Cowboy Church #232

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

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Have You Read the Bible Today. It is important for each of us to read our Bible each and every day. The Bible is not just some book; it is the living breathing word of God. It is easy for our faith and Christian Walk to become idle and stagnant and the easiest way for this to happen is to simply not read our Bible. Taking some time each day to read the Bible is the best way for our faith and our walk with God to continue growing and maturing.  This recording is the B-side of a 1955 Little Golden Record by Roy and Dale. The A-side was The Bible Tells Me So. 

This is followed by Patty Loveless with Rise up Lazarus. This comes from her 2001 gospel album, Mountain Soul. 

Afterwards is Jean Shepeard with When God His Pen of Love in My Heart. When God Dips His Love in My Heart was written by Cleavant Derricks a minister from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who spread the gospel throughout the mid-south. The hymn was published in 1944 by Otis McCoy for The Church of God's Tennessee Music and Printing Company (in Cleveland, Tennessee).  Other songs written by him include Just A Little Talk With Jesus, My Soul Is Satisfied and We’ll Soon Be Done With Troubles And Trials. Despite writing such well known hymns, Derricks didn't receive royalties from them. When he meet Aaron Brown from Canaan Records, Brown learned about this. Brown contacted BMI, a company that represents songwriters and BMI would give Derricks $14,000.

Next comes the Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Lord You Made the Cowboy Happy. This is a song about appreciating the little things in life. This is something we should do every single day. The number of blessings that surround us every day is immeasurable. 

Then comes The Cowboy Trail Band with I Love to Tell the Story. When recovering from a sickness, Arabella Katherine Hankey wrote a poem about the life of Christ. This poem was broken into two parts the first being called The Story Wanted (published in January 1866) and the second called The Story Told (published in November 1866). I Love to Tell the Story comes from this second part. In 1869 William G. Fisher put this text to music and that is the version we know today. Still, it is worth noting that Hankey wrote her own music for these words, but her music was seldom used and is now forgotten. 

Next comes The Charlie Daniels Band with The Business of Love. This comes from the group's first gospel album, 1994's The Door.   In his memoir, Never Look at the Empty Seats, Charlie Daniels wrote, "I think the most pressure I was ever under as a songwriter was when I wrote the songs for our first gospel album, The Door. It was such a special project to me. I wanted it to be much more than just another gospel album. I wanted the lyrics to have impact and hopefully speak to some of the people who, like me, had such a hard time understanding the gospel message and were falling through the cracks." 

Now for Emmylou Harris with Drifting Too Far From the Shore. This comes from her 1987 gospel album, Angel Band. 

Today's musical selection ends with The Carter Family's 1930 recording of On My Way To Canaan's Land. The group recorded this song on 25th November 1930 at the Auditorium, Memphis,TN.

Now for the sixth chapter of the Buck Jones movie serial, The Red Rider (1934). 

Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:13 

Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23

"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." John 12:26

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9

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 #246

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Sylvester and Tweety in Tweet and Lovely (1959). This is one of my favorite Sylvester and Tweety films. Voice actor Mel Blanc would later write, "Sylvester has always been a favorite of mine. He's always been the easiest character for me to play. When I was showing the first model sheet for Sylvester with his floppy jaws and generally disheveled appearance, I said to Friz Freleng, 'A big sloppy cat should have a big shthloppy voice. He should spray even more than Daffy.' While recording Sylvester cartoons my scripts would get so covered in sylvia I'd repeatedly have to wipe them clean. I used to suggest to actress June Foray, who voiced Tweety's vigilant owner Granny that she wear a raincoat to the sessions." 

Next is the Fleischer Screen Song cartoon, My Baby Just Cares for Me (1931). The title song was written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn. The two had written such songs together as Carolina in the Morning, My Buddy, My Man from Caroline, Love Me or Leave Me, Makin' Whoopee and Yes Sir, That's My Baby. The song was written for the movie, Whoopee! (1930) starring Eddie Cantor. Sorry that this short is missing a small part of it. 

Now for Heckle and Jeckle in Log Rollers (1953). 

Next is the Mickey Mouseworks cartoon, Mickey’s Remedy (1999). This short would later be used in the House of Mouse episode, Snow Day (2002). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Up next comes an early example of Disney's Silly Symphonies cartoons with The Bird Store (1932). This short film is similar to many of the Silly Symphonies of the time period. The movie starts out with simply a bunch of cute little gags involving a bird store and then a villain enters and many of the characters team up to stop this villain. The cartoon is directed by Wilfred Jackson, who would later co-direct such Disney features as Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953) and Lady and the Tramp (1955). The film also features an all-star cast of Disney animators. David Hand, who would later be the supervising director for such Disney features as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942), animates the opening scene. Future Donald Duck director, Jack King animated the lovebirds, the canaries being excited and the baby being returned to its parents. Frenchy de Tremaudan, who worked as an uncredited animator on many of Disney best short films, animates the bird sharpening its beak and the parrot with the cash register. Johnny Cannon animated the jalopy birds and the canaries pecking at the cat. Clyde Geronimi, who would be a co-director on Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953) and Lady and the Tramp (1955) and the supervising director for Sleeping Beauty (1959), animates the horn birds and the cat in the cage. Norm Ferguson, whose animation would later help define the character of Pluto, animates the parrot with both the mirror and the typewriter. Future Woody Woodpecker and Barney Bear director Dick Lundy animates the whooping birds and the cat stalking the canaries. Future Hanna-Barbera director, Rudy Zamora animates the Marx Birds. Future Looney Tunes and Van Beuren director, Tom Palmer animates the baby canary taking on a singing lesson. Albert Hunter animates the birds watching with excitement. Master Mickey Mouse animator, Les Clark animates the baby canary running from the cat and the scene with the dogs. Ben Sharpsteen, who would later be the supervising director for such Disney features as Pinnochio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), heads a whole crew of animators including Chuck Couch, Marvin Woodward, Hardie Gramatky, Harry Reeves and Dick Williams. 

Now for a silent Aesop's Film Fables short, Two of a Trade (1922). This short film features our friend Farmer Alfalfa.

Now for Hoot Kloot in Big Beef at the O.K. Corral (1974). In this short film, Hoot Kloot faces off against the outlaw Billy the Kidder. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Closeted (1988). This was a short 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

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

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman 

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey%27s_Remedy

 

Hawks on Hawks (1982)

 

Howard Hawks was one of the most versatile and gifted filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age. Whether he was directing a John Wayne western, a screwball comedy with Cary Grant, a musical with Marylin Monroe or a film noir with Humphrey Bogart, he always delivered a well-made film. Yet he is a figure that many of us do not really know outside of his movies. This is what makes film critic Joseph McBride's book of interviews with Howard Hawks so indispensable. 

The book gives us a great insight into Hawks' views on filmmaking. Though he remained unpretentious about his work and didn't fully understand what intellectual French critics saw in his films, he could articulate what makes a great movie better than most critics could. I would recommend that any aspiring filmmaker read this book as his insights into the filmmaking process are very well-thought out and enlightening. This is equally important to students of his work as they can begin to see his approach to filmmaking whenever the watch his movies. At the same time, he states these insights in such an unpretentious manner that is completely approachable. You don't have to be a film scholar to understand or learn from these insights. For those of us interested in film history, learning how one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers approached making his movies is fascinating. 

As well as his insights into the art of filmmaking, Hawks also tells some great behind the scenes stories from his movies. Many of these stories are quite interesting and a few are quite funny. These stories also give us a good look at such movie luminaires as John Wayne, Marylin Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Becall, Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan and more. To say these stories are invaluable is an understatement. 

This is a must own book for any movie lover. 

Movie Review: Trust

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

A decent thriller. 

This movie has a very strong premise for a thriller. An actress on a squeaky-clean sitcom becomes involved in a scandal after becoming pregnant. She decides to get away from it all by heading to a cabin away from prying eyes. However, she soon finds herself in danger in this cabin as well. This simple premise works fairly way as we sympathize with the main character and want to see her make it out okay. 

There are a few surprisingly good and effective suspense scenes here as well. The movie also benefits from a strong performance by Sophie Turner. 

This movie does have more than its share of flaws though. There are too many subplots going on here that don't end up amounting to much. The villains are not only bland but the actors playing them are truly awful. The movie also suffers from some weak humorous moments and clumsily written dialogue. 

While this movie can't fully overcome its major flaws, it is decent thriller with some tense moments.  

The Laurel and Hardy Movie Scripts: 20 Original Short Subject Screenplays (1926-1934) (2018)

 

Hal Roach (who produced many of the Laurel and Hardy films) was fond of saying that 50% of what is in the script will not play. This is what makes this book of movie scripts for Laurel and Hardy films made at the Hal Roach studio such a fascinating read. For those of us who are fans of Laurel and Hardy, it is wonderful to read how greatly these scripts differ from the films we all know. Some have gags that seemed funny in a script format, but the filmmaker's decided wouldn't work in a movie. Some have completely different endings. Sometimes a funnier joke than what was in the script was later improvised. Sometimes the scripts have gags that are funny but would have seemed too out of character to work on screen. Reading these scripts gives us a wonderful glimpse into the hard work that went into making these silly films. 

This book also gives you a wonderful look into what a short subject script was like. This is especially fascinating as you look at the silent films. When one thinks of scripts they think of a list of lines making reading a script that simply gives great detail into the action quite enlightening. It is a fascinating insight to see that some of the scripts for the silent films are actually much longer than for the talkies. It is also interesting to note the difference between the earliest scripts and the later. The earliest scripts leave little room for improvisation describing every action on screen. However, some of the later scripts would simply hint at some of the slapstick action allowing the comedians to improvise greatly. 

These scripts are compiled by entertainment historian and Laurel and Hardy expert Randy Skretvedt. Having read through many scripts, he selects ones that he knows we be especially fascinating to those who know these films by heart. He also writes introductions before each of the scripts. He gives insight into the changes from script to screen as well as some behind the scenes information about some of these films. His writings are often times also very essential to Laurel and Hardy fans. 

Probably the most fascinating of these scripts is the first one, which is a script for a film that was never filmed. What makes this more fascinating is it would have been the first film that the duo would have made together for the Hal Roach Studio.

As well as being a very fascinating and enlightening read, this book is also a lot of fun to read. Though nothing tops the films themselves for comedy, many of these scripts still had me laugh out loud a few times.

One wouldn't think a book of movie scripts could give this much insight into the making of these classic comedies. However, this is one of the most informative books made about the comedy duo. It is also a heck of a lot of fun. 

Cowboy Church #231

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

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with a wonderful version of the classic hymn, How Great Thou Art. In the book, Happy Trails: Our Life Story, Roy tells of a story that had to do with this song. "I'll tell you about one time we nearly got into a real war with the promoters: at the World Championship Rodeo at Madison Square Garden in 1952. During the first rehearsal I started to practice 'How Great Thou Art,' a religious song I wanted to make the centerpiece of our musical act. There's a line in that song that goes, 'Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee...' Someone in the front office heard the rehearsal and came to me that night to tell me I wasn't allowed to mention Christ at the rodeo. 'It might work for the kids in Houston, Texas' he told me, 'But this is New York. You can't preach to kids here.' I told him I wasn't preaching but that the Savior was a part of the song and I fully intended to sing that song in New York or anywhere else we performed. They suggested that I could change the words of the song, so it didn't mention Him. I'm not one for grandstand plays but I told those fellas that if I couldn't sing 'How Great thou Art' just how it was written, Dale and I would pack up and leave town. The song stayed in the show. That year we did forty-three performances over twenty-six days and broke all Madison Square Garden attendance records."

This followed by Patty Loveless with Friends in Gloryland. This recording comes from her 2009 album, Mountain Soul ii. 

Afterwards is Buddy Jewell with Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. This hymn began with a man named Anthony Showalter. As a fan of gospel music and an elder in a Presbyterian church, he held many "singing schools" at various churches in the south. One day he received two letters from former students who were struggling after their wives had passed. To respond to these letters, Showalter consulted scripture. He came across Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." After reading this verse lyrics for a song chorus went through his head and he wrote down, "“Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” After using this in the letters to his former students he sent this chorus to his friend hymnist, Elisha Hoffman. In the letter he also wrote, “Here is the chorus for a good hymn from Deuteronomy 33:27, but I can’t come up with the verses.” Hoffman then wrote the rest of the lyrics to which Showalter put to music. The hymn was published in 1887.

Then comes Victor Young and his Orchestra with their 1933 recording of The Last Round Up. The Songsmiths provide vocals on this recording. The B-Side to this recording was their version of the Disney song, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. 

Next comes The Sons of the Pioneers with Suddenly There's a Valley. This song was written by Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones in 1955. Over the years it has been recorded by many artists including Bing Crosby, The Mills Brothers, The Drifters, Glen Campbell, Andy Williams, Reba McEntire and many more. This version of the song comes from the Sons' 1963 gospel album, Hymns of the Cowboy.

Following is Eddy Raven with Love Lifted Me. This hymn was written in 1912 by James Rowe and Howard E. Smith. Rowe's daughter would later state,  “ I can see them now, my father striding up and down humming a bar or two, and Howard E. playing it and jotting it down…The two huddled together, working line by line, bar by bar, composing this hymn in tandem.”

Today's musical selection ends with Johnny Cash with Daddy Sang Bass. This song was written by John's friend and early rock and roll star (as well as author of Blue Suede Shoes), Carl Perkins. Both John and Carl had very similar childhoods and this song easily reflects the childhoods of both singer and writer. This song reached #1 on the country music charts. 

Now for the fifth chapter of the Buck Jones movie serial, The Red Rider (1934).

Now for a message from pastor Greg Laurie.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. Micah 7:18-19

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

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




      

Iron Man 2 (2010)

 

Iron Man 2 marked the first MCU film to function as direct sequel to another. Production on this movie began not long after the release of Iron Man (2008). In fact, production began the same month as that movie's release. 

In this sequel, after revealing that he is Iron Man, Tony Stark is letting the fame of being Iron Man go straight to his head. At the same time, he learns that the arc reactor that is keeping him alive is also slowly killing him. Worried about his health he appoints his assistant and love interest Pepper Potts to become CEO of Stark Industries. His stress about his failing health and the pressure of being a superhero is getting to him to the point where is developing a real alcohol problem. Things truly get out of hand though when a man with similar technology to him and ties to his father decides to seek revenge on Tony Stark and the Stark name. 

Though this may not live up to the greatness of the first film, there is quite a bit about this movie to like. The character exploration of Tony Stark is wonderful here. This movie greatly delves into his flaws. Through this we get to understand him better as a human being and what makes Tony Stark who he is. Even as we delve into his flaws, we also get a good glimpse at why he is still a hero despite them. Of course, Robert Downey Jr.'s performance adds so much to this as he is able to add a lot of humanity to any role he plays. The rest of the cast is great as well. Gwyneth Paltrow is once again wonderful as Tony's assistant/love interest. Don Cheadle does a great job replacing Terrence Howard as Tony's best buddy. Samuel L. Jackson is wonderful as always. Scarlett Johanson is already stealing the show in her first appearance as Black Widow. Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke make great villains. This movie also benefits from very strong and exciting action scenes. The climatic action scene is especially wonderful. 

This film is however quite messy at times. What made the first film so wonderful is that it had a simple straightforward story with no excess. This sequel however tries to do too much. There is the effect of Tony's fame, his declining health, the government accusing him of having unlawful weapons, the romance between him and Pepper Potts, his fight with his best friend, his alcoholism, Pepper Potts taking over the company, the introduction of Black Widow and of course the main villain's story. This is a whole lot to do over the course of one movie. The result is that it can often feel unfocused and overlong (even if it is one minute shorter than the first movie). The parts are often quite good, but they don't always work together to create a better whole. 

Today for fans of Superhero movies, Scarlett Johansson and Black Widow are one in the same. Yet she was not the first choice to play the character. Emily Blunt was quite heavily considered for the role, but scheduling conflicts arose because of her appearing in Gulliver's Travels (2010). Blunt was very disappointed in this and would state about losing this role, "Because I just have to do this Fox movie, and it's fine and I'm gonna have fun. The whole beginning of the year has been rather dramatic, so I'd just rather go in with fresh eyes and know that I've made the right decision. You just don't know until it's all finished and done with, do you?" Scarlett Johansson greatly wanted the role and heavily lobbied for it. Johansson would state, “People were surprised that I wanted to play a comic book heroine, but I loved Iron Man, and I met with Marvel to see what was possible. I had done my research, and the Black Widow character resonated with me. She is dark and has faced death so many times that she has a deep perspective on the value of life. In the sequel, you learn more about the sadness in her past.” She added “I think of her that way. Black Widow is a superhero, but she’s also human. She’s small, but she’s strong. It’s hard not to admire her.”

Terrence Howard not reprising his role in this movie was not due to Howard not wanting to reprise his role. He was the first actor hired for Iron Man and therefore paid the largest salary. When the second film came about, Marvel Studios decided to not pay him anywhere near as much. Howard stated, “We did a three-picture deal. So that means, you did the deal ahead of time. It was going to be a certain amount for the first one, a certain amount for the second, certain amount for the third. They came to me [for] the second and said, ‘We will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.’ And I called my friend that I helped get the first job, and he didn’t call me back for three months.”

Director Jon Favreau returned for this sequel. However, the film's main writer was someone completely new to Marvel. Justin Theroux had written the script for Tropic Thunder (2008), which also featured Robert Downey Jr and Downey recommended him to Marvel. 

Having worked as a storyboard artist on this film was none other than Genndy Tartakovsky. Genndy Tartakovsky is well known to animation fans as the creator of Dextor's Laboratory and Samurai Jack as well as the director of the first three Hotel Transylvania movies and Fixed (2025). About working with him Jon Favreau stated " I had Genndy Tartakovsky. I’ve always liked SAMURAI JACK and I loved his CLONE WARS vignettes that he did. I’ve always liked his work, a lot. And I had met with him, we had lunch together just because I enjoy his stuff and I wanted to meet him. I really dig his sense of humor and his sense of rhythm, and the way that he acknowledges the same cinematic masters that I really love the work of, like (Akira) Kurosawa and (Sergio) Leone. And he finds a way to pastiche it without ever undermining the stakes or the reality of the tension that’s created in his action sequences. Now clearly his stuff is a bit broad for a live action film but I love his rhythm and his attention to detail. It has a real comic booky feel but yet it feels cinematic and not gimmicky and even his cartoons feel… there’s an elegance to them. So in this process as we’re storyboarding and designing sequences he and his team have come in and I’m working with them and they’re working on collaborating with us on the project and that’s a new wrinkle and it allows me… I feel like I’m really learning a lot from collaborating with this guy. And then he has the original IRON MAN film to draw from and he also has a pretty deep knowledge of Marvel. So, he is transitioning into live-action features, which I have no doubt in collaborating with him that he will. There’s a transition that he’s making that hopefully I could be helpful with and at the same time as I move from dialogue and character and story-driven filmmaking I’m able to understand the way to approach action in an interesting and elegant way. So, it’s been a very, very fun collaboration so far." 

Iron Man 2 was a box office success and at the time had the fifth highest box office weekend opening. The movie went on to be the tenth highest grossing movie of 2010. Critics were mostly positive, feeling that overall, it was a good movie but not exceptional the way its predecessor was. 

Resources Used

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/terrence-howard-accuses-robert-downey-656521/

https://www.wmagazine.com/story/scarlett-johansson-new-mom-the-avengers

https://web.archive.org/web/20090302132621/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2009/02/emily-blunt-on-losing-black-widow.html

https://variety.com/2009/film/news/emily-blunt-rumored-for-iron-man-2-1117998515/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/

https://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/38907




   

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #245

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Dragon Around (1954), a Disney short that pits Donald Duck against Chip and Dale. This short film made its TV debut on an episode of The Mouse Factory entitled Man at Work (1972). 

Next is Sylvester and Tweety in Catty Cornered (1953). In this cartoon Tweety is kidnapped by gangster Rocky. Rocky was a character who was only used by director Friz Freleng. He had earlier been the villain in the Daffy Duck cartoon, Golden Yeggs (1950). Most cartoon fans associate Rocky with his dumb partner in crime Mugsy. However, this cartoon was made before the character was created. Mugsy first appeared in Bugs and Thugs (1954). This short would later be edited into the feature-length compilation film, The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981). About the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, director Friz Freleng stated, "Tweety doesn't do anything. He can't even put a hat on because his arms are too short. And he's got such a bug head. The comedy comes out of Sylvester and his determination, his stubbornness to get the bird no matter what happens to him. Still, everybody says, 'Oh I love that Tweety.' Audiences are funny. They never love the characters that really get the laughs." 

Up next is the Fleischer Screen Song cartoon, Alexander's Ragtime Band (1931). The title song was written in 1911 by the great Irving Berlin and was first recorded the same year by Collins & Harlan. Other artists to have recorded the song include Boswell Sisters, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, The Andrew Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles. 

Next comes The Blue Racer in Wham and Eggs (1973). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next is the Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Chain Gang (1930). This film is said to be the introduction of Pluto, but this Pluto bears little resemblance (outside of how he visually looks) to the character we know today. He is not Mickey's dog or even his friend here. In this movie two identical looking bloodhounds are chasing Mickey. Neither of the bloodhounds are differentiated in anyway, so it is hard to say which one would go on to a long film career and which one would fade into obscurity. It is worth noting that a scene involving them would be animated by Norm Ferguson, whose later animation of Pluto is often credited with helping give the dog his personality. Animation from this scene would later be reused in four cartoons featuring Pluto. Ferguson would also animate the opening scene of the picture. The first appearance of these dogs was animated by future Woody Woodpecker and Barney Bear director, Dick Lundy (he also animated their little dance). Les Clark, who would later go on to be considered one of Mickey's best animators, doesn't animate the mouse much here. Instead, he animates the guard yelling, the dogs howling to the musical number, the guards with the machine guns and the pig getting shot. Future supervising director of Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), Ben Sharpsteen animated the prisoners with the picks and the scene with the horses and the wagon. Future Donald Duck director Jack King animated the pig trying to smash the rock, the cat playing the cow's tail like a musical instrument and the guard yelling for help. Tom Palmer animates Mickey trying to break the rock, Mickey being pulled back by the ball and chain when he tries to run and the final shot of the picture. Johnny Cannon animates the guard sleeping, the cat dancing, the whistles blowing and Mickey running downhill. Future supervising director for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942) animates the cow playing the pick like a piccolo, Mickey playing a rock like a musical instrument and Mickey falling through the roof of the prison. 

Now for Felix the Cat in Jungle Bungles (1928). The following is a review from The Film Daily. "Felix the cat gets an idea to shoot motion pictures of the animals in the jungle wilds and sets forth on his adventure. This results in some of the cleverest cartoon work that this series has recently produced. One stunt in particular is worthy of special mention. Felix is pursued by savages. He develops his film, and projects it against a large rock, showing the wild animals rushing towards the savages, who flee in terror leaving Felix safe."  

Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, Hep Mother Hubbard (1956). This short film was directed by Connie Rasinski. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in The Funeral (1987). This short was 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

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

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein 

http://afilmla.blogspot.com/search/label/Shorts_Columbia?updated-max=2009-04-25T21:00:00-07:00&max-results=20&start=10&by-date=false

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

 

  

Movie Review: Eden

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A well-made suspense film. 

Director Ron Howard's newest movie is a survival thriller about three groups of people living an otherwise deserted island and the conflicts that arise between them (it is based on a true story). This is quite possibly Howard's darkest film. It is also simply a quite compelling thriller. With all its dark turns and underlying sense of tension, this movie constantly keeps you guessing how it is going to end, and I found myself often surprised by each new twist. The whole movie also has a wonderfully foreboding sense of atmosphere through the whole film. There is also some delving into some deeper themes as we see a philosopher's beliefs be put to the test when he becomes truly desperate. However, what truly makes this film is its excellent cast. Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney and Ana de Armas are all completely compelling in their performances, bringing a level of depth and gritty realism to these characters.

The movie does have its flaws though. The main one is that the son of one of the couples seems to exist solely for the purpose that they would have a reason to be on the island. He appears occasionally and then will disappear for long periods of time. There are times I kind of forget he existed. He has no personality to speak of and simply works only as a plot device. Another flaw is that the movie is longer than it needs to be and can drag towards the middle section. There are also times when certain dark and uneasy moments seem to exist more for shock value than for help telling the story. Some of the animal gore certainly would have been better if they kept it off screen (there may be a personal bias there as I am a vegetarian and believer in animal rights). 

This is a gripping but flawed thriller.   

 

Movie Review: Honey Don't

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

Ethan Cohen's new neo-noir is pure style over substance. 

There is quite a bit to enjoy about this movie. The film has a great neo-noir feel and look to it that is simply a lot of fun to fans of the genre. This even includes some great noir style dialogue that pays homage to the classics without directly copying them. The cinematography and sets here are also wonderful bringing us a great sense of atmosphere. The cast is also incredible. Margaret Qualley is fantastic as a character, who is almost a female spin on Phillip Marlowe. Aubrey Plaza is wonderful as a deadpan police officer who ends up playing a major role in the story. Chris Evans truly steals every scene he is in with a role that allows him to go completely over the top. He is obviously having the time of his life playing this role and we have the time of ours watching. 

However, once you get past this, the movie is completely hollow. The mystery doesn't make a lot of sense and is full of plot holes. The tone is wildly uneven going from over-the-top comedy to extremely gory action to serious drama. The silly parts feel at odds with how dark much of this movie gets at times. The social and political commentary is way too simplistic and doesn't really say anything. The humor is not funny at all. 

There is a bit to enjoy about this movie, but it still is a real disappointment from Ethan Cohen. 

Sonic Forces (2017)

 

A flawed but fun Sonic game. 

The best thing about this game is the levels themselves. While there may not be a lot of originality here, the levels are a lot of fun. They capture the fast-moving spirit and clever designs of the best Sonic games. They are short, quick and a lot of fun. The artwork and music in these levels are fantastic, and the controls are easy to master. However, the part of these stages is how they transition from 2-D to 3-D. Some levels are completely in 3-D while other or completely in 2-D, however it is the levels that transition from one to the other that really stood out to me. The boss fights are also quite a bit of fun as well. These boss fights often feel quite unique and different from each other, making them never feel repetitive. I am especially a fan of the final boss fight, which is broken up into three parts, each of which have you fight the boss in a completely different way. I also very much enjoyed the boss fights with the new villain Infinite, who has a reality bending ability that constantly keeps you on your toes and provides a real visual treat to these battles. The difficulty progression is odd here. Some of the levels and fights can get quite difficult (though with unlimited lives the game never gets too frustrating), however the final few levels and battles are surprisingly easier than some of what has come before. This doesn't really work from a storytelling standpoint as it feels a little anti-climactic even if the levels and battles are fun on their own. 

This game has you play as three characters, classic Sonic, modern Sonic and a character you create yourself. I am not a fan of the idea of classic Sonic and modern Sonic being characters from different dimensions. I think it comes off as completely unnecessary as the idea of their being three Jokers. It also adds unnecessary complications to what should be a simple story. For the character, you create yourself, I find that not much freedom is given in the creation. Because of this, despite how creative you are, this character will simply come off as too nondescript. The fact that you character is not given much of a voice or a personality only adds to his blandness. Despite this the moves you are given as this character, make him fun to play as. 

Unfortunately, the storyline is a bit of a mess, despite a strong premise of Eggman having already won and Sonic and his friends being freedom fighters. This story gets bogged down with too many characters and unnecessary complications. Also, with how the storyline really builds up the danger and threat, the ending can't help but feel anti-climactic. This story feels like it is leading up to the biggest battle Sonic has faced yet, but it only leads up to a typical Sonic style climax. 

 Despite its flaws this is a fun game. 

Iron Man (2008)

 

2008 is quite possibly the most important year for superhero movies. This is mainly due to two films that came out that year. It was the year both The Dark Knight and Iron Man were released. The Dark Knight helped usher in more mature and thematically significant superhero films. At the same Iron Man began the phenomenon that would become known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the many films and streaming series that have come out since then, Iron Man still remains one of the strongest MCU entries.

In this film, Tony Stark, the billionaire head of the weapon manufacturing company Stark Industries, rethinks everything when he is kidnapped and held in an Afghan cave. There he finds that terrorists have a hold of his weapons. He creates a weaponized suit of armor to help fight evil himself becoming the superhero Iron Man. 

This still stands as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Its not-so-secret weapon is Robert Downey Jr. as the main character. He is utterly fantastic here and makes you easily believe every second. He is charismatic in a way that you can completely understand how so many falls so easily under his character's charm. He delivers the comedic moments with an expertly handled sarcastic wit. Yet he can also truly make you feel the emotions in the more serious moments. While this movie works heavily due to him, the supporting cast is also great including his love interest (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his best buddy (Terrence Howard). Both of these co-stars not only are excellent in their roles, but they have great chemistry with Robert Downey Jr. Much of the film's success is also due to Jeff Bridges as the villain. He is perfectly cast as a villain that you simply love to hate. Many of the later MCU films would suffer from weak villains making it quite extraordinary that the first MCU villain is actually a complete success. 

Another important factor for this film's success is the balance of tone. This movie perfectly knows when to be dead serious and when to be silly comic book style fun. The filmmakers and cast were able to capture both the serious moments and the fun moments completely perfectly. Unlike in some later MCU movies, the sillier moments and the more serious moments never get in the way of each other. This is because both come so naturally out of the story and characters that you don't even think about the tonal shift. Instead, both aspects just feel like a natural progression of the story. The serious scenes also hold a surprising amount of weight reflecting on the time it was made in and the political turmoil present. Yet it always has enough humor and comic book fun to keep the movie from becoming too serious. The humor and action here are both excellent. There are multiple times watching this movie that I laughed out loud. The action set pieces are fantastic being both a lot of fun and full of a real sense of tenseness. The final battle still remains one of the action highlights of the MCU.

 

One of the most important parts of this film is its after credits scene, where Nick Fury shows up to tell our hero about the Avengers initiative. Not only did this start the trend of superhero films having a post credit scene (which would eventually become true of most franchise films), but it also hinted at this movie being a part of a much bigger universe, something that had never been done previously. Originally there were hints in this scene about the X-Men and Spider-Man, both of which at the time had their movie rights owned by other studios. Spider-Man wouldn't join the MCU until Captain America: Civil War (2016) and the first MCU X-Men movie is yet to be released. About casting Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, director Jon Favreau stated, "We wanted something for the fans.... Nick Fury from the Ultimates — which is a new series of books that sort of reconceives the tradition of Marvel characters — he was always depicted to resemble Samuel L. Jackson. And so I turned to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige and said, 'You know what would blow their minds? Should we so this?' Kevin was like, 'Let's try.' And then we actually pulled it together. It was just a little scene, just a little tip of the hat for the fans that we were paying attention to what had been established, and a way to sort of tee up the Avengers. We brought [Jackson] in on a secret day of shooting, we had a skeleton crew so that the secret wouldn't get out — and then, like, not even a week later, it got out. Sam was trying to deny it. It became a big deal. People were sure and they knew about it and they knew it was real. I don't know how they knew. Somehow it slipped.... It was Kevin's idea to cut [the scene] off all preview prints. And so the fan boys who would interview me [before the movie opened] would be like, 'What happened? Did you cut it out? Is it going to be on the DVD?' I was like, 'Look, it's only fun if it's a surprise.' Then we slapped it right back on the print for the premiere, so the first people to see it in theaters actually got to see it for the first time. I think that was a very, very clever way to keep the dialogue going with the fans, because if you don't have any tricks up your sleeve, they feel like they've already seen the whole movie before they did."

As well as directing the film, Jon Favreau also acted in the movie playing Tony's bodyguard and chauffer, Happy. He would return to this role in plenty of the future MCU movies. Favreau had been acting in films since the 1990's appearing in such movies as Rudy (1993), Batman Forever (1995), Deep Impact (1998), The Replacements (2000) and Daredevil (2003). His pre-Iron Man directorial efforts include Elf (2003) and Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005). Though he would go on to act in more MCU films, Favreau would only direct one more, Iron Man 2 (2010). His most famous post-Iron Man directorial efforts were the "live action" Disney remakes, The Jungle Book (2016) and The Lion King (2019). 

The credited writers on this film are Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. This is the only MCU movie for any of these writers. However, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway would work on two non-MCU Marvel movies, Punisher: War Zone (2008) and Kraven the Hunter (2024). Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby would work on another Jon Favreau movie, Cowboys and Aliens (2011). 

The movie was a major hit grossing $585.8 million worldwide. It had the eleventh biggest opening weekend at the time. Not only did audiences enjoy this movie but critics praised it as well. Roger Ebert gave the movie four out of four stars. He especially praised Robert Downy Jr.'s performance stating, "At the end of the day it's Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies." A.O. Scott of The New York Times called this, "an unusually good superhero picture. Or at least – since it certainly has its problems – a superhero movie that's good in unusual ways." Leonard Maltin had a contrary opinion. In his famous movie guide he states, "Not-bad adaption of the Marvel comic book ... but there are too many misfired ideas (like the Middle Eastern setting, uncomfortably real for a piece of escapist entertainment) and a retro heroine in Paltrow's lovesick Girl Friday." After the box office and critical success David Maisel (who was Marvel Studio's chairman) stated, “I couldn’t imagine a better blast off for our new Marvel Studios than this. The Marvel brand is beloved. People know it stands for a summer, family-friendly action movie. And we had fantastic casting.”

Resources Used

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era by Leonard Maltin. 

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/iron-man-2008

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/movies/02iron.html

https://ew.com/movies/2019/09/14/deleted-iron-man-post-credits-scene-kevin-feige/

Movie Review: Americana

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A highly entertaining neo-western. 

This film follows various different stories that all end up tying into each other. How well these stories tie together is probably the movie's greatest asset. This is masterfully done and these stories that at first seem to have no relationship to each other all meet up perfectly. This movie also benefits from its ability to shift tones from very quirky comedy to quite serious. It does this so naturally that you often won't even think about it. The quirky tone to much of the comedy also works great. I love how unabashedly over the top the humor is here. It is often quite funny but even when it doesn't make you laugh it still has its quirky charms. The same thing can be said about the characters. These characters may not be deep or complex, but they have quite a bit of quirky charm. This charm is enhanced by a very game cast that includes Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Eric Dane and Zahn McClarnon. However, it is child actor Gavin Maddox Bergman, who steals the show as a young white boy, who believes he is the reincarnation of Sitting Bull. 

As a huge country music fan, I also loved this movie for its soundtrack. Sydney Sweeney's character wants to be a country singer, and she has darn good taste in country music. Because of this you get to hear Emmylou Harris, Geroge Jones and Tammy Wynette on the soundtrack. This of course endeared the movie to me automatically. 

Writer/director Tony Tost (this marks his first feature film as his previous work has been on TV series) was obviously very inspired by the films of Quentin Tarantino and the Cohen Brothers. This can become a little too obvious at times. The breaking up of the movie into chapters feels kind of pointless here unlike in the Tarantino films that inspired it. With the lack of depth to its characters and story, even if this is a good movie (which it is) it unfortunately has to live in the shadows of its influences. 

Despite any flaws though this is a very fun and entertaining movie.   

The All-New Super Friends Hour: Tibetan Raiders (1977)

 

This is the final segment of the thirteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, Superman and Flash team up to save passengers on a stranded aircraft when they are attacked by Tibetan Raiders.

This is a very well-made cartoon. A Himalayan setting allows for some incredibly atmospheric background art. This atmosphere is enhanced by a great pitch-black sky and some snow effects in front of all the action. Though the villains are no match for Superman or the Flash, the action scenes are well done and fun to watch. This is an extremely simple story but that is its charm. Sometimes we don't need something complex or on a large scale. Sometimes a simple story of superheroes saving the day is all we need and that is exactly what this episode provides.  

Movie Review: The Knife

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A gripping suspense film. 

What makes this movie so effective is how simple it is. The majority of the movie takes place inside a house, where the police are interrogating a family after an unconscious woman is found in their house (we are not shown what actually happens). The basic simplicity of the story works well to the film's advantage as the basic drama is not bogged down by unnecessary complications. Plus, at only 82 minutes it is short and to the point without a single boring moment. The story itself is quite intense especially with some great dialogue and masterful pacing that builds the tension perfectly. Making this a chamber film also adds a claustrophobic feel that increases its tension. This movie may be dialogue heavy, but this is made up for with incredible performances from the likes of Nnamdi Asomugha (who also directed (his directorial debut and co-wrote this film), Melissa Leo, Aja Naomi King, Amari Alexis Price and Aiden Gabrielle Price, all of whom make their characters feel real and completely believable. 

As effective as this movie is as a thriller it is less effective as a social commentary. This movie tries to make a commentary about racial tensions and injustice but unfortunately it gets this over with little to no depth or subtlety. 

Despite its weak social commentary, this is a truly gripping thriller.  

Cowboy Church #230

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

Today's musical selection starts off with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing The Lord is Counting on You. This song was written by another legend of cowboy gospel legend, Stuart Hamblin, who also wrote This Ole House, It is No Secret (What God Can Do), and Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In). Hamblin was also an actor and had played the villain in one of Roy's movies, The Arizona Kid (1939). This version of the song comes from Roy and Dale's 1959 album, Jesus Loves Me.

This is followed by Don Bester and his orchestra with their 1933 recording of The Last Round Up. Neil Buckley is singing lead on this recording. 

Afterwards is Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard with Sing Me Back Home on a 1969 episode of TV's The Johnny Cash Show. This song was written by Merle and was based off a true story that happened while he was in San Quentin State Prison for attempted robbery. It was the title track of his 1968 album. 

Next comes one of the most popular country gospel songs performed by the man who wrote it. The song is I Saw the Light and the singer and songwriter was Hank Williams. Hank wrote this song as he was heading home from a dance in Fort Deposit, Alabama. His mother was driving him home and told her son "Hank, wake up, we're nearly home. I just saw the light" (she was referring to the light near Dannelly Field Airport). Hank wrote the song on the rest of the way home. The song melody-wise strongly resembles Albert E. Brumley's He Set Me Free, but I Saw the Light has certainly taken on a life of its own apart from the earlier song, heavily through the powerful and inspiring lyrics that do what Hank did best as a songwriter, convey something powerful and moving in a way that seems so simple and unpretentious. Hank recorded this song on his first MGM recording session (April 21, 1947). However, even though he was the first to record this song, his version was not the first released. Producer Fred Rose gave it to two other singers (Clyde Grubbs and Roy Acuff), both of whom had their versions released before Hank. 

Then comes Glen Campbell with I Surrender All. This song was written by Judson Van de Venter in 1896. A schoolteacher, who was being called to become an evangelist it took him five years to surrender and leave his teaching job for what was his true calling. This song reflects this brave and faithful action. 

Now for The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1951 recording of The Lord's Prayer. The lyrics of this song come directly from the Bible (specifically Jesus himself). The music was written by Albert Hay Malotte in 1933. 

Today's musical selection ends with Anne Wilson with Til the Road Runs Out. This song is from her 2025 EP God Story.

Now for the fourth chapter of the Buck Jones movie serial, The Red Rider (1934). 

Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham. 

Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Ephesians 6:7-8

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 1 Peter 4:10-11

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:13

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18:21-22

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

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 #244

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with the Disney Silly Symphony short, The Tortoise and the Hare (1934). This was an especially important cartoon in the history of American animation and is often credited with bringing a real sense of speed that had not previously been seen in cartoons. Director Wilfred Jackson once told in a 1939 studio lecture that this was their first film where "we depicted speed on the screen. Before that time nobody dared to move the character across the screen in five frames." However, unlike future fast paced cartoon this film was not simply a quick procession of gags. Animator Dick Huemer told film historian Joe Adamson, "If [any other studio] had done The Tortoise and the Hare it would have been a series of assorted gags about running one after another. Not all this clever, boastful stuff like stopping with little girls and bragging and being admired and showing off how he could play tennis with himself." The character of Max Hare perhaps has a greater significance to cartoon history rather than just starring in this great film. Tex Avery and Frank Tashlin (both of whom had directed cartoon for Warner Brothers) have stated that Bugs Bunny was greatly inspired by Max Hare. Animator Ham Luske also stated that Mortimer in the Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Rival (1936) was based off of Max Hare (Ham animated on both cartoons). Such a cartoon however would not have the effect it does now if not for the top-notch group of animators working at Disney at this time. They were the ones who made not only the speed work but made these characters feel more real and full of personality here. Louie Schimdt animates the opening scene with the crowd at the starting line. Dick Lundy (who would go to direct cartoons for both MGM and Walter Lantz) animates the introduction of Toby Tortoise and Max Hare and Toby running with the snails, dodging branches and passing Miss Cottontail's school. Milt Schaffer animates the crowd in the bleachers and at the finish line. Frenchy de Trémaudan animates the starter. Ham Luske animates Max running, tricking Toby, showing off for the girls and playing tennis and baseball with himself (some of the tennis animation would later be reused in the Donald Duck cartoon, The Hockey Champ (1939). Future Disney legend and one of Walt's Nine Old Men was Ham's assistant animator. Larry Clemmons animates the trees being uprooted. Eric Larson (another of Walt's Nine Old Men) animated Max passing the picket fence and crane. Les Clark (another of Walt's Nine Old Men and one of the finest Mickey Mouse animators) animates the little girls. Dick Huemer animates the finish of the race and of the film. A song was written for this cartoon called Slow but Sure. This song had music by Frank Churchill and lyrics by Larry Morey. While the lyrics are never heard an instrumental version is used as Toby's theme music. About the music in this film Wilfred Jackson would state in another 1939 studio lecture, "We tried to phrase it so the peaks of the siren [used as a repeating sound effect] would fall naturally on the peaks of the music and still give us time to cut back and forth." This cartoon would make its TV debut on an episode of the Disneyland TV show entitled From Aesop to Hans Cristian Anderson (1955). Max and Toby would later star in a sequel film Toby Tortoise Returns (1936) and would appear in the opening of TV's The Mickey Mouse Club.  

Now for the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, Somebody Stole My Gal (1931).

Now for the Blue Racer in Punch and Judo (1972). 

Next comes a classic Bob Clampett cartoon with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, Tick Tock Tuckered (1944). This was a remake of Clampett's earlier, Porky's Badtime Story (1937). In that film Porky had been teamed with the short-lived Gabby Goat, in this film Gabby is replaced with the much better-known Daffy. This short shows how far Clampett had come in his directing style. Tick Tock Tuckered is fast moving, constantly funny, crazy and just a pure cartoon gem through and through. 

Now it is time for a commercial break.

Next comes the first of Walt Disney's Alice comedies, Alice's Wonderland (1923). Before this film was even close to done with production, Walt was already writing distributors stating, "We have just discovered something new and clever in animated cartoons!" He was speaking of the idea of having a live action character enter into an animated cartoon world. This was actually a reversal of what the Fleischer Brother were doing with their Out of the Inkwell films, were animated characters entered our live action world. For the live action little girl Walt hired four-year-old Virginia Davis. Walt had seen Virginia on an advertisement for Warneker's Bread. Virginia later spoke of this stating, "It was just a picture of me smiling and looking like 'Oh, yum, yum!' and eating this piece of Warneker's Bread with a lot of jam on it." At the time of making this film, Walt and his studio were struggling financially. While many producers would take this as a reason to make a cheap film, Walt plugged into the project with everything he had. This short was downright lavish compared to much of Walt's previous work and still looks great today. Unfortunately, the film was not enough to save his company, but it did catch the attention of Margaret J. Winkler, who was also distributing the Felix the Cat and Out of the Inkwell cartoons. His studio went under, and Walt moved to Hollywood without his crew. Yet he had this film and was able to secure a deal for 12 more Alice films with Winkler.  

Now for our hero Little Roquefort in Mouse Meets Bird (1953). 

Before Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck or Porky Pig, the main star of the Looney Tunes cartoons was a little boy named Bosko. Before making his theatrical debut, he appeared in a short film called Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid (1929) that was created not to be seen by movie audiences but by distributers who would hopefully pick up a series of Bosko cartoons. Yet it was from these humble origins that Looney Tunes was born. The cartoon was created by former Disney animators Hugh Harman and Rudolph Ising. Harman claimed he had been wanting to make a sound cartoon since 1927 when animator Rollin Hamilton visited his apartment and read him an article about sound film. Harman would state, "I got to thinking about that, and I thought that if the images of the person could be replaced with an image of a cartoon, you've got the same thing." What makes this film stand out is that the use of sound focuses on dialogue instead of music as the Disney cartoons did around this time. Harman made a sheet of drawings of Bosko that were copyrighted January 3, 1928. By the spring of 1929 he claimed to have been working on a Bosko cartoon for over a year. By August 1929 work began on this film. Harman and Ising had prepared a detailed script and not long afterwards animators Rollin Hamilton and Friz Freleng (who would later become one of the best Looney Tunes directors) began the animation process. The film combined live action featuring Rudolph with animation. The voice of Bosko was provided by Max Maxwell. Maxwell is providing a stereotypical black voice to the character. This voice would in later films be replaced by a high falsetto (in order to imitate Mickey Mouse). Maxwell was off screen while doing Bosko's voice. However, a second camera was filming him so the animators could get the mouth movements correctly.     

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Family Therapy (1989). This short was 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

Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman

Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age by Michael Barrier

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald 

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

 

Video Link: Waylon Jennings - The Cowboy (Small Texas Town)

Bette Davis: A Biography (1992)

 

A well-researched but distant and cold biography. 

In Barbara Leaming's biography of Bette Davis, the author seems to have a strong disdain for her subject. There is scarcely a kind word said about the movie star here and she comes off as a bit of a monster. Leaming's use of words often reveals a complete lack of sympathy for Bette. While Bette Davis was a very flawed individual, when you aren't allowed to sympathize or relate to the subject in a biography, it makes for rather cold and uninvolving reding. The entire book made me feel still a great distance from the subject. This book tells of many horrible things Bette did but doesn't give any insight into why she did it. In other words, the lack of sympathy and empathy for Bette keep us from ever getting close enough to her to know who she was as a person. This can end up feeling more like a gossip tabloid rather than an actual biography. 

Even Leaming's look at Davis's filmography is mostly dismissive. She praises a handful of her films and performances and dismisses all the others. 

With this said, the research here is very admirable. This book is packed with a lot of great and insightful information about Bette's film work and personal life. I found a recorded conversation between Bette and Mae West incredibly invaluable. Even the biggest Bette Davis fans will learn a lot from this book. 

With all the great research that went into this book, it is even sadder that this is such a cold and distant read.