Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #248

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

Today's cartoon selection starts off with Bugs Bunny in Prince Violent (1961). This film would later be renamed, Prince Varmint for TV airings, because I guess seeing the word violent written out would make kids want to be violent. 

Now for the Fleischer screen song cartoon, Down Among the Sugar Cane (1932). The title song was originally published in 1908 and was written by Dan Avery, Chas. Hart, Cecil Mack and Chris Smith. Cecil Mack and Chris Smith wrote multiple songs together including You're in the Right Church but the Wrong Pew, It's Hard to Love Somebody (Who's Loving Somebody Else) and He's a Cousin of Mine. Singing the song is Lillian Roth, whose movie career included such films as The Love Parade (1929), The Vagabond King (1930), Madame Satan (1930) and Animal Crackers (1930, with the Marx Brothers).

Next is the Aesop's Sound Fables cartoon, Singing Saps (1930). In 1931 Walt Disney would take the Van Beuren studio to court because two of their mice characters too greatly resembled Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The characters in this film bare more than a passing resemblance to the Disney characters. 

Now we join the man (or the mouse) himself, Mickey Mouse in Galloping Gaucho (1928). This was the second Mickey Mouse cartoon ever made (it was preceded by Plane Crazy (1928)). After completing the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Walt and Roy Disney were trying to sell their new cartoon series to major studios. At the same time, work on the mouse's second film quickly went underway. Since Walt had completed the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons, he was contractually obligated to make before setting off on his own, unlike Plane Crazy, The Galloping Gaucho was no longer made under a veil of secrecy. Because of this rather than animating the whole film by himself (as he had done with Plane Crazy, Ub Iwerks (the head Disney animator at the time and co-creator of Mickey Mouse) was now working with other Disney animators such as Les Clark, Johnny Cannon and Wilfred Jackson. Historians J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein commented (in this must own book on Mickey Mouse) that this cartoon shows the influence silent era action Douglas Fairbanks had on the animated mouse. They also pointed out that Fairbanks had even starred in a movie called The Gaucho (1927) and this cartoon was both a tribute to and a parody of that film. These first two Mickey Mouse cartoons were originally made as silent films. However, after the success of Steamboat Willie (1928), as a sound cartoon, these films were issued to theaters with new musical scores by Carl Stalling (who is probably best known for his work on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies).  

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes one of the most famous and important of Disney's Silly Symphonies cartoons, Flowers and Trees (1932). This film was the first Silly Symphony in color, and it is obvious that even from this first attempt the Disney cartoons had a mastery of color in a way few films would ever reach. Walt knew that color was not just a novelty or a way to make films look pretty but could be a vital part of storytelling. The colors in these cartoons often added to mood of the scene in a way an audience can feel. Walt was alone in believing Technicolor would help boost the quality of his cartoons and many tried to talk him out of it but as was always true of Walt, he stuck with his instinct, and it paid off. The short received much praise (including an academy award) and it still remains a great cartoon to this day. Walt signed a contract with Technicolor for three years, giving them exclusive right to the process in the field of animation. This is why some of the other studios would soon use less famous and less effective color processes for their cartoons of this period. The cartoon itself was directed by Burt Gillett, who would soon direct the most famous Silly Symphony, The Three Little Pigs (1933). J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt's book, Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series states, "David Hand animated most of the film, partly by himself and partly with apprentices."  David Hand would later be supervising director on the Disney features, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942). The following is a short article from The Film Daily (dated Sept. 17, 1932), "As a result of the tremendous reception at the Grauman's Chinese in Los Angles and the Roxy in New York of the first Silly Symphony, in natural color, Walt Disney, its creator says all the Symphonies released this year  by United Artists will be done in Technicolor and that later the Mickey Mouse may also be photographed in natural color. The first Silly Symphony in Technicolor 'Flowers and Trees,' was in the nature of a feeler. It was made to touch [sic] out the public reaction to color in an animated short feature. After the first showing in Hollywood, in conjunction with MGM's 'Strange Interlude,' Disney had decided that he hit upon one of his most popular moves. Sid Grauman also was highly enthusiastic about 'Flowers and Trees.' The same thing happened at the Roxy. And now the second Silly, 'King Neptune' will have its premiere at the opening of 'Mr. Robinson Crusoe,' Douglas Fairbanks new feature, at the Rivoli next Wednesday." 

Now for the Pink Panther in Forty Pink Winks (1975). 

Next is the silent Fleischer Brothers cartoon Koko on the Run (1925).

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Bart's Hiccups (1988). This was one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the animated family got their own TV show. 

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

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

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

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

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/sheetmusic/1856/