Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with Mighty Mouse in Prehistoric Perils (1952). This short film is one of the operetta Mighty Mouse cartoons, where most of the dialogue is sung in an operetta style rather than spoken. The first of these cartoons was Mighty Mouse and the Pirates (1945), which was also the first Mighty Mouse cartoon to feature Oil Can Harry as the villain. Oil Can Harry is the villain in this movie as well.
Up next is Woody Woodpecker in Panhandle Scandal (1959). In this movie Woody helps bring law and order to the west. Bad guys should watch out, when Marshall Woody Woodpecker is on the job.
Next comes a silent movie, where Koko the clown travels to a very distant future year. So enjoy KoKo in 1999 (1927).
Next is a Looney Tunes cartoon starring Beans the Cat (one of the Boston beans). Though not as well known Beans made his film debut in the same cartoon as Porky, I Haven't Got a Hat (1935). That cartoon was a takeoff on the Our Gang shorts and featured a bunch of little kid characters in a talent show. The studio did not know right away, which character would be the most popular, so they all appeared starred in some Looney Tunes when the studio was looking for a new character to replace Buddy (the rather bland character that had become that series' star). While Porky would become the most popular of these characters, Beans certainly had his fans in the studio as he would star in eight of these cartoons (Porky would even be relegated to a supporting role in some of these). Hollywood Capers (1935) is a good example of one of these Beans cartoons. While it may not be as laugh out loud funny as a Tex Avery or Bob Clampett Looney Tune, this is a charming little film that always puts a smile on my face. As a character Beans certainly has more personality than his predecessor Buddy. In many ways his personality is like the early Mickey Mouse before Mickey got toned down. He is very mischievous and always on a lookout for the next big adventure. Naturally this gets him in a lot of trouble but he always manages to have quite a bit of fun along the way. A quick joke has Beans disguise himself as Oliver Hardy to sneak into the movie studio. Porky would later try to do the same (less successfully) in You Ought to be in Pictures (1940). Look in the background for a poster advertising a fight between “Punchy” Pierce and “Hurricane” Hardaway. This is referring to two of the writers of Warner Brothers cartoons at the time, Tedd Pierce and Bugs Hardaway. Also Beans is voiced by Tommy Bond here (who played Butch in the Our Gang shorts).
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for some Saturday Morning Minions.
Next is the Silly Symphony, Wynken, Blynken & Nod (1938). This movie took a long time to reach the screen. The name of the film was registered with the MPPDA in January of 1934. It was planned to make this movie a sequel to an earlier Silly Symphony, Lullaby Land (1933). However story work did not begin until January of 1935. This cartoon had delays in production and who was working on the movie was constantly moving around due to work on the Disney feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The story wouldn't reach the point of being approved for animation until January 8, 1937. Still revision of the story would still be happening even after work on the animation had started. Because of this there were scenes that were animated but which not appear in the final cartoon. These included more scenes with the Boogey Man and the man in the moon, as well as some more scenes involving fishing. The finished film features elements that were considered for Snow White's Someday My Prince Will Come sequence but ultimately dropped. Despite this trouble in production this is a delightful little film.
Now to end with the Looney Tunes webtoons cartoon, Junkyard Run #1 (2001).
Broadcasting Telecasting, 1956
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for some more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman
https://lantern.mediahist.org/
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