Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #278

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd in To Duck or Not To Duck (1943). This cartoon is directed by Chuck Jones. At this time many of Chuck's cartoons had been slower paced and less comedy oriented, than the other Looney Tunes directors' films. While this cartoon is nowhere near as fast paced as Chuck's later films, it definitely moves faster and has more comedy compared to what he did in the past. Elmer's dog Larimore gets some of the best laughs in the film. It is also worth noting that Daffy had not become a born loser at this time yet. We will not see Elmer shooting Daffy's bill off in this cartoon. 

Now for the Max Fleischer Color Classic, Little Dutch Mill (1934). This short film features some of those incredible 3D backgrounds that appeared in Fleischer films at this time. These were created using actual miniature model sets for which animation cels were often placed in front of. The effect is still visually amazing today. This cartoon is especially a real visual treat.  

Now it is time for a silent classic, Felix Gets Broadcasted (1923). While visually this film may feel like a moving comic strip, the story and gags are very fun and creative. 

Next is Never Should Have Told You (1937), one of the Fleischer Screen songs cartoons. This film features the character Wiffle Piffle, who appeared in a few Betty Boop cartoons as well. The title song was written by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin, who also wrote The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down, which is best known as the theme music for the Looney Tunes series. My country music loving friends might like to know that Cliff Friend co-wrote (with Irving Mills) Lovesick Blues, which would become one of Hank Williams Sr.'s signature songs. 

Now it is time for a commercial break.

Next comes a unique Mickey Mouse short, Minnie's Yoo-Hoo (1930). The title song was written by Carl Stalling (who would later become the main composer for the Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies cartoons) for an earlier Mickey cartoon entitled Mickey's Follies (1929). This was the first original song from the Disney studio, and it would become the theme song for the series with an instrumental version beginning every Mickey cartoon. In 1929, the same year as Mickey's Follies was released, the song would receive sheet music. Singer Len Maurice would record the song in 1930. This short presents a sing-along version of the song. The version heard here includes a second verse, that was not heard in Mickey's Follies but did appear on the song sheet that was published later the same year that it first appeared inn that cartoon. This short was made for The Mickey Mouse Clubs that appeared around the country. These were created by theatre owners and were gatherings of movie loving kids who were fans of Mickey Mouse. Walt loved this idea and while he did not start it he did all he could to expand it across the country. He also made this short so that club members could sing along during their meetings. There is very little new animation here. There is reuse of animation of Mickey and friends performing the song at the beginning that comes from Mickey's Follies. The animation of the curtain opening and closing was lifted from Fiddling Around (1930). The only original animation for this film is Mickey's address to the audience and the whole group of animals doing the "Yoo-Hoo" at the end. 

You can listen to Len Maurice's version of the song below. 

Now for the Mighty Mouse cartoon, Anti-Cats (1950). 

Next is classic World War 2 themed Merrie Melodies cartoon, The Fifth-Column Mouse (1943). This film differs from most of the World War Two propaganda cartoons of this era as there is no sign of Nazis, Hitler or Japanese soldiers. The cartoon is more of an allegory, albeit not a subtle one. While the political overtones may go over a modern kid's head (if the child is not familiar with World War 2 history) there is no doubt that movie audiences knew exactly what this cartoon was referring to upon its release. The music in this film is delightful, and I especially love the rendition of Blues in the Night.

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

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

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

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-other-disney-cartoons-minnies-yoo-hoo/

https://www.fleischerstudios.com/ray3.html

 

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #265

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Heckle and Jeckle in The Intruders (1947). The Heckle and Jeckle shorts are some of the best cartoons to come out of the Terry Toons studio and this cartoon shows why perfectly. It is fast paced, creative and a lot of fun. 

Up next comes probably the most popular and well known of Disney's Silly Symphonies, Three Little Pigs (1933). This cartoon is considered to be a breakthrough in personality animation. No less than Chuck Jones would say, "That was the first time that anybody ever brought characters to life. There were three characters, who looked alike and acted differently; the way the moved is what made them who they were. Before that in things like Steamboat Willie [1928], the villain was a big heavy guy, and the hero was a little guy; everybody moved the same. Even in the Fleischer's stuff, the basic difference between Popeye and Bluto was the size difference not the action difference." The animation of the three pigs is mostly handled by Fred Moore and Dick Lundy. Dick Lundy animated all of the dancing scenes. Jack King animated one excellent scene in which Practical Pig is playing the piano. Norm Ferguson animated the majority of the Big Bad Wolf. Art Babbitt animates only two scenes, one in which the wolf catches the pig's by their tails and one in which he falls into a boiling pot. These were some of the best Disney animators of the time and their work here perfectly shows why. This is not just a milestone for its time, but remains a hugely entertaining cartoon today, heavily because of the work of these animators. Walt Disney later remembered this film's premiere, "It caused no excitement at its Radio City premiere. In fact many critics preferred Father Noah's Ark [1933], which was released at the same time. I was told that some exhibitor's and even United Artists considered The Pigs a 'cheater' because it only had four characters in it. The picture bounced back to fame from the neighborhood theatres." Three Little Pigs would become not only a hit cartoon but a sensation with movie goers everywhere. The short also gave the Disney studio its first of many hit songs, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (written by Frank Churchill), a song that is still instantly recognizable to Disney fans today. Time Magazine referred to the song as "the tune by which 1933 will be remembered." Despite all this Walt would later discuss the making of the cartoon stating, "It was just another story to us, and we were gaging it up just like any other picture." The following is from a 1933 issue of Modern Screen Magazine, "Here's some good news for you 'Three Little Pigs' fans: This Silly Symphony has met with such tremendous success that Walt Disney is going to feature them (plus the Big Bad Wolf) in several other Mother Goose rhymes. In other words, they're going to become regular stars like Mickey Mouse. Incidentally folks are seeing 'Three Little Pigs for the umptieth time and still enjoying it." There would only be three sequels (The Big Bad Wolf (1934), Three Little Wolves (1936) and The Practical Pig (1939)), none of which would be as successful as the first leading Walt to infamously say, "you can't top pigs with pigs." This cartoon reached the number 11 spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. Before the studio embarked on Snow White (1937), silent movie queen Mary Pickford approached Walt Disney about making an Alice in Wonderland feature film where she would play a live action Alice and would enter completely animated Wonderland. Mary Pickford had great admiration for Walt Disney's work, and she was the main force driving this planned film. In early 1933, an acquaintance of Mary's named Frank Reily suggested that Mary make an adaption of Alice in Wonderland with the aid of the Disney studio. Some of Mary's associates warned her against such an expensive venture during the midst of the great depression. Mary came to visit the studio when the project and overheard from story artist Ted Sears and composer Frank Churchill about a project in the works involving three little pigs and heard the song, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. As well pitching her idea to Walt, she also told Walt, "If you don't make this cartoon about the pigs, I'll never speak to you again." Even if the proposed feature never happened, Mary was right about this cartoon short. 

Now for The New Three Stooges cartoon, Gagster Dragster (1965). The Stooges voice themselves in this made for TV cartoon. The real Stooges 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. 

Next comes the Screen Song cartoon, Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet (1929). The title song was written by Percy Wenrich in 1909. Percy Wenrich also wrote such songs as I'll Meet You When the Sun Goes Down, Moonlight Bay, When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose and Sail Along, Silv'ry Moon. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes a wonderful Daffy Duck film, The Daffy Duckaroo (1942). This cartoon was directed by Norman McCabe, who I always feel was underrated as a Looney Tunes director. Some of his Looney Tunes shorts are truly excellent, but because most of his cartoons were in black and white and feature a lot of topical gags about World War 2, his cartoons rarely get the exposure that other Looney Tunes directors do. He would return to the Looney Tunes universe well after the golden age as a timing director on such TV shows as Tiny Tunes Adventures, Taz-Mania and The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. I personally love McCabe's version of Daffy. He is as wild and crazy and energetic as Bob Clampett and Tex Avery's version of the character is, but he also has a few traits of the later Daffy that Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng would use. 

Now for an MGM Happy Harmonies short, The Little Bantamweight (1938). This is a rather typical entry in the Happy Harmonies series. It is very visually appealing, though it has much less gags than the typical cartoon from another studio. With the lack of gags, it is strange to think that this is the studio that in the 1940's would be giving us the Tom and Jerry and Droopy cartoons. 

Now for the Pink Panther in Pink in the Woods (1979). In this short film, The Pink Panther gets a job as a lumberjack. He had previously been a lumberjack in Pink Is a Many Splintered Thing (1968). 

Let us close by singing a song we all know. 

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

Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart by Scott Eyman

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman The 50 Greatest Cartoons Edited by Jerry Beck Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age by Michael Barrier https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #264

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


Today's cartoon selection begins with Magoo's Three Point Landing (1958). This short benefits from some strong animation. Maurie Faigin animates the opening scene. Ed Freidman animates a lengthy scene (which is also one of the movie's highlights) were Magoo hitchhikes. Barney Posner also gets some great scenes animating Magoo driving through the airplane garage and arguing with the people therein, as well as the two pilots. Speaking of the two pilots notice that one is named Sully and is known for his "emergency landings." One of them also is voiced by Daws Butler doing a voice that sounds like The Huckleberry Hound Show's Mr. Jinx. 

Up next is Mighty Mouse in The First Snow (1947). About Mighty Mouse, producer Paul Terry would state, "If you go back through history, when a person is down and there's no more hope you say, 'It's in God's hands now.' ... So, taking that as a basis, I'd only have to get the mice in a tough spot and they say, 'isn't there some one who can help?' 'Yes, there is someone; its Mighty Mouse!' So down from the heavens he'd come ... and lick the evil spirit, or whatever it was, and everything was serene again. It was a pattern-made thing." Mighty Mouse didn't always just protect mice though. In this film, he protects some bunny rabbits. In his landmark book, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons Leonard Maltin writes, "Thus, any idea that was really good had to seem as if it came directly from Terry. So, when Klein proposed a spoof of the newly popular Superman character using a fly, Terry heard him out and dismissed the idea. A short time later he brought it up again, as if he conceived the whole thing, but in Terry's version the fly became a mouse." To be fair the idea of a super powered mouse is more endearing than that of a super powered fly. 

Now for the Fox and the Crow in Foxy Flatfoots (1946). This short film was directed by Bob Wickersham, a former Disney animator who had worked on some of the classic Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies cartoons of the 1930's as well as some of the studio's early animated feature films. 

For anyone interested in movie history, many of the Disney cartoons of the 1920's are essential watching. The reason for this is that many of them are directed by Walt himself. All of us know Walt Disney as a producer, a studio head, a TV personality and one of the movies' greatest ambassadors, however in these short films we get to see him in the director's chair. Next, we have one of the cartoons he directed, El Terrible Toreador (1929). This movie marked the second Silly Symphony cartoon and the first one directed by Walt. As with many early Disney films, this cartoon features many gags that go against the rules put in place in the later Disney cartoons. For instance, the later films would not allow body parts to detach or stretch to impossible lengths. Yet in this movie, both of those are common sights. There are also some somewhat risqué gags that wouldn't fit with Disney's later squeaky-clean image. Despite this only being the second Silly Symphony, the series already boasts an incredible cast of animators. Ub Iwerks (Walt's right-hand man and one of the main influences on the early Disney style) animates the bullfighting scenes and supervised the work of the other animators. Burt Gillet (who would go on to direct many great Mickey Mouse cartoons as well as The Three Little Pigs (1933)) animates the meeting of Carmen and Don Jose. Wilfred Jackson (who would direct some of the best Silly Symphonies and be one of the directors of features like Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953) and Lady And the Tramp (1955)) animates Carmen's dance. Les Clark (one of the best Mickey animators and one of Walt's nine old men) animates a close-up of Don Jose. Jack King (who would direct some excellent Donald Duck cartoons) animates Escamillo confronting Don Jose. Ben Sharpsteen (who would be the supervising director for Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941)) animates the introduction to the bullfighting scene. Animation for this film was done from July through August of 1929. The sound was recorded on August 12, 1929. The film was delivered in September 1929. The cartoon had its theatrical debut at the George M. Cohan (in New York) on September 13, 1929, where it played alongside the Frank Capra directed feature, Flight (1929). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Animation fans know director Friz Freleng as a master of timing and very few comedy cartoons have come close to the perfect comedy timing of his films. This can especially be seen in his cartoon, Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943). This in my mind is one of his funniest films and just a pure delight. Despite the title, this film does not have a parotitic theme or revolve around U.S. history. With the James Cagney feature, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) having come out the year before, this pun was probably just too good for the filmmakers to pass up.  As I have spoken about Friz earlier look for a portrait of him in Porky's office. A review in The Motion Picture Daily calls this film a "Pleasant little subject." The following are Exhibitor's reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—This studio's cartoons lately seem to be either exiciptionally good or exceptionally bad. This is downright terrible. - W. Verricks Nevins, III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred N.Y." "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Good cartoon, but where does it get its name? - Ralph Raspa, State Theatre, Rivesdale, W. Va." "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons - Average color cartoon. - E.M. Freiburger, Paramount Theatre, Dewey, Okla." 

Next comes The New Three Stooges cartoon, Bee My Honey (1965). The Stooges voiced themselves in this TV cartoon. 

Now for the Talkartoons cartoon, Sky Scraping (1930).

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Punching Bag (1988). This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the animated family got their own TV series. 

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

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used

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

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

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/upas-magoos-three-point-landing-1958/

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #263

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


Today's cartoon selection starts with a truly classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, Traffic Troubles (1931). This movie is simply a wonderful little short. Much of this is due to the great cast of animators. Dave Hand, who would go on to be the supervising director for the Disney features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942), animates the opening scenes of this film, the tire rolling away and Pete pouring the "medicine" down the car's radiator. Les Clark, one of Walt's Nine Old Men and often considered one of the finest Mickey Mouse animators, animates the pig getting into the car and Minnie playing the accordion. Tom Palmer, who would later direct a few short cartoons for Warner Brothers, animates the cop getting angry at Mickey, Minnie climbing into the taxi and some of Pete's dialogue. Ben Sharpsteen, who later was the supervising director for the Disney feature films, Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), animates the cop in traffic, Mickey parking the car, Mickey chasing the taxi and the car hitting the rock. Dick Lundy, future Woody Woodpecker and Barney Bear director, animates Mickey trying to fix his tire (including replacing the pump with the pig) and the car landing on the cow. Jack King, who would become possibly the finest Donald Duck director, animates the taxi in traffic, a close up of Minnie playing the accordion and Mickey actually inflating the tire with the pig. Johnny Cannon, who spent the majority of his career working uncredited on Disney shorts, animates the taxi going through the mud and Pete on the bicycle. Norm Ferguson, an animator who would help define the character of Pluto, animates some scenes with the pig inside the taxi, the taxi trying to dodge the bumps and the film's ending gag. An interesting note about this movie is that it was made pretty much at the same time, Floyd Gottfredson was making an adaption of it for the Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strip. He had done this before when he made a comic strip version of the Mickey Mouse short, The Picnic (1930). That was a rather straightforward adaption of the cartoon, while this comic strip story took more liberties with the source material. The comic strip adaption included a gag that was animated (by Norm Ferguson) for the film but dropped from the short before release. This was a gag involving a fireplug. If you are interested in reading the comic strip version yourself, it is included in J.B. Kaufman's fantastic article on this movie. This cartoon was directed by Burt Gillett. Gillet was one of the studio's major directors of the early 1930's. His cartoons include such classics as The Chain Gang (1930), Mickey's Orphans (1931), Flowers and Trees (1932), Trader Mickey (1932), Mickey's Good Deed (1932), The Three Little Pigs (1933), Mickey's Gala Premiere (1933), Playful Pluto (1934) and many others. Animation for this film began on December 12, 1930, and was completed on January 1, 1931. It was released on March 7, 1931. A famous story about the making of this cartoon involved a scene David Hand was animating. Walt kept telling him, the scene needed to be more exaggerated. This made Hand so frustrated he decided to show Walt, he would make it twice as exaggerated. Though Hand felt this might get him fired, this new animation was exactly what Walt wanted. This cartoon is one of the five viewable in the Main Street Cinema in Disneyland. In 1933, this cartoon was released on 16mm film, for home viewing. This 16mm film was silent and could rented for 75 cents. In his heyday (when this cartoon was released), Mickey was one of the popular movie stars not only with audiences but those working in the film industry as well. Silent movie queen Mary Pickford was an especially huge fan. In June 1930, she wrote Walt Disney to thank him for a replica of Mickey Mouse he gave her. She stated that with this replica her husband actor Douglas Fairbanks finally had a rival. She also complained to Walt about Mickey Mouse's screen appearances being too infrequent and asked Walt if he could speak to the mouse to speed up his work schedule. Another filmmaker who was a massive fan of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse was Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein, considered one of the most important directors of Russian cinema and a director who is still studied by film students today. Sergi wrote that Walt Disney's work was “the greatest contribution of the American people to art.”

Next comes the Terry Toons cartoon, The Lyin' Lion (1949). 

Now for the Fox and the Crow cartoon, Be Patient Patient (1944). Though rather forgotten today, the Fox and the Crow were probably the most popular characters to come out of the Columbia cartoon studio. They were not only popular in these theatrical shorts, but they had a very successful comic book series (published by DC Comics) as well. 

Now we will join our friend Toby the Pup in 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).

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for the New Three Stooges cartoon, Let's Shoot the Player Piano Player (1965). The Stooges voice themselves in this made for TV cartoon. The real Stooges 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. 

In the late 1930’s and early 40’s, Porky Pig was the star of Looney Tunes. It became a rule that Porky had to appear in every Looney Tunes cartoon while the same would not be true of the sister series Merrie Melodies. Because of this oftentimes in these Looney Tunes Porky would just make a brief cameo appearance. Case in point, A Coy Decoy (1941) which stars Daffy Duck and Porky only makes a brief appearance singing the great cowboy song Ride Tenderfoot Ride and delivering the final line. The song Ride Tenderfoot Ride was written by Johnny Mercer and Richard A. Whiting. Johnny Mercer also wrote another one of the best cowboy songs ever with I'm an Old Cowhand. Richard Whiting was a writer for two songs every Looney Tunes fan will know, Hooray for Hollywood and Ain't We Got Fun. 

Now for the Happy Harmonies cartoon, The Old Mill Pond (1936).

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Football (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

Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart by Scott Eyman

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

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

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickey-mouse-movies-into-comics-2-traffic-troubles/

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://furinchime.com/2021/12/11/the-protean-cartoon-currents-of-animation-theory/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #262

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with the first Daffy Duck cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939). Today many cartoon fans associate Chuck with being one of the main people who changed Daffy from his early high energy crazy self into a more vain, jealous and greedy character. This film however features Daffy in his early crazy high energy mode. A review in The Motion Picture Herald even stated, "The gags and situations are appropriately matched to the zany personality of the duck." Another review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Leon Schlesinger delivers good color cartoon work in this "Merrie Melody," but the striving for whimsy hits only in spots." The following is an exhibitors' review also from The Motion Picture Herald, "Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur: Merrie Melodies—Very few laughs in this one. Not up to standard of most cartoons in this series. Running time seven minutes. - Don Bloxham, Place Theatre, Exira, Iowa, General and rural patronage."

Next is the Screen Songs cartoon, Boilesk (1933). The song I'm Playing with Fire is performed by the Watson Sisters. The Watson Sisters consisted of Kitty and Fanny Watson. The duo worked in burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway and radio. One Broadway show they appeared in was Monte Cristo, Jr. (Feb 12, 1919 - Oct 04, 1919). Kitty performed a song called Jazz Marimba and Fanny performed a song called (Who Played Poker with) Pocahontas. That show ran for 254 performances. As well as their stage and radio careers they also recorded various songs for Victor, Columbia and OKey. In 1931 Fanny Watson was teamed with Thelma White in a series of two-reel short films for Vitaphone. The song itself was written by Irving Berlin and was first recorded by Jack Denny & His Orchestra in December 1932. Other artists who recorded the song include Rudy Vallee, Jack Johnson and his Orchestra, Gracie Feilds, Bing Crosby and Guy Lombardo (all of those artists recorded it in 1933). 

Next is The New Three Stooges cartoon, That Was the Wreck That Was (1965). The Stooges voiced themselves in this made for TV cartoon. 

Next up comes an early black and white Silly Symphony, Mother Goose Melodies (1931). Like many other early Silly Symphonies, this film doesn't feature much in the way of plot and spends most of it time with characters dancing and reacting to the music. Yet this is an important film in the series as it is the first one to have lyrics sung by the characters. The songs here are rather simple affairs with little of the complexities that would appear in later Disney music (JB Kaufman and Russell Merritt's indispensable book on the Silly Symphonies credits these songs to "Bert Lewis and/or Frank Churchill). The opening scenes beginning the parade (animated by Ben Sharpsteen) would later be reused in a special short for the 1932 Academy Awards titled Parade of the Award Nominees. This film would be remade as the color Silly Symphony, Old King Cole (1933). The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Walt Disney and his assistants have turned out a synchronized cartoon comedy that will be hard to beat. It has all the Mother Goose rhymes worked into one story and the transportation from one to another is accomplished by turning the pages of a huge story book. Drawings on the pages come to life and preform real laugh-making antics. Gags are new and plentiful. This one will make audiences laugh plenty." The following is a review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Walt Disney has done a most unusual piece of work in this "Silly Symphony" number. There is indicated a great step forward technically, in animation and synchronization, in addition to excellent subject material, clever animated ideas, and rapidity of action. There is almost the illusion of real life in some of the figures, the animation is so fine. Many well-known Mother Goose stories are included with the stories neatly running together. Old King Cole is featured, and little Jack Horner is featured as well. The youngsters will devour this and ask for more and the elderly children will enjoy it hugely by all means do not miss it. It is great." Walt Disney voices Little Jack Horner himself. Layout work on this film started on January 26, 1931. Animation was done from February 2nd to the 28th of 1931. Sound was recorded on March 31, 1931. It was delivered on April 11, 1931. This cartoon made its TV debut in an episode of Mickey Mouse Club that aired on November 21, 1955. 

Now for a commercial break.

Next is Heckle and Jeckle in Pirate's Gold (1957). This short was directed by Eddie Donnelly. This is one of my favorite Heckle and Jeckle cartoons, especially due to the ending gag. 

Now for the Aesop's Fables cartoon, Fly Frolic (1932). As with many of these cartoons, the real treat is Gene Rodemich's music. 



 

Next is the Pepe LEw Pew cartoon, Louvre Come Back to Me! (1962). This is the final theatrical short to star Pepe and was a very strong one to go out on. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Bart's Nightmare (1989). This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the cartoon family got their own TV series. 

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

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used

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

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/monte-cristo-jr-8842

https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/100857/Watson_Sisters

https://www.fleischerallstars.com/im-playing-with-fire.html

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #261

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

Today's cartoon selection begins Bugs Bunny in Super Rabbit (1943). The ending of this short film resulted in the U.S.M.C. acknowledging Bugs Bunny as an honorary marine with the title honorary Marine Master Sergeant Bugs Bunny. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Hearld, "SUPER RABBIT: Merrie Melodies Cartoons - One of the best Merrie Melodies. The kids sure like cartoons of this kind. I run one every Sunday and believe they draw the kids better than the feature.  - Victor E. Dahl, Fayette Theatre, Fayette, Iowa." 

Next comes the Terry Toons cartoon, The Mechanical Bird (1952). This lovely short film is an adaption of the 1843 Hans Christian Anderson short story, The Nightingale. While it doesn't fully capture the charm of that classic short story, this is a very sweet and very charming film. 

Next comes a Modern Madcap cartoon, The Robot Ringer (1962). 

Next is a late Fleischer Studios Popeye short, I'll Never Crow Again (1941). The year after the release of this cartoon Max and Dave Fleischer would find themselves no longer making cartoons for Paramount and many of their employees continuing to make Popeye and Superman shorts for Paramount without them. Many critics of the Popeye series claim that all the cartoons simply feature Popeye and Bluto fighting over Olive. However, a look at the sailor's filmography shows that there were in fact many cartoons that did not follow this formula in the slightest. The song that Popeye and Olive sing at the beginning of this cartoon is from the first of Fleischer Studio's two feature films, Gulliver's Travels (1939). A review in The Motion Picture Daily called this cartoon, "Good for a few laughs." A review in Showman's Trade Review stated, "While this is not the usual type of Popeye cartoon, the novelty is not sufficient enough to raise it out of the 'fair' class." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "I'LL NEVER CROW AGAIN: Popeye the Sailor— Popeye Cartoons are always enjoyed, but this was not as good as average. Running time, 7 minutes. —J. M. Thomsen, Center Theatre, Marlette, Mich. Rural patronage."


 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

 Now for one of the rare instances of very dark satire in one of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies, Who Killed Cock Robbin? (1935). This film shows cartoon birds at the mercy of an unjust legal system. Satire, dark humor, celebrity caricatures and slapstick abound. The most significant of the celebrity caricatures is Jenny Wren, a caricature of Mae West. Most of her animation here is handled fantastically by Ham Luske and her voice comes from Martha Wentworth who does a really good impression. This character would later appear in the Silly Symphony Toby Tortoise Returns (1936). Two of Walt's future Nine Old Men animate on this film, Eric Larson and Clyde Geronimi. Eric animates the scene where Cock Robbin falls and the cops rushing in. Clyde animates the scenes involving the blackbirds and the cops, Legs Sparrow with the cops and then going into the witness box, and the cops' raiding the area. For the year of 1935 the National Board of Review named this as one of the Ten Best American Films (not just cartoons but films as a whole). According to JB Kaufman and Russell Merrit's excellent book, Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series, the idea for making this film had been around the Disney studio as early as October 1933 but work truly began in March 1934. Wilfred Jackson was originally going to be the cartoon's director, but he was replaced with Ben Sharpsteen, who was replaced with Dave Hand, who actually directed the cartoon. Dave Hand would later be the supervising director for the Disney feature films, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942). My fellow Alfred Hitchcock fans will recognize that a clip from this cartoon was later used in Hitch's classic movie, Sabotage (1936). The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Ye olde master, Walt Disney, has produced another cartoon which makes a swell approach to the entertainment values he provided in 'Three Little Pigs.' It's class A stuff, effectively done in color. A mysterious shadowy figure 'kills' the fabled Cock Robbin, who, by the by, is the sweetie of a May Western type of bird. Then come the Keystonian cops, also birds, and later the trial. Finally, a birdy version of Dan Cupid admits to having shot Robin but May brings him to with a Big Kiss. Catchy music helps enliven the proceedings." The following is from a 1935 issue of Modern Screen Magazine and was a letter sent in by a reader. "A short time ago I took my five-year-old son with me to a local theatre. When a colored cartoon was shown, he was immensely pleased, as were several other children near us. The cartoon was 'Who Killed Cock Robin?' I may be wrong but I'm under the impression that those pictures are primarily to amuse children. If that is true than it failed. I heard several half-grown boys snickering as 'Jenny Wren' a parody of Mae West, with a high bust, wiggling hips and a sexy voice, flirted with the judge and later indulged in a kiss with Cock Robin. The smaller children merely looked puzzled and disappointed with the whole thing. Please have more cartoons like 'The Three Little Pigs,' 'Water Babies,' etc., unless of course, I'm wrong and those comedies are for grown-ups and not for little children. - Mrs. E. DeLamater, Charleston, S.C."   

Next is a very sweet and sentimental MGM cartoon from Hugh Harman, The Little Mole (1941). This is a beautiful looking and charming little film, though its final message seems to be an uncomfortably pessimistic one, when you think too much about it. 

Next is the silent Out of the Inkwell cartoon, The Boxing Kangaroo (1920). 

Let us close with a song.

Thank you 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 

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #259

 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 favorites of the early Merrie Melodies cartoons, The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives (1933). I love the atmospheric feel to the early scenes in this cartoon. There is a delightful amount of detail in these opening moments. I also simply love the title song. Despite being a Christmas cartoon, this film was released to theaters on January 7, 1933, just barely missing Christmas. The animation of the dolls singing, and dancing was reused from an earlier Merrie Melody, Red Headed Baby (1931).

Next is The New Three Stooges cartoon, Dizzy Doodlers (1965). The Stooges voice themselves in this made for TV cartoon. This is one of my favorites of The New Three Stooges cartoons. 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Prescription for Percy (1954). This cartoon was directed by Mannie Davis. Mannie Davis had been with producer Paul Terry, since Terry's silent Aesop's Fables cartoons of the 1920's. Davis remembered working on these Aesop's Fables silents stating, "The story was very sketchy. The main thing was to get a laugh out of each little act. You know, a little piece of antic that a character would do. Today it wouldn't mean a damn thing; it's got to be acted out, and it's got to have continuity of thought. We'd be springing all over the lot. But we would keep it ... in the location it started out in. If it's an African story, everything would be down in the jungle, and then in the desert and all that. I was my own director, my own story man, and my own animator. Each man did his own little thing, his little reel, and we had, I think one month to make them ... and there were five of us making them and [we] rotated." Davis would continue working with Paul Terry and Terry Toons up until 1961. 

Now for a classic Donald Duck film, Toy Tinkers (1949). This movie features Donald once again going up against Chip and Dale. This film is directed by Jack Hannah, who at this time was directing the majority of the Donald Duck cartoons. When Chip and Dale had their very short-lived series of shorts, Jack Hannah directed all three cartoons in that series. This cartoon is laugh out loud funny. The slapstick is spot on and timed perfectly. Every joke works and they are all very funny. The humor is also displayed perfectly through the great character animation one should expect form a Disney cartoon. While Disney cartoons are often called sweet and cute in contrast to the hilarious antics at studios like Warner Brothers and MGM, the Disney studio could make slapstick cartoons as great as the rest of them (this is not an insult to Warner Brothers and MGM as I love there cartoons a lot as well). This stands as one of Disney's funniest shorts (a joke involving a telephone never fails to make me laugh out loud). The music in this cartoon was provided by Paul J. Smith, making it the first Donald Duck short in over four years to have music by someone other than Oliver Wallace. Smith's score briefly quotes a bit of music from an earlier Disney cartoon, the Silly Symphony, The Country Cousin (1936), whose music was by Leigh Harline. Unlike many theatrical Christmas cartoons, this short was actually released during the Christmas season. It hit theaters on December 19, 1949. The cartoon was nominated for an Oscar but lost to the Pepe Le Pew cartoon, For Sent-imental Reasons (1949). 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for the Van Beuren cartoon, The Family Shoe (1930). The gag where the four singers' mouths all morph into one mouth was used in quite a few of these black and white Van Beuren cartoons. There is a surreal quality to this film that makes it very endearing.   

Next comes a delightful Christmas treat from Famous Studios with Hector's Hectic Life (1948). This movie was directed by former Disney animator, Bill Tytla (probably my favorite Disney animator). Tytla had worked on some of Disney's finest feature films including Snow White (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941) and his animation was often a highlight even in these masterpieces. Though the Famous Studios cartoons he directed might not be as highly praised as his animation for Disney, these films often showed him as a very capable director. This movie is a good example of this. 

Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, The Lion's Friend (1934). 

We close with The Simpsons in Simpsons X-Mas (1988). This is one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the animated family got their own TV show. 

Thanks very much 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

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

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

Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #256

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Disney short, Old MacDonald Duck (1941). This cartoon was directed by Jack King, a fine director who directed many delightful Donald Duck cartoons at this time. As expected of a Disney cartoon from this era, this short film boasts some very fine character animation that fully shows, how much great talent was at the Disney studio during this time period. A brief scene from this short was used in the Disney feature film, The Reluctant Dragon (1941) when a live action Robert Benchley is getting a look at how cartoons are made. This cartoon would make its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that would air on October 1, 1957. The following is an exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald. "OLD MacDONALD DUCK: Walt Disney cartoons - It doesn't take a good reel to have the audience applaud Disney. The mere title of "Don Duck" - and heaven help the stoic. The usual dilemmas - the repetitious finale. Sir Duck is prostrated by a beastly insect, the paying audience is prostrated with the much needed delight. Running time, 8 minutes. - Gene Rothgeb, Haven Theatre, New Haven, Ind. General Patronage." 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Felix the Fox (1948). This short film benefits from one of the best Groucho Marx impressions I have heard in a cartoon as well as a very effective twist ending. 

Now for the Van Beuren cartoon, A Cat-Fish Romance (1932).

Now we join Porky Pig in Porky's Phoney Express (1938). This cartoon was directed by Cal Dalton and Cal Howard, both of whom received their first director's credit with this film. A review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Here is another Porky cartoon replete with the usual clever animation and serio-comic effects that make it an easy item to sell to a wide audience." A review in the Motion Picture Herald referred to the movie as "An amusing and clever cartoon takeoff on the hard riding heroics of 'Wells Fargo.'" 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for Felix the Cat in Felix Monkeys with Magic (1924). 

Now for the Mickey Mouse Works short, Pinball Mickey (2002). This short was used in the House of Mouse episode, Pete's One-Man Show (2002). This is just a really charming and fun cartoon and one of my favorite Mickey Mouse Works shorts. 

Next is Little Roquefort in Cat Happy (1950). This marked the first appearance of the character. Here the character is voiced by Dayton Allen, and this was the only time Allen voiced the character. In fact, in many of his future cartoons, Little Roquefort would be a pantomime character. In the future cartoons where Little Roquefort would have a voice, he would be voiced by Tom Morrison. The storyline of this film is very similar to that of the Tom and Jerry short, Part Time Pal (1947). 

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. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used


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

Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #255

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Felix the Cat in Bold King Cole (1936). The Van Beuren cartoon studio never enjoyed the success of Disney, Warner Brothers, Walter Lantz or the Fleischer Brothers. One of the main reasons for this was that they lacked strong starring characters that would stay in the minds of movie goers. To try to get some of the success other cartoon studios had, studio boss Amadee J. Van Bueren in 1934 decided to hire Burt Gillett away from Disney and have Gillett supervise all the studio's output. Gillett had been the director of Disney's The Three Little Pigs (1933), the most popular cartoon of the era. Gillett clashed with many of the old hand, who felt a certain amount of resentment towards him. In 1936 Gillett decided to purchase the rights to two popular properties in order to give the studio stronger starring characters (something they were still lacking). One of these was Fontaine Fox's comic strip Toonerville Trolly and the other was Felix the Cat, who had been a major animated cartoon star during the silent era. Three new cartoons were made with Felix, of which I feel Bold King Cole is the strongest. This film has a wonderful sense of atmosphere and a delightfully clever story. However, purchasing these properties all proved to be for naught. The Disney studio left their previous distributor United Artists and found a new distributor in RKO. Unfortunately for Van Beuren RKO was also the distributor of the Van Beuren cartoons. With the Disney cartoons RKO had no further use for the Van Beuren ones and this would mark the end of the Van Beuren studio. 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Pick-necking (1933). 

Now for the Mickey Mouse Works cartoon, Mickey's Mix-Up (2000). This cartoon would later air as part of the House of Mouse episode, The Mouse Who Came to Dinner (2001). The short really benefits from a very strong ending gag.

Next is the Terry Toons short, Swooning the Swooners (1945). This film was written by John Foster. As well as writing plenty of Terry Toons cartoons, Foster also directed plenty of them. Studio head 
Paul Terry would sate about John Foster, "John Foster was the best, the most brilliant. They say if you can take a little out of this and a little out of that it's called research. But if you take a big bite out of one thing, that's plagiarism and you're a thief. So, we used to have a saying, John Foster and I, 'Never steal more than you can carry.'"  Director Connie Rasinski began working on Terry Toons shorts in the 1930's and would continue to do so through the 1960's. About Rasinski Terry stated, "He came to work when it was Terry, Moser and Coffman. An old friend of mine named Litchfeild, who was a painter, passed away, and his wife sent this kid over to get a job, and I gave him a job. And that's Connie. Connie, who came to work for me as a kid, developed rapidly and he was with me for practically all his life. He was fat and everything he drew was chubby and round and well fed."

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for an old Stop Motion short that is not creepy at all, Dolly Daisy in Hearts and Flowers (1930). Also, the poor kid who just gets run over by two cars. There are no words that can describe just what you are about to watch here. 

Next comes Porky Pig in Porky's Prize Pony (1941). In this cartoon, Porky sings We're in The Money with modified lyrics. This song was written by Al Dublin and Harry Warren for the movie, Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933). Since that was a Warner Brothers movie, this song appears in many classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts. 

Now for the Walter Lantz produced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Kings Up (1934). One of the animators on this film is future legendary cartoon director, Tex Avery (credited as Fred Avery). Tex Avery later remembered how he came to work at Walter Lantz studio and found himself as an animator. "I met a fella who knew a girl who was head of the inking and painting at Walter Lantz's, so I inked and painted for a while. . .. Then I worked up into inbetweens, then about that time Disney raided the whole West Coast for talent. And the three quarters of us who were left knew nothing of animation. We had just been inbetweening." Taking this into account, despite the flaws, it is impressive how much of the animation actually works. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in The Art Museum (1988). This is one of the short Simpsons cartoons for The Tracey Ullman Show, before the cartoon family got their own TV show.

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.

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey%27s_Mix-Up