Hello, my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again, it is time for some classic cartoons.
We begin with a classic Frank Tashlin Porky Pig cartoon, Porky's Railroad (1937). This is one of the many cartoons of this time that used the formula of Porky being placed in a different job. In fact, earlier the same year Tashlin had directed a very similar Porky Pig cartoon, called Porky's Building (1937). That film like this one featured Porky up against a rival for his job. This cartoon opens up using of Tashlin's favorite types of gags that of words appearing on the screen to introduce the action. Often times he would do this in the form of a "disclaimer", but here he simply introduces the two trains. Also notice the ship that Porky picks up is the SS Leon named after the cartoon's producer Leon Schlesinger.
Now we join our friend Honey Halfwitch in The Defiant Giant (1966). In this cartoon Honey helps out a giant who is in trouble. This film also features Honey's friend Stanley the Sorcerer, who is a takeoff of W.C. Feilds.
Next is the Terry Toons short, The Temperamental Lion (1940).
Now for Donald Duck in Crazy Over Daisy (1950). This short film places Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Chip and Dale in the gay 1890's and works as almost a companion piece to the Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Nifty Nineties (1941). Mickey and Minne even make a cameo dressed like they were in that film. This Donald Duck short had the working titles Built for Two and Date with Daisy. However, it would eventually be named after Oliver Wallace's song for the cartoon. This song would later become almost a theme song for Donald and the duck would whistle it in various cartoons to follow. This short film would make its TV debut on an episode of the Disneyland anthology series entitled Where Do the Stories Come From? (1956). It is hard not to feel very sorry for Donald in this cartoon.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Next comes a masterpiece of a cartoon, Minnie the Moocher (1932) starring the one and only Betty Boop. This cartoon is a pure example of what the Fleischer studio did better than anyone else. The film is full of incredibly creative, surreal and just plain weird gags that are executed to complete perfection. This cartoon is the first of three Bettys to feature jazz singer Cab Calloway (the other two being Snow White (1933) and the Old Man of the Mountain (1933)). In all three of these cartoons, the singer was not only used to sing his song, but his iconic dancing was captured by the dancer via rotoscope. A review in the Film Daily stated "This swell Max Fleischer musical cartoon is the best turned out so far with the cute pen and ink star, Betty Boop, who seems to get more sexy and alluring each time and her boyfriend Bimbo. The musical selection is supplied by Cab Calloway and his orchestra and what these boys can't do to the Minnie the Moocher number is not worth mentioning."
Now for silent movie time with Felix the cat in Felix Full O' Fight (1925).
Barnyard Babies (1935) is a typical cutesy Happy Harmonies cartoon. With the focus being on cuteness and a lack of slapstick, it is hard to believe that this is from the same studio that would bring us Tom and Jerry the following decade. However, this film does have its charms. This is a given considering the talent that was involved. This included a top-notch cast of animators. Carl Urbano animates the opening scene, the introduction of the master of ceremonies, the start of the song number and the duck coming out of the cider drunk. Cal Dalton animates the mother duck putting her kids into the water, the second chorus of the song number, the duck going into the apple cider, the "fan" dance, the lady that's known as Lou and the drunk duckling on stage with the horse. Pete Burness animates the pigs eating, the sheep and the pig singing together, the pigs walking in front of the curtain, the worm going in the hole, the duck swallowing the spring and the drunk duckling interrupting the show. Gil Turner animates the cow and horse braying at each other, the animals being excited for the show to start and the old gray mare. Joe D’Igalo animates the sign being put up and everyone reading the sign. Frankie Smith animates the rooster reacting to the sign being put up and the babies taking their first bow as well as them bowing after the song number. Jim Palbin animates the rooster telling his wife about the sign and being disappointed that the baby won't come soon enough to take place in the baby contest, the rooster pacing and the climax. Bob Allen animates the rooster using the hot towel to warm up the egg, the pigs singing together. George Grandpre animates the animals entering the barn, the little cow's solo, the duckling trying to get a hold of the rope leading the chicken to spin out of control and the clock moving quickly. Tom McKimson (older brother of Looney Tunes director Robert McKimson) animates the little chick and the duck singing together, the duck falling out of his mother's arms and bouncing on the saw and the piano solo. Lee Blair (husband of famed Disney artist Mary Blair and an accomplished Disney artist himself) animates the horse riding the broomstick pony. Bob Stokes animates the little horse reciting. Lee Blair commented on the difference of working on an MGM cartoon to working on a Disney cartoon. He stated, “They didn’t work with big storyboards like they do at Disney’s. They worked pretty well straight ahead off of a detail sheet—a bar sheet. They called them ‘detail sheets.’” He would continue, “From those detail sheets, they would make a set of exposure sheets, and you would be handed them as a scene.” At MGM they often used live action comedies as reference. Lee would remember, “We used Charlie Chaplin a lot. We’d get old Charlie Chaplin films, and we had a hand-cranked projector; I had it alongside my animation board…We’d crank his walks and pratfalls and study those.”
Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Closted (1988). This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the 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
Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein
The 50 Greatest Cartoons edited by Jerry Beck
https://mediahistoryproject.org/
https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/animator-breakdown-barnyard-babies-1935/
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Crazy_Over_Daisy
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