Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #238

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Tweety's first appearance in a cartoon, A Tale of Two Kitties (1942). Sharp eyed viewers may notice that Tweety is not yellow in this film, but pink. Since he was a newborn baby bird, it made sense for him not to have feathers. According to director Bob Clampett, he based the character off of a nude baby photo of himself. Tweety already has his famous line, "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat." According to animation historian Jerry Beck's book, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety, this line also originated with Bob Clampett when in the mid-1930's he wrote a letter to a friend on MGM stationary. Next to Leo the MGM lion, Clampett drew a small bird with a word balloon with "I think I taw a titty-tat." Instead of Sylvester Tweety is here pitted against two cats named Babbit and Catstello. As should be obvious by the names, these cats were a take-off on the infamous comedy team Abbott and Costello, who had just made their movie debut just a couple years earlier in One Night in the Tropics (1940). The voice of Catstello was provided by the man of a thousand voices, Mel Blanc (who also voiced Tweety) and Babbitt was voiced by writer Tedd Pierce. A reviewer in Showman's Trade Review was very impressed with these voices stating, "Either the famous comedy pair furnished the accompanying dialogue themselves, or the impersonators are the last word in perfection." Though they would not catch on the way Tweety did, these characters would reappear in other cartoons. Some of these cartoons would even feature the duo as mice instead of cats. They would even appear with Tweety much later in a 1998 episode of the TV show, Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. This cartoon was reissued to theaters in 1948, the year Abbott and Costello made their most popular movie, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).  

Next comes the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, Come Take a Trip in my Airship (1930). This was the second time, The Fleischer studio had made a cartoon centering around this song. They had earlier made a film that used an early sound on film process (Come Take a Trip in my Airship (1924)). The earlier film featured the Fleischer cartoon of KoKo the clown, who starred in many silent cartoons for the studio and would later become a supporting character in their Betty Boop cartoons. 

Now we join Honey Halfwitch in Brother Bat (1967). 

Up next is Farner Al Falfa's Bedtime Story (1932). The following is a review from the Motion Picture Herald. "Clever Cartoon. The Farmer goes to bed; the cat's go out for the night - and the mice come out to play as only the animated cartoon artists can make them play. Their tricks and stunts are cleverly drawn, amusing. This rates as among one of the better of the cartoon shorts - Running time, 6 minutes." 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next is an early Woody Woodpecker short, The Dizzy Acrobat (1943). In these earlier Woody films, the character is a bit cruder than fans of his later work are used to. But there is something about this sheer unabashed craziness that many cartoon fans (including myself) can't get enough of. This movie was nominated for an Academy Award; however, it lost to Disney's Der Fuehrer's Face (1943). The following is from an issue of Showman's Trade Review (dated June 5, 1943), "Walter Lantz Cartune Studios which releases through Universal, has just released 'The Dizzy Acrobat,' A Woody Woodpecker special. The cartune revolves around the circus, and Lantz had experts advising the animators so that the action and facts would be accurate.

It is now time for a silent Felix the Cat cartoon, Felix the Cat Ducks His Duty (1927). 

Next comes one of Disney's funniest cartoon shorts, Der Fuehrer's Face (1943). This film grew out of a Donald Duck short about paying your taxes during war time called The New Spirit (1942). There was going to be a scene (in a story treatment by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer) in that short that featured a radio announcer talking about the horrors of living in a totalitarian state. This was not used in that short, but the idea stayed in the heads of those working at the Disney studio. These ideas grew into a cartoon that would feature Donald Duck living in Nazi Germany. Jack Kinney, Disney's most comedic and satiric cartoon director being placed in the director's chair guaranteed that this short would be a comedic masterpiece as well as an effective piece of political commentary. The cartoon was originally going to be titled Donald Duck in Nutziland. However, it would be retitled Der Fuehrer's Face after the satirical and catchy song Oliver Wallace wrote for the cartoon. Disney studio staffer Jim Macdonald remembered Wallace improvising the song one day at Walt's request. Macdonald stated, "He did that in about ten minutes. That's spontaneity!" Before the cartoon even reached theaters Spike Jones and his City Slickers released a recording in late 1942 and had a massive hit with it. This film also benefits from some top-notch animation. John Sibley animated the hilariously cartoony marching band animation at the start. The real highlight of the cartoon is the great montage sequence which was animated by Les Clark and Hugh Fraser. This cartoon we earn Donald Duck, his one and only Oscar. It later received the 22nd spot in Jerry Beck's must-own book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with the Simpsons in Dinner Time (1987). This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the animated family 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

The 50 Greatest Cartoons edited by Jerry Beck

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck.

Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

  

Classic Short Film: Bobby Bumps' Fourth (1917)

Video Link: Say It with Firecrackers (From Holiday Inn (1942))

Ranking the X-Men Movies

 

While the X-Men movies might have had some movies that did live up to the franchise's potential, it also contained some that hold their own with the greatest superhero movies ever made. As the X-Men are set to join the MCU, we say goodbye to the Fox era of Marvel. While I feel the MCU has been more consistently good than the Fox Marvel, I appreciate that Fox took big swings and chances with their Marvel movies. While not all of these chances paid off (The Fantastic Four movies being the greatest example), when they worked, they were often fantastic. 

With this in mind, recently I have decided to look at Fox's most popular and long running Marvel franchise, The X-Men movies. Here is my personal ranking of each of these films. Note that these are all just my opinions and if mine should differ from yours's, I hold nothing against your taste in movies.  

14. Dark Pheniox (2019)

There is no contest for what the worst of the X-men movies is. While other movies on this list may have their flaws or fail to live up to their potential, this is the only one of these films where I don't even have one positive thing to say about. The characters seemed to have all their personalities drained away and there is nothing interesting about any of them. The storyline is also a compete mess making little to no sense whatsoever. Avoid this one like the plague. 

13. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

The first of the Wolverine trilogy is not a bad movie but it is a forgettable one. This movie is full of clichés and bland supporting characters. However, it does have some strong action scenes as well as a strong ending. And of course Hugh Jackman is wonderful in the main roles. This movie does give Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds even here), a very weak cinematic debut completely wasting the beloved character. 

12. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)


While not a bad movie, as a finale to the original trilogy, it comes off as a bit of disappointment. It lacks the emotional depth of the previous two films and Jean's character arc comes off as completely rushed. However, it does have good action scenes and introduces such great X-Men characters as Kitty Pryde and Beast (the later perfectly cast as Kelsey Grammer). 

11. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

A bit of an underrated X-Men film. It may seem derivative of other X-Men films, and it struggles to balance all the characters. However, it is quite a bit of fun with some strong action scenes and a great villain. It may not be perfect, but it is fun.  

10. Deadpool (2016)

When I first saw this movie, I didn't think much of it. However, over time I have come to appreciate it more. While I still feel that the sequels are superior, I now admit there is quite a bit to like about this movie. Ryan Reynolds is perfect in the title role and his charm, and the character himself have grown on me. I do feel the humor can be hit and miss but there are moments that now make me laugh. I especially enjoy Deadpool's moments with Colossus. The romance is also quite well done here. I do feel though that some of the supporting characters are quite bland and the villain is even more bland though. 

  
9. The Wolverine (2013)

The second entry in the Wolverine spin-off trilogy is a marked improvement over the first. That is because this movie is what the first film should have been. It is a great delve into who Wolverine is as a character and the emotional connection you feel to him is very well done. It does suffer from an extremely weak villain though. 

 8. The New Mutants (2020)

Despite the poor reviews this film had received, I actually feel it is quite a strong movie. The idea of combining a superhero movie and a horror film is a unique and original one and it is done quite well here. There is a great sense of atmosphere here that is quite successful and the twists along the way are very smart and clever. However the film is often too timid and after it starts to get creepy it backs away from this as if it is afraid to make a superhero movie actually scary. 

7. X-Men (2000)

Though dated (especially in the effects department) this is a very strong start to this movie franchise. It is smart and not afraid to delve into more serious subject matter and social commentary. It does this in a very effective way that still makes this film gripping today. Wolverine and Rouge are also great lead characters that we immediately care about and relate to. I will admit the action scenes can be a little lacking though. 

6. Deadpool 2 (2018)

A definite improvement over the first Deadpool, this movie is funnier with nearly every joke landing. It also introduces better characters for Deadpool to play off of and has a surprisingly engaging storyline. 

5. Deadpool and Wolverine (2024)

Easily the best of the Deadpool films and quite a strong Wolverine movie as well. The two characters (as well as Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman) play off each other perfectly and are a joy to watch share the screen. The humor is consistently funny; the action scenes are fantastic and there is a truly great villain. This is a real treat. 

4. X-Men: First Class (2011)

A very well-made superhero movie. This movie has lots of characters yet manages to give enough time to each one to make them feel fleshed out. The movie also makes great use of its 1960's setting, perfectly working the Cold War and the fears of 1960's America into the themes of the X-Men franchise. The result is a very smart and fun superhero film.

3. X2 (2003)

As good as the first X-Men was this sequel is superior in every way. Everything that was great about the first film, this sequel does even better. This is a superhero movie that is very complex in both characterization and themes. This is simply a very smart and very intelligent movie, while also containing a lot of pure superhero fun.   

2. X-Men Days of Future Past (2014)

It was hard to pick a top choice between this and Logan as both are pure masterpieces and among the best superhero movies ever made. Though this film comes in second on this list, if I were to make this list on a different day the places might be switched. Everything about this movie is near perfection. This movie is more intelligently written and clever than your average time travel movie. Yet as much thought as went into the way time travel works in this film, the focus remains not on this but on the characters and their stories. This becomes a very investing and emotionally powerful watch that hits all the right emotional notes. At the same time the action scenes are wonderful, and the humor is hilarious making this movie just as fun as it is intelligent. 

1. Logan (2017)

Logan is not only one of the greatest superhero movies ever made but an absolute masterpiece by any measurement. This movie serves first and foremost as a character study. As such it presents the most complex and thoroughly engaging take on Wolverine for any of these movies. By the end of the film, you feel that you truly know and understand this character. The tone to this film is quite serious and mature. It is also completely and utterly sincere causing this film to stay with you long after it finishes. The acting performances from every single cast member also to the depth and the sincerity of this great drama.  

Movie Review: Jurassic World Rebirth

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

A step in the right direction for this franchise. 

While this new entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, may not come even close to recapturing the magic to the original Jurassic Park (1993) (something even Spielberg himself couldn't accomplish), it is an entertaining trip to the movies. That is more than could be said for the previous three films in the series. I admit when this film was announced I was far from hopeful. When Gareth Edwards, who directed my least favorite Star Wars movie, I had less hope. But to my surprise Edwards did a much better job directing this film than he did directing a Star Wars film. He creates some surprisingly successful suspense scenes. These scenes are very well staged, and the timing is excellent. This movie also brings back one of the most important accepts of the original movie that have been missing from the past few. This is actually trying to create some awe and wonder. While Gareth Edwards does a good job directing this film, he is not Steven Spielberg. Because of this he creates some beautiful visuals and a great sense of atmosphere but is unable to create the sense of magic that flowed throughout the first film. Yet after the last three movies were lacking in visual beauty and atmosphere, this was still a delightful surprise.  

The characters are definitely undeveloped. However, they do accomplish their jobs. The characters that are supposed to be likable are likable. The characters we are supposed to hate we hate. While we may not become fully invested in these characters, we care about them just enough for the suspense and action scenes to work. A great cast (including Scarlett Johanson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey) also helps these characters accomplish what they need to accomplish. 

The humor on the other hand falls consistently flat with not a single laugh in the whole film. The movie is also much longer than it needs to be and quite a bit could have been cut to make it flow better. There is also a message about capitalism that is overly preachy and subtle as a giant T-Rex.    

Summer Movies (2021)

 

This book from TCM explores the tradition of the summer movie. Author John Malahy takes a very broad approach to this subject. Such lighthearted summer fun as Gidget (1959), The Parent Trap (1961) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) co-exist with the likes of Ingmar Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954) and Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989). Also included are the part-silent part-talkie Lonesome (1928), the Andy Hardy movie You Only Live Once (1937), Jaques Tati's Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) and of course the original summer blockbuster Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) as well as many more. This broad approach makes this book a must for both causal movie fans and hard boiled cinephiles (who might even discover a film or two from this book). 

The writing style and format of this book makes it a light and breezy read, while still having quite a bit of substance. Malahy's tone is warm, causal and inviting. Yet at the same time he offers some great critical insight and historical background for these films that causes us to look at movies we have seen before in a new way. 

A nostalgia-soaked introduction by Film Historian and Critic Leonard Maltin only adds to the great fun of this book. 

The New Mutants (2020)

 

The New Mutants marked the last of the X-Men movies for Fox Studios. This film offered a compete change of pace for these movies. Not only does it focus on brand new characters, but it also brings this movie franchise into the horror genre. 

In this film five teenage mutants are being held a secret institution, where they are undergoing treatments to cure them of their powers. As these treatments go on, they find themselves face to face with their worst nightmares.  

Despite the poor reviews this film has received, I actually liked it a lot. On the onset combining a superhero film with a horror film is a rare unique idea for current Hollywood. This idea is often explored in a rather intriguing way. With the character of Rouge previous X-Men movies have taken a look at the idea of superpowers not always being a blessing. With this movie, the franchise delves even deeper into this theme. There is never a single moment here, where we would ever want to be a superhero. For most of these characters their powers are a curse rather than a blessing. This is a fascinating idea that too few superhero movies give any credence to and to see it explored in such an intelligent way was a pure delight. As for the characters themselves they may be undeveloped, but they are likable. Even if they aren't complex, we care about them enough to feel an emotional connection to this story. This is helped by the well-done performances from the leads playing these teenagers (Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt, Henrique Zaga). The story is also very well constructed and the reveal of why all these spooky events are happening is very clever. This movie also does a great job building an atmosphere that has a truly eerie feel and a general sense of unease. 

The main problem with this movie is that the filmmakers were too timid to go all the way with the horror elements. There are moments when the film starts to get genuinely creepy but then it backs off from this as if the filmmakers are afraid to make a superhero movie actually scary. Because of this, there are scenes that start out as legitimately creepy but end up leaving the audience disappointed with their conclusions. 

This film was directed and co-written by Josh Boone, who had earlier directed (and co-written) the romantic movie, Stuck in Love (2012) and The Fault in Our Stars (2014). The New Mutants is a true departure for him as both a superhero movie and a horror film. However, his experience with romantic films shows itself in a surprisingly sweet and touching romance between two of the teenagers (a lesbian romance that barely calls attention to itself for being a lesbian romance). Boone's co-writer on this film was Knate Lee, who had worked as a writer, producer and camera man on the Jackass TV series and movies. Boone and Lee had worked together on the mini-series The Stand. The New Mutants is the only superhero film either of them worked on. 

This movie was originally going to be released on April 13, 2018. However, it was delayed until February 22, 2019, because of the release of Deadpool 2 (2018) and then to August 2, 2019, because of the release of Dark Pheniox (2019). After Disney acquired Fox, it was delayed again until April 3, 2020. It was then delayed to August 28, 2020, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, its release was a theatrical release when many places where still in lockdown. Frankly the movie deserved better. 

Boone had planned sequels for this movie. He wanted to turn it into a full trilogy. However, Disney's acquisition of Fox and the plans to put the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe prevented this from happening.  

Silent Film of the Month: West of Hot Dog (1924)

 

Run Time: 30 minutes. Studio: Joe Rock Comedies. Director: Joe Rock. Titles: Tay Garnett.  Producer: Joe Rock. Main Cast: Stan Laurel, Julie Leonard, Lew Meehan. Cinematographer: Edgar Lyons. Assistant Director: Edgar Lyons.

The early silent solo shorts of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy before they teamed up hold a special place in my heart. That is because they were my introduction to silent movies. As a kid (I am in my early 30's now), my grandpa figured since I was a fan of classic cartoons like Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and Popeye that I would also enjoy the classics of movie comedy. So, he got me cheap public domain DVDs (DVDs made of low-quality prints of the films that were in public domain) of Abbott and Costello, Three Stooges (luckily some of the best Stooges shorts are in public domain) and Laurel and Hardy. The Laurel and Hardy DVDs consisted of the Laurel and Hardy feature films Utopia (or Atoll K.) (1951) and The Flying Deuces (1939), the short film Tree in a Test Tube (1942) and a plethora of early silent solo comedy shorts of either Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy. In hindsight these low-quality prints with random (and often ill-fitting) ragtime music for scores probably wasn't the greatest introduction to silent films. However, having just been introduced to them, I didn't know the difference. Though it would be a while until I became a true silent film enthusiast, I loved these films as a kid. They definitely firmly planted the seeds for a tree that would blossom later in my life. For this I will forever be grateful to those DVDs and these short films. One of my favorites of these shorts was the Stan Laurel short, West of Hot Dog (1924).     

In this delightful western spoof, Stan inherits The Last Chance Saloon. However outlaw Bad Mike will inherit it if something were to happen to Stan. Naturally Bad Mike and his cronies try to kill Stan in order to get the saloon. Like many of the short films Stan Laurel made around this time, this was a parody of a popular movie. In this case that movie was West of the Pecos (1922) starring and directed by screen cowboy Neal Hart (who had worked at a wild west show before his movie career). 

This is a fast paced and very entertaining short. While it may not be filled wall to wall laughs like an actual Laurel and Hardy short, there are some legitimately funny moments. One of my favorite bits is Stan's reaction to the stagecoach robbery. Stan's obliviousness to what is actually going on and his playfulness comes off as precursor to the character (though it is far from fully formed here) and comedy style that Stan would later become known for. This short also has some delightful little slapstick gags. One involving him ducking out the window always puts a smile on my face. Even when the gags don't inspire big laughs, they still help give this film a great comedic momentum. This is an unashamedly silly and cartoon-like comedy and there is something just incredibly fun and charming about that. The story is very basic, but it works as a perfect setup for all the comedic set pieces.

Moving Picture World, 1925

 

This director of this film was Scott Pembroke. Pembroke directed quite a few of the Stan's solo films both for the Joe Rock and Hal Roach studios. His work with Stan Laurel includes such shorts as Kill or Cure (1923), Short Orders (1923), Rupert of Hee Haw (1924), Mandarin Mix-Up (1924), Monsieur Don't Care (1924), Pie-Eyed (1925), The Snow Hawk (1925) and probably the best Stan solo short Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925). Pembroke also directed some few silent movie serials including Winners of the West (1921), The Adventures of Tarzan (1921), The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1922) and The Social Buccaneer (1923) as well as some silent westerns starring cowboy star Bob Custer. His talkie work would include the early Jack Benny movie, The Medicine Man (1930) and the John Wayne B-Westerns The Lawless Nineties (1936) and The Oregon Trail (1936). 

This film's producer was Joe Rock. Born in New York in 1891, Rock had begun his movie career as a stunt double for Mary Pickford. In 1916 he worked at Vitagraph as part of a comedy team with Earl Montgomery. Though these short comedies proved quite popular, they only lasted about four years when Vitagraph started to have the two comics appear in separate films. When Vitagraph let him go, Joe Rock started his own production company and started to produce comedies in which he would star. It wasn't long before Rock he was producing comedies starring other comedians including Jimmy Aubery and in 1924 Stan Laurel. As well as producing comedies with Stan and Jimmy, Joe Rock also produced a series of comedies called A Ton of Fun, which starred a trio of heavy-set comics ("Fat" Karr, "Tiny" Alexander and "Kewpie" Ross. The series of Joe Rock produced Stan Laurel shorts ended when Stan Laurel returned to the Hal Roach Studio. Rock was willing to let Stan go if Stan would not take any leading roles on screen. When Stan eventually appeared in starring roles in Roach shorts, this was brought to court. This caused Joe Rock's studio to become inactive as his assets were put into suspension. Luckily for Rock, Stan Laurel eventually asked for the case to be dismissed. Rock would later win an Academy Award for the short documentary film Krakatoa (1933). The documentary was about the island of Krakatoa both before and after the volcano eruption in 1883. He wouldn't pick up the award for 40 some years after winning it. Rock passed away on December 5, 1984, in Sherman Oak, California.  

According to historian Robert Stone, this comedy was filmed in October 1924 at Universal Studios. 

The following are some exhibitor's reviews from Exhibitors Herald. "WEST OF HOT DOG: Stan Laurel— The film on this was good out of Milwaukee Exchange. Judging from the way the crowd laughed this must have been a good comedy. We didn't think much of it. Two Reels. - W.T. Davis & Son. Rialto theatre, Sharon, Wis. - General Patronage." " WEST OF HOT DOG: Stan Laurel— This was not so good. Didn’t have much appeal. Copyright 1924. Films good. Rating 60. Two Reels. - J.W. Ryder, Jewel theatre, Verdale, Minn, Small Town Patronage." "WEST OF HOT DOG: Stan Laurel - Fair comedy. Two Reels. - Nicolaides Brothers, Amercian theatre, Scofield, Utah. General Patronage."   

For anyone interested in seeing this film, you can watch it below on YouTube. It can also be found on numerous public domain DVDs. 

Resources Used

A-Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glen Mitchell.

https://www.lordheath.com/menu1_193.html

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Movie Review: Hot Milk

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

An engrossing art film. 

In this film a young woman is watching after her ill and wheelchair ridden mother and falls in love with another young woman who has a boyfriend. 

As this movie starts it feels like nice summertime fluff. Little seems to be happening, there is absolutely beautiful location shooting (in Greece), a clam and leisurely pace and a charming and beautiful young actress as the lead (Emma Mackey). As this kind of fluff, these early scenes are very charming and effective. However, as the film goes on the layers peel back and what was at first charming and relaxing is now darker and more complex. Director/Writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz (this marks her feature length directorial debut though she has worked as a screenwriter (including on the Academy Award winning Polish film, Ida (2013)) and playwright) is not afraid to make audiences uncomfortable. There are quite a few scenes here which create a real unease. She is also not afraid to take the story in unexpected directions or make the audience do much of the work themselves (both of these are on display in the film's powerful ending). The relationship between the mother and daughter remains the heart of this film and it is quite complex and well written.

My complaint about this film though is that the romance scenes often lack the depth and complexity of the mother and daughter scenes. This is due to some pretentious dialogue and the main character's love interest being quite bland and underdeveloped.   

Despite some flaws, this is a very well-made art film. 

The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution 1926-1930 (1997)

 

The transition from silent film to sound film was one of the most turbulent and important parts of movie history. Yet somehow it remains quite underwritten about. Sure, there are plenty of books about directors or actors who worked in both silent and sound pictures that briefly discuss this transition. Despite this there are few books that discuss this transition in great detail. That is what makes this book so important to film buffs.

Scott Eyman is one of the finest writers about movie history and this masterpiece of a book stands as one of his best. It discusses this transition in great detail. The writing and research here are phenomenal creating a book that is a great read for those who are not well versed in films of this era but will still very incredibly informative to longtime old movie buffs. Once I started reading this book, it was hard to put it down. Eyman's writing style makes this an easy and gripping read having as great of a mastery of the English language as any novelist. Because of this despite the sheer amount of information here, it does not read as a textbook. Rather it creates an absorbing portrait of a time and place. It also delves not only into the films of this movement but the people that played an important role in this transition. The biographical information about such important figures as The Brothers Warner, William Fox, F.W. Murnau and Al Jolson among others give us a personal investment in these films and the people making them. Helping this book paint such a vivid picture of the time and place are tons of very open, honest and informative quotes for those who worked in the movie industry at this time. These quotes alone would worth the price of the book. 

Eyman also displays an incredible knack for film analysis. When he writes about the quality of these films, he doesn't stop at simply saying if they are good or bad. Instead, he takes a deep delve into not only the acting and writing but the technical aspects as well. The best thing film criticism can do and is to cause you to look at a movie in a new way. I have seen some of the films discussed in this book many times before. However, after reading this book, I now see them in a completely different way with a new understanding of why some of them work and some don't.  

This book is essential reading to anyone with even only a passing interest in film history. 

Cowboy Church #224

 Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing, It is No Secret. This song was written by cowboy singer and actor Stuart Hamblen. Before turning to God, this man's life could hardly be considered Godly. He often drank and fought, and this often landed him in jail. When in 1949 Hamblin went to a Billy Graham crusade, he turned his life over to God. The drinking and fighting were put behind him and his whole life changing. One day he was talking about this change to his good friend John Wayne (yes that John Wayne) and that it was no secret what God had done for him. John Wayne said that he should write a song with those lyrics.  Stuart Hamblen had also had a brief movie career and appeared in the Roy Rogers movie, The Arizona Kid (1939).

This is followed by Leroy Van Drake with Church in the Wildwood. This recording from Leroy's 1977 gospel album, Gospel Greats. 

Afterwards is Washington Phillips with his 1927 recording of Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave it There. 

Then comes Tex Ritter with Jesus Loves Me. 

Next comes Kris Kristofferson and Larry Gatlin with Help Me. In 1971 Connie Smith had invited Kris Kristofferson to the Evangel Temple. Jimmie Snow (the pastor of the church) had asked Larry Gatlin, who was a member of this church and currently worker as a janitor, to come up and sing a song he wrote. That song was Help Me and it had a major effect on Kris. Kris would later say, "It was what I guess you call a religious experience. I've never had one before or since. To this day I don't know why I did it. I think Jimmy sensed I didn't know what I was doing because he asked me if I was ready to be saved and I told him I didn't know. He put his hand on my shoulder and asked me to get down on my knees. There were a number of us kneeling and I don't remember what he was saying. It was something about freedom from guilt. All I can remember is that I broke into tears. I was weeping and when it was over I felt like I had been purged. I was carrying a lot of guilt at that time. I felt I had disappointed my family, my friends, my ancestors and everybody that knew me. So I wrote that song [Why Me Lord]." Because of the effect this song had on Kris, Kris recorded the song as a duet with Larry Gatlin on his 1972 album, Jesus Was a Capricorn. Kris later talked about this saying, "I did it because I loved the song and was so grateful for the effect it had on me. To further demonstrate my gratitude, I put it on the B-side of my single Why Me instead of one of my own, giving Larry mechanical royalties on the biggest single I ever had. Payback!"  The source for these quotes is the essential book, The Man Called Cash by Steve Turner.

Afterwards is The Statler Brothers with Standing On The Promises. This performance comes from the singing group's TV series, The Statler Brothers Show. This series ran on The Nashville Network from 1991 to 1998. 

This is followed by The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Power in the Blood. Singing lead on this recording is Leonard Slye, who would later change his name to Roy Rogers and have a very successful movie career. The wonderful deep bass vocals are by Hugh Farr who also plays the fiddle here.  

Today's musical selection ends with Johnny Cash singing All of God's Children Ain't Free. This song is from the 1965 album, Orange Blossom Special. In his Johnny Cash biography, The Man Called Cash, Steve Turner calls this "Cash's most folk-inspired album." This is no coincidence as John's heart was drifting heavily towards the current folk scene at this time. He had performed at the Newport Folk Festival was spending much time with Bob Dylan, was recording songs by current folk songwriters such as Peter La Farge, and was addressing politics and social commentary in his music in a way he did much less often in the 1950's. This album contained three songs written by Bob as well as some more traditional folk music. This song (written by John himself) was a protest song of the type that was popular in the folk work at this time.

Now for a message from the reverend Billy Graham.

Now for an episode of The Lone Ranger radio show. 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. Proverbs 14:31

Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 1 Peter 4:9

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 1 Chronicles 29:17

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #237

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with one of Chuck Jones' great Bugs Bunny cartoons, Wackiki Wabbit (1943). The two castaways who try to eat Bugs in this cartoon, were caricatured to look like and were voiced by Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies writers, Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce. Many of Chuck's cartoons of this time had great experimentation with background art, and that is certainly true here. The following are some exhibitor's reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. "Wackiki Wabbit: Merrie Melodies Cartoons: A 'Bugs Bunny' short that shows signs of getting him back into his once high place. If they like Bugs, they'll like this one. - W. Varrick Nevins, Ill, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred, N.Y." "Wackiki Wabbit: Merrie Melodies Cartoon— This is one of the best Bugs Bunny cartoons of the season and it went over big here. - Thomas Di Lorenzo, New Paltz Theatre, New Platz, N.Y." 

Next is a classic Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, I Can't Escape From You (1936).

Now we join Honey Halfwitch in Trick or Cheat (1966). This short film features nearly all of the supporting characters from this series. It is also directed by Howard Post, who created the character of Honey Halfwitch.  Post is better known for his comic work rather than his animation work. He created the comic strip The Dropouts and DC Comics character Anthro. He had also worked for Harvey Comics on various Casper comic books and on the Heathcliff and Care Bears comics for Marvel as well as being an editor on Looney Tunes Magazine and Tiny Toons Magazine for DC. The Honey Halfwitch films are a series of thirteen theatrically released cartoon shorts. 

Next is The New Three Stooges cartoon, Behind the 8 Ball Express (1965). The three stooges voiced themselves in this series of made for TV shorts. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next is The Trail of Donald Duck (1948). This marked the last Donald Duck short directed by Jack King. Jack King was one of Donald's best directors (if not his best), having begun directing the duck in the mid 1930's. Before that he was briefly a director of some of the black and white Looney Tunes shorts and before that he had worked at Disney as an animator. Dan MacManus, who gets a story credit here is much more prolific as an effects animator, having worked in this capacity on many Disney features and shorts from 1935 to his retirement in 1973. Some of his story sketches for this film can be seen in J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein's book on Donald Duck. This film would make its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired December 12, 1956. 

Now we join Felix the Cat in Frolics at the Circus (1920). 

Next is the Terry Toons short, The Happy Cobblers (1952). 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Babysitting Maggie (1987). This is one of the shorts featuring the animated family that aired on The Tracey Ullman Show before they 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

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

Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Trial_of_Donald_Duck

  

Video Link: Was The Mummy Universal’s Most Toxic Monster? - Universally Me

Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent my Summer Vacation (1992)

 

In the late 1980's and early 90's there was trend in cartoons to have TV series that featured child versions of classic cartoon characters. Tiny Toons Adventures was both part of this trend, while providing a different twist on it. The series starred kid characters that were based off of the classic Looney Tunes characters but were still their own characters. They went to a school where they were taught by the classic Looney Tunes cartoons the art of cartoon comedy. The series wasn't always the most consistent and some episodes don't hold up the best. However, when the series was at its best, it was as great as any cartoon TV comedy had a right to be and because of this I feel it deserves the same praise that often goes to Animaniacs (which was made by the same people who made Tiny Toons. As wonderful as the best episodes of the show could be, the greatest highlight of the series was the direct to video movie that was based on the show. 

This film doesn't just tell one story but multiple that are based on the premise of having the kids on summer vacation. Plucky goes on a road trip with Hamton's family to the theme park Happy World Land. Buster and Babs Bunny (no relation) have a water pistol fight that goes too far and the find themselves drifting out to sea. Fifi LaFume tries to get the attention of a dreamy movie star skunk, Johnny Pew. Fowlmouth invites Shirley the Loon to the movies but ends up talking through the whole show. Elmya tries to find a new kitty after Furball runs off. 

What makes this movie so wonderful is that it is truly hilarious. This may actually be one of the laugh out loud funniest of the feature length Looney Tune movies. The humor consistently hits the spot (with the exception of some (though not all) of the then current pop culture references) with some truly great comedic set pieces. Some of the best of these set pieces include a Hamton's family picking up a very creepy hitchhiker that only Plucky is scared of, a wonderful movie theater scene (every single gag in this scene is hilarious) and a very clever parody of Deliverance (1972). Though I had seen this film as a kid, when I first saw it as an adult I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I laughed watching it (much of the satire makes it even funnier to an adult than to a kid). Another great reason this movie works so well, is that it does a great job balancing the different storylines. Never once do these storylines get in the way of each other and various points they do intercept in very clever ways. The use of multiple storylines also works perfectly for this type of cartoon comedy. They allow the movie to have the same silly comedic feel of the TV series and not try and turn this movie into something the TV show never was. At the same time it allows the movie to have the feel of a feature length cartoon, while not feeling like a TV episode unnecessarily stretched to feature length. This movie is also helped some solid animation by Tokyo Movie Shinsha. This animation may show its TV roots and is definitely not as extravagant as that seen in many theatrically released movies. However, with this in mind, like the TV episodes Tokyo Movie Shinsha has worked on, it is definitely on the higher end of television quality animation.  

The movies do have some flaws though. Chief among them is that the writers don't seem to know how to end the film and the ending is a bit too much of a dues ex machina (though in true Tiny Tunes fashion, the writers make fun of their own dues ex machina).  

The movie was released on March 11, 1992 and marks what might be the first animated direct to video feature length movie. The series ended later the same year this movie was released. making this almost the perfect ending to a beloved TV series that I still think deserves more love today. When the show was rerun on Fox Kids, this movie would air as a four-part episode of the TV series. 

   

Exposing Andy Clyde

It is a shame that the name Andy Clyde is often only recognized by the staunchest film buffs. His movie career spanned over 3 decades and after that he continued to work on TV. In the silent era, he had been comedy producer Mack Sennett's "Man of a Thousand Faces" often appearing in different costumes and make up that make him almost unrecognizable. Because of this he often appeared in multiple roles in the same film. He eventually found himself playing an old man character that he would continue playing well into the talkie era. Mostly playing this character Andy made 79 comedy shorts for Columbia Pictures. Fans of B-Westerns make best recognize him for playing the character California Carlson in the Hopalong Cassidy B movies. Vintage TV fans might recognize him for playing George MacMichael on The Real McCoys and Cully Wilson on the Lassie TV series. He would also make many guest appearances as one-off characters on many classic TV westerns. 

The following is a 1932 article from Modern Screen magazine about Andy Clyde. If you have any trouble reading, click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

Now enjoy a short film that Andy Clyde made for Columbia, Hot Paprika (1935).

The following is a review of Hot Paprika from a 1936 issue of The Philadelphia Exhibitor (Note: the review and the reviews that follow include spoilers so watch the film before reading). 

"HOT PAPRIKA. Columbia. 18 m. This has few gags that aren't outrageously burlesqued. Result is silly, depending on Andy Clyde's ability to draw laughs by appearance and dumbness. Told by the doctor that he has three months to live, Andy determines to do so with zest. He travels; finds self in Republic of Paprika; is mistaken for 'ze rich Americano who finances ze revolution. From then on, Andy is caught between Federalists and Rebels; escapes government firing squad only through intervention through rebels; wins war accidentally with machine gun. Fair" 

The following is a review from The Film Daily.

"Snappy Andy Clyde goes on a trip for his health to the Latin American republic of Paprika, where he runs afoul of the revolution, he gets himself in Dutch with the government troops. Andy is lined up against the wall before a firing squad, and escapes by a fluke and saves the day for the revolutionists. Thus he becomes a national hero. Good Andy Clyde technique in a yarn that has plenty of action and excitement and a pippy senorita for the sex angle. Directed by Preston Black." 

The following is an exhibitor's review for the Motion Picture Herald. 

"Hat Paprika: Andy Clyde - The funniest comedy we've played in months. Audience simply howled with delight. Running time, 19 minutes. - A.N. Miles, Eminence Theater, Eminence, Ky. Small Town Patronage." 

 

Movie Review: F1

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A top-notch genre flick. 

As he proved with Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski can take what should on paper be a typical genre flick and turn it into something excellent. Unlike many filmmakers who will probably receive more recognition, his approach to this is not to subvert the conventions of the genre but rather to simply do them so well that the audience doesn't care if they have been done before. That is what can be said about this movie. In many ways this is a conventional sports film, but these conventions are done so well that it manages to stand out among the many similar movies. 

The racing scenes are excellent. The writing is tense (if only real sports could be this exciting), the driving and cinematography are top notch, the pacing is near perfect, and the auditory filmmaking is incredible. When I speak about the auditory filmmaking I am referring to quite a few aspects of it. The sound mixing is wonderful, and this movie knows just when to be loud and just when to be quiet. Because of this use of sound, we are often going back and forth from being a spectator at the racetrack (if you see this in Dolby or IMAX, you will truly feel like you are at a racetrack) to being inside the car with the character. I am also referring to the music. This includes both Hans Zimmer's score and the use of rock and pop songs on the soundtrack. Though some of the song choices may be obvious (Led Zeppelin's Whole Lot of Love; Queen's We Will Rock You), they are truly effective and get your adrenaline pumping (again especially if you see this in Dolby or IMAX). 

As exciting as the racing scenes are the characters are the heart of the film. It is true that they fall into the typical conventions for characters of these types of films, but there more to them than just this. Because of this they feel completely real and believable to us. Even the supporting characters have enough personality to make them feel believable. Brad Pitt and Damson Idris' performances the main characters are truly excellent and add much of this film's heart. Brad Pitt is simply magnetic here which is completely necessary for a movie like this. Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon are truly wonderful in their supporting roles as well. Because we believe every character on screen (both because of the writing and the performances), we truly care about these races and feel the joy when they finish well and the disappointment when they don't. 

This is truly a wonderful genre flick, where excellent filmmaker and performances overcome the standard conventions of the story.     

Ironheart - Take Me Home (2025)

 

Take Me Home is the first episode of Ironheart, the MCU's most recent streaming series, streaming only TV shows that tie into the Marvel movies. In this first episode Riri, a teenage inventor who has created her own Iron Man inspired suit, gets expelled from MIT for selling her inventions to college students, so those students can turn them in as assignments. Going back home Chicago, Riri is still dealing with the premature deaths of her best friend, Natalie Washington and her stepfather Gary. Meanwhile her cousin Parker Robbins tries to recruit Riri to join his gang. 

This is a rather weak start to the series. I hope this series improves as so far this might be the weakest of the MCU streaming series. The main character is quite unlikable. Nowhere in these 45 minutes does the episode give us a single reason to like her. She is completely self-entitled and treats those that set out to help her rather terribly. It is true that she is going through a hard time but there are people giving her a chance that many people in her position could only dream of and she is completely ungrateful for it. It is true that teenagers can be self-absorbed, but the previous Marvel series Ms. Marvel understood this, while still making the character likable. Meanwhile, this episode seems to continue the unfortunate trend of these Marvel streaming shows having much weaker and blander villains than the Marvel movies. I hope who this episode sets up as the villain doesn't turn out to be the villain of the series as he is simply a bland everyday hoodlum and weak antagonist for a superhero series. The story is as basic and unsurprising as they come. Often it just seems to be going through the motions. It also strains believability as so many characters continue to understatement and not be impressed by a teenage girl who builds a freaking Iron Man suit. She may not be the most likable character, but you can't deny that she is brilliant. Even as an MCU fan, I admit this is not very good. 

This episode was directed by Sam Bailey who has previously directed episodes of such TV series as Grown-ish and Dear White People as well as co-producing the web series Brown Girls. This is her first time working on an MCU project. It was written by Chinaka Hodge, the series creator. In a career that began in the 1980's she has worked as a poet, playwright and screenwriter. This is also her first MCU project. 

Movie Review: Hi-Five

 

Michael's Movie Grade: F

A terrible superhero movie from Korea.

This film about five people receiving superpowers after receiving transplants from the same person is a textbook example of how not to make a superhero movie. Everything about this movie is terrible. The storyline is incredibly cliché. It also feels too basic to even fill its two-hour runtime, resulting in a movie that feels much longer than it is. There are also many moments that make no sense even by superhero logic. This movie also wants to be a sillier and more comedic superhero film. Sadly, none of the humor works and much of it is embarrassingly bad. The characters are bland and cliché. Because of this they never once feel real to us and therefore we don't care about anything that happens with them. The acting is often quite poor and does nothing to help these already blandly written characters. The action scenes lack any fun or excitement and simply go on for much too long. This is not helped by the extremely poor special effects. These effects are so bad that it is incredible to think this movie somehow came out in 2025.

Avoid at all costs.  

Dunking Doughnuts with Shirely Temple

 

Probably no child actress has ever been better known than Shirley Temple. Like Marlyin Monroe, John Wayne or Charlie Chaplin, even those who have never seen one of her movies know of her. They can immediately bring to mind the image of a little girl with curls dancing and singing. Those who do watch her movies can easily understand why her popularity was so great during the heyday of her career. She is simply charming and cute without ever coming across as cloying, the way so many child actors can. Most of her films may not be great masterpieces of cinema but they are still quite entertaining and fun. If you get a chance to watch one of her classic films with an audience, you will discover how much they still delight audiences today.  Her career actually lasted beyond her being the little girl who sang about The Good Ship Lollypop and Animal Crackers. She appeared in some truly delightful films as a teenager, which showed her blossoming into a good actress. These later teenage films include The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), I'll Be Seeing You (1944) and the classic John Ford-John Wayne western Fort Apache (1948). 

The following is an article from a 1942 issue of Modern Screen magazine. If you can't read the pages below click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

After having talked about the later part of Shirley Temple's career, we turn our attention to an early film of Her's. I really enjoy the Andy Clyde short, Dora's Dunking Doughnuts (1933), which feature Shirley Temple in a prominent role. This film may not be one of Andy Clyde's funniest shorts. However, it is a really cute, sweet and charming little film that is still delightful today. 

The following are some exhibitors' reviews of Dora's Dunking Doughnuts from the Motion Picture Herald. "Dora's Dunking Doughnuts: Andy Clyde - The kids and their orchestra saved this for Andy. Whoever told that guy he was funny? - Mayme P. Mussleman, Princess Theatre, Lincoln, Kan. Small Town Patronage." "Dora's Dunking Doughnuts: Andy Clyde - A little odd and very good comedy. That got a few laughs. Running time, two reels. - J.A. Verchot, Opera House, Abbeville, S.C. Small Town Patronage." "Dora's Dunking Doughnuts: Andy Clyde - A funny comedy and the audience laughed. Running time 20 minutes. - A.H. Edwards Orpheum Theatre, Orwigsburg, PA, Small town and rural patronage." 

The following is from an issue of The Film Daily dated June 6, 1933. "Alfonse Corelli, musical director, wrote 'Dora's Dunking Doughnuts' for Andy Clyde's comedy, and the number has already shown signs of being in the hit class. Although the song has not been published and the picture is not ready for general release, requests have been received from several radio stations for permission to broadcast; a well-known stage producing organization has bid it for a new production, and an offer for electrical transcriptions and phonograph records has been made." 

The following is from an issue of The Film Daily dated June 3, 1933. "Andy Clyde ate so many doughnuts and drank so much coffee during the making of 'Dora's Dunking Doughnuts' that he is going to emulate Ghandi and go on a hunger strike. In one scene the Scotch comic had to eat four doughnuts. This does not sound like much but when it is figured the scene was shot from four angles - and then the retakes - figure it out for yourself." 

Sgt. Gene Autry is on the Air

Many of you may already know that Gene Autry joined U. S. Army Air Corps during World War II. During this time as well as his regular military duties, he recorded an episode of his radio show a week. The radio show would be retitled Sgt. Gene Autry. Earlier episodes of his radio show would have a mixture of some musical performances and a western story. Around this time the western story was replaced with stories of the war. His movie career went on hold during the war though and Republic Pictures (who produced Gene's films) promoted Roy Rogers as the new "King of the Cowboys."

Here is a 1942 article from Modern Screen Magazine about Autry's entry into the military. If you have trouble reading it click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

Now here is a vintage Gene Autry recording, Wildcat Mama Blues. Gene Autry receives a songwriting credit for this song. Gene recorded this song on November 16, 1931, and is backed by Roy Smeck on banjo. Other songs he recorded the same day were I'm a Railroad Man (Waiting on a Weary Train), Under the old Apple Tree and There's a Good Girl in the Mountains. All these songs featured backing by Roy Smeck. (Source: Public Cowboy no.1 by Holly George-Warren)