Hello, my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Disney cartoons have long been associated with sentimentality and cuteness. Yet this wasn't always the case. The early black and white Mickey Mouse films were mostly pretty much the opposite. They focused purely on the gags and jokes and with keeping the comic momentum going. A perfect example of this is Mickey's Orphans (1931). This movie has all the makings for a sentimental cartoon. It takes place at Christmas time and the involves Mickey adopting a bunch of orphans. Yet all of this is played strictly for laughs and some of the kids can be a little sadistic. A review in the Motion Picture Herald stated, "The youngsters will get a real kick out of this short, and the oldsters will extract a bit of enjoyment." A review in The Film Daily gave the same sentiment stating, "It will delight all children and get many a laugh from their elders." An issue of The Film Daily (Dated February 7, 1932) stated "In addition to El Brendel in person this week's show at the Roxy is a special treat for the kids. The presentation includes four scenes based on 'Mickey's Orphans,' the Mickey Mouse cartoon that was held over for three weeks at this house. The characters of Mickey and Minnie are portrayed by the Arnaut Brothers, popular pantomimists. Patricia Bowman, Fred Waring's orchestra in a novelty entitled 'Dancing Melodies,' and the Roxyettes also are part of the proceedings. In the Mickey scenes, the Roxyettes and ballet group are made up to represent kittens, musical notes and animated furnishings in Minnie's boudoir." This cartoon was reissued to theatres in 1934.
Now for another cartoon mouse, here is Mighty Mouse in The Sultan's Birthday (1944). This film was directed by Bill Tytla, a former Disney animator and possibly my favorite Disney animator. Terry Toons producer Paul Terry thought Tytla was a great animator but a less than stellar director. Terry would state about Tytla, "He was one of the best animators that had ever lived. And he could render anything that you gave him to render very well. But he didn't seem to have that starting quality. He was lost unless somebody laid it out pretty well and then he would embellish it." Terry when talking about Tytla singled out a bit of animation from this particular film. "I remember a dancing girl in that picture. Really made that picture. A beautiful piece of animation."
Next comes Bugs Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil in The Fright Before Christmas (1979). This short was originally created for the TV special Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979). This was the final of three segments in that special and was directed Friz Freleng. This makes this the first time Taz was directed by someone other than Robert McKimson. The result like the whole special is a delightful Christmas treat and one of the best uses of Taz after the golden age of Looney Tunes. Also appearing here is Bugs' nephew Clyde. Clyde had only appeared in two theatrical shorts, His Hare Raising Tale (1951) and Yankee Doodle Bugs (1954). Both of those were directed by Friz Freleng.
Now for The New Three Stooges cartoon, Tin Horn Dude (1965). The Three Stooges voice themselves in this made for TV cartoon.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now it is silent movie time with the Walt Disney directed Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Empty Socks (1927). This cartoon was lost for years, when in 2014 archivist Kjetil Kvale Sørenssen found a print in the National Library of Norway, incorrectly labeled as a Felix the cat cartoon. The film runs shorter than the average Oswald cartoon making it seem likely there are still a couple minutes missing. The cartoon features a legendary trio of animators working on it, Ub Iwerks, Hugh Harman and Rollin “Ham” Hamilton. Hugh and Ham would leave Walt the following Spring. Both would later become instrumental figures in the earliest Looney Tunes shorts. Ub Iwerks would go on to be one the most important figures in early Disney history, even being Mickey Mouse's co-creator (with Walt Disney of course). Unlike many Christmas cartoons of this era, this film was actually released in December. It had its general release on Monday, December 12, 1927.
Next is Betty Boop in Is My Palm Read (1933). This short features Betty at her sexy, naughty and surreal pre-code best.
Now we celebrate Christmas with Pooch the Pup in Merry Dog (1933). This short has everything I love about Walter Lantz cartoons of this era. The jokes are incredibly silly and more often than not just plain strange. In fact, this film is pretty much one bizarre joke after another, and I simply love it. The following is an exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald, "MERRY DOG, THE: Pooch the "Pup—Excellent cartoon for anybody's program. "Night Before Christmas" theme with snowstorm and blizzard effects which almost made us forget that it was the hottest day of the summer. (106 and no shade.) Running time. 8 minutes. —Wm. Sayre, Delmar Theatre, Morrill, Neb., Rural and small town patronage."
Today's cartoon selection ends with A Garfield Christmas Special (1987). This is a very underrated TV Christmas special that I believe deserves much more attention and love than it gets.
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
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons by David Bossert
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin
https://mediahistoryproject.org/
https://www.jbkaufman.com/movie-of-the-month/empty-socks-1927
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