Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #268

 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 Triple Trouble (1948). This short film is a delightful parody of old melodramas. 

Next we join Betty Boop and Bimbo in Minding the Baby (1931). This short film is part of the Talkartoon series before Betty got her own cartoon series. This marks the first time Betty's name appears above the title. 

Continuing today's selection of classic cartoons is Popeye The Sailor Meets Sinbad The Sailor (1936). This is the first of the three Popeye two-reel specials (plus the first color Popeye) and one of the most popular Popeye cartoons. Running at 17 minutes this is twice as long as the usual Popeye film, yet the filmmakers work this to their full advantage. It never feels too long and the extra time lets the filmmakers put in a more atmospheric fantasy like feel to this cartoon. This would be the first Popeye nominated for an Academy Award and received the 17th spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. A review in The Film Daily called the cartoon "Top Notch." However not everybody was so impressed by this film as evidenced by the following Exhibitors reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor: Popeye the Sailor series - Good color but did not bring extra business like Paramount said it would. -Fisher & Bichler, Mattray Theatre, Strasburg, N.D." "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor: Popeye the Sailor special - Worth twice as much as regular Popeye but no more. I paid more and that makes me a dissatisfied customer. - W. H. Brenner, Cozy Theatre, Winchester, Ind. General Patronage." "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor: Popeye the Sailor cartoons - This much Balley-hooed two-reeler, all color, third dimensional cartoon failed to come up to the entertainment value of the single reel black and white Popeye series. - M.R. Harrington, Avalon Theatre, Clatskanie, Ore. - Small Town and rural patronage." 

Up next is Porky Pig in Timid Toreador (1940). This is one of the few Looney Tunes cartoons with two directors credited. The credited directors here are Bob Clampett and Norm McCabe. This is Norm McCabe's first director credit. The two would also share a director credit for Porky's Snooze Reel (1941). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for a classic silent Aseop's Film Fables short, Anti-Fat (1927).

Next is a Toby the Pup cartoon, The Milkman (1931). While Charles Mintz was producing Krazy Kat cartoons for Columbia, he decided to create a separate series of cartoons for RKO, these starring a character named Toby the Pup. To head this series Mintz handed the duties to Dick Huemer, Art Davis and Sid Marcus. Dick Huemer had been a major contributor to the style of the Fleischer studio earlier and this is probably why these shorts have a Fleischer-type feel to them. Huemer, Davis and Marcus would later be the major creative factors for Columbia's Scrappy cartoons (also produced by Mintz).

Now for Mickey Mouse in The Barnyard Broadcast (1931). Radio had become incredibly popular by 1931 and was ripe for a cartoon parody. This short film pokes fun at many things about radio that many people watching this in movie theaters would recognize, including the NBC chimes, which had already become a signature for NBC. 

As a huge country music fan, I can't think of a better way to end this post than with this country classic. 

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

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

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald 

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

https://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.com/2013/12/310-timid-toreador-1940.html

https://lantern.mediahist.org/