Hello my friends and welcome back for some more classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with a great early Mickey Mouse film, The Whoopee Party (1932). This movie doesn't have much of a storyline but is really just a bunch of cartoony gags based on a basic premise. Like many of the early Mickey films, this cartoon features a wonderful cast of animators. Hardie Gramatky animates the opening scene with the crowd dancing and the couple dancing with trays on their rear ends. Eddie Donnelly (who would later direct many Terry-Toons) animates an early scene with the dancers dancing fast and slow and later the cops arriving. Les Clark (one of Walt's Nine Old Men and widely acknowledged as one of the finest Mickey Mouse animators) animates Minnie and Clarabella Cow playing the piano and fiddle. Dave Hand (who would be the supervising director for the Disney features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942)) animates Mickey, Horace Horsecollar and Goofy in the kitchen, bringing out the food and playing their instruments. Johnny Cannon animates the orchestra playing. Norm Ferguson (who's animation would help define the character of Pluto) animates Mickey and the pig dancing (though this is reused animation from an earlier Mickey cartoon, The Shindig (1930)). "Frenchy" de Trémaudan animates Minnie's solo scenes behind the piano. Ben Sharpsteen (who would later be the supervising director of the Disney features, Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941)) animated (probably with a group of newer animators) the inanimate objects and the dead chicken dancing. Tom Palmer (who directed some cartoons for Warner Brothers and Van Beuren) animates Goofy throwing confetti blowing the carnival snake, Clarabella's wild dance and Goofy and her fight afterwards. Jack King (later one of the finest directors of Donald Duck cartoons) animates Mickey playing the milk bottles. Dick Lundy (who would later direct Woody Woodpecker and Barney Bear cartoons) animates the two silly looking dogs dancing and the movie's finale.
Next comes Popeye in The Crystal Brawl (1957). This film is a cheater and reuses scenes from Abusement Park (1947) and Quick on the Vigor (1950).
Now we join Porky Pig in Porky's Phoney Express (1938). This cartoon was directed by Cal Dalton and Cal Howard, both of whom received their first director's credit with this film. A review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Here is another Porky cartoon replete with the usual clever animation and serio-comic effects that make it an easy item to sell to a wide audience." A review in the Motion Picture Herald referred to the movie as "An amusing and clever cartoon takeoff on the hard riding heroics of 'Wells Fargo.'"
It is now time for The Pink Panther in Pink Streaker (1975).
Now it is time for commercial break.
Now comes a classic silent movie starring Colonel Heeza Liar, Col. Heeza Liar Detective (1923). The Colonel's cartoon career began in 1913. After 1917 he briefly vanished from movie screens. Yet in 1922 the series returned. New cartoons with the character would be made through 1924. This cartoon coms from the later run of films. These later shorts would combine live action and animation (something the earlier shorts did not do) in way that resembled the Fleischer Brothers' Out of the Inkwell shorts.
Now for a wonderful Donald Duck cartoon, The Riviter (1940). This short film pits Donald Duck against Pete. Though Pete is mostly known as Mickey's enemy, him and Donald sparred a few times as well. Personally I like how he plays against Donald even more than Mickey. Pete adult seriousness perfectly contrasts with Donald's childlike playfulness. It has been said that after silent movie comedy went away, that cartoons took their place. That is definitely on display here as this is a bit of a thrill comedy in the vein of Harold Lloyd's Safety Last (1923) or Laurel and Hardy's Liberty (1929).
Now let us close by singing one all together.
Thanks for joining me come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
http://afilmla.blogspot.com/
https://mediahistoryproject.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment