Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #76

Hello my friends and happy Saturday Morning. Once again it is time for more classic cartoons.

First is what I consider one of Friz Freleng's best cartoons, Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943). This is also one of his fastest paced efforts. From start to finish this movie simply never lets up on gags and while the gags are often quite funny, it is this sheer sense of energy that makes this film so special. One exhibitors review (From the Motion Picture Herald) stated "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Good cartoon, but where does it get its name? —Raloh Maspa, State Theatre, Rivesville, W. Va"  As you can guess from that this is not a patriotic film and is not a parody of Michael Curtiz's Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) released the previous year. My guess that someone at the studio liked the pun and therefore just put it as the movie's title, but then again that is just a guess. Another exhibitors review (also from the Motion Picture Herald) was shockingly harsh for such a great cartoon stating "Yankee Doodle Daffy: Looney Tunes Cartoons - This studio's cartoons lately seem to be either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. This is downright terrible. - W. Varick Nevins, III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred, N.Y."

My first reaction to the Columbia Krazy Kat cartoons of the 1930's was one of disappointment. I was sad that they hardly resembled the comic strip I love so much, but overtime, my feelings change as I accepted and enjoyed these films for what they were instead of what they weren't. Though The Bill Collector (1933) seems extremely tame today (even compared to what we see in family movies today), an exhibitor's review (from the Motion Picture Herald) at the time stated " BILL POSTER, THE: Krazy Kat Cartoons—Krazy Kat cartoon with some vulgarities.—Harold C. Allison, Baldwin Theatre, Baldwin, Mich. Small town patronage." This is probably referring to scenes like the one where the dog sniffs his own rear end. It is hard to think of much else that could be considered objectionable.





Now cartoons that really did get away with a lot for their time were the early Betty Boop movies. Case in point up next is Mask-A-Raid (1931). This cartoon not only features jokes that are as pre-code as possible but also the wild imaginative gags that made the early 1930's Fleischer cartoons so unique and amazingly entertaining. I believe this is the first cartoon in which Betty is human instead of a dog.

Paramount's 20th birthday jubilee 1931

Now for some exciting sports action with that incredible athlete Goofy.

Thanks for joining me come back next week for more animated treasures. Peace, love and cartoons.


-Michael J. Ruhland