Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with a real classic, Gold Diggers of '49 (1935). This short film was directed by the one and only Tex Avery. It was the first film, he directed for Warner Brothers and much of his famous style is already here. This cartoon does not feel like the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that came before it. Instead, this cartoon has a faster pace and wackier sense of humor. While there is no doubt that Tex would have timed some of these gags even faster later in his career, you can clearly see the inklings of what would become his signature style. This is also the first black and white Looney Tune to feature Porky Pig (though the character had appeared in a color Merrie Melody beforehand). This is important as Porky would soon become the main star of the black and white Looney Tunes series. Yet in this film he is a supporting character. The real star is Beans the Cat. Both of these characters had made their debut in the color Merrie Melodies short, I Haven't Got a Hat (1935). Beans would remain the star of the Looney Tunes series for short while until Porky took over the series.
Next is the Talkartoon cartoon, Accordion Joe (1930).
Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, The Tale of a Dog (1959). This film came out after Paul Terry had sold Terry Toons to CBS. CBS as well as having the rights to the cartoons also retained the entire Terrytoons staff. As well as airing the old films on TV, CBS was interested in keeping the theatrical cartoons from the studio going and did so with Gene Deitch as the new artistic supervisor. Gene Deitch had worked with UPA, a studio that specialized in flatter more artistic stylized design work and this look can be seen in almost every Terry Toon made during this period. Cartoon fans today know Gene Deitch best for some truly underwhelming Tom and Jerry shorts in the 1960's. This is not fair though as this was just a small part of his career and elsewhere, he made some great films.
Now for an earlier cartoon from the Terry Toons studio when Paul Terry was still the studio head, A Day in June (1944).
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Next comes one of Disney's funniest cartoon shorts, Der Fuehrer's Face (1943). This film grew out of a Donald Duck short about paying your taxes during war time called The New Spirit (1942). There was going to be a scene (in a story treatment by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer) in that short that featured a radio announcer talking about the horrors of living in a totalitarian state. This was not used in that short, but the idea stayed in the heads of those working at the Disney studio. These ideas grew into a cartoon that would feature Donald Duck living in Nazi Germany. Jack Kinney, Disney's most comedic and satiric cartoon director being placed in the director's chair guaranteed that this short would be a comedic masterpiece as well as an effective piece of political commentary. The cartoon was originally going to be titled Donald Duck in Nutziland. However, it would be retitled Der Fuehrer's Face after the satirical and catchy song Oliver Wallace wrote for the cartoon. Disney studio staffer Jim Macdonald remembered Wallace improvising the song one day at Walt's request. Macdonald stated, "He did that in about ten minutes. That's spontaneity!" Before the cartoon even reached theaters Spike Jones and his City Slickers released a recording in late 1942 and had a massive hit with it. This film also benefits from some top-notch animation. John Sibley animated the hilariously cartoony marching band animation at the start. The real highlight of the cartoon is the great montage sequence which was animated by Les Clark and Hugh Fraser. This cartoon we earn Donald Duck, his one and only Oscar. It later received the 22nd spot in Jerry Beck's must-own book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons.
Now for the New 3 Stooges cartoon, Stooges in the Woods (1965).
Next comes Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in The Prison Panic (1930). This is one of the Oswald films produced by Walter Lantz when Walt Disney discovered he didn't have the rights to the character he created, which led to Disney creating Mickey Mouse. These Lantz Oswalds were actually my introduction to the character, and I guess I will always have a soft spot for them.
Now to close with a song.
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
The 50 Greatest Cartoons edited by Jerry Beck
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald
Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein
An excellent biopic of the Christian rock band MercyMe.
Despite the prevalence of both musical biopics and sequels in modern cinema, a sequel to a musical biopic is rare. That is what makes I Can Only Imagine 2 work so well. It tells the story of what happens after where most musical biopics stop and about how everything doesn't necessary work out perfectly after your dreams come truly. With this theme the sequel takes a more serious and sometimes even melancholy tone. All the while though in true Christian movie fashion, this film tells how God is by your side through the tough parts of life and that even in your darkest days you can find hope. That the story is not afraid to go to darker and more serious places makes this message all the more effective. One may accuse this story of sermonizing at times, but the sermons fit the story and the characters. They are also quite well written (especially when dealing with the story behind the classic hymn, It is Well).
This movie also benefits greatly from an excellent cast. John Michael Finley is still great as the band's lead singer Bart. Trace Adkins is again fantastic as the band's manager. Sammy Dell is an excellent addition as Bart's teenage son holding his own with the rest of the great cast. However it is Milo Ventimiglia as the band's opening act, Tim Timmons who truly steals the show. He is simply wonderful here bringing a real heart to the film as well as some of the movie's most effective comedic moments. (On a sidenote it is strange how we actually hear more Tim Timmons music than MercyMe music in this film).
My main complaint with this movie however is that the focus is so much on Bart, his teenage son and Tim that we don't really get to know or spend time with any of the other characters. These characters are mostly just kind of there without us really having any connection to them. The sole exception is the band's manager yet that is more because of Trace Adkins' performance and a few pretty funny lines he is given than any actual character development.
Despite these flaws though this is a very emotionally effective biopic.
This movie begins with a clip of Elvis stating that his story had never been told from his point of view. This film however is completely from Elvis' point of view. It consists of interview clips, concert footage and behind the scenes clips. Every second is full of pure bliss for Elvis fans. The musical performances are simply wonderful. The song selection itself is fantastic ranging from many of Elvis' biggest hits to covers of the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Three Dog Night to gospel standards. Not only this but the performances show Elvis at his best. His voice sounds truly wonderful and his stage presence is incredible making him just as much a joy to watch as he is to listen to. Putting this film in IMAX helps give us the feeling of being at a rock concert. The interview footage mostly features Elvis talking about what goes through his mind as he puts on a show giving us a greater emotional connection to the performances and the work that goes into being such a master showman. I can picture someone who has previously not been an Elvis fan become a fan after watching this film, which is the ultimate achievement for a movie like this.
Yet it is not just the quality of the induvial parts but also the rarity of them that makes this special. Many of these clips are not familiar to even the most dedicated Elvis fans. This alone makes this an essential watch for any fan who feels they have seen all there is to see of Elvis. That the new footage is so good is just a bonus.
One can complain about how safe this movie plays it, not ever really delving into Elvis' flaws. However, when a movie is this much of a joy to watch that is hardly a problem.
I don't know if this will go down in film history along such great rock and roll movies as A Hard Day's Night (1964), The Last Waltz (1978) or Stop Making Sense (1984) but I wouldn't be surprised if it does.
This adaptation is more Emerald Fennell than Emily Brontë.
Emerald Fennell is definitely a director with her own style. Her movies (of which this is her third) offer maximalist filmmaking and very frank sexuality. This has worked quite well for her previous films, but it hardly fits Emily Brontë's beloved romance novel. Here the source material and the director's style seemed very much at odds with each other. I am no prude (Pedro Almodóvar is one of my favorite filmmakers) but there is simply no reason for Wuthering Heights to be filled with sex scenes. The problem is not that these sex scenes are so excessive or completely frank but rather that they add nothing to this story. Sometimes these sexual scenes even go against what the movie should be about. At one point this movie seems less about two people deeply in love who can't be together and instead two people who simply can't keep their pants on when they are near each other. Cathy and Heathcliff seem more like they are simply trying to have sex behind Cathy's husband's back then being profoundly in love. Worse is what is done to the character of Isbella. This almost seems like a filmmaker's attempt to explore a very kinky fetish than something that belongs in an adaptation of a literary classic. Joseph and Zillah become just a couple of very horny young people. Again, this kind of overt sexuality may have worked in Fennell's previous films but there is simply no need for it in this type of a story.
This movie started off fairly strong during the scenes with the main characters as kids. I actually found myself fairly engaged in these more straightforward and non-sexual scenes. Even the first few scenes with them as adults worked quite well. Then Joseph and Zillah have very kinky sex in a horse stable, and it is all downhill from there. The film becomes completely about sex after that often-substituting character development and depth for smut. In an era where no amount of onscreen sexuality can truly be shocking anymore this smut felt distracting and took away from time which could have been better used developing various characters and story points.
I will admit Margot Robbie is excellent in the lead role. Despite being an unfortunate case of whitewashing (which somehow can still be happening today) Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff has great chemistry with her.
This movie could be worse, but I would recommend simply rewatching the 1939 film adaptation of this classic novel instead.
Charles Laughton is an actor who I am sure many people reading this blog are well acquainted with. He was a fine actor who was trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He began appearing on stage in 1926 and naturally it would not be too long until the movies came knocking. Though he is known for his larger than life and theatrical roles, he was also quite capable of more subtle performances including the terrifyingly cold and mostly emotionless mad scientist in the horror classic, Island of Lost Souls (1932). His filmography includes such classics as The Old Dark House (1932), The Sign of the Cross (1932), The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Paradine Case (1947), Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and Spartacus (1960).
He only directed one movie. However, that film is a masterpiece, The Night of the Hunter (1955). He would however direct multiple Broadway plays including The Fatal Alibi (Feb 08, 1932 - Mar 01, 1932), Don Juan in Hell (Nov 29, 1951 - Dec 31, 1951) (Apr 06, 1952 - May 24, 1952), John Brown's Body (Feb 14, 1953 - Apr 11, 1953), The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Jan 20, 1954 - Jan 22, 1955) and Major Barbara (Oct 30, 1956 - May 18, 1957).
Here is an article from The New Movie Magazine (dated December 1934). If you have any trouble reading it click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.
Though being best known as a dramatic actor Laughton had a gift for comedy. This can be seen in the film, Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kid (1952).
Watch a full movie with Charles Laughton below. The film is Jamica Inn (1939) and was directed by none other than Alfred Hitchcock.
Hello, my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
We start our music off with Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and their children (Linda, Dusty, Sandy, Debbie and Dodie) performing a lovely little song called Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam from Roy and Dale's 1960 album Jesus Loves Me.
This is followed by Malcom Desmond with his 1933 recording of The Last Round Up.
Afterwards The Charlie Daniels Band performs The Old Rugged Cross. The song itself dates back to 1913 and was written by evangelist, George Bennard. Actually, the first verse was written in 1912. It was written while Bennard was a part of a series of revival meetings in Albion, Michigan. He was worried about the complete disregard for the gospel around him and wrote this verse as a repose. Of writing it Bennard said, "I seemed to have a vision ... I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable." The song wouldn't be completed for several months, when he was leading meetings at a local church in Pokagan, Michigan. He played it for Rev. Leroy (the sponsoring pastor) and his wife, Ruby Bostwick, both of whom found themselves moved to tears. It was then incorporated into a service at that church on June 7, 1913. The song has the same effect today as it must have back then. This version comes from the band's 2002 album, How Sweet the Sound: 25 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Greats. Unlike the group's earlier Christian albums, which contained original songs, this album is made up of old gospel classics. In my opinion this is one of the band's best albums of the 21st century.
Next is Tompall Glaser with Lean on Jesus. This recording comes from his 2006 gospel album, Outlaw to the Cross.
Then comes Johnny Cash with Jesus Was a Carpenter. What I love about this song is that it takes about what happened back when Jesus was on Earth, but it puts it in a modern context even looking at many of today's political and social issues. This shows that the Bible is just as true today and that even after all these centuries we can still apply it to what is going on in our world today. The very idea of praising Jesus in socially conscious folk song, paints a great picture of what Johnny Cash and his music were all about. This recording comes from his 1970 album; Hello I'm Johnny Cash.
This is followed by Tammy Wynette with He. This recording comes from her 1969 gospel album, Inspiration.
Then comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1947 recording of The Sea Walker. This song was written by Tim Spencer, one of the group's founding members. Music was a major part of Tim's life from very early on. In fact when he was only 3 years old he was already singing at the church he grew up in. His love of things cowboy and western related also began very early as he had grown in awe of western movies and screen cowboys like Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, William S. Hart and others were his boyhood heroes. With this it is no surprise that in 1931, he went to California to see how his talents could be used in Hollywood. Yet music always remained a major passion for him. As he worked in a warehouse, he would spend his weekends and time after working going around to all the country music radio shows, getting to know all the people he could. This is how he met fellow founding members of the Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Nolan and Leonard Slye (later Roy Rogers). The Sea Walker as well as being written by Tim also features him as the lead singer.
Today's musical selection ends with Chelsea Moon and Uncle Daddy with 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus was another hymn born out of personal tragedy. Louisa M. R. Stead was happily married and one day her, her husband and their four-year-old daughter had a day at the beach, when they heard a scream. They went to see where the scream was coming from and saw a little boy drowning in the sea. Her husband tried to pull the boy out of the water, but the boy pulled the husband down with him. Louisa and her daughter Lilly watched helplessly as the two died before their eyes. It is unknown when the song was actually written, but it is known that it was inspired by this tragedy and how God helped pull her through it as she soon went back on the mission field. The song was first published in 1882 a collection of hymns entitled Songs of Triumph.
Now for a sermon from the Reverend Billy Graham.
Today's movie is The Lucky Texan (1934) starring John Wayne.
Psalm 78
A maskil[a] of Asaph.
1 My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.
9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned back on the day of battle;
10 they did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.
11 They forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God;
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;
24 he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged—
he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
their produce to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand had taken.
55 He drove out nations before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56 But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.
58 They angered him with their high places;
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
59 When God heard them, he was furious;
he rejected Israel completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent he had set up among humans.
61 He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;
he was furious with his inheritance.
63 Fire consumed their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;
64 their priests were put to the sword,
and their widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Hello, my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with one of my favorite cartoons from director Norm McCabe, Daffy's Southern Exposure (1942). I absolutely love the way this film treats Daffy. He is very much in his early wild and crazy mode. But at the same time there is a bit more to him than just being crazy. He is also the type of duck who is always simply looking for a good time and will ignore the warnings of others if they try to get in the way of him having fun. Still even when getting his comeuppance, he never learns any sort of lesson and remains the same duck he was the beginning of the cartoon. This is a fun characterization for Daffy, especially as he is still fun of the pure energy that makes the early Daffy so popular. This is just as much of a fully formed character as the one we would see in the later Chuck Jones classics of the 1950's. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "DAFFY'S SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: Cartoon- Good black and white cartoon. Enjoyed by people that saw it.—Conrad H. Tapia, Chief Theatre, Casa Grande, Ariz."
Next comes the Fleischer Screen song cartoon, Bedelia (1930). The title song was first recorded in 1903 by the singer Arthur Collins and was written by William Jerome and Jean Schwartz. Born on February 7, 1864, Collins was a very popular singer in his day and would often be referred to as "king of the Ragtime Singers." Other songs he recorded include (Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey (1902), Under the Bamboo Tree (1902), Any Rags (1903), The Preacher and the Bear (1904) and Steamboat Bill (1911). Arthur Collins is little known today because of racial stereotypes that make much of his work problematic for a modern audience. This can be evidenced on the sheet music for Bedelia which refers to the song as "The Irish Coon Song Serenade." The essential website for old music, Hearing the Americas states, "It’s not clear what makes this record, sung by Arthur Collins, a 'coon' song. It has some elements of the ragtime syncopation that 'coon songs' helped introduce, and Collins was nicknamed 'the King of Ragtime.' Possibly the singer was imagined as an African American in love with an Irish immigrant, but the singer makes no effort at dialect. As the image indicates, women sang the song as well as men. It may simply be an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the genre while also appealing to Irish Americans. The song demonstrates the way American popular music mixed genres and used ethnic, gender and racial identity in slippery ways." However, there are no racial stereotypes in this cartoon based on the song. (Obvious Disclaimer: The use of the word "coon" was wrong then and it is wrong today. It appears here for historical and educational purposes. I do not endorse the use of this word.)
Next comes the New Three Stooges cartoon, Woodsman Bear That Tree (1965).
Now for a truly classic Disney short film, Pluto's Judgement Day (1935). This cartoon was released as part of the Mickey Mouse cartoon series, but the true star of the film is Pluto. Pluto would not receive his own cartoon series until 1940. The writers who brought us this cartoon were Joe Grant and Bill Cottrell. The same year this film came out this story team also brought us the Silly Symphonies shorts, Who Killed Cock Robin and Three Orphan Kittens. This cartoon made it TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on February 4, 1958. A 1938 article (in an issue of World Film News) about films that frightened young children stated, "Not exactly frightened; but the court scene in Pluto's Judgement Day was disliked intensely. I have known some of the younger ones to be rather scared by some of the more terrifying Disney characters. Only momentarily o close-ups of the villains' faces. Never really frightened. The usual gasps are heard when anything grotesque, such as an enormous spider, is shown, but this type of scene is invariably received as part of the picture. The youngest ones by the portrayal of ogres, spiders, etc. Only when the Robber Cat appears in the cartoons, and little ones afraid by Pluto's Judgement Day. Very occasionally, by closeups of weird spiders. Horrific animals. Several Disney cartoons - Donald and Pluto and Modern Inventions have Machiavellian incidents which to many children are frightening. The fear subsequently gives way to sympathy for the victim, so that Donald Duck is liked on a basis of tragedy rather than comedy."
It is now time for a commercial break.
Now comes the Pink Panther in Dietetic Pink (1978).
Now for one of Walt Disney's great silent Alice Comedies, Alice's Wild West Show (1924). This is probably my favorite film in the series. The series combined animation with live action. The early entries in the series (which this is one of) feature extensive use of fully live action scenes with a few cartoon scenes. The cartoon scenes would feature our live action Alice interacting with animated characters (including Walt's first cartoon star, Julis the Cat) in a cartoon environment. Later films would do away with the fully live action scenes and often put Alice in supporting roles. Alice was played by four young actresses over the course of the series: Virginia Davis, Dawn O'Day, Margie Gay and Lois Hardwick. In this short Alice was still played by her first actress Virginia Davis (Leon Holmes and Tommy Hicks also appear in this film). Walt directed this short as well as serving as an animator (Rollin "Ham" Hamilton also animated on this film). Working in the Ink and Paint department was Walt's future wife, Lillian Bounds. A review in Moving Picture World states, "This makes an interesting reel, with considerable pep, human interest and comedy, which should prove a pleasing novelty with the average patron and appeal especially to children."
Up next is Mighty Mouse in Love's Labor Won (1948).
Now let us close with a song.
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
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney by J. B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt.
In this film, two young security guards (Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery) at a storage facility find themselves in over their heads as they witness a dangerous fungus that turns people (and animals) into zombie-like creatures until they throw up a lot and explode from the inside. Assistance comes in the form of an old Army scientist (Liam Neeson) who has dealt with this fungus before.
Yes, the story is pretty corny and silly, but the filmmakers are completely aware of this. This is no attempt to make this into the type of horror movie that tries to make the supernatural horror feel like it could really happen to us. Instead, the filmmakers embrace the over-the-top nature of the story. The result is a film that is simply a joy to watch. The gross-out moments and the gore are so over the top that instead of repelling us, they are a lot of fun to watch. Yet this does not mean that it is low on creepiness. There are some very effective jump scares here and some well-made moments of suspense. The film also benefits from a cast that simply seems to be having a blast making this movie, a great soundtrack and some pretty funny moments.
If I had to fault this movie, it would be on that it relies a little too much on supposedly intelligent characters making dumb choices (one of my least favorite movie clichés) and the familiarity of many of the story points.
Despite these flaws, this is really a fun and wild ride.
In this film, a man (Kevin James) is left at the altar and unable to get a refund on his honeymoon trip decides to go on it by himself. There he falls in love with a woman at a coffee shop in Rome (Nicole Grimaudo).
While this movie may not offer much of anything we have not seen in other rom coms, it tells its familiar story quite well. Kevin James is perfect as a romantic lead. He perfectly captures this character who felt he finally found love in his 50's, only to be left at the altar. He can capture the hurt the character is feeling quite well Yet he also captures the joy of him finding love again as well as the humor and charm needed for a classic rom com. Nicole Grimaudo is excellent as the new love he finds and the two have excellent chemistry. The supporting cast is also excellent. Their characters may be a bit underdeveloped, but the performers make up for this (plus it is nice to see Alyson Hannigan in a movie again). On top of this the Roman setting is simply lovely and perfect for a romantic movie. Plus, rare for a modern romantic comedy, the comedy is actually pretty funny. I was surprised by just how much I laughed watching this.
This may be a very familiar and cliché film, but it is also a lot more charming and fun than many recent rom coms.
In this film (based off a TV show, I wasn't aware of) an unknown band is trying various crazy schemes to a get a concert at a well-known Canadian venue. Unfortunately, one of these crazy schemes accidently has them travel back to 2008 in a Back to the Future inspired way.
The storyline is completely over the top and silly. However, it is the dedication to this over-the-top silliness that gives the story its charm. It is hard not to appreciate a silly movie that dedicates itself so completely to silliness, especially when these types of comedies have sadly been too rare in recent years. Yet as silly as the story is it has a surprising amount of heart to it. We actually really like our main characters and the relationship between them is very well fleshed out and kind of touching.
I also very much appreciated this movie's mockumentary style of filmmaking. This film perfectly captures the look and feel of a documentary. I was impressed by just how great from a technical standpoint this was achieved, even to the point of using older cameras for the part that took place in 2008.
The main problem is that for a film that is first and foremost a comedy, it is only sporadically funny. There were some moments that made me laugh out loud here that they were too few and far between. A lot of the humor simply falls flat. This is most of all because it seems to try so hard to be funny that it can come off as a little off-putting and occasionally annoying instead. Matt Johnson as the main character can often be too over the top in his delivery of gags as well.
This movie has its charms but for such an over-the-top comedy, it is never as funny as it should be.
In this film, an employee (Rachel McAdams) is the smartest person at the firm but because she is socially awkward and not exactly fashionable, her new boss (Dylan O'Brien) gives a promotion to someone less qualified and treats her like a joke. However when the two end up as the only survivors on a deserted island, she becomes the one in charge.
The basic premise of being on a deserted island causing a great role reversal is nothing new. In fact, it has been done since the silent era (Male and Female (1919)). However, what Sam Rami does with it here makes it feel completely fresh. Rami makes a dark and twisted ride that is always a lot of fun. At first this movie seems very morally simplistic. We like the employee and think that her boss is a completely jerk. The early scenes do a great job of setting this up. Anyone who has ever had someone underestimate them and treat them as if they are incapable of something by someone who they are more capable than at that. This means pretty much everyone at one point in their lives or another. This fully puts us into her shoes and makes us care deeply about her and hate him. However, the characters soon turn out to be more complicated than that. She has her dark side, and he has his more vulnerable side. Because of this multiple times throughout the film, we find ourselves changing our alliances. This is because though both characters have their dark sides, we can still relate to each one. The last act of this movie becomes incredibly dark in its twists and turns but because everything was set up so well, this darkness feels completely earned.
This movie also works so well because of Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien. They are both incredibly excellent here capturing all the sometimes-contrasting character traits that make these characters so real and three dimensional. Rachel McAdams is especially great here. She has always been a very gifted actress, but she outdoes herself here with some of her best acting. She can go from a kind and caring person to someone who is absolutely terrifying at the drop of a hat and still feel like the same character.
This movie does have some flaws though. Much of the humor in the story's first act can feel forced and never as funny as it should be. While the final act takes this story to dark R rated places masterfully, the second act, sometimes can rely a bit too much on scenes that are only there for shock value. These flaws however hardly take away from how great this film can be elsewhere.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Jesus Loves the Little Children. Jesus would state, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." There is no doubt that Jesus did love the little children and he loves us big children too. If we will humble ourselves and become like little children, the blessings he has for us are immeasurable.
This is followed by Carl T. Sprague with his 1927 recording of Last Great Round Up.
Afterwards comes Susan Raye with What a Friend We Have in Jesus. This hymn still has an important message for us today. When it seems like there is no one to turn to at any moment of our lives, Jesus is always there. He is always there to listen to us, no matter what. More than that though he deeply cares about every single one of us. A better friend than Jesus could never be found no matter how hard we try. What a friend we have in Jesus indeed. This version of the song comes from Susan's 1973 gospel album, Hymns by Susan Raye.
Then comes Zach Williams and Walker Hayes with Jesus' Fault. This comes from Zach's 2022 album, A Hundred Highways. This album is not to be confused with the Johnny Cash album of the same name.
Next is The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1941 recording of What Wonderful Joy. Though many don't want to give their loves to Jesus because they don't want to give up their sins, the truth is that the joy Jesus can give us is greater than anything we may get out of sinning. This song is about the incredible joy that only Jesus can provide. This recording is very much a duet between two members of the band. Lloyd Perryman and Bob Nolan share the main vocal duties on this song, and both sounds as great as ever.
This is followed by Rhonda Vincent with You Don't Love God If You Don't Love Your Neighbor. This song comes from her 2001 album, The Storm Still Rages.
Afterwards is Vern Gosdin with If Jesus Comes Tomorrow (What Then).
Today's musical selection ends with Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings with The Greatest Cowboy of Them All. This is a song about heroes and all of us have our heroes. While these heroes may be entertainers, writers, political figures, intellectuals and humanitarians, when you put any of them up against Jesus Christ, they simply pale in comparison. This because even someone who is great by human standards is nothing when compared to the glory of God.
Now for a sermon from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Today's movie is Cowboy from Sundown (1940) starring Tex Ritter.
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy Trails to you until we meet again.
Hello my friends and Happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with a real classic, Falling Hare (1943). This cartoon features one of the few characters to get the upper hand of Bugs, the gremlin. Despite only appearing in this one short, the character has proven quite popular and has appeared in quite a few Looney Tunes spin offs. The original title for this movie was going to be Bugs Bunny and the Gremlin. However, since Disney was working on an animated feature film about Gremlins (a movie that would never be finished), the studio took the word Gremlin out of the title of this cartoon to appease the Disney studio. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Literally and figuratively, Bugs Bunny, already a prime favorite among current cartoon characters, gets off to a flying start in the distribution season just started. The buck-toothed, long-eared clown meets up with a gremlin and both find themselves aloft in an airplane, with Bugs or what's left of him being darn glad to get back to earth. There are plenty of laughs throughout. The tough Bunny, if this initial '43-'44 offering of his producer Leon Schlesinger, is any criterion, is in for a further rise in popularity among fans who like humor. Of course, the reel is in Technicolor. It was supervised by Robert Clampett and animated by Roderick Scribner. Warner Foster wrote the story and Carl W. Stalling handled the musical direction." This movie amounts to one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons and it is appropriately in Jerry Beck's book, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes.
Next comes the Fox and the Crow in Unsure Runts (1946). In short film, the crow tries to sell the fox some accident insurance and goes to great lengths to do so. Though forgotten today, the fox and the crow were Columbia's most popular cartoon stars and would even get a successful comic book series (published by DC Comics).
Now for the Fleischer Screen Song cartoon, The Stein Song (1930). The song in this film is performed by Rudy Vallee and his Connecticut Yankees. Vallee was one of the most popular crooners of his day.
For the most part characters that originally appeared in Disney's animated feature films did not appear in the studio's short films. There were however exceptions to this. One of the most interesting of these exceptions was The Winged Scrouge (1943), which features the Seven Dwarfs. This is not your typical Disney short. During the time when the studio was making a series of South American films (some of them celebrating South American culture and some made for South American audiences) as part of the US's Good Neighbor Policy, The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (or the CIAA) commissioned the studio to make a series of films about health and safety. This is the marked the first of these films and the only one to use already established characters. Originally going to be titled The Mosquito and Malaria. Because of the nature of this film, it was made with the CIAA working closely with the Disney story team. The CIAA in fact sent specialists to work with the Disney story crew. Working with them on this film were Dr. Edward C. Ernest, acting director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and Assistant U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. E.R. Coffey. The studio came up with a format of the first part of the film being played completely seriously and essentially a lecture. The second part would introduce the dwarfs and bring some slapstick comedy into the film. However with this second part Walt warned, "The only reason to bring in the dwarfs is to add a little interest; when you get into gags and impossible things, you're not accomplishing the job you are supposed to do - show in a simple way how to get rid of the mosquitoes. If you make it look like a tremendous job, they'll say, hell, I'll take the mosquitoes." Even with this not being your typical Disney short, it had a great cast of animators, which even included two of Walt's future Nine Old Men, Milt Kahl and Frank Thomas. John McManus animates much of the first more serious part of the film. Milt Kahl animates the introduction of the dwarfs, Doc and Sneezy in a boat, Happy spraying oil, Dopey with a dipper and an oil can, Bashful and the birds applying the green color, Sleepy digging the ditches, Grumpy chopping the stump, dwarfs with the deer and the cart, Doc with the wheelbarrow and Grumpy with the Woodpecker. Frank Thomas animates the sequence with Dopey and the mosquitos. Harvey Tombs animates Happy with the rain barrel, the dwarfs hanging the screens, Sleepy with the birds and the dwarfs snoring.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for the New Three Stooges cartoon, Goofy Gondoliers (1965).
Next comes a wonderful, animated short from Disney, Goliath II (1960). This film was released to theaters alongside the live action Disney movie, Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960) and the live action documentary short Gala Day at Disneyland (1959) creating a full Disney night at the movies. This short film was directed by Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman, who would later direct, The Jungle Book (1967). This cartoon has a very similar look to that later feature.
Up next is the Van Beuren, Rainbow Parade cartoon, A Waif's Welcome (1936). The Rainbow Parade series was started by Burt Gillett. The Van Beuren studio was no receiving the same success that the Disney or Fleischer studios were and it was felt that brining in a successful director in to head the animation studio was the best solution. So Burt Gillett who had directed the most popular cartoon short at that time, Disney's The Three Little Pigs (1933) would become the head of the whole cartoon studio. There were however constant riffs between him and those who had worked at the studio for a long time. Animator Jack Zander would later say, "He worked like Walt did. We'd do pencil tests. Of course when we were working at Van Beuren, nobody ever heard of a pencil test. We'd just animate and they'd ink and paint it and that's all there was to it, He initiated pencil tests and movieolas. We'd have to animate this stuff and look at it; he'd look at it and then he'd make changes. It was a very stimulating thing. The only ones who had any trouble were the real old animators, animating for years in a set manner. They found it to difficult to adjust." Animator I. Klein went much further on the last comment stating, "The people who were there before him felt, 'why the hell did they take this swell-head from Disney?' They often took that attitude, you know; very seldom did they say, 'Gee that's great - a good man came in,'" However one can't argue that some of the animosity was partly Gillett's fault. Klein also stated, "He was constantly firing people. There was a swinging door all the time, people coming and going." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "A Waif's Welcome: Rainbow Parade Cartoons - Just a colored cartoon and not so hot. Why not stay by Molly Moo Cow. C.L. Niles - Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General Patronage."
Now let us close with a song.
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
The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes edited by Jerry Beck
Two Gun Mickey marked the directorial debut of Ben Sharpsteen. About Sharpsteen Walt would write, “Concerning Ben Sharpsteen and his contributions to the development of the Disney organization, I want to say he played a very important part.” Sharpsteen was born in Tacoma, Washington, on November 4, 1895, although he was raised in Alameda, California. He studied agriculture at the University of California at Davis. In 1917 he joined the marines serving in World War 1. After the war he went into animation working for the Hearst International Film Service. Later he came to work at the Max Fleischer Studio. A mutual friend introduced Ben to Walt. Walt valued Sharpsteen so much that he hired the artist at $125 a week. This salary was higher than even Walt's. It was also higher than Walt's head animator at the time, UB Iwerks who was only making $90 a week. In 1933, Ben would establish an in-house animation training program. He would also supervisor new animators. In this he was assisted by his cousin in law George Drake. Few people at the Disney studio were as hated by the artists as Drake, who was known for firing people for no good reason. Ben's opinion on some of these new artists was not much higher. Ben once told an inbetweener, "Listen, you artists are a dime a dozen and don't you forget it." Starting with this short, Ben would direct 21 cartoon shorts for Disney. He would then move on to features as soon as the studio started making them, first as a sequence director then a supervising director then a production supervisor. He would even get involved with the studio's live action output, producing the True-Life Adventure nature documentaries then the anthology Disneyland TV series. Ben retired in 1962. He would pass away on December 20, 1980, in Calistoga, California.
Though today, Mickey Mouse is known as a company mascot and a straight man to the more comedic characters of Donald and Goofy, in the 1920's and early 1930's Mickey was often cast as a fun-loving adventurer and a Fairbanks-ian action hero. One of his earliest screen appearances was The Galloping Gaucho (1928), where he swoops in and saves Minnie from Pete in a true Fairbanks inspired role. He is a tough character in that film with a fearless devil-may-care attitude, even drinking, smoking and being quite forward with Minnie. That cartoon would be remade as The Catus Kid (1930) with Mickey fully in the guise of an American cowboy. With the early Mickey being a rugged adventurer, it was only natural that he would play a cowboy again in Two Gun Mickey. This film would also follow the basic premise of The Galloping Gaucho with Mickey saving Minnie from the villainous Pete.
Though Pete is best known today as Mickey's nemesis, he actually dates back further than Mickey, first appearing in Walt Disney's silent Alice Comedy, Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925). Walt and co. would continue to use the character as an adversary for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in that character's silent cartoons.
Walt Disney provides the voice of Mickey here as he does in most of the Mickey cartoons of this era. Marcellite Garner voices Minnie. The voice of Pete is by Billy Bletcher. Billy Bletcher is one of the main voices for cartoon villains in the 1930's. Most famously he provided the voice for the Big Bad Wolf for Disney's Three Little Pigs (1933). As well as his work at Disney, he also provided the voice of Papa Bear from Chuck Jones' Three Bears cartoons at Warner Brothers. Before his cartoon work, Bletcher appeared in many live action comedy shorts during the silent era.
In true cowboy fashion, this film uses traditional folk songs on its soundtrack. These include She'll be Coming Around the Mountain and Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie. She'll be Coming Around the Mountain is a folk song based off the Christian Hymn When the Chariot Comes. Two of the earliest known recordings of the song are Henry Whitter in 1924 and Vernon Dalhart in 1925. The earliest known written version of Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie appeared in John Lomax's Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads in 1910. The earliest known recording was by singing cowboy Carl T. Sprague in 1926.
The following is an exhibitors' review from an issue of the Motion Picture Herald (Dated December 7, 1936).
"Two Gun Mickey: Mickey Mouse - The Mickey and Silly seem to go over well second-run. Would advise everyone to pick them up. - C.L. Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa, General Patronage."
This cartoon was released to theaters on December 15, 1934. It would be reissued to theaters in 1936. The film would make its TV debut with an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on October 7, 1955. It would later appear again on an episode that aired on March 27, 1958. It is available on the DVD set Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White.
Animation
Leonard Sebring (Minnie in at iris; horses stop at puddle of water; C.U. horses-Minnie falls into water; Mickey and horse laugh-talk; Minnie sitting in puddle)
Archie Robin (Mickey's horse drinks- let's water out; Mickey and Minnie on horse)
George Drake (L.S. Minnie into town; Lasso pans to limb)
Nick George (M.C.U. Pete - Minnie "hello keed" C.U. poster; Pete sees Minnie coming; Pete accosts Minnie)
Jack Kinney (Minnie in bank; Mickey on mt. - sees smoke; L.S. Mickey sees chase; Shadow truck back to Mickey; Mickey throws lasso)
Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman (Minnie on to the wagon; Pete on horse-whistles; Pete Pursuing; Minnie on springs out -reins shot away; Minnie across log - Pete follows; L.S. Mickey and Minnie towing Pete)
Don Towsley (Bandits leave town; C.U. Cellar Door; Pete and gang)
Ugo D'Orsy (Minnie startled - dips down around bend - gang follows; Minnie-wheels are shot off wagon; Minnie ono bridge-bridge shot away; L.S. bridge shot away- bandits reconnoiter)
Louie Schimdt (Horse and Mickey into action)
Paul Allen (Mickey to rescue on inclined pan; Mickey downhill; Horse skids to stop; Mickey firing)
Earl Hurd (Minnie in chariot)
Cy Young (Last of wagon torn away wheel spins; Bandit cactus deflated hole reamed in ledge - bandits fall through; Bandits around catus - mushroom gag; Bandits firing from pinnacle; Bandits down pinnacle X-Dix; Mickey across chasm - horse bites Pete)
Art Babbitt (Minnie escapes Pete - rec Posses logs; Pete tilts log; Pete shakes leg; Pete catches Minnie - bites gun muzzle; Pete in air; Mickey catches Pete in pistol - shoot; Pete in air - shoe; Pete lands on Mickey - fight; Mickey puts on hat; Mickey into clothes - Mickey kicks him over chasm; Mickey and Pete fight on ledge; C.U. Pete pulls knife; Mickey eludes Pete - hangs onto root; Pete gets cactus on fanny. Ledge breaks)
Ed Love (Minnie running on log)
Ed Smith (Minnie grabs top of log; Minnie falls; Pete falls past Mickey; Pete onto cactus X-Dis)
Frank Oreb (L.S. Bandits)
Roy Williams (Mickey fires a la artillery; bandit sneaking; Bandit shot in fanny - leaps off cliff; Mickey fires like machine gun)
Eric Larson (Mickey sees shadow - throws gun on lasso)
Story: Minnie is out west and wishes to take care of herself. Pete tries to tell her to let him help her, but she refuses. When it turns out the Pete is a bandit and he pursues Minnie, Mickey rushes to her rescue.
Here is the original version of this film.
And here is the colorized version.
Resources Used
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by David Gerstein and J.B. Kaufman
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
The Life and Times of Ward Kimball: Maverick of Disney Animation by Todd James Pierce.
