Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #253

 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 The Jet Cage (1962). Though this film gives Milt Franklin credit for the music, much of the music was done by William Lava. This is because Milt Franklin died of a heart attack before finishing the musical score and had to be replaced by William Lava. 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."

Next the Terry Toons cartoon, A Yokohama Yankee (1955).

Mickey's Amateurs (1937) is a rare directorial effort by Pinto Colvig, who my fellow Disney fans will know best as the voice of Goofy (who appears in this film). He co-directed this cartoon with Erdman Penner and Walt Pfeiffer. Penner spent most of his time at Disney working in the story department. He even worked on such Disney feature films as Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), The Reluctant Dragon (1941), Victory Through Air Power (1943), Make Mine Music (1946), Melody Time (1948), The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). Walt Pfeiffer was a childhood friend of Walt Disney and would become manager of Disney's Penthouse Club. None of these men were typically directors of cartoons and to see them in the director's chair is a rare treat. The three also wrote the short, which was a more typical job for them.  In their book Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History, J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein describe this film as "...an extremely offbeat cartoon, with wild, freewheeling gags and animation that suggest other studios as much as Disney." Animator Al Eugster remembered working on this cartoon with a real fondness stating, "I felt I had more freedom during my assignment on this film." This short would be the last Mickey Mouse cartoon released for United Artists. The following is a review from The Motion Picture Herald. "Making sport of the current amateur hour craze, the Disney penmen have devised some of the craziest and comic cartoon moments yet to hit the screen. With Mickey Mouse as the master of ceremonies, the talent parade their specific specialties. Donald Duck recites "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," which is a very coy act for Donald and a good laugh for his audience. The female aspirants are represented by Clara Cluck and Carabelle Cow who offer a song and a piano treat. The highlight of the progamme and the one that would receive this reviewer's vote is 'Bandmaster Goofy and his Fifty Piece Band.' Goofy and his 'Rube Goldberg' invention play 'In The Good Old Summertime' and then going modern, the pace proves too much for the maestro and his machine. The subject must be seen to be appreciated and enjoyed and enjoyed. The fun it offers defies description. Running time, one reel."  

Now for the Aesop's Sound Fables cartoon, Stone Age Stunts (1930). This cartoon features two mice who look a lot like Mickey and Minnie. In 1931 Walt Disney would actually file a lawsuit against the Van Buren studio over the use of two mice that looked too much like Mickey and Minnie. The result was the Van Buren studio was no longer allowed to use these two mice characters. 



 

Time for a commercial break. 

Now for some silent era fun with Ko-Ko in Toyland (1925). 

Next is The Blue Racer in Snake Preview (1973). This short film is directed by Cullen Blaine, who had previously worked on the DePatie-Freleng TV series Super President and The Barkleys as a layout and storyboard artist.  He would later direct the Pink Panther cartoon, Pink Piper (1976) and various episodes of shows like The Get Along Gang, Garfield and Friends and Hey Arnold. He would also work as a timing director on such shows as Timon and Pumba, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Static Shock and What's New Scooby-Doo. Snake Preview also features Crazy Legs Crane who would star in his own series of short cartoons. 

 

 

Next comes a Friz Freleng directed classic, Daffy the Commando (1943). This is a very topical cartoon for the era, throwing in many World War Two gags and old radio show reference. However, a fast pace and some solid gags help it stand up very well today.  The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Daffy the Commando: Looney Tunes Cartoon - This is Daffy's best. By the way where has Vitaphone being keeping Daffy Duck? This is the first I played in a long while. -Ralph Raspa, State Theatre, Rivesville, W. Va."



 

Now for The Simpsons in Burping Contest (1987). This is one of the Simpson shorts 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 be merry. 

Resources Used

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

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

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

 

Silent Film of the Month: Too Many Kisses (1925)

 

Run Time:  60 minutes. Studio: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Director: Paul Sloane. Writer: Gerald C. Duffy. Based on a story by John Monk Saunders. Producers: Jesse L. Lasky, Adolph Zukor. Main Cast: Richard Dix, Frank Currier, Albert Tavernier, Frances Howard, William Powell, Paul Panzer, Arthur Ludwig, Joseph Burke, Harpo Marx. Cinematographer: Harold Rosson. 

One of the few good things to come out of 2020 was the resurfacing of the delightful silent movie, Too Many Kisses. 

In this movie, Richard Gaylord, Jr. is the son of a successful businessman, but his playboy ways make his father doubt his ability to take over the family business. The son is sent on a trip to Basquea region of France, where it is believed that woman would never be seen with a man outside of their own culture to rid him of his playboy ways. However, there he meets a local girl who falls for him, but he is afraid that starting a relationship with her would cause him to lose the opportunity to take over the company in the future. 

With only an hour-long runtime, this movie is fun from start to finish. The whole film moves at a fast pace and even if it isn't laugh out loud funny, it keeps a delightful comic momentum going throughout. The story itself may be slight and silly, but the movie never takes itself seriously enough for that to bother us. In fact, it just adds to the unpretentious charm. Also helping is Richard Dix in the main role. Dix multiple times has proven himself to be very adept at this type of light comedy. He adds such an effortless charm to this role that makes even the corniest moments a lot of fun. 

Those who know this movie mostly know it for being the film debut for Harpo Marx. In his autobiography Harpo would remember only appearing extremely briefly in this movie claiming that if you blinked you missed him. While this is still a supporting role, it is still more substantial than he gave it credit for. He even receives his only cinematic line of dialogue in this movie, though because it is a silent film, we only see it via intertitle and don't hear his voice.  

Another actor who had an early film role here was Willaim Powell. In contrast to his later movie roles, in the silent era he often played villains. Yet he adds so much to role as he clearly enjoys playing this villainous role very much. 

Paul Salone is a rather unknown director and most of his films are those that even the staunchest film buffs may not have heard of. Some of his "best known" movies include two movies starring the comedy team of Wheeler and Woosley: The Cuckoos (1930) and Half Shot at Sunrise (1930). He would direct Richard Dix again in The Shock Punch (1925). 

This film's writer Gerald C. Duffy was better known as a short story writer with many popular short stories that appeared in various magazines. IMDB states that he wrote more than 200 short stories by the time he was 23. However, he did do quite a bit of film work during the silent era, starting as a title writer and working his way up to a story writer. He would suddenly die at the age of 32, in the middle of dictating a script. Some notable screenplays include the Mabel Normand features, The Slim Princess (1920) and What Happened to Rosa (1920) as well as the Mary Pickford vehicle Through the Back Door (1921). 

Exhibitor's World, 1925

The following is a review from a 1925 issue of Exhibitor's Trade Review (there are spoilers in this review but since this is such a lighthearted romp, this should not matter much). 

"A crackerjack comedy drama that should pack them in wherever it is shown! Richard Dix more than makes good in 'Too Many Kisses,' a great attraction to the needs of all classes of theatres.

"The feature is a laugh getter from beginning to end and mingled with its crisp, brisk humorous situations, a generous measure of romance and spirited melodrama. Director Paul Salone has balanced his story values neatly, the action buzzes along at a merry clip and there isn't a slack moment in the entire six reels.

"We are all familiar with the handsome young American screen hero who does to a foreign country, performs wonderous deeds of valor and winds up carrying off the prettiest girl in sight. Such is the principal theme of 'Too Many Kisses,' but it's treated in an altogether new fashion, with such excellent comedy effects, unlimited dash and vim that it never lands in a conventional rut or ceases to grip and hold the spectator's attention. 

"Hero Richard Gaylord is such a confirmed lady's man that his anxious papa ships him to Spain in order to dodge any more breach of promise cases on the part of his fair country women. But the first thing Dick does is to fall head over heels in love with a Spanish beauty and then the fireworks start. For the said beauty, Yvonne, is much desired by the captain of the guards. Julio who is framed for his skill as a knife thrower and general ferocity and naturally objects strenuously to Richard's intrusion.

"The thrill's pile up in lively style from the moment Julio steps into the picture. Richard is handicapped because he promises Yvonne not to fight, but when she releases him from that promise what he does to the pugnacious Julio is plenty. He whips the latter in as dynamic a scrap as has even been filmed, and a happy climax is attained when Gaylord Senior arrives and gives Yvonne his OK. 

"Richard Dix has gone ahead with giant strides lately but has never done anything quite as good as his portrayal of the vivacious young Gaylord. By refraining from overstraining the 'heroics' he gets all the fun possible out of the role, without neglecting the romantic angle, an exceedingly fine performance. Frances Howard shows up as well as the heroine Yvonne, is attractive and wins universal flavor. The support is excellent." 

I highly recommend you get the Blu-ray from the Film Preservation Society. This Blu-ray has musical accompaniment for the feature by Bill Marx, Harpo's son. As well as the main movie the Blu-ray also features the Paramount publicity film, The House That Shadows Built (1931), which features a Marx Brother skit that was only performed on film for this one film. It also features the silent short, A Child's Impulse directed by D.W. Griffith and starring Mary Pickford. 



 

REsources Used

https://www.jbkaufman.com/movie-of-the-month/too-many-kisses-1925

https://lantern.mediahist.org/