Hello, my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. /
Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Sylvester and Tweety Christmas cartoon, Gift Wrapped (1952). This short film features the cat and bird duo at their absolute best. This short offers one great gag after another and director Friz Freleng's comedic timing is perfect. This cartoon was submitted for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film but was not nominated.
Today marks the first day of winter and so here is an appropriate cartoon, Snow Foolin' (1949). This short film also fits the Christmas season very well as it features the classic Christmas carol, Jingle Bells. James Lord Pierpont wrote Jingle Bells in 1857. Despite being known as a Christmas song today, it was originally written with a different holiday in mind. Under its original title, One Horse Open Sleigh this song was written to be used in a Thanksgiving service at a Church where Pierpont was the organist. The song was so well received that it played again at the Church on Christmas day. For a song written to be performed at a Church, the original lyrics were racier than one would think and would be changed so that children's church choirs can perform the song.
Next comes a delightful short film starring Pooch the Pup, Merry Dog (1933). Though largely forgotten today, Pooch as one of the first starring characters in the cartoons of producer Walter Lantz. He would never reach the fame of Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy or even Andy Panda but his cartoons are still fun to watch today.
Next is a classic Donald Duck film, Toy Tinkers (1949). This cartoon features Donald once again going up against Chip and Dale. This film is directed by Jack Hannah, who at this time was directing the majority of the Donald Duck cartoons. When Chip and Dale had their very short-lived series of shorts, Jack Hannah directed all three cartoons in that series. This cartoon is laugh out loud funny. The slapstick is spot on and timed perfectly. Every joke works and they are all very funny. The humor is also displayed perfectly through the great character animation one should expect form a Disney cartoon. While Disney cartoons are often called sweet and cute in contrast to the hilarious antics at studios like Warner Brothers and MGM, the Disney studio could make slapstick cartoons as great as the rest of them (this is not an insult to Warner Brothers and MGM as I love there cartoons a lot as well). This stands as one of Disney's funniest shorts (a joke involving a telephone never fails to make me laugh out loud). This cartoon would make its TV debut on a 1958 Christmas episode of Walt Disney Presents. That version starts with some new animation featuring Chip and Dale telling Jiminy Cricket how they celebrate Christmas.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for a visit to Christmas past and future.
Up next is one of my favorites of the early Merrie Melodies cartoons, The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives (1933). I love the atmospheric feel to the early scenes in this cartoon. There is a delightful amount of detail in these opening moments. I also simply love the title song. Despite being a Christmas cartoon, this film was released to theaters on January 7, 1933, just barely missing Christmas. The animation of the dolls singing, and dancing was reused from an earlier Merrie Melody, Red Headed Baby (1931).
Now for a classic Columbia Christmas cartoon, Gifts from the Air (1937).
Today's cartoon post closes with The Simpsons short, Simpsons Christmas (1988), This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the Simpsons got their own TV series.
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
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald
https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/cartoons-considered-for-an-academy-award-1951/
https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/jingle-bells-christmas-song-story/
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