Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #215

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with Woody Woodpecker in Wicket Wackey (1951). 

Next comes one of my favorite cartoons from director Norm McCabe, Daffy's Southern Exposure (1942). I absolutely love the way this movie treats Daffy. He is very much in his early wild and crazy mode. But at the same time there is a bit more to him than just being crazy. He is also the type of duck who is always simply looking for a good time and will ignore the warnings of others if they try to get in the way of him having fun. Still even when getting his comeuppance, he never learns any sort of lesson and remains the same duck he was the beginning of the cartoon. This is a fun characterization for Daffy, especially as he is still fun of the pure energy that makes the early Daffy so popular. This is just as much of a fully formed character as the one we would see in the later Chuck Jones classics of the 1950's. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "DAFFY'S SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: Cartoon- Good black and white cartoon. Enjoyed by people that saw it.—Conrad H. Tapia, Chief Theatre, Casa Grande, Ariz."

Now for a true Disney classic, Mickey's Circus (1936). Though this movie features major stars like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Walt Disney himself had a fondness for a supporting character in this cartoon. That character was the littlest of the seals. Walt loved this character and because of that he suggested gags for the seal and even wished to revive him in later cartoons. The character would appear in only one more film and that would be over a decade later. That cartoon was Mickey and the Seal (1948). Mickey and the Seal would also give the character a name, Salty. The following is from a review from the Film Daily, "There are serval barrelsful of laughs in this Technicolor Mickey Mouse cartoon from Walt Disney's workshop. The very ridiculousness of the antics of Donald Duck, Mickey and the trained seals bring laughs whether one wants to laugh or not." The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald. "MICKEY'S CIRCUS: Mickey Mouse— Average Mickey Mouse, not as good as several previous ones but still good. - John A. Mulligan, Broadway Theatre, Schuylerville, N.Y. General Patronage." 

Now for a silent movie directed by Walt Disney himself, The Four Musicians of Bremen (1922). 

Now it is time for a commercial break.

Next comes Popeye in Greek Mirthology (1954). This movie feature Popeye once again tells a story to his nephews to let them know how important spinach is. He this time he tells them the story of how spinach helped give Hercules his infamous strength. Oddly enough Hercules looks just like Popeye and he is fighting a bully who looks just like Bluto.

While nothing can reach the heights of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons of the 1930's, 40's, 50's and 60's, some very entertaining stuff has been done with the classic characters since then. Here is a later short I really like, Little Go Beep (2000). Watching this movie, cartoon buffs may notice a Maltese trophy. This serves as both a reference to the infamous Humphry Bogart film, The Maltase Falcon (1941) and to cartoon writer, Michael Maltase (who wrote many of the best Roadrunner cartoons). There is also a trophy that says Harris, probably referring to Looney Tunes animator Ken Harris, a cameo by Chuck Jones (who directed the classic Roadrunner cartoons) and a Charles M. Jones Super Genuis Award. 
 

Broadcasting Telecasting, 1956

Next is the Terry Bears in their last theatrical cartoon, Baffling Bunnies (1956). There were 17 cartoons featuring these characters. 

Let us close with a song. 

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

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by David Gerstein and J.B. Kaufman

https://mediahistoryproject.org/