Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection starts with Gandy Goose in Peace-Time Football (1946). Why Gandy is on a team called The Mice that otherwise is only mice is not a question I know the answer to.
Next comes the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon, I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1931). The title song was written in 1909 by lyricists Will M. Hough and Frank R. Adams and composers Joseph E. Howard, Harold Orlob. In 1909 the song was already being recorded by the popular crooner Henry Burr. Over the years such artists as Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Danny Kaye, Ray Charles, Bobbin Darrin, Dean Martin, George Hamilton IV and Anne Murray.
Next is the early Porky Pig cartoon, Plane Dippy (1936). This is the movie in which we learn Porky's full name, Porky Cornelius Washington Otis Lincoln Abner Aloysius Casper Jefferson Philbert Horatius Narcissus Pig. I'm sure you all will memorize that name. As well as Porky this film also has some other characters that also premiered in the Merrie Melodies cartoon, I Haven't Got A Hat (1935) such as Little Kitty (who plays an important role here). Comic fans may also notice that the character of Professor Blotz looks extremely similar to a character from the Mickey Mouse comic strip, Professor Ecks. Though this movie is directed by Tex Avery, don't except the pure insanity of his later cartoons, as this was still early in his directorial career and he hadn't fully developed his style yet. Still this cartoon has many very funny gags in it, I especially love Porky writing his name. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "PLANE DIPPY: Looney Tune—This is a very comical cartoon. Above the average.—Paul J. Pope, Avon Theatre, Geneva, Ala., Small Town and Rural Patronage."
Now for a Columbia Phantasy cartoon, Polly Wants a Doctor (1943). This short film was directed by former Disney animator and future Hanna-Barbera animator Howard Swift.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Most Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons follow the same basic formula and therefore feel very repetitive. Boo Moon (1954) is a delightful exception and my favorite Casper cartoon. This short film features our hero heading to the moon and meeting and befriending a bunch of tiny men and even becoming their protector. If this sounds like Gulliver's Travels to you, then the similarities were certainly not lost on the filmmakers either. This film uses similar designs (and even reuses some) to the Lilliputians from the Fleischer Brothers' animated feature length movie version of Gulliver's Travels (1939). This was also the first and only Casper cartoon to be released in 3-D, however most of us today know it much better in 2-D.
Now for an early Aesop's Sound Fables cartoon, The Faithful Pup (1929).
Up next is the Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Castaway (1931). This was the first cartoon to be directed by Wilfred Jackson who would direct some of the best Disney cartoons of the 1930's. Jackson had become a director hugely through a misunderstanding. He wanted to animate a whole short by himself and he asked Walt if he "could handle a picture" himself. Instead of animating a cartoon by himself he would up directing The Castaway. According to Jackson, "we never did get this misunderstanding cleared up." Walt ended up very unhappy with the finished film and Jackson remembered overhearing Walt and Roy Disney having a conversation about it. Roy said, "But Walt, it doesn't look like a Disney picture. I don't know if we ought to release it." Walt replied, We've got to release it to meet our schedule Roy." Despite this the cartoon is actually pretty good and should delight Disney and movie fans of all ages. This movie also marked the first time Frank Churchill would do a musical score for a Disney film. He would later score music for such Disney features as Snow White (1937), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942)
Now to close with a song.
Resources Used
Working With Walt: Interviews With Disney Artists by Don Peri
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
Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age by Michael Barrier
In this short, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy try to stop The Cat Lady Burglar.
There is a lot to enjoy about this short. The villain is a lot of fun. Her design is quite good and her device that allows her to communicate with cats makes her feel like a comic book villain in a good way. Much of the story could have made a good golden or silver age superhero comic book. This gives it a fun and unique feel among Scooby adventures. This episode also has some strong action and chases. The humor is never laugh out loud funny, but it is charming. Scooby trying to volunteer Scrappy by saying Scrappy's catchphrase put a smile on my face for instance.
In this cartoon, Scooby, Scrappy and Shaggy go butterfly hunting in the jungle. However, when the Tarzan-like Nazrat of the Jungle believes that they are trespassing, the trio find themselves in danger.
There is little to recommend about this cartoon. Nazrat of the Jungle is a rather bland and forgettable villain. There is little fun or creativity in this character. He never is either that intimidating or funny. The humor simply falls flat. These are unimaginative and tired slapstick gags that are also poorly executed (with very poor timing). The only thing that really works here is that the background art.
One of the best Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo shorts.
In this cartoon, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy investigate a mysterious disappearance in cars. While on a stakeout, the Mystery Machine is shrunk along with our heroes inside.
This is a really fun cartoon. The villain, Pistons McGee, is a wonderful villain. He has a great design (that is a bit reminiscent of the Batman villain Hugo Strange) and a great voice. He also feels like a real threat to our heroes and despite not being in a monster costume is a bit reminiscent of classic Scooby villains in being such a threat. A giant rat, who appears here even brings some delightful creepiness into an era that was lacking just that. The gimmick of a shrinking ray allows for a cartoon that feels unique among Scooby adventures. This allows for some very clever, playful and imaginative moments. Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are all each well utilized here, each having their moment to shine. Plus, the final gag is delightful.
Writer Ron Sellz remembered having great trouble with the shrink ray. He originally referred to it as a shrinking gun, but network censors were dead set against any sort of gun appearing in a cartoon watched by children. Not only could it not be referred to as a gun, but it couldn't look like one either. Sellz remembered, "The animators were given the task of drawing or attempting to draw a shrinking device that didn’t look like a gun. After several drawings were turned down, I was summoned once again. The producers, “Joe Ruby and Ken Spears”, informed me that if a solution wasn’t found, the episode would be scrubbed. Afterall, we can’t have a shrinking device that resembles a gun. When I was a kid, I remembered that the toy company, “Wammo” had a device called an air blaster. It used compressed air to shoot targets., I drew a picture to show them that it couldn’t be confused as a gun, but they said that it looked like a gun, so my idea was thrown out. Back to the drawing board. Anyway, several more secret meetings ensued and a solution was reached. I was sent a drawing of the shrinking device. Would you believe, it looked like a gun! That’s right! It was truly a circle jerk. Back to square one. What a waste of everyone’s time."
The villain was quite similar to actor Lionell Atwill. Some readers of this blog might be familiar with Atwill, who played villains in such classic 1930's horror movies as Doctor X (1932), The Vampire Bat (1933), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) and Murders in the Zoo (1933). About the similarity Sellz stated, " They kept saying that the car thief was a Lionel Atwill type. I pretended to know who Lionel Atwill was because he was before my time. As it turned out, I saw a picture of him and the car thief looks like him. He always played a mad scientist or something. A good bit of casting."
This episode features the only time Shaggy's uncle Fearless Shagaford appears onscreen. He is mentioned in other episodes but never shown. He is only shown briefly here, but he never talks.
In this cartoon, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy visit Shaggy's hillbilly relatives, the Shaggbillies. However, they are feuding with the McGurks because Shaggy's relative Betty Lou won't go to hoedown with him because he won't take a bath.
Like many of the Scooby and Scrappy shorts, this cartoon is enjoyable but not especially memorable. Some of the slapstick here is pretty enjoyable and the ending is chuckle worthy. Still there is a little here that hasn't been done in many other cartoons and this storyline and these gags would work just as well with any number of cartoon characters. There is nothing about this episode that particularly benefits from these characters, especially when the characters take a back seat to the slapstick gags.
In this cartoon, Shaggy remembers when Scrappy was born. In flashback we see Scooby and Shaggy with Scooby's sister Ruby-Doo as she is about to have a baby. When Scrappy is born, he ventures around the hospital causing trouble for Scooby and Shaggy.
This cartoon has strong ideas. It is cool to meet another member of Scooby's family and an episode revolving around how Scooby and Shaggy met Scrappy is a good premise. However, sadly these ideas are never fully taken advantage of. There are very few actual gags here and the gags that are here are never that funny. The timing is off for all these gags and many of them lack any real payoff. Ruby-Doo is barely on screen and despite a good design she is not especially memorable. It also simply doesn't help that the baby voice Scrappy is given here is quite annoying.
Despite a strong premise, this is a rather bland cartoon.
In this episode, the gang goes on a cruise and come across the Ghost of Captain Pescado, a kelp monster and an octopus monster.
There is a lot to love about this episode. There is a wonderful sense of atmosphere throughout. Having a mystery aboard a cruise ship was a perfect idea. Being aboard a ship with no way off gives the episode a great sense of danger. The use of fog and lighting also help give this episode an eerie feel. The great background art also helps greatly in this area, emphasizing just how enclosed our heroes are. The humor is just the type of corny fun us Scooby fans love. There are nautical puns galore and each one is delightfully corny. The action and chase scenes expertly blend excitement and slapstick.
The Ghost of Captain Pescado has a wonderfully eerie design. He looks creepy enough to be threating but not too creepy to take away from the lighthearted fun. Unfortunately, the kelp and octopus monsters don't fare as well. They simply look too goofy to be creepy or feel like much of a threat.
The largest flaw in this episode is that the mystery is too easy to solve due to a lack of suspects.
In this episode, the gang goes out to enjoy a day of waterskiing. However, when an ancient demon shark appears, the gang has another mystery on their hands.
There is so much to love about this episode. First off, the design of the demon shark is excellent. This design is the perfect level of creepy for a Scooby villain. He is creepy in a way that gives this episode a delightfully spooky feel, while never being too scary to take away from the lighthearted fun. It is too often in these episodes when a demon animal just looks like a regular animal. This makes me appreciate that this shark looks creepier than your typical cartoon shark. Also helping give this episode a delightfully spooky feel is the use of fog. The fog helps give the episode the same feel as an old Universal monster movie. The backgrounds here are also wonderfully detailed and atmospheric, especially during the climbing scenes. This episode also does a great job mixing comedy and mystery. Quite a bit of the episode cuts back and forth between Fred, Daphne and Velma asking questions to solve the mystery and slapstick gags involving Shaggy and Scooby. Both of these types of scenes work very well. The slapstick is often funny, and the mystery elements are very well handled. While you can probably figure out who did it, the way he did it and the clues that lead up to this reveal are great.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection starts with a delightful short from the Disney studio, Suzie the Little Blue Coop (1952). This cartoon is a perfect example of what Disney could do better than nearly any other animation studio. It not only humanizes an inanimate object, but it makes us truly emotionally connect with this little blue car. This is a sweet and charming film that never fails to make me smile. This short film would make its TV debut on the Disneyland TV show episode, Adventures in Fantasy (1957), only five years after this film hit theaters.
We continue 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 comes Gandy Goose in The Frog and the Princess (1944). This short film follows a typical Gandy Goose pattern with its story. Gandy falls asleep and dreams of some elaborate fantasy world.
Now for another Terry Toons cartoon, Fanny's Wedding Day (1933). This cartoon features a human villain named Oil Can Harry, years before Mighty Mouse fought a feline villain with the same name. Many cartoon fans believe these to be the same character. This human Oil Can Harry did not only appear in this character but in a series of melodrama spoofs.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for the silent cartoon short, Koko the Knight (1927).
The Pink Panther began his animated career appearing in the opening credits of Blake Edwards' great live action feature, The Pink Panther (1964). Blake Edwards contacted animation producers Friz Freleng and David DePatie to create an animated Pink Panther for this title sequence. They created many different panthers, but when Blake saw the various drawings, he immediately knew which one he wanted in his film. The title sequence was a smash hit, and the character was spun off into a series of theatrical cartoon shorts (at a time when those were on their way out). Today we will look at the first and possibly best of these cartoons, The Pink Phink (1964). This cartoon set a template for many more shorts to come. The basic storyline involves a formula that would be often used. The Pink Panther wants to turn everything pink much to the annoyance of a little man (who may look a little like Friz). The gags come fast and furious and the design work is lovely. All in all, this cartoon was a delight and the best way to start this series possible.
Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, Jesse and James (1931).
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
Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town! by Jerry Beck
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with Gandy Goose and Sourpuss in Lights Out (1942). During World War 2, multiple cartoons were made featuring these two characters in the army, with Sourpuss as a sergeant and Gandy as a private.
Next we join Daffy Duck in Scrap Happy Daffy (1943). This movie marks Daffy Duck's last appearance in a black and white cartoon. It is also simply a delightful film. The short is directed by Frank Tashlin, who would go on to direct many live action feature films. His Looney Tunes are some of the most cinematic and feature wonderful filmmaking. The use of editing and montage here are excellent and hold up to many of the great live action films of the time. Yet this is also simply a very funny cartoon, including one of the funniest fade-out/fade-ins in the history of cartoons. This cartoon appears in Jerry Beck's book, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes.
Now for the Screen Songs cartoon, Comin' Round the Mountain (1949). The title song is one I am sure you are all familiar with (so you have no excuse not to sing along). Most of you probably know it as a children's song. However, it was originally a 19th century African American spiritual. The song is believed to have been originally intended to be about the second coming of Christ.
Next comes the only theatrical cartoon short to star the comic strip character Skippy, The Dog Catcher (1938).
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Next comes a great early Mickey Mouse cartoon, Barnyard Battle (1929). This cartoon takes place back when Mickey was a simple country mouse. One thing I love about the early Mickey cartoons is these barnyard settings. They provide the films with a good sense of atmosphere and are full of gags that come from the setting. Like the Our Gang kids these cartoon characters make all sorts of inventions out of simple barnyard objects. This gives the films a charm and creativity that the later Mickey's never fully captured. This was also before Walt came up with the idea to do away with some of the more cartoony gags where characters bodies could do impossible things. While I love many of the Disney studio's shorts of the 1940's and 50's I wish these gags didn't fade away because they are a lot of fun. This cartoon features Mickey going to war with a bunch of cats (that all look like Pete) and in many ways feels like a follow-up to such previous Disney war cartoons as Oswald's Great Guns (1927) and the Alice Comedy, Alice's Little Parade (1926). In fact, many of these gags would have felt right at home in those pre-Mickey cartoons. This movie would be banned in Germany due to the cat's helmets resembling German army helmets.
Now we join the mightiest of superheroes, Mighty Mouse in Mother Goose's Birthday Party (1950).
Next is Porky Pig in Rover's Rival (1937). This was the first Looney Tune to use The Merry Go-Round Broke Down as the theme song. It would remain the Looney Tunes theme song long afterwards. This was also the first cartoon to end with Porky popping out of the drum and saying, "That's All Folks." The film was directed by Bob Clampett, whose black and white Porky cartoons helped solidify him as the character we all know today. Clampett wasn't the only legendary animation director who worked on this short film. One of the animators was Chuck Jones, who really gets to show off his skill here. He gets to deliver some excellent character animation including such scenes as Rover leaving the kennel towards the start, the little pup fetching the dynamite and then bring it back after Porky throws it away and Rover's shock after reading what dynamite is. Bobe Cannon, who would direct some fantastic films for UPA animates the little pup blowing Rover to the ground.
Now comes the Color Rhapsody cartoon, The Little Moth's Big Flame (1938).
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 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
The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes edited by Jerry Beck
The Bride of Darkseid (Part I) is the first episode of Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. This version of Super Friends introduced both new heroes and new villains, notably Darkseid. With these new villains, the stakes were raised as our heroes faced greater danger than previous Super Friends series. More importantly, this series has Adam West himself as the voice of Batman.
In this episode, the Super Friends meet the new superhero Firestorm, who is really college student Ronnie Raymond and college professor Martin Stein fused into one being. The team lets Firestorm join the Super Friends. However, Darkseid shows up from his home of Apokolips to Earth with plans of making Wonder Woman his bride.
This is a pretty good start to the series. Firestorm is great addition to the team. His powers provide some fun and creative action sequences. His personality is well formed from even this first episode. Even his crush on Wonder Woman allows for some fun interactions. While we don't spend enough time with Darkseid for him to feel like anything but a typical 1980's cartoon bad guy, his voice and design make him already a great villain. He also proves to be a great threat to our heroes. The artwork in this episode is also great. The background art is as wonderful as it always is in these Hanna-Barbera cartoons. As well as this the art style change when Ronnie and Professor Stein combine into Firestorm is very effective.
This is the final segment of the final episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon Superman and Green Lantern team up to save the day when a wild elephant is loose in India.
This is a fun cartoon. Superman and Green Lantern have to save the day without harming the elephants making saving the day feel like a real challenge. The elephants have a great design, and the background art of India is very eye pleasing. The climatic action scene is done quite well. There is some of that very corny superhero dialogue that I love. While there may not be anything new here there is still enough to enjoy.
This is the third segment of the fifteenth (and final) episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, the villainous Gentleman Ghost (a real comic book supervillain who is called Gentlemen Jim in this episode) once again rises from the grave. He wants to get revenge on Superman and Wonder Woman who stopped his evil deeds the last time he rose from the grave. All the Super Friends team up together to stop him.
This is a wonderful episode. There is a real atmospheric feel here that gives the whole segment a great Halloween-y feel. This is especially seen very well in the great gothic background art. This artwork is reminiscent of the best Scooby-Doo episodes. Gentleman Ghost is a wonderful villain here. He is actually kind of creepy for a Super Friends villain. The way he turns people into ghosts makes him especially creepy. He also feels like a real threat to our heroes here, creating a great sense of suspense throughout. The climax is especially exciting and effectively creepy. Though the villain's plan is aimed against Superman and Wonder Woman, this episode makes great use of each Super Friend.
This is simply a very exciting and atmospheric episode.
This is the second segment of the fifteenth (and final) episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon two teenage girls get in trouble when they stowaway on a yacht. The Wonder Twins must save them.
This is one of the better Wonder Twins cartoons. While the dialogue can still feel overly didactic, the action is pretty fun here. This is thanks to some strong artwork, including some great effects animation. The climax is actually kind of exciting. The two teenage girls though are as bland as can be and speak only in forced dialogue that drives the message home further.
This is the first segment of the fifteenth (and final) episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, Batman, Robin and Aquaman team up to stop a villain named The Shark who steals valuables from various ships with his immobilizer ray. He does this to keep ships from going out to sea and because of this he views himself as a protector of the sea.
This is an excellent episode. The use of fog out at sea creates a great sense of atmosphere and helps it stand out. Beyond this the background art (especially aboard the ship) is typically excellent. The Shark is a fun villain with a very memorable design and a great voice. His immobilizer ray is a good gimmick and makes him a believable threat to our heroes. The action is quite fun as well. The story is simple, but it is just the kind of simplistic superhero fun that I love.
This is the final segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, Wonder Woman and the Atom team up to save passengers stranded on a cable car in the Rocky Mountains.
This is a wonderful cartoon. Taking place at the Rocky Mountains, there is a great sense of atmosphere throughout. The background art of the rugged and snowy terrain is fantastic, with great detail that makes it feel real to us. The effects animation with the lighting also adds to this sense of atmosphere. All this also works together to create a real sense of danger. You really feel the danger all the passengers are in and the episode gets a good amount of suspense out of this basic premise. The superhero action is pretty basic as well. However, it is also quite effective and exciting.
This episode may be very basic, but it is also Super Friends doing a great job at what it does best.
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 Christmas cartoons of all time, Mickey's Good Deed (1932). This film was from 1932, at this time, Mickey was at the absolute height of his popularity. He was famous in a way that no cartoon character before had ever been. Critics often compared his popularity to that of Charlie Chaplin's little tramp, and like that character Mickey had fans of all types. He was equally popular with intellectuals and small children. In fact, this same year Walt Disney would receive a special Academy Award for creating Mickey. Renowned Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein (best known for his silent film The Battleship Potemkin (1925)) was a huge fan and even wrote essays on Walt Disney, that discussed the brilliance of Mickey Mouse cartoons (He would remain a huge Disney fan and even later call Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) the single greatest film ever made). Almost every other American cartoon studio was copying what Disney had done with Mickey Mouse. Characters like Foxy (at Warner Brothers) and Cubby Bear (at Van Beuren) were extremely thinly disguised copies of Mickey himself. In fact, in 1931, the Van Beuren studio was sued by Walt for using two mice characters that looked exactly like Mickey and Minnie. There was no doubt, Mickey was movie royalty. Mickey did for animated comedies, exactly what Charlie Chaplin's little tramp had done for live action comedies. Like the comedy films made before Chaplin, the animated comedies before Mickey were often very funny, but you very rarely felt any other emotional response to what was happening on screen. Mickey changed all that and nowhere was it clearer than in Mickey's Good Deed. You may notice that this doesn't sound like your typical cartoon short of the era, and my point is it isn't. This film while not sacrificing the slapstick comedy, also adds a lot of drama to the story itself. However, the Disney studio understood exactly what Chaplin had found out earlier. If the comedy and the drama are both driven by the story and characters, they can both easily co-exist. This idea is done to absolute perfection in this cartoon. This is a beautiful and moving film, while it never forsakes the comedy. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Right up there with the best of these animated cartoons. Subject has a special holiday flavor in that it shows how Mickey and his dog manage to bring cheer into a big family of needy animal folks. Clever and lively as usual." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "Mickey's Good Deed: Mickey Mouse - Christmas cartoon. Kids like Mickey. That's why they come. One Mickey Mouse cartoon on your Saturday's program brings the kiddies out to the matinee. Running time, eight minutes. - Edmund M. Burke. Fort Plain Theatre, Fort Plain, N.Y. General Patronage."
Next comes Frosty the Snowman (1954). This very short cartoon from the UPA studio (best known for the Mr. Magoo cartoons) was a holiday staple at Chicago's WGN-TV station including airing annually on WGN's The Bozo Show.
Up next is a truly charming and lovely Christmas film from the Halas and Batchelor animation studio, The Candlemaker (1956). This animation studio was started by husband and wife John Halas and Joy Batchelor and is best known for their classic feature film, Animal Farm (1954).
Bug Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979) is a delightful TV special that featured the Looney Tunes characters (though strangely not Daffy Duck) in three new Christmas themed shorts. In between these shorts there were a few interstitial scenes. You can watch those below.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Up next comes a classic Silly Symphony, The Night Before Christmas (1933). Though the Silly Symphonies were mostly one-off shorts, the occasional sequel could happen (with the Three Little Pigs sequels being the most well-known). The Night Before Christmas is a follow up to the often better remembered Santa's Workshop (1932). Yet as much as I love Santa's Workshop, I love this sequel even more. It could be argued that this movie picks up where the previous one left off, as the last one ends with Santa leaving the North Pole for his trip and this cartoon has him visiting houses. This is a reissue and there is a bit of a difference towards the end. In the original 1933 version, Little Junior is disappointed to get a chamber pot for Christmas. Here he is happy to get a puppy. In this version we do get a bit of Junior getting a blackface appearance from the chimney soot that would be cut out when the film was shown a Disney TV Christmas special in 1983. For all four years of the original Mickey Mouse Club, this would be the Mousekartoon on the last new episode to be aired before Christmas. The following is a brief article from The Film Daily (dated December 28, 1933), "In conjunction with the showing of Walt Disney's Silly Symphony, 'The Night Before Christmas,' The Radio City Music Hall is exhibiting six original Walt Disney drawings used in the production of this picture. The short, a united Artists release, will be held over a second week." A review of the cartoon in The Film Daily called The Night Before Christmas "... one of Walt Disney's best cartoons." Not everyone was so impressed as evidenced by the following exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE: Silly Symphony—These Silly Symphonies arc okay, but not worth difference in rental United Artists asks for them. -P. G. Held, New Strand Theatre, Griswold, Iowa. General patronage."
Now for another holiday staple of WGN-TV, Hardrock, Coco and Joe: The Three Little Dwarfs (1951).
My favorite Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon is True Boo (1952). This film puts a lot of delightful Christmas spirit in with its traditional Casper story. The gags where Casper uses everyday objects to make toys, heavily borrows from the Max Fleischer Color Classic, Christmas Comes but Once a Year (1936).
While it is easy to say that the DePatie-Freling cartoons of the mid and late 1970's were not on par with the studio's cartoons of the 1960's and early 70's without any sense of doubt, A Pink Christmas (1978) is a huge exception. This TV special is about as good a cartoon as the studio ever made. This dialogue-less special is somewhat based on O. Henry's The Cop and the Anthem. The Pink Panther has often been compared to Charlie Chaplin, mostly because he is a pantomime character. This though is probably the most Chaplin-esque film the cartoon cat ever stared in. It beautifully combines comedy and pathos, and the idea of a poor tramp like character looking for food of course has roots in Chaplin as well. In fact, this film borrows a gag from Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925) (involving shoveling snow). It succussed very well. It is both very funny and very moving.
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
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein.
Hello, my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Disney cartoons have long been associated with sentimentality and cuteness. Yet this wasn't always the case. The early black and white Mickey Mouse films were mostly pretty much the opposite. They focused purely on the gags and jokes and with keeping the comic momentum going. A perfect example of this is Mickey's Orphans (1931). This movie has all the makings for a sentimental cartoon. It takes place at Christmas time and the involves Mickey adopting a bunch of orphans. Yet all of this is played strictly for laughs and some of the kids can be a little sadistic. A review in the Motion Picture Herald stated, "The youngsters will get a real kick out of this short, and the oldsters will extract a bit of enjoyment." A review in The Film Daily gave the same sentiment stating, "It will delight all children and get many a laugh from their elders." An issue of The Film Daily (Dated February 7, 1932) stated "In addition to El Brendel in person this week's show at the Roxy is a special treat for the kids. The presentation includes four scenes based on 'Mickey's Orphans,' the Mickey Mouse cartoon that was held over for three weeks at this house. The characters of Mickey and Minnie are portrayed by the Arnaut Brothers, popular pantomimists. Patricia Bowman, Fred Waring's orchestra in a novelty entitled 'Dancing Melodies,' and the Roxyettes also are part of the proceedings. In the Mickey scenes, the Roxyettes and ballet group are made up to represent kittens, musical notes and animated furnishings in Minnie's boudoir." This cartoon was reissued to theatres in 1934.
Now for another cartoon mouse, here is Mighty Mouse in The Sultan's Birthday (1944). This film was directed by Bill Tytla, a former Disney animator and possibly my favorite Disney animator. Terry Toons producer Paul Terry thought Tytla was a great animator but a less than stellar director. Terry would state about Tytla, "He was one of the best animators that had ever lived. And he could render anything that you gave him to render very well. But he didn't seem to have that starting quality. He was lost unless somebody laid it out pretty well and then he would embellish it." Terry when talking about Tytla singled out a bit of animation from this particular film. "I remember a dancing girl in that picture. Really made that picture. A beautiful piece of animation."
Next comes Bugs Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil in The Fright Before Christmas (1979). This short was originally created for the TV special Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979). This was the final of three segments in that special and was directed Friz Freleng. This makes this the first time Taz was directed by someone other than Robert McKimson. The result like the whole special is a delightful Christmas treat and one of the best uses of Taz after the golden age of Looney Tunes. Also appearing here is Bugs' nephew Clyde. Clyde had only appeared in two theatrical shorts, His Hare Raising Tale (1951) and Yankee Doodle Bugs (1954). Both of those were directed by Friz Freleng.
Now for The New Three Stooges cartoon, Tin Horn Dude (1965). The Three Stooges voice themselves in this made for TV cartoon.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now it is silent movie time with the Walt Disney directed Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Empty Socks (1927). This cartoon was lost for years, when in 2014 archivist Kjetil Kvale Sørenssen found a print in the National Library of Norway, incorrectly labeled as a Felix the cat cartoon. The film runs shorter than the average Oswald cartoon making it seem likely there are still a couple minutes missing. The cartoon features a legendary trio of animators working on it, Ub Iwerks, Hugh Harman and Rollin “Ham” Hamilton. Hugh and Ham would leave Walt the following Spring. Both would later become instrumental figures in the earliest Looney Tunes shorts. Ub Iwerks would go on to be one the most important figures in early Disney history, even being Mickey Mouse's co-creator (with Walt Disney of course). Unlike many Christmas cartoons of this era, this film was actually released in December. It had its general release on Monday, December 12, 1927.
Next is Betty Boop in Is My Palm Read (1933). This short features Betty at her sexy, naughty and surreal pre-code best.
Now we celebrate Christmas with Pooch the Pup in Merry Dog (1933). This short has everything I love about Walter Lantz cartoons of this era. The jokes are incredibly silly and more often than not just plain strange. In fact, this film is pretty much one bizarre joke after another, and I simply love it. The following is an exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald, "MERRY DOG, THE: Pooch the "Pup—Excellent cartoon for anybody's program. "Night Before Christmas" theme with snowstorm and blizzard effects which almost made us forget that it was the hottest day of the summer. (106 and no shade.) Running time. 8 minutes. —Wm. Sayre, Delmar Theatre, Morrill, Neb., Rural and small town patronage."
Today's cartoon selection ends with A Garfield Christmas Special (1987). This is a very underrated TV Christmas special that I believe deserves much more attention and love than it gets.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons by David Bossert
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin
