Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
One of the fixtures of classic cartoons were celebrity caricatures. Often these caricatures were used as just a quick gag, but there were also cartoons built completely around celebrity caricatures. For people like me who adore old movies, these cartoons are a complete delight. Possibly the finest (though Disney's Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938) is a close runner up) of these films is Tex Avery's Hollywood Steps Out (1941). The caricatures are very well done, the jokes are quite funny and the references to movies of this time period are extremely clever. The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "HOLLYWOOD STEPS OUT: Merrie Melodies—This is one of the best cartoons I have had for some time. It features quite a number of Hollywood stars. Running time, 7 minutes.—Walter Eldred, Colfax Theatre, Colfax. Calif. Small town patronage." The following is another, "HOLLYWOOD STEPS OUT: Merrie Melodies—The caricatures of famous Hollywood stars are excellently done in this color cartoon and the voices are perfect imitations. This is one of the best cartoons we have ever run as it is also funny in its own right. Running Time, eight minutes. W. Varrick Nevins III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred, NY. small college town patronage."
The following is a brief article from Showman's Trade Review, "It is something to get excited about when a a feature gets important, nation-wide front page coverage. But when a cartoon is awarded that honor the excitement should be even greater, for it is seldom if ever a short subject gets such coverage.
"The cartoon was 'Hollywood Steps Out' a Merry Melody produced by Leon Schlesinger. Caricatures appeared on the cover of Pictorial Review, supplement of Hearst Sunday papers twice in one month."
Though today classic cartoon fans associate MGM cartoons with the more wacky Tom and Jerry and Tex Avery films, the studio had previously been know for its lavish but slower paced (and not exactly gag driven) films by Hugh Harmon and Rudolph Ising. The complete change in pace was definitely noticed by audiences of the time which explains the following exhibitors review (from the Motion Picture Herald) for the early Hanna-Barbera short, The Goose Goes South (1941). "GOOSE GOES SOUTH, THE: Technicolor cartoons, The MGM cartoons have now also gone wacky in the Schlesinger manner and believe it or not do an excellent job at it. Full of laughs and surprises. - W. Varrick Nevins III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred, NY. small college town patronage."
And now for something completely different here is Sally Cruikshank's Quasi at the Quackadero (1975).
Next Gandy Goose and Sourpuss visit Comic Book Land (1950). I love that a lot of Gandy's comic book collection consist of Terry-Toon comics. Either Gandy has good taste or he has a discount on these comics by working for the studio. I wonder if he reads comics starring himself. It is a good thing he reads Terry-Toons comics as one of these comics come in handy towards the end of the film.
And now for a delightful fairytale of the fractured variety.
I know after last week's Ruff and Reddy cartoon, you are in suspense to find out what happens next. Well wait no longer up next is the second Ruff and Reddy cartoon. To find out what happens to our heroes after this come back next week.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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