Hello my friends and welcome back for another selection of classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection starts with a real classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, On Ice (1935). This cartoon stars not only Mickey but also Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy. Despite being a short film, this movie gives ample time to each of the main characters and gives them all their own little story (though Mickey and Minnie share their story). Some of the characters' little stories even intertwine at the end. Even in this silly slapstick cartoon, the Disney studio's great storytelling ability at this time period is shown perfectly through this and it is easy to understand, why for so many the Disney cartoons stood out during this time period. Goofy especially gets time to shine here and gets some of the best gags. He is heavily animated by Art Babbit here, who was one of the finest animators for this character at this time. Despite his little screentime Art Babbit's animation makes Goofy feel like a fully formed character. Here Goofy sings the song, The World Owes Me a Living. That song was introduced in the Disney short, The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934). There the song was sung by a grasshopper. That grasshopper was also voiced by Pinto Colvig, who used pretty much the same voice he used for Goofy. This song would go on to become Goofy's unofficial theme song.
Now for an early black and white Terry Toons cartoon, Irish Sweepstakes (1934).
Next is Barney Bear in The Impossible Possum (1954). This film was directed by Dick Lundy, who was directing most of the Barney Bear cartoons at this time. Dick Lundy had previously been a Disney animator, who worked on many of the studios great cartoon shorts as well as the feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), and directed some wonderful Woody Woodpecker cartoons for the Walter Lantz studio. Like many of his Barney Bear films, this movie is a very fast moving short with a great sense of comedic energy. Compare this to the earlier Barney Bear cartoons that were directed by Rudolf Ising, which moved at a much slower pace and were often more charming than funny. The Dick Lundy shorts certainly are closer to the types of cartoons Tex Avery and William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were also making for MGM.
Now for perhaps my favorite of the classic Betty Boop cartoons, Snow White (1933). This movie is chock full of imagination and there is never one moment that isn't a lot of fun. There is a pure energy in this film that simply never lets up. This cartoon is simply everything I love about the cartoons from the Fleischer Studio at this time and is perhaps the best example of why the early 1930's Betty Boop cartoons are held in such high regard by animation fans. What makes this cartoon all the more impressive is that it has often been said that it was animated almost entirely by Doc Crandall. The main song number is perfromed by jazz legend Cab Calloway, who also provided vocals for the Betty Boop cartoons, Minnie the Moocher (1932) and The Old Man of the Mountain (1933). This film arrived at the number 19 spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons.
Motion Picture Herald, 1931
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for Donald Duck in How to Have an Accident at Home (1956). This was the first of four planned safety films by the Disney studio. These films would teach about how to prevent accidents in various environments by showing you the wrong way to do things. Donald Duck himself was given the "privilege" of showing us the wrong way in these films. Each cartoon would feature Donald going through various slapstick mishaps and the audience would learn from his mistakes. Story man Roy Williams (who old TV fans might know for being the Big Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club) began working on ideas for these films in 1953. This cartoon would begin production in 1954 but wouldn't see movie screens until 1956. Much of the animation in this movie was done by former effects artist Jerry Hathcock. He animated the opening scene, Donald in traffic (with Earl Combs), Donald reading, Donald trying to nail the picture to the wall, Donald lighting his pipe, Donald falling with the fishbowl, Donald in the bathroom, Donald's accident with cleaning fluid and the closing scene. Earl Combs animates Donald in traffic (with Jerry Hathcock), Donald's landing after falling with the fishbowl and Donald having trouble with the chair's springs. George Nicholas animates Donald avoiding the piano and the kid on the bike, Donald falling down the stairs in slow motion and Donald with the TV set. Volus Jones animates fate lecturing while Donald has trouble with the toaster. Bob Bemiller and Ed Solomon animate Donald fixing the stairs, plugs, and throw rug. Ed Solomon also animates Donald entering the dynamite plant. There would only be one more of these safety films to follow, How to Have an Accident at Work (1959), the other two would never be completed.
Next is Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales in The Spy Swatter (1967).
Now for a silent movie, The Hicks in Nightmareland (1915).
Today's cartoon selection ends with our Looney Tunes pals in the first part of Toon Monored, a 2001 miniseries of webtoons.
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
The 50 Greatest Cartoons Edited by Jerry Beck
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein
https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/donald-the-educator/
https://lantern.mediahist.org/
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