Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #228

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a unique Mickey Mouse short, Minnie's Yoo-Hoo (1930). The title song was written by Carl Stalling (later of Looney Tunes fame) for an earlier Mickey cartoon entitled Mickey's Follies (1929). This was the first original song from the Disney studio and it would become the theme song for the series with an instrumental version beginning every Mickey cartoon. This short presents a sing-a-long version of the song. The version heard here includes a second verse, that was not heard in Mickey's Follies but did appear on the song sheet that was published later the same year that it first appeared inn that cartoon. This short was made for The Mickey Mouse Clubs that appeared around the country. These were created by theatre owners and were gatherings of movie loving kids who were fans of Mickey Mouse. Walt loved this idea and while he did not start it he did all he could to expand it across the country. He also made this short so that club members could sing along during their meetings. There is very little new animation here. There is reuse of animation of Mickey and friends performing the song at the beginning that comes from Mickey's Follies. The animation of the curtain opening and closing was lifted from Fiddling Around (1930).

Now we join Mighty Mouse for The Wicked Wolf (1946). This short film was directed by Mannie Davis, the big brother of Looney Tunes director Art Davis and a very prolific Terry Toons director. 

Next comes the only Betty Boop cartoon in color, Poor Cinderella (1934). As you can see here despite much merchandise today picturing Betty as having black hair, this cartoon shows her to be a redhead instead. This movie is also the odd man out when it comes to Betty Boop films for another reason as well. This is because the cartoon is in many ways a more serious picture that is actually intent on telling a somewhat straightforward version of this classic fairytale (perhaps it is appropriate that this is part of the Color Classics series instead of the regular Betty Boop series). This cartoon also features an original song, and this song was published as sheet music as well as appearing in this cartoon. Film historian and critic Leonard Maltin states that Mae Questel (the usual voice of Betty) was not used here for the song, but another singer was used instead. I do not know who this other singer is so if any of you do, please let me know. The following are two exhibitor's reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. "POOR CINDERELLA: Betty Boop— Betty Boop in the best example of color cartoon work we have had. Running Time, 10 Minutes. - M.P. Foster, Granada Theatre, Monte Vista, Colo. General Patronage." "POOR CINDERELLA: Betty Boop Cartoon— First of Paramount's colored cartoons and it is a wonderful creation. Look for the third dimensional allusion [sic]. If the rest of Paramount's colored cartoons come up to this one everybody will be satisfied. - L.G. Tewksbury, Opera House, Stonington, Maine. Small Town Patronage." 

When Paul Terry sold the Terry Toons studio to CBS in 1955, CBS sought for the studio to make more theatrical cartoons. Without Paul Terry, a new head of the cartoon studio was needed. Gene Deitch was an odd choice to take over the Terry Toons studio as he wasn't a fan of the Terry Toons shorts. In fact, he felt that they were some of the worst theatrical cartoon shorts. As such when he took over the studio, he retired popular Terry Toons characters such as Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle. The studio would now make films with brand new characters that were better suited for Deitch's sensibilities. The cartoons would also take a modern art inspired stylized look similar to what was being used at the UPA studio. This was certainly a major departure from previous Terry Toons cartoons. Because of this some of the old guard at the studio took immediate umbrage to Deitch's leadership and his vision for the studio. Here is a Terry Toon from the Deitch era, Old Mother Clobber (1958). Rare for a Terry Toon of this era, there is a reference to Mighty Mouse here, though the character himself doesn't appear.

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for the third film from the Looney Tunes series, Hold Anything (1930). This movie stars the first star of the Looney Tunes, Bosko. Notice some mice who look specifically like Mickey here. In fact, if this whole cartoon feels like a Disney film that is no coincidence, producers and directors Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising had worked with Walt Disney during the silent era and when they moved on to other things the Disney influence was always clearly felt.  Often times this went beyond being influenced by and into the realm of stealing, however. Animator Jack Zander would recall, "We were doing and Hugh Harman said, 'you remember that scene in the Disney picture where Mickey Mouse did so-and-so.' I said, 'You want me to do almost the same thing?' and he said, 'No I want you to do exactly the same thing.' He said that the picture was playing at some theater that night and he wanted me to go and study the scene, come back and make Bosko do exactly the same thing." 

Now for some Quick Shticks. 

Now it is silent movie time with a Walt Disney Alice Comedy, Alice the Piper (1924). While these silent shorts may not be as sophisticated as later Disney films, I have a huge fondness for them, due to the fact that they were directed by Walt Disney himself. These Alice Comedies featured a live action little girl who entered into an animated cartoon world. This idea was a reversal of the Fleischer Brothers Out of the Inkwell shorts which had an animated KoKo the Clown enter into our world. In this short Alice is played by Virginia Davis, the first child actress to play the character. Fans of pre-code cinema might know that Virginia Davis played Joan Blondell's character as a child in the pre-code favorite, Three on a Match (1932). The same film also featured Dawn O' Day (later Anne Shirley) as Ann Dovrak's character as a child. Dawn O' Day was another child actress to have played Alice in the Alice Comedies. 



 

Now it is time for a Garfield Quickie. 

Today's cartoon post ends with The Simpsons in Bart of the Jungle (1989). This short was made as a segment 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

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-other-disney-cartoons-minnies-yoo-hoo/ Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

https://leonardmaltin.com/the-other-cartoon-cinderella-betty-boop/

https://lantern.mediahist.org/