Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #169

 Hello my friends, happy Saturday morning and welcome back for some more classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with Popeye in I'm in the Army Now (1936). This short film is a bit of a cheater and features clips from previous Popeye cartoons. The cartoons that clips are used from include Blow Me Down (1934), Shoein' Hosses (1934), Choose Your 'Weppins' (1935) and King of the Mardi Gras (1935). This is one of my favorite cheater cartoons, because the new scenes are just as entertaining as the clips. I especially love Bluto talking about what a big star he was in the movies. This serves as a good reminder for those of us who grew up watching these films on TV that they were originally made for movie theaters. 

Next up comes the Color Rhapsody cartoon, Carnival Courage (1945). This movie was directed by Howard Swift, who was a former Disney animator who worked on the Disney feature films Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941). He would also go on to work on some of the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoons of the 1970's.

Up next is the final Looney Tunes cartoon in black and white, Puss N' Booty (1943). This short film was directed by Frank Tashlin, the most cinematic of the Looney Tunes directors (and one who would go on to a successful career directed live action films). As such the use of lighting and staging in this movie are fantastic. This is a really handsome looking cartoon, that makes one wish the studio could have continued with more black and white Looney Tunes. This movie would later be remade as the Sylvester and Tweety short, I Taw a Putty Tat (1948). 

Next we join The Pink Panther in Pink Campaign (1975). This short film was directed by Art Leonardi. Leonardi had been an animator on some of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Friz Freleng (who co-produced the Pink Panther shorts) directed in the 1960's. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Up next comes the classic Silly Symphony, Night (1930). This movie was directed by Walt Disney himself and featured an all-star cast of animators. Future Donald Duck director, Jack King and master Mickey Mouse animator (as well as one of Walt's nine old men) Les Clark animated the opening scene together. King also handled the owls and Clark also animated the frogs dancing and going over the waterfall. Ben Sharpsteen, who would go on to become the supervising director for such Disney feature films as Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), animated the moths. Tom Palmer, who had briefly been a director at both Warner Brothers and Van Bueren and who had been the animation director on the Fleischer Brothers feature film Gulliver's Travels (1939), animates the fireflies flying in a circle. Wilfred Jackson, who co-directed the Disney features Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953) and Lady and the Tramp (1955), animates the two fireflies dancing. Dave Hand, who would be supervising director on the Disney features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942) animates the mosquitos and the frogs. Johnny Cannon, who animated on many Disney shorts of the 1930's and 40's, animates the frog on the mill wheel. Norm Ferguson, whose animation would help to define the character of Pluto, animates the frog serenading his girlfriend. 

Next comes the Looney Tunes Webtoon, Inherit the Windbag (2001).

Now let us close with a song. 

Thanks for joining me, come back next week for more animated gems. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.

Resources Used

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman 

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin