Video Link: The Muppets - Fever (Rita Moreno & Animal)

 

Turning a Desert into Hollywood

 Last month I posted an old vintage article about the making of the silent version of Beau Geste (1926). Here is another article about the same subject. I hope you enjoy it.

This comes from a 1926 issue of Exhibitors Herald. If you have any trouble reading it click on the page below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

 

Family Movie Night Menus: Recipes & Films for Unforgettable Times Together (2026)

 

When I heard Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jessie Maltin put out a new book, I was not expecting anything to do with cooking or food. However, this new book is a pure delight fully up to Maltin standards. 

As well as including great recipes, this book is also a survey of 25 delightful family friendly films sure to make a great movie night for the whole family. These selections stretch over eight decades from Charlie Chaplin's The Kid (1921) to Disney's Enchanted (2007). Each movie selected is a sheer delight and the variety (while all of them are still family friendly) is excellent. In true Maltin style the writing about each movie is wonderful. It is very informative and provides a great critical insight while remaining completely unpretentious. After reading Leonard and Jessie's' writings I wanted to watch all of these films, even the ones I have seen a million times. 

I have not made any of the recipes yet but hopefully will (the ones without meat anyway) someday. The pictures of the food look delicious, and I got hungry just reading some of these recipes. While I have not made them yet, the instructions seem simple and easy to follow.

The movies included in this book are The Kid (1921), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Captain January (1936), The Wizard of Oz (1939), National Velvet (1944), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Singing in the Rain (1952), Calamity Jane (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), Sounder (1972), Star Wars (1977), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), A Christmas Story (1983), The Princess Bride (1987), Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989), The Addams Family (1991), The Secret Garden (1993), A Little Princess (1995), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and Enchanted (2007). 

A great book.  

Movie Review: Is God Is

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent thriller. 

In this film, two sisters are on a quest for revenge. They plan to kill their father who tried to kill them and their mom when they were kids. 

This is a dark and tense ride that makes you feel uncomfortable in all the best ways. There have been many movies that have looked at how seeking revenge and the trail of violence it leaves can change a person. However, this film handles it especially well. You can not only feel and understand what makes them go down this dark path. You can also see how this path of revenge affects these two different characters. Though they are both twins who have lived, struggled and survived together while sharing everything, these are still two very different people. We can see the differences in their personalities from the opening scene. One has a massive chip on her shoulder and wants to take it out on the world, while the other simply wishes she could live a normal life. When you see the way that this plays out, the changes in these characters don't come out from thin air. Rather it simply expands on what was already there. The effect is something more shocking and real than many films that deal with a similar theme. This is all helped by the wonderful chemistry Kara Young and Mallori Johnson. They perfectly capture the deep sisterly bond between the two and capture how they can almost bond as one at times, while still having distinct personalities. Also excellent, if in the film for a briefer time is Sterling K. Brown as the father. How calm he is and how he outwardly appears like a nice easy-going guy makes him all the more terrifying. It also speaks to how people like this really are (toxic abusive, violent men) often feel that their terrifying acts are called for because they actually believe that being a man means they have a God given power to do whatever they want with women's lives. This not only makes him scary but provides some real social commentary without ever feeling preachy. All this leads up to a truly shocking and effective ending.

Unfortunately, what keeps this film from being the masterpiece it should be is that it insists on mixing its dark subject matter with some quirky comedy. The comedy is only occasionally funny (often it simply tries too hard) and never meshes with the darker and more serious scenes. This can make this feel like two movies at odds with one another. Luckily one of those movies is fantastic. 

Despite an uneven tone, this film is an excellent thriller and a great character study. 

  

Cowboy Church #268

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

Today’s musical selection begins with the King of the Cowboys and The Queen of the West, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Jesus in the Morning. This song reminds us that we are not only to leave a small part of the day with Jesus as our focus but all day long as well as everyday. We should wake up each morning with Jesus on our mind and go to bed each night the same way. While few of us will succeed with this every day, we will find that each day we do it will be an enriching day that will makes us grow as a person. This song comes from Roy and Dale’s 1973 gospel album, In the Sweet By and By. 

This is followed by Skeeter Davis with Who Am I. This comes from her 1967 gospel album, Hand in Hand with Jesus.

Afterwards is Ricky Skaggs with The River of Jordon. This recording comes from his 1982 album, Family and Friends. The song was written by Hazel Houser, who wrote both Christian and secular country songs. Her other songs include Wait a Little Longer Please Jesus and My Baby's Gone. 

Then comes Dailey and Vincent with 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.

Then comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Power in the Blood. Though it may be simple doctrine that we have heard since Sunday school, I hope we never forget how much power there truly is in the blood of Jesus. No matter what temptations and struggles we may face in life, Jesus' blood spilled on Calvary's cross has overcome all of it. With man something may be impossible but with God all things are possible. 

Next is Ricky Van Shelton with Mansion Over the Hilltop. This recording comes from his 1992 gospel album, Don't Overlook Salvation. The hymn was written by Ira F. Stanphill in 1949. It is believed that he wrote around 550 gospel songs over his career. These songs also include Suppertime (which Johnny Cash did a wonderful version of), Room at the Cross, I Walk with His Hand in Mine, Thirty Pieces of Silver and I Know Who Holds Tomorrow. 

Today's music selection ends with Jim and Jesse with Matthew 24. This comes from their 1975 gospel album, Jesus is the Key to the Kingdom. 

Now for the 11th episode of The Lone Ranger TV show. 

Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham. 

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,

    for I am poor and needy.

2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;

    save your servant who trusts in you.

You are my God; 

3 have mercy on me, Lord,

    for I call to you all day long.

4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,

    for I put my trust in you.

5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,

    abounding in love to all who call to you.

6 Hear my prayer, Lord;

    listen to my cry for mercy.

7 When I am in distress, I call to you,

    because you answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;

    no deeds can compare with yours.

9 All the nations you have made

    will come and worship before you, Lord;

    they will bring glory to your name.

10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;

    you alone are God.

11 Teach me your way, Lord,

    that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart,

    that I may fear your name.

12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;

    I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your love toward me;

    you have delivered me from the depths,

    from the realm of the dead.

14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;

    ruthless people are trying to kill me—

    they have no regard for you.

15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;

    show your strength in behalf of your servant;

save me, because I serve you

    just as my mother did.

17 Give me a sign of your goodness,

    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,

    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

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 #280

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Cubby Bear in The Last Mail (1933). If Cubby Bear reminds you of Mickey Mouse, this is no coincidence. When Mickey Mouse hit movie screens, he was a sensation, just as popular if not more popular than the live action movie stars of the time. As always great success in the film industry led to many imitations. Pretty much every American animation studio had a character that was pretty much a copy of Mickey. 

   

Now that we saw a Mickey Mouse clone in the last cartoon, why don't we enjoy a Pluto clone in the next. Enjoy the World War 2 Columbia cartoon, Mutt 'n Bones (1944). 

Up next is Pigeon Holed (1956). This was the last theatrical cartoon to star Homer Pigeon. When this film was released in 1956 Homer hadn't appeared in a cartoon since 1943.

Now for a black and white cartoon from the Walter Lantz studio, Nellie the Sewing Machine Girl (1938). This is the first in a series of five Nellie cartoons. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Up next is one of the post golden age Looney Tunes shorts, That (Blooper) Bunny (1991). This cartoon was made as a response to many of the specials revolving around Warner Brothers marketing of the Looney Tunes characters, especially when celebrating Bugs' 50th anniversary. Warner Brothers marketing tried to frame the characters as good friends who always stood by each other. This was of course far from who these characters were. Many of them even tried to kill each other in the classic cartoons and when the characters were friends, they would often turn on each other to protect themselves. That is why at first we see these characters all smiling and getting along as best buddies here, until we see what happened behind the scenes and the friction that took place. This cartoon was meant to originally be released theatrically with the animated feature Rover Dangerfield (1991). However, Warner Brothers took a real dislike towards it (especially with the line "Warner Brothers doesn't have an original bone in its body.") and the cartoon would not be released until six years later, this time on TV instead of movie theaters. 

Next up is a very early Mickey Mouse cartoon, the fourth one in fact, The Barn Dance (1929). Unlike the previous three Mickeys (Plane Crazy (1928), The Galloping Gaucho (1928) and Steamboat Willie (1928)), Walt Disney was not able to supervise the animation very closely. This was because at this time Walt was in New York, while his main animator Ub Iwerks was in California. Though Walt asked Ub to cut corners in the animation, because of a strict deadline, when he received the first of the animation on October 22nd of 1928, he was not happy and wrote Ub a page of criticisms of the animation. However watching this film now, it is actually a very entertaining cartoon, and it is hard to see anything actually wrong with the animation. However, Walt was working to achieve a level of perfection in his cartoons and this one as good as it did not meet that requirement in his mind. There was a planned gag for this cartoon which would feature a hen and a rooster performing a lively dance number which comes to a halt when the hen lays an egg. Though that gag did not make it into this film, it would later be used in the short, Mickey's Follies (1929).  

Now for the Terry Toons short, Mystery in the Moonlight (1948). 

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

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

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

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

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/screen-gems-mutt-and-bones-1944/ 

https://walterlantz.fandom.com/wiki/Pigeon_Holed

https://walterlantz.fandom.com/wiki/Nellie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lRMc5dG5ZQ&lc=UgytjL2b-Q4fRbnYzSh4AaABAg.9Q3XtN1Y9gp9hIaIL3OkhM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyymtYkPD60

 

Movie Review: In the Grey

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C-

A serviceable but unremarkable action flick. 

This rather standard action flick is greatly helped by Guy Ritchie's direction. As most of us know, Guy Ritchie is simply an excellent action director. This movie lets him really show his stuff. The action scenes are pure treats. They are fun, stylish and very well paced. Putting these action scenes against such beautiful settings makes them even more visually appealing. Adding to the fun is the typically fun Guy Ritchie dialogue and a great cast (headed by Eiza González, Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhall). 

However, the movie does can like Guy Ritchie is on autopilot. The storyline isn't bad, but it is one you have seen a million times before. Nothing new or particularly interesting is done with this only serviceable plot. The characters are so underdeveloped that I can't describe their personalities to you because they are unburdened by such things.   

While it does have some stylish charm, there is nothing here to make it stand out. This is one of those films that you will forget about in a few weeks. 

 

Video Link: Why Walt Loaned His Best Artist to MGM - West of Neverland

 

Movie Review: The Sheep Detectives

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent family film. 

In this movie, a flock of sheep love their shepherd dearly. The shepherd reads them murder mysteries every night, so when the shepherd is murdered, they feel that they can solve the murder themselves. 

While this could just simply rely on its already charming premise, it does so much more than that. This is a surprisingly heartfelt story. The movie actually has some real depth to it as it takes a look at some fairly weighty subjects such as dealing with death, the importance of remembering the bad along with the good and how what is painful can also be beautiful. Though this movie has plenty of silly sheep antics for kids watching, there is also some moments that may emotionally move adults watching it. Like many of the best family movies, there are some truly sad moments among all the silliness, and these sad moments are very effective. Of course this is heavily due to the characters themselves. Each of the sheep are very well thought out characters. There are a lot of them but each still has their own personality. These sheep feel so real to us that we form our own emotional bond to them. As well as being an emotionally effective film, the murder mystery elements are very well done with some great twists and turns. Yet the final reveal makes perfect sense. If you pay close attention to a very early scene, it perfectly foreshadows the reveal at the end. 

The humor in this film can be a bit hit and miss. There are some truly laugh out loud moments along with gags that fall completely flat. 

While the sheep are very well-defined characters, the human characters (with the exception of the shepherd (though of course being played by Hugh Jackman helps)) are entertaining but lack the depth that the sheep have. They are very basic two-dimensional characters. 

A highly recommended movie for the whole family. 

Cowboy Church #267

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

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing Sweet Hour of Prayer on their 1957 album of the same name. This hymn was written by William Walford. Walford was a wood craver who had little to no formal education. However, what he did have was a very close relationship with God. Those who knew him said that he knew the bible by heart and this man was even asked to share sermons at his church. One day around 1845 Pastor Thomas Salmon visited William Walford. Walford asked Salmon to write down a poem he had in his head. Salmon was so amazed by this poem that he right away sought to get it published. After Walford's death, William Bradbury wrote music for this poem and the hymn as we know it first appeared in the 1859 hymnal, Church Melodies. Bradbury had also composed music for such hymns as Just as I Am and He Leadeth Me. 

This is followed by Ricky Skaggs with Lead Me to the Rock. This comes from his 1999 gospel album, Solider of the Cross. 

Then comes Merle Haggard and The Cater Family with On the Jerico Road. This comes from Merle's 1971 gospel album, The Land of Many Churches. 

Afterwards is Skeeter Davis with Child of the King. This comes from her 1967 gospel album, Hand in Hand with Jesus. 

Next comes Johnny Cash with God is Not Dead. This is not the Newsboys song that spawned a series of movies, but rather an original song written by John himself. This song comes from John's 1969 album, The Holy Land, an album inspired by when he and his wife, June Carter Cash, took a trip to Israel. The background vocals on this song are provided by The Carter Family and The Statler Brothers, while early rock and roll star, Carl Perkins plays guitar.

Then is Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith with His Love Takes Good Care of Me. 

Today's musical selection closes with The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1948 recording of Rounded Up in Glory. In a 1972 interview Ken Griffis asked Sons of the Pioneers front man, Bob Nolan, "Well, OK. As you progressed as a group, did you use the older type songs as the basis for your programs? Or did you try to blend in more the newer things? Did you try staying with the older things?" Bob responded, "Yeah, we tried to stick strictly to the old ones and, of course, I had an idea or I felt that my songs—the ones that I was writing at the time—were authentic. I tried to keep them authentic. Western." This applied not only to the songs Bob wrote, but the songs the group recorded written by others. There was always a real cowboy feel to nearly all the songs they recorded. That is definitely true here, as this song sounds like something that would feel completely natural in an old west setting. 

Now for a message from S.M. Lockridge. 

Now for the 10th episode of The Lone Ranger TV show.

Psalm 85

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 You, Lord, showed favor to your land;

    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2 You forgave the iniquity of your people

    and covered all their sins.

3 You set aside all your wrath

    and turned from your fierce anger.

4 Restore us again, God our Savior,

    and put away your displeasure toward us.

5 Will you be angry with us forever?

    Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

6 Will you not revive us again,

    that your people may rejoice in you?

7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord,

    and grant us your salvation.

8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;

    he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—

    but let them not turn to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

    that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Love and faithfulness meet together;

    righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

    and righteousness looks down from heaven.

12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,

    and our land will yield its harvest.

13 Righteousness goes before him

    and prepares the way for his steps.

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 #280

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Porky's Pooch (1941). Though all the classic Charlie Dog cartoons would be directed by Chuck Jones, this Bob Clampett short clearly sets up the template that all of those later cartoons would follow. In fact the first Charlie Dog cartoon, Little Orphan Airedale (1947), would be a remake of this film. The backgrounds in this film are live action photographs. A year later Bob would use a live action opening for Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner (1942). The following is an exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald, "PORKY'S POOCH: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Right up my alley for my patronage. Running time, 7 minutes. —Vic Stephano, Grove Theatre, Groveton, Tex. Small Town Patronage." A review in The Motion Picture Daily called the film, "Good for a few laughs." The Showman's Trade Review gave advice to movie theater owners on how to advertise this cartoon, "Play it up to all Porky fans and make some new fans to win over some of the dog lovers in your community by staging a pet show, prize contest for best snapshot of a pet or prize contest for a brief essay on 'why my dog is the best in town.'" 

Next comes the silent Out of the Inkwell short, Koko's Tattoo (1928). This has all the surreal charm and creativity that I love about these shorts. 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Sour Grapes (1950). This cartoon was directed by Mannie Davis and marks the last of five theatrical shorts to star Dingbat. Dingbat is a yellow bird who was often adversarial to Slyvester the Fox. 

Next comes Donald Duck in Contrary Condor (1944). This short film was directed by Jack King, who directed most of the Donald Duck cartoons at this time. For a while in the community of cartoon and Disney lovers, the Jack King Donald Duck cartoons were rarely given the accolades they deserve because more attention was paid to the later Donald shorts that Jack Hannah directed. However luckily today many Disney fans are reevaluating this and realizes what wonderful films, the Jack King Donald cartoons are. Contrary Condor is just one of the many examples of how great of a cartoon director Jack King was. However, this film also works because of a wonderful team of animators. John McManus animates the opening moments as well as Donald tossing the dummy and the mom diving after it. Judge Whitaker animates Donald yodeling while climbing the mountain, Donald's first meeting with the mother, Duck applauding the small bird's flight, the small bird gliding and landing, Donald's landing and Donald contemplating a new plan. Nick Nichols animates Donald discovering the nest and hiding in the egg, the hatching sequence, the small bird being jealous, the little bird snaping Donald off the limb, Donald's "flight," the mother applauding, the mother missing the dummy as it falls into the water and the closing sequence. Paul Allen animates the mother pushing the small bird off the limb, the mother encouraging Donald to fly and Donald trying to escape with the egg until the small bird intercepts it. George Nicholas animates the small bird falling and trying to fly. Don Townsley animates the small bird lowering its legs like landing gear and the mother's card trick. Hal King animates the mother attempting to push Donald off the limb and Donald faking a bad wing, Marvin Woodward animates the mother trying to trick Donald with the berry. The working titles for this film were Contrary Condors, Egg Collector and The Colombian Condor. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Donald Duck provides plenty of laughs in his attempt to swipe an egg from a condor's nest. When Donald emerges from his hiding place in an empty egg shell which a mother condor mistakes for an unhatched egg she accepts our fine feathered hero as one of her own. Her attempts to get Donald to fly are extremely humorous. The Technicolor cartoon is aces." 

Now for a commercial break. 

Now for the Mickey Mouse Works cartoon, Purple Pluto (1999). This cartoon would later be used in the House of Mouse episode, Ladies Night (2002). 

Next is the New Three Stooges cartoon, The Littlest Martian (1965). This series of TV cartoons features the voices of the real Stooges who also appear in the opening and closing live action segments. The live action segments would often be repeated even when the cartoon was new. Curly Joe DeRita felt that this hurt the show. He thought that people would see a live action segment they had seen before and assume the show was a rerun and change the channel not knowing the cartoon was new. 

Then comes Mighty Mouse in Winning the West (1946). 

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

South of the Border with Disney by J.B. Kaufman.

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Movie Review: Mortal Kombat II

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+ 

An enjoyable video game adaptation.

Like the video game franchise, it is based on, the story is hard from this movie's focus. The storyline is as cliché as can be and feels very rushed as if the filmmakers can't wait to get to the next action scene. This can sadly lead to many character arcs feeling like they happen way too hastily. 

 Lucky the action scenes are fantastic. They are very well choreographed, paced and filled with delightfully over the top gore. This is the type of gore that is so over the top that instead of repulsive it comes off as fun. There is even a certain amount of creativity that goes into these violent deaths. 

Adding to the fun is Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. Karl Urban gives his all to this role and he is very entertaining to watch. It of course doesn't hurt that this character is given some of the best lines and funniest moments. 

 Adeline Rudolph also stands out as fan favorite Kitana, even if her storyline is underdeveloped and again rushed. 

This may be far from a great movie but it is fun and should delight fans of the video game franchise. 

Video Link: Why Did Disney’s Three Little Pigs Go to Mexico? - West of Neverland

 

Movie Review: Devil Wears Prada 2

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A fun, if fluffy sequel. 

This movie may not break any new ground but frankly that is not what anyone is going to a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada for. People seeing this just simply want a fun time at the movies and that is exactly what this film provides. The fun of this (now) series comes from a great cast (I mean Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci) and the fun characters they play. Writer Aline Brosh McKenna and director David Frankel (both of whom worked on the first film) know this. The movie is less about the story than it is about these characters and their interactions. The way this cast plays off each other is fantastic and simply a delight to watch all the way. I particularly enjoyed the interactions between the two Emilies. 

This movie also gives you all the style you could hope for. We see beautiful cities, beautiful clothes and beautiful people every second. 

The humor in this movie is often more charming than actually funny. There are a few moments that will really make you laugh. However, for the most part, the film is more likely to make you smile than actually laugh. 

The storyline here meanders a bit too often. The basic story is rather slim and because of this there seems to be quite a bit of padding here. This is most clear in the excursions into Andy's (Anne Hathaway) romantic life. Her romantic story has no direct impact on the rest of the plot. If the romance wasn't here no one would feel that anything was missing. At the same time the romance and especially the object of her romantic interest are underdeveloped and not even remotely interesting. This romance should have been left out entirely or been given more depth or had more of a direct impact on the plot. As it is, these romantic scenes simply feel like an unnecessary interruption to the story. 

This may not be a masterpiece, but it provides a fun trip to the movies, which is exactly what its audience wants. 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #279

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again, it is time for more cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection starts with 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 the Terry Toons cartoon, Stringbean Jack (1938). This marked the first Terry Toons short in color. The two-headed giant and the W.C. Feilds caricature are a lot of fun here. A similar two-headed giant would later be used for a Terry Toons cartoon appropriately titled The Two-Headed Giant (1939).   

Next comes Betty Boop in Ha-Ha-Ha (1934). This short film also features Koko the Clown, the star of the Fleischer Studio's silent Out of the Inkwell films. This is not the only similarity between this film and the Out of the Inkwell shorts. This cartoon also mixes animation and live action in a very similar way to those shorts. 

Next is the Terry Toons short, Foiling the Fox (1950). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Up next is The Fleischer Screen song cartoon, I Wished on the Moon (1935). The title song was written by Ralph Rainger (music) and Dorothy Parker (lyrics). The same year this cartoon was released Bing Crosby and the Dorsey Brothers orchestra recorded this song and it placed at number two in the charts staying on the charts for seven weeks. The song would enjoy even more popularity when Bing would sing it in the feature film, The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935). Here the song is performed by Abe Lyman and his Californians. Cartoon fans may know that Abe Lyman also worked on the musical scores of some early Merrie Melodies cartoons, such as One More Time (1931) and Smile Darn Ya Smile (1931). Most importantly though this cartoon marks the first appearance of Wiffle Piffle. 

Today's cartoon selection continues with another Friz Freleng classic, Daffy the Commando (1943). 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." 

Donald and Pluto (1936) is naturally a cartoon that stars Donald Duck and Pluto. Mickey Mouse is nowhere to be found. However, it was released a Mickey Mouse cartoon as a Mickey Mouse cartoon. This is because at this time, Donald Duck and Pluto didn't have their own series. It wouldn't be long before that was rectified though. 

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

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

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

 

Silent Film of the Month: The Sheriff's Baby (1913)

 

Run Time: 17 minutes. Studio: Biograph. Director: D.W. Grifith. Writer: Edward Bell. Cast: Alfred Paget, Herny B. Walthall, Harry Carey, Lionel Barrymore, John T. Dillion, Kate Bruce, Bobby Harron. Cinematographer: Billy Blitzer.

Though D.W. Griffith is often best known for his epics like Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916), which were massive in both scale and length, I often think that the director's best work is the short films that he made for Biograph. 

In this short western film, three outlaws are escaping from a posse by heading into the desert. Here they run across a baby who is about to be eaten by a mountain lion. They rescue the baby and protect it as they continue to travel through the desert. 

This film shows Griffith and his team at the height of their filmmaking powers. For a short film, there is a lot of story fit into the runtime. However, The Sheriff's Baby never feels rushed and is never difficult to follow. Rather it is gripping for start to finish. The ending is actually quite moving as the buildup to it is perfect. The technical aspects are top notch here. The use of cutting between scenes is quite impressive for its time and holds up perfectly today. Griffith's films are course greatly remembered today for their pioneering use of cross-cutting and this is a great example of why. The cutting between the posse and the outlaws early on, creates some action scenes that still exciting today. Yet this excellent technical filmmaking is never there simply to show off. Rather every aspect of the technical filmmaking is in compete service to the story. Causal viewers may not notice or think about the great use of crosscutting here, but they will definitely feel it. A cast of Griffith regulars are also at the top of their game here. There is very little of the type of overacting that one might associate with films of the early 1910's. This is a too often overlooked gem in Griffith's filmography.       

Movie lovers will easily recognize similarities between this film and the story Three Godfathers. Three Godfathers had five official movie adaptions (the most famous being the John Ford/John Wayne 1948 adaption). This story was written by prolific author Peter B. Kyne had first appeared as a short story in The Saturday Evening Post in November of 1912. In 1913 the story would be turned into a novel. Though records from Biograph report that The Sheriff's Baby has an original story by Edward Bell (he received payment for his story on December 16, 1912), the similarities are too clear to ignore. It is definitely plausible that The Saturday Evening Post version was at least an inspiration for this film. 

For anyone who wishes to watch this delightful film, it is available as a bonus feature on the Film Preservation Society's Blu-ray set for the William S. Hart feature film, Wolf Lowry (1917). 

Resources Used

Wolf Lowry Blu-ray liner notes by Tracey Goessel

https://www.jbkaufman.com/movie-of-the-month/sheriffs-baby-1913