Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #224

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

Animation fans know director Friz Freleng as a master of timing and very few comedy cartoons have come close to the perfect comedy timing of his films. This can especially be seen in his cartoon, Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943). This in my mind is one of his funniest films and just a pure delight. Despite the title, this film does not have a parotitic theme or revolve around U.S. history. With the James Cagney feature, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) having come out the year before, this pun was probably just too good for the filmmakers to pass up.  Look for a portrait of Friz Freleng hanging in Porky's office. A review in The Motion Picture Daily calls this film a "Pleasant little subject." The following are Exhibitor's reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—This studio's cartoons lately seem to be either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. This is downright terrible. - W. Verricks Nevins, III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred N.Y." "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Good cartoon, but where does it get its name? - Ralph Raspa, State Theatre, Rivesdale, W. Va." "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons - Average color cartoon. - E.M. Freiburger, Paramount Theatre, Dewey, Okla." 

Now for the classic UPA cartoon, Georgie and the Dragon (1951). This movie was directed by Robert "Bobe" Cannon, one of my favorite UPA directors. He had previously been an animator for both Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett's units at Warner Brothers and even Tex Avery at MGM. He even worked on the Disney feature film, Melody Time (1948). As a director he made some of the best UPA shorts including one of the studio's most famous films, Gerald McBoing-Boing (1950). 

 Next comes a short film from the husband-and-wife team of John and Faith Hubley, The Tender Game (1958). This duo brought us some of the most artistic and lovely animated short films of all time. The music on this film is by Ella Fitzgerald (the queen of jazz) and Oscar Peterson (a wonderful jazz pianist). 

Here is an animated insert that John and Faith Hubley made for Sesame Street. 

Now for the Fleischer Superman cartoon, The Eletric Earthquake (1942). For a studio that was best known for silly comedy cartoons like the Popeye and Betty Boop shorts, Fleischer Studios adapted itself extremely well to the action/adventure genre with these films. Even with the flux of superhero cartoons that have followed many still view these shorts as the gold standard when it comes to superhero animation. The makers of such shows as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond and Justice League Unlimited have cited these short films are their primary influence. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

To this day some of the most popular cartoon shorts among Disney fans are the ones that used Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy as a comedy team in the same vein as Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers or The Three Stooges. The first of these was Mickey's Service Station. This was also the only one that was in black and white instead of color. In fact there would be only one more Mickey Mouse cartoon in black and white, which would be Mickey's Kangaroo (released later the same year). A quick bit of writing from an issue of The Film Daily (dated March 14, 1935), lets us know where this cartoon premiered, as well as the feature it played with. "Walt Disney's newest Mickey Mouse cartoon, 'Mickey's Service Station' is to have its premiere at the Rivoli Theater tomorrow on the bill with Samuel Goldwyn's 'The Wedding Night' in which Gary Cooper and Anna Sten are co-starred "Here is what some theater owners had to say about this cartoon in The Motion Picture Herald. "Mickey's Service Station: Mickey Mouse- Good filler lots of laughs and excitement. Running time, 1 reel - Rudolph Duba. Royal Theater, Kimball S. D. Small town patronage" "Mickey's Service Station: Mickey Mouse- A dandy cartoon. Mickey Mouse means something at our box office.- J.W. Noah, New Liberty and Ideal Theaters, Ft. Worth, Texas. General patronage."

Now for the silent Out of the Inkwell short, The Cure (1924). 

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."

Let us end today's cartoon selection with a classic Simpsons clip from the episode, 22 Short Films About Springfield (1996). 

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://lantern.mediahist.org/