Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #206

 Happy Saturday morning my friends. Once again, it is time for some classic cartoons. 

The Night Before Christmas (1941) was the third Tom and Jerry cartoon and one of the best. It is clear that Bill, Joe and the rest of the team were now fully understanding how to use these characters just right. The opening scenes with Jerry playing around the tree, the mistletoe scene and the ending were all animated by Jack Zander. George Gordon animated the scene of Jerry bouncing on Tom, and a very funny sequence involving boxing gloves. Cecil Surry animates Jerry freezing outside. Bill Littlejohn animates the scene of Jerry pretending to be a toy solider. Irven Spence who would later become one of the most prominent Tom and Jerry animators (known for animating over the top reactions) has a very limited role here. He animates Tom feeling guilty about Jerry freezing outside, while he is trying to sleep and a very brief scene of Tom shaking snow off of Jerry. This film was nominated for an Oscar. Its competition this year was Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B (1941, Walter Lantz), Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt (1941, Warner Brothers, starring Bugs Bunny), How War Came (1941, Columbia), Lend a Paw (1941, Disney, starring Mickey Mouse and Pluto), Rhapsody in Rivets (1941, Warner Brothers), The Rookie Bear (1941, MGM, starring Barney Bear), Rhythm in the Ranks (1941, George Pal Puppetoon), Superman (1941, Fleischer Studios) and Truant Officer Donald (1941, Disney). Lend a Paw won the Oscar this year. 

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Next is the Terry Toons cartoon, Spanish Onions (1930). Most of the early Terry Toons shorts (including this one) had food related titles. 

Disney cartoons have long been associated with sentimentality and cuteness. Yet this wasn't always the case. The early black and white Mickey Mouse films were mostly pretty much the opposite. They focused purely on the gags and jokes and with keeping the comic momentum going. A perfect example of this is Mickey's Orphans (1931). This short has all the makings for a sentimental cartoon. It takes place at Christmas time and the involves Mickey adopting a bunch of orphans. Yet all of this is play strictly for laughs and some of the kids can be a little sadistic. A review in the Motion Picture Herald stated, "The youngsters will get a real kick out of this short, and the oldsters will extract a bit of enjoyment." A review in The Film Daily gave the same sentiment stating, "It will delight all children and get many a laugh from their elders." An issue of The Film Daily (Dated February 7, 1932) stated "In addition to El Brendel in person this week's show at the Roxy is a special treat for the kids. The presentation includes four scenes based on 'Mickey's Orphans,' the Mickey Mouse cartoon that was held over for three weeks at this house. The characters of Mickey and Minnie are portrayed by the Arnaut Brothers, popular pantomimists. Patricia Bowman, Fred Waring's orchestra in a novelty entitled 'Dancing Melodies,' and the Roxyettes also are part of the proceedings. In the Mickey scenes, the Roxyettes and ballet group are made up to represent kittens, musical notes and animated furnishings in Minnie's boudoir." This cartoon was reissued to theatres in 1934. 

Now for a winter themed Foghorn Leghorn short, Weasel While You Work (1958). This is the third and last appearance of the weasel character in a theatrical short. His other two appearances were in Plop Goes the Weasel! (1953) and Weasel Stop (1956), both of which were Foghorn Leghorn cartoons. This film is also one of six shorts to use stock music from John Seely, rather than the usual Carl Stalling or Milt Franklin orchestral scores. This was due to a musician's strike at the time. The cartoon also marks one of the few times director Robert McKimson worked with writer Michael Maltese, who is most associated for his work with Chuck Jones. Weasel While You Work is one of only two Foghorn Leghorn cartoons written by Michael Maltese, with the other being Fox Terror (1957). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes a silent era cartoon starring Krazy Kat, Scents and Nonsense (1926).

Many of the later Betty Boop cartoons would turn the focus from Betty to her supporting cast. Quite a few shorts would focus on her dog Pudgy. One of these is Pudgy Picks a Fight (1937). 

Next comes Bugs Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil in The Fright Before Christmas (1979). This short was originally created for the TV special Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979). This was the final of three segments in that special and was directed Friz Freleng. This makes this the first time Taz was directed by someone other than Robert McKimson. The result like the whole special is a delightful Christmas treat and one of the best uses of Taz after the golden age of Looney Tunes. Also appearing here is Bugs' nephew Clyde. Clyde had only appeared in two theatrical shorts, His Hare Raising Tale (1951) and Yankee Doodle Bugs (1954). Both of those were directed by Friz Freleng. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with A Garfield Christmas Special (1987). 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

Tom and Jerry: The Definitive Guide to Their Animated Adventures by Patrick Brion
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mgms-the-night-before-christmas-1941-with-tom-jerry/ 
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by David Gerstein and J.B. Kaufman
https://mediahistoryproject.org/

  

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #204

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with one of the greatest Christmas cartoons of all time, Santa's Workshop (1932). This movie marks the fourth Silly Symphony in color and as is true of many of Disney's early color films, the filmmakers never took color for granted. I would dare to say that few filmmakers have ever used color as effectively as the Disney studio did at this time. All these decades later and this cartoon still looks incredible. Many of you may know that Walt Disney himself voiced Mickey in many cartoons. In this movie we get to hear him voice another character in a similar falsetto voice, this is one of Santa's elves and I am sure many of you will quickly recognize the voice. The other elves were voiced by J. Delos Jewkes and Pinto Colvig (the voice of Goofy). Walter Geiger voiced Santa. A working title for this film was Santa's Toy Shop. It premiered at the Roxy in New York on December 16, 1932 playing alongside the feature film, Man Against Woman. It played with this movie from the 16th to the 23rd. It would continue to play at the theatre from the 24th to January 1st, 1933 this time playing alongside the feature. Rare for a short cartoon at this time, Santa's Workshop was revived in big name movie theatres in 1933. This film went through production relatively fast beginning in September 1932 and hitting movie theatres by December of the same year. This cartoon would later receive a sequel, The Night Before Christmas (1933). In 1936 an idea for another Silly Symphony cartoon centering around Santa and his helpers at the north pole was proposed. In this cartoon a little boy would have been shrunk to the size of a toy and given a chance to see Santa's workshop. One title for this would have been The North Pole. This idea never came to be. The following is an Exhibitors Review from the Motion Picture Herald. "Santa's Workshop: This is the greatest one-reeler we have ever had the pleasure of screening in our theatre and did the kids flock in! It is filmed in glorious color and there is only one word that can describe it - beautiful. Just as the name suggests, it shows Santa's workshop where all of the toys are made and just the type of short for this season. We played this three days and many patrons young and old, saw it two or three times. Many thanks to Walt Disney and United Artists for this great short. Running time, eight minutes - J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C. General Patronage." The following are some Exhibitors Reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. "Santa's Workshop: Silly Symphony - An excellent all color short you will do well to book. They just rave over it. Running time, seven minutes - Wm. A. Crute, Victoria Theatre, Vancouver, B.C. Neighborhood Patronage." "Santa's Workshop: Silly Symphony - Excellent and drew considerable business. - B.R. Johnson, Orpheum Theatre, Kerrobert, Canada, Rural Patronage." "Santa's Workshop: Silly Symphonies - These cartoons are good but an exhibitor can feed his public up on them by booking too many. Once a week is plenty. Running time, eight minutes. - Edmund M. Burke, Fort Plain Theatre, Fort Plain, N.Y. General Patronage."

Next is Daffy Duck in Boston Quackie (1957). This film is a parody of the character Boston Blackie. That character first appeared in a 1914 book by Jack Boyle, followed by many other books featuring the characters. In only a few years the character was appearing in silent films. In the 1940's Chester Morris played the character in a series of 14 B-movies. In 1944 Morris also played the character in a radio series. In 1951, Kent Taylor played the character in a TV series called Boston Blackie that ran for 58 episodes. 

Now for some black and white Terry-Toons fun with Home Town Olympics (1936). 

Possibly the best of the Fleischer Brothers' Color Classics cartoons and a must watch for me every Christmas season is Christmas Comes But Once a Year (1936). As well as a really catchy title song and some fun gags, this cartoon has a warm Christmas-y feel. Unlike some of the studio's other attempts at sentimentality, this film never feels forced in this respect. Instead the sentimentality feels genuine and earned. Though most of the Color Classics featured one off characters, this short stars Grampy from the Betty Boop cartoons. Grampy was one of the best things about the later Betty Boop films and he definitely gets to shine here. The title song in this short movie would later be reused in the Popeye cartoon, Let's Celebrake (1938) with the lyrics changed to be about New Years instead. Some of Grampy's household toy ideas would later be used in the Casper cartoon, True Boo (1952). 

Motion Picture Herald, 1936

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for a delightful early Looney Tunes cartoon, The Booze Hangs High (1930). This short film predates such characters as Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. Instead the star of the movie is Bosko, who was the first starring character for the Looney Tunes cartoons. While this movie may not feel much like the Looney Tunes cartoons that were yet to come, it is still a fun little film. The Booze Hangs High was only the 4th Looney Tunes cartoon. 

If the Columbia cartoon, Up N' Atom (1947), feels like a Looney Tunes cartoon, there is a reason for this. The cartoon was directed by Bob Clampett, who directed some legendary cartoons for Warner Brothers, and directed by Sid Marcus, who would later write the first Tasmanian Devil cartoon for Warner Brothers. Notice that the cat in this film looks a lot like Sylvester. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with the TV special, A Garfield Christmas Special (1987).

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 Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman 

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #200

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

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, today's cartoon selection begins with a true Thanksgiving classic, Tom Turk and Daffy (1944). Unlike Christmas or Halloween, there really aren't a wide variety of Thanksgiving cartoons, which is odd once you think about how hunting a turkey is a perfect subject for a cartoon. However, the idea of hunting a turkey in a cartoon was done to perfection in this film. The cartoon was directed by Chuck Jones, who is often credited with playing a major role in turning Daffy from his early crazy self into a self-centered character bent on self-preservation-ism. While Daffy had not fully turned into that character by this point this cartoon shows that sneaking into the character. In this film Daffy is willing to sell-out his friend he vowed to protect when temptation gets the better of him (Those darn canned yams!). The idea of Daffy simply being too weak to resist temptation is fully in line with the Daffy we would see in later Jones cartoons. Yet he still has the wild energetic streak that characterized the older Daffy Duck cartoons. In an interview with film historian Joe Adamson, Chuck would state, "What you do is multiply your own weakness, I guess, in a character like Daffy. There was no problem after I began to understand what he was all about. My Daffy and Friz's [Looney Tunes director, Friz Freleng] are also a little bit different, Friz was the one you might say, who got him into that cowardly self-preservation. The minute he did it, I understood what that was; I knew how I'd feel. It's that awfulness, when you're on the battlefield, of realizing when your buddy is shot that your basic feeling is one of relief: that it wasn't you. Well Daffy says that. He says, 'I may be a mean little duck but I'm an alive little duck.' or when he gave Bugs up to the Abominable Snowman, he said, 'I'm not like other people: I can't stand pain - it hurts me.' When I'd go home, I'd tell Dorothy [Chuck's wife] a line like that, which just occurred as I was working. I'd say, 'You know what that guy Daffy did today?' and I'd repeat the line and then she'd look at me. She never got used to this, she'd say, 'Well, you were drawing it you did it.' I'd say 'That's not true! It just developed! That's what he said. It was natural for him to say it.'" Despite this cartoon being Thanksgiving themed, Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald's book, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons, lists the film release date as February 12th, 1944. The story credit for this film goes to "The Staff" and as far as I know this is the only Warner cartoon with that credit. I do not know the reason for this if any of you do please let me know. 

Today's cartoon selection continues with Therapeutic Pink (1977). This short film marks the last Pink Panther cartoon to be made for movie theaters. 

Now for a silent movie starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, The Ole Swimmin’ 'Ole (1928).

Our next film has become a holiday classic for many cartoon fans, who watch it every Thanksgiving. The cartoon is Jerky Turkey (1945). Directed by the one and only Tex Avery, this movie is everything anyone could want from a Tex Avery film. This movie revolves around the premise of a pilgrim chasing a Turkey and being a Tex Avery film, every crazy gag around this premise that could be used in 7 minutes appears. Out of all the “Eat at Joe’s” gags in the history of cartoons, this film has my favorite. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "JERKY TURKEY: Technicolor Cartoons - This is the kind of cartoon that keep audiences laughing. They forget their troubles and feel glad they came to the theatre. We highly recommend this one. - Thomas di Lorenzo, New Platz Theatre, New Platz, N. Y. Small town patronage." 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for a fun black and white Terry Toons cartoon, The Mayflower (1935). This film may be crude compared to what Disney was doing at this time but watched in the right mindset, it is a lot of fun. 

Now for our frustrated hero, Donald Duck in Lucky Number (1951). This movie is an oddity among Donald cartoons as it depicts Huey, Dewey and Louie as older than usual (seemingly teenagers). They are at least old enough to drive a car without anybody thinking a thing of it. 

Now to end today's cartoon selection is a special Thanksgiving surprise. It is the TV special, Garfield's Thanksgiving (1989).

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of classic cartoons. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

Chuck Jones: Conversations Edited by Maureen Furniss

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Happy Monday?

 

Happy Monday?