Running Time Seven Minutes. - W. Varick Nevins, III, Alfred Co-Op Theatre, Alfred, N.Y. Small college town and rural patronage."
Next comes another cartoon based off of old fairy tales. This time it is a Terrytoon titled The Last Mouse of Hamelin (1955).
Last is a very funny Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, The Wacky Wabbit (1942). Bob Clampett's version of Bugs was quite different from the Bugs other directors used. Truth is that every Warner Brothers director had their own version of Bugs. Unlike the Bugs you see in say a Chuck Jones cartoon, the rabbit is not fighting for self defense nor is he getting any sort of revenge. He is instead torturing Elmer Fudd only for the reason that he finds it fun. This Bugs is not only a prankster but a bit of a bully and if he weren't so darn funny he would be the villain of the picture. You may notice Elmer is a bit bigger here than you are used to. This is due to a brief experiment to make him look more lie his voice artist Arthur Q. Bryan. 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 Meoldie release. He bids fair to become as funny as any character now in animated cartoons. The smart showman should grab this short."
Thanks for joining me come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then peace, love and cartoons.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Nice selection, thx!
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