Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again, it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with a Friz Freleng classic, This is a Life (1955). This movie is a parody of the TV series, This Is Your Life. This film is also a bit of a cheater, using clips from other Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. These include A Hare Grows in Manhattan (1947), Buccaneer Bunny (1948) and Hare Do (1949). All of those shorts were also directed by Friz Freleng.
Son of The Pink Panther (1993) was the last of the Pink Panther feature films to be directed by Blake Edwards. The opening credits sequence was directed by his son Geoffrey Edwards, with Bill Kyoer Studios providing the animation. Though the movie is disliked by many Pink Panther fans, the opening credits sequence is a lot of fun. This sequence combines animation with live action. The man who hands the Panther the baton, is none other than Henry Mancini, who composed the Pink Panther's theme song. The a cappella version of the theme heard here is by Bobby McFerrin and his band. Pixar fans might know Bobby McFerrin for doing the music for the Pixar short film, Knick Knack (1989).
Next comes a delightfully bizarre Van Bueren cartoon, Cinderella Blues (1931). This movie shows the trouble that the Van Bueren studio had with adapting to sound in the 1930's and looks crude if you compare it to what Disney (or even Warner Brothers) was doing in 1931.
Next comes a much more polished cartoon from 1931, The Moose Hunt (1931) with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. This short film is a delightful example of Disney cartoons at this time. Though in later years Disney cartoons would become more grounded, at this time there were plenty of wonderful impossible gags in the Disney shorts. This movie is a wonderful example with its great ending gag. This film also benefits from a wonderful cast of animators. Jack King, who would later direct some wonderful Donald Duck cartoons, animated Mickey and Pluto walking at the start of this film, Pluto tripping Mickey and making his gun go off, the glove tickling Mickey's rear end and Mickey saying "a moose" before firing his gun. Dave Hand, who would be supervising director on the Disney features Snow White (1937) and Bambi (1942) animates Mickey shooting at the birds in the tree and the scene with Pluto, jumping into the water. Norm Ferguson, whose animation helped define the character of Pluto, animates Pluto's first encounters with the fleas and Pluto sniffing out the moose. Les Clark, one of the all time greatest Mickey Mouse animators, animates Mickey having Pluto do tricks and throwing the stick. Future Woody Woodpecker and Barney Bear director, Dick Lundy animates Pluto fetching the branch instead of the stick and the film's ending gag. Tom Palmer, who directed some cartoons for Warner Brothers and Van Bereun, animates the fake death scene. Ben Sharpsteen, the supervising director for the Disney features films, Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), animates the moose chasing our heroes. This movie will be well known to many Disney fans as it plays in The Main Street Theatre in Disneyland.
Now for a commercial break.
Now for Sylvester and Tweety in Rebel Without Claws (1961).
Next is Andy Panda in Playful Pelican (1948). This movie was the next to last Andy Panda short but it is a real delight. It was directed by Dick Lundy, who previously worked for Disney. Lundy would later say, "When I went to Lantz, I tried to teach the animators some of the Disney ways for better animation. Some if the artists were glad to learn; others didn't seem to care. I tried to get the animators to put in a little more personality. Naturally, there were some who tried and some who didn't seem to get the idea at all. To get personality into animation cut down on their footage, so it was a compromise to get this and still meet their quota of twenty-five feet a week. I think, as time went on, the quality did raise up a bit. I think the characters were better liked and more believable because of the better animation." This film is a great showcase for wonderful character animation. The two credited animators are true pros. These were Ed Love (who had been in Tex Avery's unit at MGM) and Ken O'Brien (a Disney animator who worked on the Disney feature films). Film Historian, Leonard Maltin would write, "Their expertise breathes such life into Andy Panda as he wrestles with a stubborn pelican - and then plays mother/protector to its wide-eyed offspring - that it becomes doubly difficult the second-rate animation that was to follow in Lantz cartoons just a few years later."
Now for a silent movie starring Felix the Cat.
Today's cartoon selection ends with a Simpsons short from the Tracy Ullman show, Bart and Homer's Dinner (1987).
Thamks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin.
Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town! by Jerry Beck
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