Out of the three Scooby-Doo! movies (the others being Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf and Scooby-Doo! and the Ghoul School) made for the Hanna-Barbera Super Stars 10 (a series of 10 made for TV Hanna-Barbera movies) this is the closest any of them come to the traditional Scooby-Doo! formula. Though the gang only consists of Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy, they three do work together to solve a mystery involving a so-called haunting. Besides the absence of the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang, the other major difference between this and your typical Scooby-Doo! movie is that the gang is helped out by real ghosts. These real ghosts though are much less threatening than the fake ghosts who normally popularize the franchise. One reason is that they are "helping" (and I use that word very loosely) Scooby and friends and the other is that they are really only in the film for comedic purposes. The ghosts are a pretty obvious takeoff on The Three Stooges and while not as funny as the actual Stooges, they fulfil their comedy relief services quite well and got a few real laughs out of me.
Scrappy-Doo is probably the most hated character in the Scooby-Doo! franchise but I have to admit in this film I like him a lot. The filmmakers toned down the characters more obnoxious aspects (don't except to hear "puppy power" mentioned anywhere here."), and the character instead comes off as smart, self-assured and determined. This movie does of course keep the ongoing joke (that is in every incarnation of Scrappy) where he simply is oblivious to the fact that Scooby and Shaggy are not exactly brave. I personally love this joke and that has helped keep me from disliking Scrappy in any of his incarnations.
This film (like all the best Scooby-Doo! stories) has an incredible sense of atmosphere. The large empty mansion and a creepy southern swamp are just the places we like to see in a Scooby-Doo! mystery and they are handled to perfection here. The confederate ghost is creepy enough to gain suspense while still not too creepy to take away from the movie's lighthearted feel.
On the downside the mystery is too easy to solve and some jokes are poorly timed, dragging on past the point when they stop being funny. However these faults are not enough to overcome just how fun this film is.
This is an excellent watch for all Scooby-Doo fans.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
One of the fixtures of classic cartoons were celebrity caricatures. Often these caricatures were used as just a quick gag, but there were also cartoons built completely around celebrity caricatures. For people like me who adore old movies, these cartoons are a complete delight. Possibly the finest (though Disney's Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938) is a close runner up) of these films is Tex Avery's Hollywood Steps Out (1941). The caricatures are very well done, the jokes are quite funny and the references to movies of this time period are extremely clever. The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "HOLLYWOOD STEPS OUT: Merrie Melodies—This is one of the best cartoons I have had for some time. It features quite a number of Hollywood stars. Running time, 7 minutes.—Walter Eldred, Colfax Theatre, Colfax. Calif. Small town patronage." The following is another, "HOLLYWOOD STEPS OUT: Merrie Melodies—The caricatures of famous Hollywood stars are excellently done in this color cartoon and the voices are perfect imitations. This is one of the best cartoons we have ever run as it is also funny in its own right. Running Time, eight minutes. W. Varrick Nevins III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred, NY. small college town patronage."
The following is a brief article from Showman's Trade Review, "It is something to get excited about when a a feature gets important, nation-wide front page coverage. But when a cartoon is awarded that honor the excitement should be even greater, for it is seldom if ever a short subject gets such coverage.
"The cartoon was 'Hollywood Steps Out' a Merry Melody produced by Leon Schlesinger. Caricatures appeared on the cover of Pictorial Review, supplement of Hearst Sunday papers twice in one month."
Hollywood, 1941
Though today classic cartoon fans associate MGM cartoons with the more wacky Tom and Jerry and Tex Avery films, the studio had previously been know for its lavish but slower paced (and not exactly gag driven) films by Hugh Harmon and Rudolph Ising. The complete change in pace was definitely noticed by audiences of the time which explains the following exhibitors review (from the Motion Picture Herald) for the early Hanna-Barbera short, The Goose Goes South (1941). "GOOSE GOES SOUTH, THE: Technicolor cartoons, The MGM cartoons have now also gone wacky in the Schlesinger manner and believe it or not do an excellent job at it. Full of laughs and surprises. - W. Varrick Nevins III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred, NY. small college town patronage."
And now for something completely different here is Sally Cruikshank's Quasi at the Quackadero (1975).
Next Gandy Goose and Sourpuss visit Comic Book Land (1950). I love that a lot of Gandy's comic book collection consist of Terry-Toon comics. Either Gandy has good taste or he has a discount on these comics by working for the studio. I wonder if he reads comics starring himself. It is a good thing he reads Terry-Toons comics as one of these comics come in handy towards the end of the film.
And now for a delightful fairytale of the fractured variety.
I know after last week's Ruff and Reddy cartoon, you are in suspense to find out what happens next. Well wait no longer up next is the second Ruff and Reddy cartoon. To find out what happens to our heroes after this come back next week.
A really fun direct to video movie teaming Scooby-Doo! and Batman.
The Mystery Inc. Gang first meet the Caped Crusader in 1972 in an episode of The New Scooby Doo Movies entitled The Dynamic Scooby Doo Affair. However the most entertaining meeting of the world greatest detectives was in the direct to video movie Scooby Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This came as no surprise to me as Batman: The Brave and the Bold is one of my favorite superhero TV shows. It was smart, funny and never took itself too seriously and this film does exactly the same thing.
The movie begins with The Mystery Inc. gang solving a crime involving creepy puppets. When they catch the ghosts and go to unmask them, they discover that they are in fact the Martian Man Hunter and Detective Chimp. Batman then enters applauding telling the group they have proven themselves worthy of being a part of their organization, The Mystery Analysts of Gotham (also in the group are Black Canary, Plastic Man and the Question). During a meeting an alarm sounds alerting them that there has been a break in at Gotham Chemical Storage. When they get there, they discover a ghost called The Crimson Cloak, who may have a connection to Batman's past. Things get worse when The Mystery Inc. Gang is suspected of the crime.
Rather than being made by the crew that makes most of the direct to video Scooby Doo movies, this film was made by the people who made, the Batman: The Brave and the Bold TV show and that is completely evident. This movie is much more inline with that show than anything. For one thing we see many of the reoccurring characters from the series (portrayed in the same way as the show) throughout the film. Also like any episode of the show while it can be enjoyed by those who do not know much about superhero mythos there is also a lot of fantastic references and Easter eggs for us DC superhero fans. As such this movie gets everything right that the show did so well. What is equally impressive is that despite the feature length this movie never feels over long or stretched out (a fault with many of the Scooby Doo feature films). It is given the perfect amount of time here. None of this is to say however that this movie is lacking in the Scooby Doo department. Actually this is done very well. The Mystery Inc. gang is always completely in character and a joy to watch. Though certain Scooby Doo clichés are parodied here, one can tell that the filmmakers have complete respect for Scooby Doo. In fact the Scooby Doo gang (especially Daphne) get some of the funniest lines in the movie, and Scooby and Shaggy in the Arkham Asylum cafeteria is a complete delight. Despite this being a movie that never takes itself too seriously, the storyline and mystery are actually quite good and one could image a serious superhero film being made with a similar plot.
If you are either a Batman or Scooby Doo fan, I can't recommend this movie enough to you. It is pure silly fun and isn't that why you would watch a film like this.
This movie seems to be a favorite for many Sccoby-Doo! fans that grew up with it, and I completely understand why. It is extremely corny and silly, but it is so unashamedly so that that becomes part of its charm. And charming is the word that probably best describes this film. It is never laugh out loud funny, but it consistently puts a smile on my face regardless. Because of this, when you are a kid this movie can easily seem near perfect even if it is not.
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo! is actually my favorite Scooby show and being from the 1980's this movie is very similar in spirit to that series. The gang is cut down to just Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy (Daphne who was in 13 Ghosts is actually not here), the ghosts and monsters are real, there is an actually creepy villain and Shaggy is wearing a red shirt. These similarities make the film automatically appeal to me. The climax where Shaggy and SCooby try to save the girls is one of the most atmospheric and creepy moments in one of the Scooby-Doo! features and I respect that despite the silly and corny aspects of this movie the filmmakers were still able to put this much effort into making the film actually creepy (for a Scooby-Doo! movie that is). I also love the creative ideas like mirror monster that do not need to be in the movie but make the climax much more exciting. The ghoul girls that Scooby and Shaggy befriend are delightful. They manage to be sweet and cute but never be sickeningly so (something Hanna-Barbera didn't always do too well at this time) and while still keeping what makes them monsters. They also serve as tellers of corny puns and while these puns are unbelievably corny, there is no doubt that the filmmakers had a blast seeing how many corny puns they could come up with and that just adds to the fun of this movie.
To be fair this movie has its flaws. It is a bit overlong and could use a little trimming in some places. Also Scrappy Doo has a rap and that is as horrible as it sounds.
A bland and very cliché superhero movie and probably the weakest Disney + original movie yet.
Stop me if you heard this one before. A group of teenagers discover that they have superpowers and go to a special class to learn how to control them. However their powers may come in use sooner than them or their teacher think as a villain just might be up to know good and these teenager might be the only one to stop them. Yes this story has been done before (including by Disney). The problem is that the previous times this story has been done far outshine this bland retelling. The characters are strictly one note and feel like what someone whose only exposure to teenagers is bad cliché movies might come up with. We have the rebellious punk rocker, the self-absorbed cool kid, the social awkward nerdy kid, the overly nice girl and the materialistic pretty girl (who has a lot of followers online, because this movie is hip and current). These kids who are nothing alike of course form a friendship that is the greatest power of all. Though when exactly this friendship is formed (and they go from making fun of each other to deeply caring about each other) must have happened off screen because it seemed to come out of nowhere for me. The humor is just kind of there and neither made me laugh or groan, but rather just shrug at how that was supposed to be funny. A subplot involving our main protagonist's best friend feeling like she doesn't care about him any more feels like little more than padding to take some extra time. The main story itself seems to be going through the motions making sure it can check off each cliché point about these types of movies.
On the plus side the villain feels like a real threat to our heroes and the action scenes are surprisingly pretty well done.
Run Time: 25 minutes. Studio: Hal Roach Studios. Directors: Hal Roach, Alf Goulding. Titles: H.M. Walker. Producer: Hal Roach. Main Cast: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Walter Howe, Ernest Morrison. Cinematographer: Walter Lundin.
With Halloween fast approaching, it seems like a good time to look at a great spooky themed comedy and when you want a silent comedy is there anyone better to go to than Harold Lloyd. While it may not be one of his best films, Haunted Spooks is still an excellent example of why Harold Lloyd remains one of the finest screen comedians.
The basic story is one that is very familiar. A young woman (Mildred Davis) is to inherit the estate of her dead rich grandfather. Unfortunately for her to get this inheritance she needs to live in the grandfather's mansion for one year with her husband. This is no easy feat as she is not married. Meanwhile a young man (Harold Lloyd) is distressed due to his love problems. He tries many times to commit suicide (each attempt only ending in slapstick mishaps). However our two heroes meet and fall in love. This may make it seem like getting the mansion would be a simple affair, but unfortunately for them the woman's uncle (Walter Howe) is set to inherit the estate should the woman fail to meet these requirements. The uncle will try to stop her niece from inheriting the estate by any means necessary, even if that means trying to make the couple believe that the mansion is haunted.
This film begins with Harold and a romantic rival racing to ask a woman's father for her hand. This story line was earlier used as the main story for the short Ask Father (1919). Failed comedic attempts at suicide would later be used by Harold in the short, Never Weaken (1921).
The supporting cast in this film includes some familiar faces to silent comedy fans. Mildred Davis will be familiar to even the most causal Harold Lloyd fan. She was Harold's second major leading lady (Bebe Daniels was the first and Jobyna Ralston was the third (afterwards Harold's leading ladies would differ from film to film)). When Bebe Daniels left the Lloyd films for more dramatic roles in 1919, both Harold and producer Hal Roach agreed that they should find another regular leading lady to play opposite Harold. They also equally agreed that this new leading lady should differ from Daniels. A new leading lady was found in eighteen year old Mildred Davis. While it took a while to find the correct characterization for Davis in these films, the chemistry between the two quickly shined. They had great chemistry off-screen as well as the two would become romantically involved (Harold and Daniels had been romantically involved as well) and would become husband and wife. Rare for Hollywood stars, the two would stay married until she passed away. While never in as big of roles as Mildred, Wallace Howe was also a regular staple of Harold Lloyd films often in uncredited bit roles. Howe first appeared in a Lloyd film in 1918 and continued appear in these films until The Milky Way (1936). He even at times played multiple roles within the same film (including the infamous Safety Last) Wallace Howe also served as Harold's make-up man through much of this time. One of the most familiar faces to silent comedy fans will be Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison. This was not the only Harold Lloyd short he appeared in (others included Get Out and Get Under (1920) and Number Please (1920). Born in 1912, in 1919 Ernie become the first black performer to sign a long term Hollywood contract. Ernie left quite an impression on Hal Roach who quickly took note of the young performer's great comic energy and timing. Hal decided to create a short subject series around the young actor. This resulted in the short, The Pickaninny (1921) which sadly did not create the ongoing series it planned to. Yet the idea to make a short subject series around him stayed with Roach and when Hal created the Our Gang series, Ernie Morrison became one of the stars of that series, appearing in 28 Our Gang shorts. Later in the talkie era Ernie became one of The East Side Kids (the group that would morph into the Bowery Boys).
Exhibitor's Herald, 1921
During the shooting of this film Harold Lloyd had an accident with what he believed was a prop bomb (it was a real bomb) and lost his thumb and forefinger on his right hand. Because of this accident shooting had to be put on hold while he recovered. Shooting at first took place August 9-23, 1919 and continued shooting January 5-25, 1920. Due to the accident he had to wear a prosthetic hand and if you pay close attention you can notice which scenes were shot during which period by looking at his hand. According to the audio commentary by Richard Correll, Suzanne Lloyd and Annette D'Agostino Lloyd the scene where Harold is driving with Mildred and feeding the birds in the back was the last thing shot before the accident. Interestingly the release schedule for the Harold Lloyd films was not interrupted by the accident, as they had made enough films yet to be released that the schedule was completely filled. For more information on the bomb accident click here.
The following are five exhibitors reviews from The Exhibitor's Herald.
"Haunted Spooks (Pathe), with Harold Lloyd - This is one of the very best comedies we have ever run. A valuable addition to a good feature program. It is safe to say that the great majority of our patrons came to see this excellent comedy rather than the feature. - H.V. Friedrich, Majestic Theatre, Sheboygan, Wis. - Downtown patronage."
"Haunted Spooks (Pathe), with Harold Lloyd - Absolutely a clean up. Chaplin and Arbuckle are not in a class with Lloyd. - R.J. Cooper, Opry House, Kirbyville, Tex. Neighborhood patronage."
"Haunted Spooks (Pathe), with Harold Lloyd.—This is the best comedy I have ever run. I thought the people would go wild. Harold makes you dust off the S.R.O. -R.K. Stonebrook, Wisner theatre, Eldora, Ia. - Neighborhood patronage."
"Haunted Spooks (Pathe), with Harold Lloyd - We played all Lloyds in the first series. Best and cleanest comedies on the screen. Have booked second series. Book 'em - John L. Naiman, Lyric theatre, Alexandria, Nebr. - Neighborhood patronage."
"Haunted Spooks (Pathe), with Harold Lloyd.—The kids went crazy over this and one old crab said it was the best comedy he ever saw.—Roy W. Adams, Pastime Theatre, Mason, Mich. - General Patronage."
The following is an article from a 1920 issue of Motion Picture News.
"Motion Picture critics of the leading metropolitan dailies, in passing judgement on Harold Lloyd's new $100,000 comedy, 'Haunted Spooks,' distributed by Pathe, which played at the Rivoli and Strand theatres, proclaimed it not only Lloyd's best effort but one of the finest comedies of the season. The opinion expressed by the New York Evening Sun representative reads as follows :
"'The most entertaining feature of the Strand bill this week is the Harold Lloyd picture, called 'Haunted Spooks.' The audience yesterday afternoon roared over its comicalities. It's the funniest motion picture of the season. Lloyd's attempts to commit suicide, and his adventures later with the very human spirits far exceed the ordinary fun limit of screen farces.
"Almost as positive that Lloyd's latest attraction is his most representative screen work, was the reporter of the New York Tribune who covered the Strand show.
"'The true feature of the bill is the Harold Lloyd comedy, 'Haunted Spooks.' There were moments when this picture drew laughter from every member of the big Sunday audience, and it made all of the people laugh some of the time. There is more than a semblance of a plot to the thing; the titles are amusing; and the business which produces the laughs is astonishingly fresh and diverting.'
"From the pen of the New York Sun and Herald scribe came the following praiseworthy comment:
"'A word of blessing must be said for 'Haunted Spooks.' Harold Lloyd's latest frolic, for it has something of a spirited plot some of the most diverting suicides ever attempted on screen, and altogether is hilarious enough to cause even a medium to cease, for the time being, to take ghosts seriously.'"
The following is from a 1920 article in Moving Picture World.
"'Haunted Spooks,' after its reception at the Strand Theatre, which led Managing Director Jack Eaton to call it 'the greatest comedy of the year,' has repeated this reception throughout the country. Critics in every key city where the latest Lloyd comedy has been shown were unanimous in their opinion Lloyd the leader in his field of comedy endeavor and that 'Haunted Spooks' represents the cleverest and cleanest mirthmaker ever on the screen."
Note: Usually I try to avoid spoilers when I write about a movie, but I can not talk about my feelings for this film without giving away a plot twist, so be aware that this review is going to give away a lot of the story.
I know it may be strange to say but my favorite Scooby-Doo! series is The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo! (1985). Yes, I actually like that show more than the original series. That is why I am split on this movie. As a standalone film I like it, but as a conclusion to a TV series I really like I don't like it at all.
First to look at this as a standalone movie. The humor here is well above par from the average Scooby-Doo! movie. There are many jokes that made me laugh quite a bit, such as Fred and Valma's reactions to their teammates' adventures without them. Vincent Van Ghoul's love of grim puns is hilarious, poking fun at the series as well as paying tribute to it. This is especially funny when the other character's reactions are added. Flim-Flam is highly enjoyable in his supporting role and steals each scene he is in. Fred trying to bribe Scooby is Shaggy made me laugh out loud. I am not fully on board with leaving Scrappy out of this movie. I am one of the few people who kind of likes him, thinking he brought a fresh bit of fun to the Scooby-Doo! formula (besides by the time of this show, he had been toned down since his first appearance. Despite this I did get a good laugh at the line "What's a Scrappy?" The animation is excellent here, as has become expected for these current Scooby-Doo! movies. The car chase action scene is very exciting and benefits from this great animation.
Now to this movie as a follow up to a great series. Viewed as this the film couldn't be more disappointing. What fans of the series (myself included) wanted was to see the gang face off against the ultimate most powerful ghost out there. So why should this film lead to little more than the average guy in a mask Scooby-Doo! story? However it is true. First off through the majority of the movie, the ghost doesn't seem especially powerful or scary. The fact the whole series would lead up to a pretty average ghost itself is extremely disappointing. I am not saying that this character should have been actually terrifying to see (after all lots of kids are going to watch this movie), but he should have felt like a bigger threat than anything we saw in the series. This however is hardly the worst of it. The worst of it is that the ghost is fake. The movie still states that it is possible that the last 12 ghosts were real but that isn't the point. I am not angry at this film for retracting anything from the series, but rather for not living up to what was built up to do. Making the last ghost fake is downright insulting for fans of the show.
All in all this is an enjoyable movie on its own, but a terrible follow up to a great series.
