Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #260

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Felix the Cat in The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg (1936). This short film is one of three that the Van Beuren studio made with the character. This is the first of the three films, and it also marks the cartoon cat's first appearance in color. One of the main reasons that Van Bueren cartoons are not as well remembered today, is because they lacked the big star characters of Warner Brothers, MGM or Disney. In a search for a big star character, the studio would purchase already established characters. Two properties the studio would purchase were the Toonerville Trolly comic strip and the silent-era cartoon character Felix the cat. Both these properties would appear only in cartoons released in 1936, the last year of the Van Bueren Studio. 

Next comes one of Bob Clampett's great color Merrie Melodies, A Corny Concerto (1943). This is an unusual film as it is written by but not directed by Frank Tashlin. Tashlin had been working at the Disney studio after having been a director at Warner Brothers. After coming back to Warners, he found himself briefly in the writing department before returning to the director's chair (taking over Norm McCabe's unit). Appropriately this cartoon is a Disney parody. A Corny Concerto is a parody of Fantasia (1940). However, while this cartoon certainly has its fun with Fantasia there is definitely more than a little respect for Disney's ambitious feature. This cartoon while not as elaborate as a Disney feature, the look of this cartoon is definitely more elaborate than the average Merrie Melodies short. Even as a fan of Fantasia I have to state that the satire is dead on here. Probably the best bit of satire is Elmer Fudd serving in the Deems Taylor role, as he captures the part visually, but is still Elmer Fudd and hilariously lacking the sophistication of Taylor. This cartoon also has one of the few times Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig share the screen in the golden age of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies and even though neither speaks, they work off each other very well. This short is included in in Jerry Beck's book 100 Greatest Looney Tunes. 

Up next is a classic silent Out of the Inkwell film, Koko's Kane (1927). 

Next comes a later Heckle and Jeckle cartoon, Mint Men (1960). While the animation in this film is much more limited than the earlier Heckle and Jeckle cartoons, this film still has some good gags in it and still quite a bit of fun. By the time this film was released the theatrically released Terrytoons, were pretty much visually indistinguishable from the TV cartoons of the era. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for a true Disney classic, Mickey's Circus (1936). Though this cartoon 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." 

Up next is the Famous Studios Superman cartoon, The Underground World (1943). 

To finish today's cartoon selection, let us sing one we all know. So, enjoy the Famous Studios Screen Songs cartoon, Sing or Swim (1948).

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and melodies merry. 

Resources Used

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

100 Greatest Looney Tunes edited by Jerry Beck

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/