Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with Betty Boop in Bimbo in Admission Free (1932). This short film is part of the Talkartoons series, as it was before Betty got her own cartoon series. The first Betty Boop film to be released as a "Betty Boop Cartoon" was Stopping the Show (1932), released later the same year. Admission Free was the next to last film of the Talkartoons series. The last film in the series was The Betty Boop Limited (1932).
Up next Heckle and Jeckle are messed up movie makers in Messed Up Movie Makers (1966). This cartoon was the last theatrically released Heckle and Jeckle short film.
Next comes Toby the Pup in Circus Time (1931). Though this film is definitely crude compared to what Disney, The Fleischers and even Warner Brothers were making at this time, there is a certain charm to this film that I simply love.
Now for a true Disney classic, Alpine Climbers (1936). Though this film teams Mickey, Donald and Pluto, it follows the same format as the Mickey, Donald and Goofy cartoons that Disney made around this time. Like those films, here each of the characters goes his separate way and has a separate adventure. Mickey tries to collect an eagle's egg. Donald tries to pick flowers. Pluto has a run in with a St. Bernard dog (designed by Joe Grant). This other dog actually has a name, and that name is Bolivar. The character however is unnamed in the film, nor would he ever be used again in an animated cartoon. Instead, the character would be named in the Disney comics. He started appearing in 1938 in Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck newspaper comic strip. Bolivar would soon become the family dog of the duck family and would even be a reoccurring character in Carl Barks' beloved Donald Duck comic books. Despite this being an odd name for a cartoon animal the name had almost been used before. A cartoonist named Pinto Colvig (best known to cartoon fans today as the original voice of Disney's Goofy) was interested in entering the making of animated cartoons when sound came to the movies. He felt due to the fact that he was a cartoonist, who was also capable of doing various voices and playing multiple musical instruments, he felt sound cartoons were a wonderful opportunity for him. He created a character named Bolivar the Talking Ostrich. Teaming with Walter Lantz (later of Woody Woodpecker fame), he made a film with this character called Blue Notes (1928). In this film, the animated ostrich interacted with a live action Pinto Colvig. Unfortunately, this film is considered lost and despite Colvig's best efforts, a series never materialized. Colvig would however talk much about this ostrich in later years, however Lantz would barely ever mention the character. It may be possible that Al Taliaferro named the dog character after Colvig's ostrich character, but there is no real proof either way. Alpine Climbers would be reissued to movie theaters in 1948. The short film would make its TV debut on an episode of TV's Disneyland entitled, The Adventures of Mickey Mouse (1955). The following is a review of Alpine Climbers from a 1936 issue of World Film News. "I laughed immoderately at the latest Mickey Mouse, Alpine Climbers. The spectacle of the frozen Pluto getting tiddly with his savior, a St. Bernard with a handy keg around his neck is wonderful. - Ian Coster"
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now it is time for a classic silent film starring Felix the Cat, Comicalamities (1928). This film perfectly shows why the Felix cartoons are considered by many film buffs to be the best cartoons of the silent era. This is a creative and clever cartoon that has a truly hilarious ending.
Sponsor, 1950
Next comes the Coyote and Roadrunner in Coyote Falls (2010). This short film played in theaters with the feature film, Cats and Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010). In theaters, this film played in 3-D, making it the first Warner Brothers cartoon in 3-D since Lumber Jack Rabbit (1953). This is the first of 6 theatrically released Looney Tunes cartoons directed by Matthew O'Callaghan.
Next is Woody Woodpecker in To Catch a Woodpecker (1957).
Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Punching Bag (1988). This short was created for the Tracey Ullman Show, before the famous cartoon family got their own TV show.
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
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by David Gerstein and J.B. Kaufman
https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/bolivar-the-ostrich-unspoken/
https://lantern.mediahist.org/
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