Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #109

 Hello my friends and welcome back for another selection of classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection begins with one of the most famous cartoon shorts of all time, Steamboat Willie (1928). While contrary to popular belief this was not the first sound cartoon, there is no doubt that no cartoon before had used sound as well as this film did. This was the short that opened up the door for what sound cartoons could be and its effect could soon be felt on almost every sound cartoon being made. Though this was not the first Mickey cartoon made either (Plane Crazy and The Galloping Gaucho were made before it), this was the film that made Mickey a true movie star. In fact after the success of Steamboat Willie the two earlier Mickeys were given synchronized soundtracks because of Willie's success as a talkie. Willie brought about the idea that unlike early live action talkies (which often sparsely used music outside of musical numbers), sound cartoons would use music as just as important a part of the storytelling as the visuals. Even when studios like the Fleischer studio and Warner Brothers would make cartoons in their own style, this principal was largely employed. Walt would later recall "When the picture was half finished we had a showing with sound. A couple of my boys could read music and one of them [Wilfred Jackson] could play a mouth organ. We put them in a room where they could not see the screen and arranged to pipe their sound into the room where our wives and friends were going to see the picture. The boys worked from a music and sound effects score. After several false starts sound and action got off with the gun. The mouth organist played the tune and the rest of us in the sound department bammed tin pans and blew side whistles on the beat. The synchronization was pretty close. The effect on our little audience was nothing less than electric. They responded almost instinctively to this union of sound and motion. I though they were kidding me. So they put me in the audience and ran the action again. It was terrible but it was wonderful! And it was something new." The reaction from audiences when the film hit theatres was if anything even greater. It is hard to overstate just how incredible the reaction to this cartoon was when released. While this cartoon can not have the feeling of newness or startling innovation it once had, it still successeds today wholly on an entertainment level. The truth is that this cartoon is still a lot of fun and the gags remain charming and clever over 90 years later. The film received the #13 spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. November 18, 1928 marked Steamboat Willie's debut at New York's Colony Theater and that date is now widely considered to be Mickey's birthday. I personally have this cartoon on my mind after building a LEGO set of it (a hobby I have got into during lockdown). 

Next comes another masterpiece of a cartoon, Minnie the Moocher (1932) starring the one and only Betty Boop. This cartoon is a pure example of what the Fleischer studio did better than anyone else. The film is full of incredibly creative, surreal and just plain weird gags that are executed to complete perfection. This cartoon is the first of three Bettys to feature jazz singer Cab Calloway (the other two being Snow White and the Old Man of the Mountain). In all three of these cartoons, the singer was not only used to sing his song, but his iconic dancing was captured by the dancer via rotoscope. A review in the Film Daily stated "This swell Max Fleischer musical cartoon is the best turned out so far with the cute pen and ink star, Betty Boop, who seems to get more sexy and alluring each time and her boyfriend Bimbo. The musical selection is supplied by Cab Calloway and his orchestra and what these boys can't do to the Minnie the Moocher number is not worth mentioning."

Next comes Woody Woodpecker in To Catch a Woodpecker (1957). 

Now we will join our friend Toby the Pup, Down South (1931). While Charles Mintz was producing Krazy Kat cartoons for Columbia , he decided to create a separate series of cartoons for RKO, these starring a character named Toby the Pup. To head this series Mintz handed the duties to Dick Huemer, Art Davis and Sid Marcus. Dick Huemer had been a major contributor to the style of the Fleischer studio earlier and this is probably why these shorts have a Fleischer-type feel to them. Huemer, Davis and Marcus would later be the major creative factors for Columbia's Scrappy cartoons (also produced by Mintz).

Next we join Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in Fresh Hare (1942). Many of you who grew up watching this cartoon on TV might have thought its ending was awfully abrupt and non sensical. The reason for this is simply the ending gag was cut from most TV broadcasts (for reasons that will be obvious once you see it). This is also one of those cartoons where Elmer is heavier than we are used to seeing him. This was due to a brief and unsuccessful attempt to make Elmer more resemble his voice actor Arthur Q. Bryan. Though this version of Elmer never caught on, certain cartoon fans (including myself) have a fondness for these cartoons. Later director Friz Freleng would express that he had a dislike for using Elmer as Bugs' adversary. The reason for this being that he felt Elmer was too sympathetic of a character and too easy of a character for Bugs to defeat. Despite this Friz's cartoons with both these characters are often quite good (including this one).  

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." 

Today's cartoon selection ends with Blackie Sheep in Much Ado About Mutton (1947). 

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.

The 50 Greatest Cartoons by Jerry Beck

"Jumping Jive" From Stormy Weather (1943)

Though Stormy Weather certainly has its faults as a movie, the big finale musical number is one of my favorite musical numbers in the history of movie musicals. There is so much energy and talent on screen that I can not look away from the screen. From Cab Calloway and his orchestra giving their all to the music to the Nicholas Brothers doing things that should not be humanly possible, I love every second of it.

  

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Jazz Legends on Film #1

Hello my friends. I don't know about you guys but being a fan of classic films has introduced me to a lot of great vintage music. For instance I don't think I would listen to jazz music if it wasn't for great old films. When talkies came about jazz was at the height of its powers and many music fans wanted to see their favorite jazz musicians performing on screen. Because of this many true legends of jazz appeared in films. Today (and a few days in the future) I am going to share with you some great examples of jazz music in classic films. 

If you had to ask me what the best jazz film ever made was, I would have to go with Jammin' the Blues (1944). While most short subjects featuring popular musicians performing, simply placed the camera in front of the performers and let them play. This film does not do that at all. Instead director Gjon Mili and cinematographer Robert Burks (who my fellow film buffs will know went on to become Alfred Hitchcock's cinematographer on many of his most famous films) create a visually unique and jaw dropping film. The music is jazz music at its finest featuring such great musicians as Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, Matthew Morris, Sidney Catlett, Joe Jones, Barney Kessel, John Simmons, Illinois Jacquet and Marie Bryant. A review in The Exhibitor said "Lighting, camera work and direction by Gjon Mili are first rate." 

Unusual for a short subject this film received a three page article in American Cinematographer. You can read this below. If any of the pages are hard to read you can click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in.

Next comes a classic short subject starring the King of Hi De Ho himself, Cab Calloway. This film is called Cab Calloway's Hi De Ho (1934). The story isn't much to write home about but the music is fantastic. However I will admit I really like the ending gag.

The feature film Stormy Whether (1943) featured quite a few jazz greats in it, including the one and only Fats Waller. Here is Fats Waller performing Ain't Misbehaving in that movie.

 






Many vintage music fans are familiar with the Vitaphone Varieties. This was a series of short films from the late 1920's and early 1930's that featured various musicians and vaudeville acts performing in front of the camera. While few of these are cinematic masterpieces, they give us a great glimpse into a type of entertainment that is gone today.  Here is a typical Vitaphone Variety, Jazzmania Quintette (1928). This film features the jazz violinist Georgie Stoll as well as Edythe Flynn.

 


I have not been shy about my love for the Paul Whiteman feature film, King of Jazz (1930). Here is the great Rhapsody in Blue scene in that movie.

 


One of the all time great film scores is for Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows (1958). The score for this movie was done by the one and only Miles Davis. Here is a scene from the movie featuring some great music by Miles.

Thanks for joining me, I will have more of these posts in the future.

-Michael J. Ruhland


 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #25

Hello my friends. It is once again Saturday morning and time to look at some more classic cartoons. 

We start with an early Looney Tunes cartoon. This film was made before such characters as Porky, Daffy and Bugs were created. Instead it stars the often forgotten Bosko. Bosko was the main character of Looney Tunes from 1930 to 1933. In fact while its sister series Merrie Melodies featured various non-reoccurring characters, every Looney Tune during this period starred Bosko. Bosko was like many of the cartoon stars of the early 1930's. This is to say he was very much in the mold of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. He even had a girlfriend (Honey) and a dog (Bruno), meant to remind audiences of Minnie and Pluto. The creators of Bosko were Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising, both of whom had previously been employed by Walt. When they left the studio in 1933, they took the rights to the character of Bosko with them. They would make a few cartoons with Bosko at MGM, but it wasn't long until the character faced retirement from cartoons. This cartoon is one that uses much of Bosko's dog, Bruno, as Bosko enters him in a dog race. Animation of the actual race would be reused in Bosko's Picture Show (1933). The ending reminds me rather vaguely of the Porky Pig cartoon, Milk and Money (1936). Though that cartoon being Tex Avery would be timed much faster. So enjoy the delightful, Bosko's Dog Race (1932).    


Next comes a much later Warner Brothers cartoon, from Looney Tunes' sister series Merrie Melodies. This is one of the many cartoons of the 1960's which placed Daffy Duck as Speedy Gonzales' anatogist. This was an odd pairing to say the least. The cartoon is directed by animation legend Robert McKimson who had worked on Warners cartoons as early as some of the Bosko's. McKimson's cartoons were certainly the strongest Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies of this late era. So enjoy, Mexican Mousepiece (1966).




Next comes a real oddity. This is a Popeye cartoon, where the sailor is not voiced by either Jack Mercer or Billy Costello. Instead the voice is provided by Floyd Buckley, who a few months after this recording session would voice Popeye on a popular Popeye radio show. This would be the only time he would voice Popeye in a cartoon short. The voice of Popeye certainly does sound more than a bit off here, but the cartoon is delightful despite that. This is one of those excellent Fleischer shorts, where a character learns a lesson by being subjected to the creulty he placed on others. So enjoy, Be Kind to Animals (1935).




Next comes another classic Fleischer Brothers short of the 1930's. This one stars their most famous original character (Popeye was a comic strip before they started the cartoon series), Betty Boop. This is one of the three Betty Boop cartoons to feature the voice of jazz legend Cab Calloway (the other two being Minnie the Moocher (1932) and Snow White (1933)). All three of these cartoons to capture the magic of Cab's on stage movements, rotoscoped (tracing over live action film) Cab's dancing. Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), will recognize that that movie made a direct reference to this cartoon even borrowing a bit of dialogue. So enjoy, The Old Man of the Mountain (1933).




Thanks for joining me, come back next week for more animated treasures.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #11

Happy Saturday morning my friends. You guessed it, it is time to look at some more classic cartoons. 

It has been said often that if Disney cartoons were classical music than Warner Brothers cartoons were jazz. However if I were to pick a classic cartoon studio that really exudes jazz, I would pick the Fleischer studio. In fact some Fleischer cartoons even got famous jazz musicians to lend their singing voices to the cartoons. This cartoon features one of my favorites of that era, Cab Calloway, singing his most popular song, Minnie the Moocher. This cartoon stars Betty Boop and is the first of three Betty cartoons to feature Cab Calloway (The others being Snow White (1933) and The Old Man and the Mountain (1933)). For the dancing of the walrus, Cab's actual dancing was rotoscoped (a Max Fleischer invention where a live action film is traced over). This cartoon received the 20th spot in Jerry Beck's excellent book The 50 Greatest Cartoons. This film is filled with that great bizarre and imaginative imagery that help make so many of the Betty Boop cartoons of the early 1930's so great. So enjoy Minnie the Moocher (1932). 


When people talk about Tex Avery, for they most part they are thinking of his MGM cartoons. The reason being that those are some of the funniest cartoons ever made. However his Warner Brothers cartoons certainly deserve another look, as they are great films in their own right. One of his best Warner Brothers cartoons is Hamateur Night (1939). This like many of Tex's color Merrie Melodies is a spot gag cartoon with loose story that simply connects various gags. The film also features a character TEx used often at this time Egghead. Egghead was based on popular radio comedian Joe Penner, and would later morph into Elmer Fudd.

One of the oddest pairings of Looney Tunes characters was Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales. During the mid to late 1960's Warner Brothers made a whole series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies pitting these two against each other. Unlike the coyote and roadrunner or Sylvester and Tweety cartoons there was no built in reason for these two to be adversaries. As such each cartoon would have a completely different reason to have Daffy chase Speedy. This cartoon has the two as enemy spies. This film was directed by Rudy Larriva, who at this time was mostly directing coyote and roadrunner cartoons. This is one of his better directorial outings for Warner Brothers. So enjoy, The Spy Swatter (1967).

 

Next up comes the last theatrical cartoon to star Gandy Goose, a character who been a major Terrytoons character since 1938. This is a very good last cartoon for the character. There is some great animation (including some very over the top Jim Tyler animation for you cartoon buffs out there) and I love Gandy's impersonations of celebrities towards the beginning. So enjoy Barnyard Actor (1955).

 


Last up here is one of the Fleischer Brothers classic silent Out of the Inkwell shorts. This is a very delightful full of the great imagination and clever gags that made this one of the most memorable of the silent era. So enjoy Big Chief KoKo (1925). And yes the man drawing KoKo at the beginning is the one and only Max Flesicher. He has much less to do here than he did in most of these Out of the Inkwell cartoons, where he would often get involved in a battle of wits with KoKo. Still this is an excellent film in its own right.






Stay tooned next week for more classic cartoons. Until then peace love and cartoons.

-Michael J. Ruhland