Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #239

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

Today's cartoons selection begins with Mighty Mouse in Sunny Italy (1951). This short film typical for a Mighty Mouse cartoon of this time being presented in an operetta like style with a beginning that parodies old movie serials. 

Next comes a wonderful Daffy Duck film, The Daffy Duckaroo (1942). This cartoon was directed by Norman McCabe, who I always feel was underrated as a Looney Tunes director. Some of his Looney Tunes shorts are truly excellent, but because most of his cartoons were in black and white and feature a lot of topical gags about World War 2, his cartoons rarely get the exposure that other Looney Tunes directors do. He would return to the Looney Tunes universe well after the golden age as a timing director on such TV shows as Tiny Tunes Adventures, Taz-Mania and The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. I personally love McCabe's version of Daffy. He is as wild and crazy and energetic as Bob Clampett and Tex Avery's version of the character is, but he also has a few traits of the later Daffy that Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng would use. 

Next is the film debut of Chilly Willy, a cartoon appropriately called Chilly Willy (1953). Those familiar with the character may notice that his design is quite different here. In the character's very next cartoon, I'm Cold (1954), Chilly would look like the character we know today. This cartoon was directed by Paul J. Smith. After this cartoon, the Chilly Willy films would briefly be directed by Tex Avery and then Alex Lovy. The next Chilly Willy cartoon directed by Paul J. Smith would be Robinson Gruesome (1959). 

Now for a silent short film from the Out of the Inkwell series, Koko's Storm (1925). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Ferdinand the Bull (1938) began production as a Silly Symphony short but in the end the Disney studio released it as a Special. Unlike many Disney cartoons of the time which were either original stories or based off stories that dated quite a ways back, this film was based off a contemporary story. The book had been published in 1936 and though there was controversy for its pacifist themes, it became a real best seller, even outselling Gone With the Wind. Walt bought the rights to the book in October, 1937. Albert Hay Malotte, who wrote the score for this cartoon, would co-write a song called Fernand the Bull with Larry Morey. Though this song does not appear in the film it was used to promote the cartoon. The matador seen in this cartoon is a caricature of Walt Disney himself. The scene in which the matador enters was animated by Ward Kimball, who included himself as the little man carrying the sword. Animation for this cartoon would be reused by Disney in a wartime training film, Stop the Tank (1942), the Goofy cartoon, For Whom the Bulls Toil (1953) and the feature length, Fun and Fancy Free (1947). The following is an article in Boxoffice Magazine (Dated January 7th, 1939). "Sioux Falls, S.D. Manager Joe Floyd of the Granada covered nearly all the angles for the RKO-Disney short, 'Ferdinand the Bull' the subject rated a holdover. A 14 foot cutout of Ferdinand, was used in the lobby illuminated by two Klieg lights. Another large cutout was anchored a sound truck which blasted announcements and played the show's records. Four illuminated billboards were used with two thirds of the space given over to the Disney picture. Window displays were especially made by Floyd and there were 12 in select locations. A feature of the advertising was a teaser campaign: newspaper space was in editorial columns were large throughout the run. There were extra announcements on the radio and records of 'Ferdinand the Bull' were broadcast several times through station KELO, which reaches about 150,000 persons." 

Next is Betty Boop and Bimbo in Bimbo's Express (1931). This short film has everything I love about Fleischer cartoons of this era. The whole film is full of delightfully surrealistic and weird gags that I simply adore. 

Now we join our old friend Scrappy in Playing Politics (1936). After this film I fully support Oopy for president. 

Let us by singing a song we all know together with the Screen Songs cartoon, The Lone Star State (1948). 

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 the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman

https://mediahistoryproject.org/