Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with one of Disney's great sports cartoons with Goofy, Double Dribble (1946). This movie differs from many of the other Goofy sports cartoons because it is directed by Jack Hannah rather than Jack Kinney. At this time Hannah was mostly directing shorts with Donald Duck as well as Chip and Dale. Hannah would occasionally direct Goofy cartoons, but it was not a regular occurrence. He directed another sports-themed Goofy cartoon, this same year, with A Knight For a Day (1946). Animation and Disney buffs should listen to the names of the various players in this film as they are named after various Disney employees, including one named Hannah and one named Kinney. This cartoon made its TV debut in an episode of the Disneyland TV show entitled, The Goofy Cavalcade of Sports (1956). It was the only cartoon not directed by Jack Kinney to appear on that episode.
The next cartoon is a Max Fleischer Color Classic, Greedy Humpty Dumpty (1936). The Color Classics series was very much inspired by Disney's Silly Symphony cartoons. Like those cartoons this series did not focus on reoccurring characters, but instead mostly on one off characters. With its fairytale atmosphere and operetta style dialogue this is probably one of the entries that is closest stylistically to a Silly Symphony. There are however some strange little gags that are pure Fleischer humor.
Next is a delightful Art Davis directed Looney Tunes cartoon, The Rattled Rooster (1948). Art Davis may have only directed Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons for a short while, but the offbeat and often hilarious sense of humor has made him a favorite of many classic cartoon fans. This movie was written by Dave Monahan, who had in the late 1930's and early 1940's been a writer who had written cartoons for Chuck Jones, Tex Avery and Friz Freleng's units. Monahan would leave Warners to fight in World War 2 in the U.S. Army. When he returned to Warners in 1947, he would briefly become a writer for Art Davis' unit. Monahan would later direct the live action scenes in Chuck Jones' feature film, The Phantom Tollbooth (1970). The worm character in this film is a take-off of Red Skelton's Mean Little Kid character. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Rooster chases worm for his meal. Worm leads the hungry bird on a merry chase. Several imaginative sequences help in making this short a cut above average."
Now we join the Pink Panther in Pink Lightning (1978).
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now it is time for a delightful silent movie, Dud the Circus Performer (1919).
Now for Popeye the Sailor in Olive's Boithday Presink (1941). This movie features the character George W. Geezil, who was a much more prominent character in the newspaper comic strip, Thimble Theater, where Popeye was introduced than in the animated cartoons. This short film marked his second appearance in an animated cartoon. His first animated appearance had been in A Clean Shaven Man (1936), where he had a non-speaking cameo. In this film he actually does get some lines, as he has a wonderfully funny interaction with Popeye towards the start of the cartoon.
Now for Mickey Mouse in Black and White (2015).
Next is the final theatrical appearance by the Terry-Toons character, Farmer Al Falfa with Uranium Blues (1956).
Home Movies, 1946
Today's cartoons selection ends with the Looney Tunes Webtoon, H2-Uh-Oh! (2004).
Thanks 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
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Disney_Wiki
https://lantern.mediahist.org/
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