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. 

/

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 #135

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

Today's selection begins with Mickey's Parrot (1938). This movie is one of the few short films directed by Bill Roberts (who also directed Brave Little Tailor (1938) and Society Dog Show (1939)). Bill Roberts mostly directed segments of Disney's feature length films. This cartoon was originally planned to center mainly around Pluto, but the film was reworked to have Mickey play a larger role. Walt loved the idea of this movie stating, "You have these two characters - Mickey and the dog scared stiff. That's a swell Mickey type of story." Like many of the best Disney cartoons of this time this movie benefits from a very cinematic feel. Much of this is helped by some excellent effects animation by Josh Meador and Cornett Wood. The opening shot is the work of Cornett Wood and perfectly sets up the mood for the whole picture. The cartoon also features a great cast of Disney animators. Shamus Culhane was making a name for himself as one of the finest Pluto animators. Here he animates Pluto chasing the parrot into the piano as well as the two fighting after Pluto blows him into the chair. Les Clark is hailed as one of Mickey's finest animators and would become one of Walt's nine old men. He animates very little here. He does animate the parrot saying "shiver me timbers," Mickey saying "the killer," and the closing shot. Dick Lundy, who would later direct some really good cartoons for both MGM and Walter Lantz animates Mickey and Pluto getting scared while listening to the radio and them hiding in the bed. The lion's share of the animation is handled by Fred Spencer including the parrot in the basement window, the action with the parrot and the can, Pluto and the fishbowl, Pluto and the umbrella, the chase in the kitchen, the parrot biting Pluto's tail (as well as the staring contest afterwards) and the parrot and the popcorn. A review in Boxoffice magazine stated, " Never a dull moment in this one, thanks to the Disney wizardy. It’s a continuous .succession of humorous situations good from mild to hearty belly laughs." The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "MICKEY'S PARROT: Walt Disney Cartoons—Disney makes the cartoons. There's no use of arguing. A theatre without them is the same as no salt on your meat.—Harland Rankin, Plaza Theatre, Tilbury, Ontario, Can. General Patronage."

Up next is The Pink Panther in Congratulations It's Pink (1967).

Today's cartoon selection continues with Sylvester in Fish and Slips (1962). This movie begins with Sylvester and his son watching TV. The announcer on TV mentions Treg Brown. This was the sound effects man for the Warner Brothers cartoon studio. Sylvester's son, Sylvester Jr. was almost exclusively used in cartoons directed by Robert McKimson (though he was used in Friz Freleng's Goldimouse and the Three Cats (1960)). 

Up next is one of Ub Iwerks Comi-Color cartoons, Brave Tin Solider (1934). Ub Iwerks had previously been Walt Disney's right hand man playing a major role in the creation of Mickey Mouse, animating on Walt's Alice Comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons and directing the earliest Silly Symphonies. When distributor Pat Powers offered Ub the chance to head his own studio he left Walt (though he would later return). Ub's own studio would never receive the success that the Disney studio did, but he turned out some films that still delight cartoon buffs to this day. His Comi-Color series was a thinly veiled imitation of Disney's Silly Symphonies cartoons, adapting many classic fairy tales and simular stories. However these cartoons are a bit odder than the Silly Symphonies and there are some jokes in these movies you would not see in a Disney cartoon. Brave Tin Solider is in my mind one of the finest of the Comi-Color cartoons. 

                                     Independent Exhibitor's Film Bulletin, 1934

Next up is the first appearance of Betty Boop's dog, Pudgy, Betty Boop's Little Pal (1934). Though Dave Fleischer is credited as the director of this cartoon, it is widely accepted in animation circles that the first credited animator of the Fleischer cartoons did much of the directing. Not surprisingly the first credited animator here is Myron Waldman. Myron Waldman excelled at cute cartoons and this is about as cute as a Betty cartoon can get. The following are some exhibitor reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "BETTY BOOP'S LITTLE PAL: Betty Boop Cartoons — This is another good cartoon from Betty. We liked it here. Running time, one reel—J. A. Verchot, Opera House, Abbeville, S. C. Small town patronage." "BETTY BOOP'S LITTLE PAL: Betty Boop Cartoon—Fair cartoon. Betty has made much better ones. —John H. Forrester, The Fines Theatre, Waldron, Ark." 

Up next is a real treat, some bridging sequences from TV's The Bugs Bunny Show.

Let us close by singing a song together.

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

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Resources Used

http://afilmla.blogspot.com/search/label/Shorts_RKO

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

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

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #42 - Spooky Edition

Hello again my friends and happy Saturday morning. With Halloween just around the corner, today's Saturday morning cartoons post is dedicated to some downright spooky cartoons. 

We start with the coolest cat to ever grace the silver screen, The Pink Panther in a spooky treat, Pink Panic (1967). This a delightful and very creative cartoons. It may not be one of the funniest Pink Panthers, but it has its own atmospheric charm.

 

Next we'll rejoin our good friend Scrappy in a delightfully spooky Columbia short, Scrappy' s Ghost Story (1935). I really love the little song in this cartoon, and much of the dancing animation is very enjoyable. Like many Scrappy cartoons, what makes this film so delightful is the sheer amount of imagination and creativity. A review in The Film Daily stated "A good number of laughs evolve from this fast moving cartoon."






Next comes another Columbia Halloween treat from the 1930's. This cartoon, Skeleton Frolic (1937) was directed by the one and only Ub Iwerks. Many of you are probably aware that Ub Iwerks was the main animator of the classic Disney cartoon, The Skeleton Dance (1929). This film is in many ways an unofficial remake of the earlier cartoon. While it may not be the masterpiece that The Skeleton Dance was this is a delightful film in its own right. One exhibitors review from the Motion Picture Herald stated "Amusing antics. This sort of thing doesn't seem to bother our young folks any." A review in The Film Daily stated, "Rather a gruesome subject in a way but done with great technical cleverness and filled with a grim sense of humor." This cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1953-1954 and 1961.

Of course you can't have Halloween cartoon watching without the next Disney classic. This is one of Jack Hannah's finest Donald Duck cartoons, Trick or Treat (1952). If you are interested in the history of this cartoon you can't do better than a great article Disney Historian Jim Fanning wrote for the D23 website. To see that click here.


















Happy Halloween and come back next week for more cartoon fun.

-Michael J. Ruhland