Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Our cartoon selection begins with Sylvester and Tweety in Catty Cornered (1953). In this cartoon Tweety is kidnapped by gangster Rocky. Rocky was a character who was only used by director Friz Freleng. He had earlier been the villain in the Daffy Duck cartoon, Golden Yeggs (1950). Most cartoon fans associate Rocky with his dumb partner in crime Mugsy. However this cartoon was made before the character was created. Mugsy first appeared in Bugs and Thugs (1954). This short would later be edited into the feature-length compilation film, The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981).
Up next is the last theatrical cartoon short from Tex Avery, Sh-h-h-h-h-h (1955). This short was made for the Walter Lantz studio. Tex had been an animator for this studio in the 1930's before he began directing. After an incredible stint of directing classic cartoons for MGM, he returned to Lantz in the late 1950's as a director. Though he did not direct many cartoons for Lantz at this time the ones he did direct were excellent. This movie uses audio from a 1923 novelty record, OKeh Laughing Record.
Next up we join our good friend, Betty in Betty Boop's Museum (1932). The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "BETTY BOOP'S MUSEUM: Talkartoons—A pretty good little cartoon. Some fine music while the skeletons perform.—Erma L. Raeburn, Arcade Theatre, Newell, S. D. Family and General Patronage." A review in The Film Daily states, "This one is up to Max Fleischer's standard."
Up next is the Columbia Color Rhapsody cartoon, Cinderella Goes to a Party (1942). A review in the Showman's Trade Review called this film, "Only Fair." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture, "CINDERELLA GOES TO A PARTY: Cartoon- Clever burlesque of the Cinderella story; one of the best cartoons from Columbia this season." The movie would be re-issued to theaters in 1952.
Motion Picture Herald, 1934
Up next is the Looney Tunes cartoon, 3 Ring Wing-Ding (1968). This movie features Cool Cat, one of the last characters to come out of Looney Tunes original theatrical run and his archenemies Colonel Rimfire. Cool Cat will be familiar to fans of the TV series, Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, as he made brief cameos in many episodes. He and Colonel Rimfire can also be seen in the feature length direct to video movie, Tweety's High Flying Adventure (2000).
The Film Daily, 1936
Next comes an episode of Filmation's TV Justice League cartoon, Bad Day on Black Mountain (1967).
Today's cartoon selection ends with one of the all time great Disney cartoon shorts, Clock Cleaners (1937). The original plan for this movie was quite different from the finished film. In the original outline, Mickey, Donald and Goofy had their own clock repair business where they advertised that they could clean any clock for only one dollar. When Pete hears of this he makes them an offer, they accept only to find out that the clock Pete was talking about was at the top of a tower. This movie does away with all that exposition and instead starts with our heroes atop the tower cleaning the clock. In many ways this short is a thrill comedy of the type that was popular in the silent era (most famously with Harold Lloyd's feature length Safety Last (1923)). This influence is especially felt during the scenes in which Goofy walks dazed after being hit. That scenes is heavily animated by Wolfgang Reitherman. Reitherman was one of Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and excelled at fast paced action scenes (something that can be seen to full advantage with the Monstro the Whale scenes in Pinocchio (1940), as well as the fight with the rat in Lady and the Tramp (1955)). He would later become a director of animated feature films including The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), and The Rescuers (1977). The following is an Exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "CLOCK CLEANERS, THE: Mickey Mouse—Excel- lent. One of the best series of shorts on the market. If you advertise your shorts heavy and take pride in showing them, by all means book in this series." This movie received the number 27 spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons.
The Film Daily, 1937
Thanks for joining me come back next week for another selection of classic cartoons. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
The 50 Greatest Cartoons Edited by Jerry Beck.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein
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