Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #220

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a wonderful Daffy Duck film, The Daffy Duckaroo (1942). This cartoon was directed by Norman McCabe, who I always feel was underrated as a Looney Tunes director. Some of his Looney Tunes shorts are truly excellent, but because most of his cartoons were in black and white and feature a lot of topical gags about World War 2, his cartoons rarely get the exposure that other Looney Tunes directors do. He would return to the Looney Tunes universe well after the golden age as a timing director on such TV shows as Tiny Tunes Adventures, Taz-Mania and The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. I personally love McCabe's version of Daffy. He is as wild and crazy and energetic as Bob Clampett and Tex Avery's version of the character is, but he also has a few traits of the later Daffy that Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng would use. 

Next comes a delightfully surreal cartoon from the Van Bueren Studio, The Phantom Rocket (1933). This short film stars a human duo named Tom and Jerry, that predate the more famous cat and mouse duo. While not as famous as the later duo that would share their name, the human Tom and Jerry starred in some really fun, fast-paced cartoons that are a pure delight for animation lovers. 

Now for Honey Halfwitch in Potions and Notions (1966). This short film was directed by Shamus Culhane. Culhane is one of the most underrated classic cartoon directors (his Woody Woodpecker shorts are some of the woodpecker's best films). His book Talking Animals and Other People is essential reading for any true cartoon fan. 

Now comes an all-time classic, The Dover Boys at Pimento University (1942). This is one of Chuck Jones' most daring (and arguably one of his best) films. The stylized design and animation were unlike most anything being done at this time and look forward to what UPA would become known for in the 1950's. Many have cited Chuck Jones as a very strong influence on UPA and with a cartoon like this who could argue? It is worth noting that the credited animator on this film is Robert Cannon, who would become an important director for UPA (he directed Gerald McBoing-Boing (1950) there). Much of this film's charm came from background artist, Gene Fleury and layout artist John McGrew. These were two very experimental artists, and Chuck gave them plenty of room to experiment. They are a huge part of why Chuck's cartoons for this era really stand out. If you are a fan of Disney's Goofy cartoons, you will probably recognize the narrator, John McLeisch (who narrated most of the Goofy "how to..." shorts). The film's writer Ted Pierce does the voice of Tom. However, the scene stealer of the voice actors is Mel Blanc as he seems to be having a blast voicing the villainous Dan Backslide (coward, bully, cad and thief). Visually Dan Backslide is a caricature of Warner's animator, Ken Harris. This film appropriately appears in Jerry Beck's book, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes. 

 

The Dover Boys themselves would later make a cameo appearance on TV's Animaniacs.

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for the Terry Toon cartoon, One Note Tony (1947). This short film was directed by Connie Rasinski, who had a long career working at the Terry Toons studio, first as an animator then a director. He began working at the studio in 1929 and kept working there until his death in 1965. 

Next comes one of Walt Disney's classic Alice Comedies, Alice Plays Cupid (1925). This short film features Margie Gay as Alice. She was the second young actress to play the role. For us Disney fans one of the greatest thrills of the earliest Disney films is that Walt himself directed them. Because of this we get a better look at the film legend's comedic mind. The gag of night falling, always makes me smile.

As many of you know when Fleischer Studios was shut down, it was succeeded by Famous Studios who not only created new series, but continued the series started by the former studio. Many cartoon fans feel that this series went downhill after this, but the falling of quality was hardly something immediate. I especially am a fan of the early Famous Studios Popeye films. These cartoons may be different from the Fleischer output, but they are fast paced, energetic and a lot of fun. There were also a wide variety of storylines used during this time that were not the simple one of Popeye and Bluto fighting over Olive. One great example of how good these films are is Me Musical Nephews (1942). The following is a review from The Film Daily, "One of the best Popeye shorts to hit the screen in years. Popeye's young nephews keep their uncle awake by practicing on their musical instruments and the grief they cause him is the central theme for some hilarious fun. This one deserves prominent billing."

Now to end with a great clip and song number from one of my favorite Simpsons episodes, Homer Badman (1994). 

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 100 Greatest Looney Tunes edited by Jerry Beck

Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney by J. B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt.

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/moonlighting-animators-in-comics-connie-rasinski/

https://mediahistoryproject.org/