Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #213

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Woody Woodpecker in The Coo Coo Bird (1947). This movie is one of the many cartoons to deal with the idea of the main character just trying to get some sleep. As such it does quite a good job and gets some good gags out of this basic premise. This short film was directed by Dick Lundy, who had formerly been a Disney animator. At Disney he worked on many of the studios best Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Silly Symphonies shorts of the 1930's and early 40's and he even worked on the beloved feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He even directed a few wonderful Donald Duck cartoons. In the 1950's he would direct some of the Barney Bear cartoons for MGM and even receive director's credit on the Droopy cartoon, Caballero Droopy (1952). This makes him the only director besides Tex Avery or Michael Lah to receive director's credit on a classic Droopy short.

Next comes the Fleischer Takartoon short, Teacher's Pest (1931). The credited animators for this movie are Grim Natwick and Seymour Kneitel. Grim Natwick would be instrumental in the creation of the character of Betty Boop for the same studio and work on the title character in the Disney feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Seymour Kneitel was one of the major animators at Fleischer Studios and would remain a major force when the studio became Famous Studios. At Famous Studios he would direct many of the Popeye and Little Lulu cartoons among many others. I love that in this cartoon, Bimbo's pets are named Max and Dave, like the first names of the Fleischer Brothers. 

Motion Picture Herald, 1931

Next we join Tweety and Slyvester in Tweety and Lovely (1959).  About the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, director Friz Freleng stated, "Tweety doesn't do anything. He can't even put a hat on because his arms are too short. And he's got such a bug head. The comedy comes out of Sylvester and his determination, his stubbornness to get the bird no matter what happens to him. Still everybody says 'Oh I love that Tweety.' Audiences are funny. They never love the characters that really get the laughs."

Next comes Disney's Goofy in Baggage Buster (1941). This cartoon is really a showcase for great character animation. One of the animators on this film is Art Babbitt. Babbitt would discuss the character of Goofy in great detail. "Think of the Goof, as a composite of an everlasting optimist, a gullible good Samaritan, a half-wit and a hick. He is loose jointed and gangly but not rubbery. He can move fast if he has to, but would rather avoid any overexertion, so he takes what seems the easiest way. He is a philosopher of the barber shop variety. No matter what happens he accepts it as being for the best of at least amusing... He very seldom if ever reaches his objective or completes what he has started." Talking about how the character movies Babbitt would state, " His posture is nil. His back arches the wrong way and his little stomach protrudes. His head, stomach and knees lead his body. His neck is quite long and scrawny. His knees sag and his feet are large and flat. He walks on his heels and his toes turn up. His shoulders are narrow and slope rapidly, giving the upper part of his body a thinness and making his arms seem long and heavy, though actually not drawn that way. His hands are very sensitive and expressive and though his gestures are broad, they should still reflect the gentleman. His shoes and feet are not the traditional cartoon dough feet. His arches collapsed long ago and his shoes should have very definite character." It is this extra effort and the animators' complete understanding of their characters that made Disney cartoons of this time truly special. 

Now for a commercial break. 

Now for a classic silent movie, Bobby Bumps And The Ostrich Egg (1920). 

Motion Picture News, 1920

Next is Mighty Mouse in The Jail Break (1946). 

The Simple Things (1953) was the last cartoon of the original Mickey Mouse series of theatrically released shorts. Part of the reason for this was the fact that by the 1950's short subjects were no longer making much money. This was especially a problem for a cartoon producer like Walt Disney. Walt Disney spent a lot of money on short subjects and would not cut down costs to the level that many other cartoon producers had. He refused to put out what he considered an inferior product for finical reasons. As such the amount of animated short subjects the studio was making began to heavily decrease in the 1950's. Another factor into this was Mickey himself. Mickey Mouse was often looked on as a bit of a role model for kids. However this did not fit his early screen image in which he would often do mischievous things that parents would not want heir kids doing. With this the Disney studio was made to calm Mickey down and take out this part of his personality. However with this he became a harder character to make funny. As such characters that weren't as restricted such as Donald Duck and Goofy would become more popular than the once biggest star in cartoons, Mickey Mouse. Still Mickey's career remained extremely successful after these short subjects ended. He would go on to be the master of ceremonies at Walt's new venture, a little thing called Disneyland, and he would have a hit TV show with The Mickey Mouse Club. A working title for The Simple Things was Gull Crazy. This was a reference to the 1943 Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland MGM feature, Girl Crazy.

Now to end with a song.

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

Resources Used

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

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

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #207

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with the first of Merrie Melodies cartoons, Lady Play Your Madolin (1931). While in later years, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were practically the same, at this time there was a distant difference in them, reflecting the differences between the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony shorts at Disney. The Looney Tunes shorts did not have to center around a song and all of them would star the character, Bosko, while the Merrie Melodies would have different characters and always center around a song. Despite the Merrie Melodies series soon staring miscellaneous characters, there were some early attempts to create a starring character for the series. This cartoon features the first of these attempts, Foxy. Many cartoon studios at this time made characters that were simply imitations of Disney's Mickey Mouse and Foxy is about as obvious of an imitation as you can get. Foxy would never truly catch on, as he would only two more theatrical cartoon shorts, Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! (1931) and One More Time (1931). Much later he would appear in an episode of the TV series, Tiny Toons Adventures entitled, Two-Tone Town (1992).

Now we join The Pink Panther in Super Pink (1966).

 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."   

Now for a fun little Terry Toons short, The Brave Little Brave (1956).

Motion Picture Herald, 1935

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for one of the best of the Max Fleischer Color Classics, Somewhere in Dreamland (1936). This charming little film is probably the Fleischer Studios best foray into sentimentality. This movie can hold its own against any of the best sentimental cartoons from Disney, something that can rarely be said about any sentimental cartoon from this era not from Disney. This is also a wonderful visual treat that shows the beautiful artwork (including the great 3D backgrounds) that populated Fleischer cartoons of this era and helped make them stand out as something special. This is seen to an even greater advantage due to this wonderful restoration by Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored! The following is an exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald, "Somewhere in Dreamland: Color Classics - Color cartoon of the very best. It was perfect and this little reel drew about as many comments as most good features. - R. J. Schimdt, Star Theatre, Geneva, Ind. General Patronage."

Now for a silent movie starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, The Mechanical Cow (1927). 

Up next is Tweety's first appearance in a cartoon, A Tale of Two Kitties (1942). Sharp eyed viewers may notice that Tweety is not yellow in this film, but pink. Since he was a newborn baby bird, it made sense for him not to have feathers. According to director Bob Clampett, he based the character off of a nude baby photo of himself. Tweety already has his famous line, "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat." According to animation historian Jerry Beck's book, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety, This line also originated with Bob Clampett when in the mid-1930's he wrote a letter to a friend on MGM stationary. Next to Leo the MGM lion, Clampett drew a small bird with a word balloon with "I think I taw a titty-tat." Instead of Sylvester Tweety is here pitted against two cats named Babbit and Catstello. As should be obvious by the names, these cats were a take-off on the infamous comedy team Abbott and Costello, who had just made their movie debut just a couple years earlier in One Night in the Tropics (1940). The voice of Catstello was provided by the man of a thousand voices, Mel Blanc (who also voiced Tweety) and Babbitt was voiced by writer Tedd Pierce. A reviewer in Showman's Trade Review was very impressed with these voices stating, "Either the famous comedy pair furnished the accompanying dialogue themselves or the impersonators are the last word in perfection." Though they would not catch on the way Tweety did, these characters would reappear in other cartoons. Some of these cartoons would even feature the duo as mice instead of cats. They would appear with Tweety much later in a 1998 episode of the TV show, Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. This cartoon was reissued to theaters in 1948, the year Abbott and Costello made their most popular movie, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).  

Now to close with a song.

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

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #191

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Donald Duck in Bee at the Beach (1950). This short film pits Donald Duck against Spike the bee. Though Spike is a rather forgotten Disney character, this film is not the only time him and Donald went up against each other. Staring with Inferior Decorator (1948) and ending with Let's Stick Together (1952), the two made a series of 7 shorts centered around the two fighting. Bee at the Beach would make its TV debut on the Walt Disney Presents episode, This is Your Life, Donald Duck (1960).

Next comes Sylvester and Tweety in Catty Cornered (1953). In this cartoon Tweety is kidnapped by gangster Rocky. Rocky was a character who was only used by director Friz Freleng. He had earlier been the villain in the Daffy Duck cartoon, Golden Yeggs (1950). Most cartoon fans associate Rocky with his dumb partner in crime Mugsy. However this cartoon was made before the character was created. Mugsy first appeared in the Bugs Bunny short, Bugs and Thugs (1954). This short would later be edited into the feature-length compilation film, The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981). 

Next comes the 6th Hoot Kloot film, Stirrups and Hiccups (1973). This short film is a play on the story of Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde. 

Next is Willie Whopper in Insultin' the Sultan (1934).  Willie Whopper was the second starring character to come out of Ub Iwerks' own cartoon studio. The first character is Flip the Frog, who did not prove to be that popular and had to be replaced. Unfortunately, Willie did not catch on with audiences either and his movie career only lasted 13 short films. Before leaving to make cartoons for his own studio, Ub had worked at Disney playing an incredibly important role in the Disney shorts of the 1920's and early 30's. He even played a large role in the creation of Mickey Mouse. After his own studio work did not pan out, he returned to Disney where he would do special effects work on many of the Disney's best feature films. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Insultin' the Sultan: Willie Whopper - This is a good cartoon comedy that pleased all who saw it. Willie is not so popular here, but with better story material he will improve and the patrons will be pleased. Running Time, 9 minutes. - J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C. General Patronage." 

It is time for a commercial break. 

Next is Cubby Bear in The Nut Factory (1933). This is one of my favorite Cubby Bear films.

 
Now for the second Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon, There's Good Boos To-night (1948). Though many of the Casper cartoons aimed for sentiment, few of them were as effective as this short film. The film's ending is surprisingly quite touching. 

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After the success of The Pink Panther (1964) and A Shot in the Dark (1964), Mirisch Films was interested in a third Inspector Clouseau movie. Unfortunately, director Blake Edwards and star Peter Sellers both declined. The studio still wished to make another film and cast Alan Arkin as Inspector Clouseau and put Bud Yorkin in the director's chair. The result was Inspector Clouseau (1968) and was definitely one of the weakest Pink Panther feature films. One of the few highlights was the opening credits sequence, which was as with the previous movies is essentially a cartoon short. This sequence featured The Inspector. This character starred in a wonderful series of theatrical cartoon shorts from 1965 to 1969 for the DePatie-Freleng studio and was based off of the character of Clouseau. The DePatie-Freleng studio (which had also done the opening credits sequences for the previous two Inspector Clouseau films) is credited with creating and designing this sequence, while TVC London is credited with animating it. Fortunately for fans of these movies, Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers would later return to the Pink Panther franchise with The Return of the Pink Panther (1975). 

Today's cartoon selection ends with one of the best post golden age Looney Tunes cartoons, Little Go Beep (2000).

Resources Used

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

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck.

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Disney_Wiki

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #163

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Bugs Bunny short, 8 Ball Bunny (1950). This movie marks the second and final classic cartoon short to feature Playboy Penguin, who had previously appeared with Bugs in Frigid Hare (1949). Both of these cartoons were directed by Chuck Jones. Old movie buffs will delight at a running gag that is a reference to John Huston's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). This running gag has a caricature of Humphry Bogart (voiced by Dave Barry) asking Bugs, " Say, pardon me but, could you help out a fellow American who's down on his luck?" The real Bogart asked this question multiple times in John Huston's classic feature film. 

Up next comes Willie Whopper in Jungle Jitters (1934). The following are some exhibitors' reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "Jungle Jitters: Willie Whopper - This is a good cartoon comedy that pleased all who saw it. This is one of the best of this series of Willie, and if all were as good as this one, this would be one of the best shorts on the market. Running Time 9 Minutes, J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C. General Patronage." " JUNGLE JITTERS: Willie Whopper—Another Willie Whopper. Running Time, One Reel, - J. Glenn Caldwell, Princess Theatre, Aurora, Mo. Small Town Patronage." "JUNGLE JITTERS: Willie Whopper— This is a very poor cartoon. Running time one reel. J.A. Verchot, Opera House, Abbeville, S.C. Small Town Patronage." "WILLIE WHOPPER: Just ordinary cartoons that our patrons are tiring of. - A.E. Christian, Wayne Theatre, Monticello, Ky. Small Town Patronage."

The Film Daily, 1933

Now we join the Pink Panther in Pink-Come Tax (1968). 

Up next is Mickey Mouse in his second western movie The Catus Kid (1930). This cartoon marks the first time Marcellite Garner voices Minnie. She would continue to voice Minnie throughout the decade and into the begining of the next decade. Her last time voicing Minnie would be for Out of the Frying Pan and into the Firing Line (1942). There is also some reused animation for an earlier Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short, Sagebursh Sadie (1928). This animation involves a gag involving a lasso. This movie also marks the first time a Disney cartoon had the dialogue and sound effects prerecorded. 

Now for a commercial break. 

Up next is Sylvester and Tweety in Muzzle Tough (1954). About the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, director Friz Freleng stated, "Tweety doesn't do anything. He can't even put a hat on because his arms are too short. And he's got such a bug head. The comedy comes out of Sylvester and his determination, his stubbornness to get the bird no matter what happens to him. Still everybody says 'Oh I love that Tweety.' Audiences are funny. They never love the characters that really get the laughs." Despite Friz's comments Tweety does have some pretty funny lines in this film. 

Next is Green Lantern in the first of his TV cartoons for Filmation, Evil is As Evil Does (1967).

Now to close with a song. 

Resources Used

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety by Jerry Beck.

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #136

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

Today's selection begins with The Grocery Boy (1932) starring Mickey Mouse. This is a sweet simple little cartoon of the type that the Disney studio excelled at. The movie is helped by some truly excellent character animation and a great cast of animators. David Hand (who would be the supervising director for Snow White (1937) and Bambi) animates the film's opening. Tom Palmer animates Mickey and Minnie on the phone, a long sequence that begins with Mickey and Pluto entering the house and ends with Minnie kissing a bump on Mickey's head and the closing moment. Ben Sharpsteen (who would be the supervising director for Pinocchio (1940) and Fantasia (1940)) animates Pluto pulling at the table as well as the statue falling on Mickey. Rudy Zamora animates Mickey and Pluto running to Minnie's house. Future Donald Duck director, Jack King animates Minnie stirring and Mickey shelling the peas. Les Clark (one of Walt's Nine Old Men and one of the studio's top Mickey animators) animates Mickey getting the stuffing out of the turkey. A review in Variety stated, "Nothing outstanding in this one, but a good example of the Disney product." The climatic ending of this cartoon would later be adapted for the Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strip.

Next comes Porky Pig in Meet John Doughboy (1941). This is very much a movie of its time. At this time the U.S.A. had yet to enter World War 2, yet it was very much excepted that we would join. Because of this a peace time draft was initiated. American films (often very patriotic) dealing with the draft became increasingly popular. Though this is technically a Porky Pig cartoon, Porky has little to do and simply serves to introduce the picture. This was something that director Bob Clampett was doing often around this point. Porky was still very much the star of Looney Tunes but Bob seemed disinterested in making cartoons revolving around the character at this time instead wanting to focus on other characters or make spot gag cartoons. Therefore using Porky in tiny inconsequential roles was the ideal way to make the cartoons he wanted while still using the series' star character.

While I personally strongly dislike many of the Filmation Studio's comedy cartoons (what they did to Tom and Jerry and Droopy is incredibly awful), I really like their superhero cartoons. True they are corny as all get out, but I have a special fondness for really corny superhero stories. Here is the first episode of the studio's TV cartoons starring The Flash, The Chemo-Creature (1967). Worried about bad guys taking over. Don't worry The Flash will be there in a flash.

Stephan Bosustow, cartoon producer and one of the founders of the UPA studio (home of Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing) had a strong interest in creating an animated feature film based on the work of writer James Thurber. However he could not get the funding for this, so he asked UPA director William T. Hurtz to adapt one of Thurber's stories as an animated short film. Hurtz took this idea very seriously and studied nearly every drawing Thurber made. The result was A Unicorn in the Garden (1953). Bosustow was reportedly disappointed with the end result. Because of this he refused to submit the movie for consideration for an Academy Award and changed plans for the studio's first feature to one starring Mr. Magoo. Cartoon fans certainly aren't disappointed by the result. This movie is not only beloved by cartoon fans but received the 48th spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons.

Now it is time for a commercial break.

Next comes a great Fleischer Brother's Talkartoon, The Grand Uproar (1930). This movie has everything you could want out of a Fleischer cartoon, lots of weird bizarre gags that are filled with the creativity that makes their Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons so beloved. If the mice characters look a bit like Mickey and Minnie, it should be noted that nearly every studio was doing this at this time.

Next comes The Inspector in Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux (1966).

Now let us end with a song.

-Mchael J. Ruhland Resources Used The 50 Greatest Cartoons edited by Jerry Beck Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein http://afilmla.blogspot.com/search/label/Shorts_Columbia

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #116

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Merrie Melody, I Wanna Be a Sailor (1937). This cartoon was directed by the one and only Tex Avery. The film is typical of Tex's Merrie Moldies of this time period. This is more story driven than his later MGM work and has a bit of a moral to it. Yet there are some great moments that perfectly show Tex's wild and zany humor that would soon become more prominent. This may seem like a strange combination but in this case it works very well and gives us a delightful cartoon. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "I Wanna Be a Sailor: Merrie Melody - These are very good. They certainly help round out a program. -Charles Rossi, Strand Theatre, Schroon Lake, N.Y." The following is from an issue of The Film Daily dated Aug. 17, 1937, "With the music recorded on "I Wanna Be A Sailor," Leon Schlesinger has completed his first "Merrie Melodie" Technicolor cartoon for his 1937-38 program one month ahead of schedule. Producer's schedule for new season calls for 36 subjects to be released by Warner Brothers." 

Next comes a black and white Mickey Mouse, The Mad Dog (1932). Though today Mickey is mostly associated with slower paced and more sentimental cartoons, these earlier Mickey films are fast paced affairs with non-stop gags from start to finish. This was noted by a review in The Film Daily which stated about The Mad Dog, "A Mickey Mouse cartoon, which is one of the fastest-action animateds [sic] ever produced." This review goes on to say, "Just as exciting as a wooly western meller - and funnier of course." J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein's book, Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History notes that the score uses the promotional song, The Wedding Party of Mickey Mouse for your benefit that song will be included underneath. 

Motion Picture Herald, 1932

With April Fool's day not far away, I feel it is a perfect time for the following Popeye cartoon, Cookin' With Gags (1955). 




 

The Betty Boop cartoon More Pep (1936), harkens back to the Fleischer Studio's silent era Out of the Inkwell films. Like those earlier shorts, this film features animated characters interacting with the live action world around them and unleashing havoc upon it. This cartoon even features the same introduction as many entries in the earlier series. We start with a live action hand drawing a setting for our characters. Though Pudgy just appears on screen, Betty is first seen in a inkwell ala Koko the Clown. This film also seems to harken back to the sheer fast paced energy of the earlier Betty Boops. Many of these cartoons were slowing down by this point, but More Pep has well more pep. Even the cute pudgy can't slow down the action. 

   

Up next is Tweety's first appearance in a cartoon, A Tale of Two Kitties (1942). Sharp eyed viewers may notice that Tweety is not yellow in this film, but pink. Since he was a newborn baby bird, it made sense for him not to have feathers. According to director Bob Clampett, he based the character off of a nude baby photo of himself. Tweety already has his famous line, "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat." According to animation historian Jerry Beck's book, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety, This line also originated with Bob Clampett when in the mid-1930's he wrote a letter to a friend on MGM stationary. Next to Leo the MGM lion, Clampett drew a small bird with a word balloon with "I think I taw a titty-tat." Instead of Sylvester Tweety is here pitted against two cats named Babbit and Catstello. As should be obvious by the names, these cats were a take off on the infamous comedy team Abbott and Costello, who had just made their movie debut just a couple years earlier in One Night in the Tropics (1940). The voice of Catstello was provided by the man of a thousand voices, Mel Blanc (who also voiced Tweety) and Babbitt was voiced by writer Tedd Pierce. A reviewer in Showman's Trade Review was very impressed with these voices stating, "Either the famous comedy pair furnished the accompanying dialogue themselves or the impersonators are the last word in perfection." Though they would not catch on the way Tweety did, these characters would reappear in other cartoons. Some of these cartoons would even feature the duo as mice instead of cats. They would appear with Tweety much later in a 1998 episode of the TV show, Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. This cartoon was reissued to theaters in 1948, the year Abbott and Costello made their most popular movie, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).  

Variety, 1933

In the mid-1930's in order to compete with the more popular cartoon studios like Disney or Fleischer, the Van Beuren Studio hired one of Disney's top cartoon directors, Burt Gillett (of Three Little Pigs fame). The studio gave Burt Gillett control over the studio's output and this lead to brand new series and the dropping of established ones. One of these new series was the Rainbow Parade cartoons, which were a not too subtle attempt to recapture the popularity of Disney's Silly Symphonies. Unfortunately this was not to be too successful as the studio would close after RKO stopped distributing their cartoons after getting the rights to distribute Disney cartoons in 1936. Here is the first Rainbow Parade cartoon, Pastry Town Wedding (1934). 

Before Woody Woodpecker the Walter Lantz studio created quite a few cartoon characters who are forgotten today. Here is one of those characters, Baby Faced Mouse in his first film, Cheese Nappers (1938).

Thanks for joining me come back next week for more animated classics. Until then may all your tunes be Looney and your melodies Merrie. 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #114

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Welcome back for another round of classic cartoons. 

Today's selection begins with Sylvester and Tweety in Tweet Dreams (1959). This cartoon is what is often referred to as a cheater. This means that it uses clips from earlier cartoons. The cartoons which have clips used here include Sandy Claws (1954), Tweety's Circus (1955), A Street Cat Named Sylvester (1953), Gift Wrapped (1952) and Too Hop to Handle (1956). Another cheater cartoon, Freudy Cat (1964) uses a similar premise where Sylvester visits a psychist. I have always loved the ending joke of this film. 

Next comes Disney's last Silly Symphony short, The Ugly Duckling (1939). The studio had already made this Hans Christian Anderson story into a Silly Symphony in 1931. However this version is more dramatic while the early version was more comedic. This wide different take on the source material fully justifies, the series returning to this story. Looking at this film, there is no doubt that the Silly Symphonies went out on a high note. The animation is fantastic even by Disney standards (animators include Eric Larson, Stan Quackenbush, Riley Thompson, Archie Robin, Milt Kahl and Paul Satterfeild). Comparing this to the earliest Symphonies shows how far Disney had come in the art of character animation. It is no wonder this won the "Best Cartoon" Oscar of 1939. Though originally playing in movie theatres this cartoon made a very early appearance on TV, when it played on an early variety show (May 1, 1940) celebrating the first anniversary of TV's first commercial appearance in New York. A review in Photoplay stated, "You'll choke with laughter and tears at the same time; gasp at the lovely color and settings. The Hans Christian Anderson story is followed closely except Disney improves on Anderson's very funny implication that the swan's egg in the duck's nest might lead Papa Duck to suspect his mate." A review in The Film Daily states. " Though the story only concerns the feathered folk this short is fused with real feels and pathos." 

                                                         Motion Picture Daily, 1940

Next comes a classic Fleischer Popeye cartoon, I Never Changes My Altitude (1937). When movie magazines listed this cartoon they changed the name to the grammatically correct, "I Never Change My Altitude." The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "I Never Change My Altitude: Popeye the Sailor - These Popeye cartoons are very good for the kids. This one did not go over with the adults. Running time , eight minutes, A.J. Inks, Crystal Theatre, Ligonier, Ind. Small Town Patronage." Another exhibitor's review for the Motion Picture Harald, disagreed with this stating, " I NEVER CHANGE MY ALTITUDE: Popeye the Sailor—A good Popeye. Adults will enjoy this as much as the kids. Running time, seven minutes.— A. E. Eliasen, Rialto Theatre, Paynesville, Minn. Rural and small town patronage." 

Up next is a classic Daffy and Porky teaming, The Ducksters (1950). This cartoon features Daffy hosting a very sadistic radio game show with Porky as the contestant. Daffy is as much of a clear cut villain here as he would be in the later cartoons when he is up against Speedy Gonzales. However he is so energetic and fun to watch here that even those who hate his later more villainess roles will have fun watching this cartoon. This film would be reissued to theatres on June 18, 1961. 

Next comes Cubby Bear in Croon Crazy (1933). The following is an exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald, "Croon Crazy: Cubby the Bear - Seldom is there a short nowadays that doesn't ring in the 'Come up and see me sometime' stuff. You wonder whether new expressions are not all washed up. Why not start something new. - Mrs. N. Monte Gill, Strand Theatre, Montpelier, Vt. General Patronage." 

Up next is a Color Rhapsody cartoon from Columbia, The Herring Murder Mystery (1943). This is the only theatrical short directed by Dun Roman, who worked as a writer on other Columbia cartoons and would later work on Jay Ward's television cartoons. A reviewer for The Exhibitor wrote, "Technicolor, drawing and animation are all good but it isn't particularly funny." 

 

/

Motion Picture Herald, 1934



Today's cartoon selection ends with an oddball Disney short, Football Now and Then (1953). This cartoon was directed by Jack Kinney and it features much of the same mixture of clever satire and great cartoon slapstick as his Goofy shorts. Yet this film is much stranger than any of his Goofy cartoons. Though even a lot of major Disney fans are not familiar with this, those who know this cartoon all seem to have a fondness for it. So I hope you enjoy one of the silliest cartoons to come out of the Disney studio. 

 

Thanks for joining me come back next week for another round of animated classics. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #111

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a later Famous Studios, Popeye cartoon and one of my favorites from that era. The film is Spree Lunch (1957). Instead of fight over the affections of Olive Oyl, here Popeye and Bluto are restaurant proprietors fighting over Wimpy as a customer (something I believe to be pointless because I doubt he really pays for a hamburger on Tuesday). The story recalls an earlier Fleischer Popeye Customers Wanted (1939) in which they similarly fight over Bluto as a customer (though owning penny arcades instead of restaurants). While Wimpy had played a role in quite a few Fleischer Popeyes, in the Famous Studios era he was rarely used at all and most of time when he was it was in reused clips from Fleischer cartoons. This makes it rather refreshing to see him not only in this cartoon, but playing a prominent role. Sadly since the theatrical Popeye cartoons were coming to an end around this time, this film marked the last appearance of both Wimpy and Pluto in a theatrical Popeye short. 





 

Broadcasting, 1961


Next comes an extremely funny, silly, crazy and somehow still kind of sweet animated short film from The National Film Board of Canada, The Big Snit (1985). This short was placed at 25 in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons.

Next comes a black and white Looney Tunes short that I have always had a real fondness for, Porky's Bear Facts (1941). This cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng and while it is not as completely crazy as the black and white Looney Tunes directed by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett or Frank Tashlin it does certainly have moments that show what was quickly becoming the studio's signature sense of humor. Characters break the fourth wall and silly visual gags certainly find their way in at times. Yet at the same time the film feels more grounded and story driven than some of the studio's other efforts at this time. The story itself is somewhat of a takeoff on The Grasshopper and the Ants (which Disney had made a Silly Symphony based around in 1934). In typical Warner style the ending here goes completely against the moral of the story. Like many Porky cartoons of this era, Porky's role is very minimized. The truth was most of the directors were getting tired of working with the pig and this made him become a supporting character in his own cartoons for a while. A reviewer in The Film Daily was not that impressed with this cartoon stating "Rate it just as fair." A reviewer in the Motion Picture Daily found the true main character of the film quite likable stating, "An engaging character that shiftless bear." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "PORKY'S BEAR FACTS: Looney Tunes — Fine. Vitaphone is our best bet for good cartoon fare. Running time, nine minutes.—Fred C. Allen, Princess Theatre, Piedmont, Ala. Small town patronage."

Ub Iwerks is a legend of animation if their ever was one. His work with Walt Disney (the two co-created Mickey Mouse) in the 1920's remain some of the highlights of Disney history and it is hard to imagine where Disney would be without Ub. However thoughts on the cartoons he himself heading after leaving Walt prove not to be as popular with cartoon fans. While I do agree that none of this work reaches the height of the best of his Disney work, I personally feel there is a lot to enjoy about these cartoons and that includes his Flip the Frog cartoons. Up next is one of those, The Cuckoo Murder Case (1930). The following is a review from Motion Picture News, "Fifteen or more series of animated cartoons on the market at one time make the going tough for this type of short. That is unless they are turned out with the cleverness of 'Cuckoo Murder Case,' one of the Flip the Frog subjects produced by Ub Iwerks. Here the cartoonist takes the usual mystery slant but sends it over with loads to spare. The answer is in the treatment. Iwerks has Flip go through the most amazing contortions. This shows real thought."  

Charles Nichols' Pluto cartoons are not the most popular among cartoon fans. They often get get criticized for being too cute, tame and safe. That is why it is great to see a Pluto cartoon directed by him that is as wild crazy and surreal as what Jack Hannah was doing with Donald Duck and Jack Kinney was doing with Goofy. Plutopia (1951) remains one of my favorite Pluto cartoons because it is just so cartoony. I love this short so much and I hope you do as well. 

Next comes one of the great silent Out of the Inkwell shorts, Cartoon Factory (1924).

Last but not least is Tweety and Sylvester in Tweet and Lovely (1959).  

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

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #40

Hello my friends and welcome back for another Saturday Morning featuring more classic cartoons. 

As many of you know Mighty Mouse cartoons often followed a strict formula with little variation. That is what makes the following cartoon stand out. While it still maintains some of the same formula such as the last minute rescue it does feature enough differences to make it not feel like the same thing again. Such changes include Mighty Mouse appearing in disguise and the lack of defeating a villain. Enjoy Spare the Rod (1954).


During Prohibition many American cartoons revolved around alcohol. As during prohibition alcohol was more popular than when it was legal. The Beer Parade (1933) is a oddity among these shorts as it stars the character Scrappy who is supposed to be a little boy. To be fair the beer is drunk by gnomes and only served by Scrappy and the even younger Oopy. An exhibitors review from The Motion Picture Herald called this cartoon "Extra good."




Next comes another early 1930's cartoon from Columbia. This cartoon revolves around another topical subject. This time it's The Great Depression. The American entertainment industry combatted the Depression with overwhelming optimism. This was especially true when it come to cartoons. This following cartoon, Prosperity Blues (1932) is a pure example of that. This cartoon feature Columbia's other cartoon star of the period Krazy Kat. These cartoons had scant resmblance to the George Herriman comic strip on which they were based. Krazy even went from being a character of undefiend gender to clearly a male and Ignatz Mouse and Officer Pupp are not to be found. Still these films are quite enjoyable on their own weird merit. The following is an exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald. "Prosperity Blues: Krazy Kat - Better than the average, music excellent. Krazy Kat cartoons are always good. Running time 6 minutes. -Marion F. Bodwell, Paramount Theatre, Wyomoing, Ill. Rural Patronage."

 



Next up comes one of my favorite Pink Panther cartoons, We Give Pink Stamps (1965).



We end our time of watching cartoons together with a classic Tweety and Sylvester short directed by Friz Freleng, Tom Tom Cat (1953). Friz directed almost all of the classic Tweety and Sylvester cartoons (Hawaiian Aye Aye (1964) was directed by Gerry Chiniquy (that cartoon and Dumb Portal (1964) where the only classic Warners cartoons he directed)). This cartoon features much of what made Friz a great director, great timing, fantastic slapstick and use of off screen space. However one has to wonder what a whole tribe of cats is gonna do with one small bird like Tweety.

  

Thanks for joining me and come back next week for more cartoon goodies.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Easter Songs From the Movies

With Easter just around the corner, I feel now is a good time to look at some Easter themed songs from classic movies. 

First up is the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. Though Gene is often more associated with his Christmas songs he did have a huge hit having to do with Easter, a fun little tune called Peter Cottontail. This song was written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, who wrote the famous Christmas song Frosty the Snowman. Because of Gene's success with Christmas songs the duo decided that he should be the one to record it. Gene recorded it in 1950 and it hit the number 3 spot on the country music chart. Gene would also sing the song in the feature film, The Hills of Utah (1951) and that is the version you will see here.  Next comes Judy Garland and Fred Astaire performing the classic Irving Berlin song, Easter Parade from the movie Easter Parade (1948). This song dated back to a 1933 Broadway play entitled Thousands Cheer. Before this movie version the song had already been used in at least two movies, Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) and Holiday Inn (1942). Last but not least is Doris Day and Jack Carson performing a tune called Freddie Get Ready. This scene combines live action and animation as our live action stars interact with animated characters, Bugs Bunny and Tweety. While the film's director was Michael Curtiz, this sequence was directed by Friz Freleng. This was appropriate as Friz was one of the most prolific Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. This movie also marked Doris Day's second film. So enjoy the music and have a great Easter. 








-Michael J. Ruhland