Corona Virus and Rabbititis

Just a cartoon to pass the time away while you're sheltered at home.    You'll see why I picked this one about half the way through...

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6mk4fb

Happy New Year 2020

Happy New Year 2020!   My new year's resolution is to spend some time on this blog again.   To celebrate, here's an oddity - a Popeye cartoon without any violence!  From 1938, here's a clip from Let's Celebrake with Popeye, Bluto and Olive.   Be sure to search out the whole cartoon on DailyMotion!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Spooks!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, life sometimes gets in the way of regular posting.   I may farm that work out to someone else so I can have more time to post.

Today's cartoon posting is "Spooks" a 1930 Oswald the Rabbit cartoon produced by Walter Lantz.   Oswald cartoons were originally produced by Walt Disney for Universal, but Walt had the termerity to request more money for each cartoon and had the character taken from him.  Oswald eventually ended up in the capable hands of Walter Lantz, who used the character for several years in some of the more bizarre cartoons you'll ever see.

This cartoon is a take-off of "The Phantom of the Opera," and while not as spectacular as the Andrew Lloyd Webber version, I was grateful that this version told the same story in three hours less than Webber's version (not a Phantom fan).  I don't recommend that you watch the entire cartoon, as it drags around the second act.   I direct your attention to the ending, which is one of the most bizarre endings to a cartoon I've ever seen.  Watch it, starting at about the 5:53 mark, and understand that Oswald has been pursued by this phantom for the last six minutes.   I'm sure your reaction will be the same as mine:   "What the - ???"

The Ten Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time, Number 6

We're still at work, listing the Ten Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time!  Number six has checked in, and you can read all about him in the blog entry below.  Remember, if you have your own list you'd like printed, please send it in and I'll print it and the end of the series.   Now, on to number six...

10.  Baby Huey
9.  Squiddly Diddly
8.  Buzzy the Crow
7.  Hippity Hopper
6.  Loopy De Loop

When I was a kid, we had a book around the house entitled "Huckleberry Hound Treasury."  I loved the early Hanna-Barbera characters at that time, and read this book constantly during my childhood.  It was a great book, containing full-color illustrated stories of all the Hanna-Barbera characters at the time.   Here's a picture of the book.

Such memorable characters!   Yogi Bear!   Mr. Jinks!  Quick Draw McGraw!   Loopy De Loop!   Pixie and...    Loopy De Loop?  Who the heck is Loopy De Loop?    I watched all the Hanna Barbera shows religiously and had never seen hide nor hair of any character named Loopy the Loop.  Was he some long-lost relative of Hokey Wolf?  This character was a total mystery to me.  It took me years until I was able to finally discover his identity.

Loopy was the star in a series of theatrical cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera between 1959 and 1964.   Hanna-Barbera productions was created in 1957 by Joe Barbera and William Hanna.   Joe and Bill had just been fired after almost 20 years with the MGM cartoon department, where they created the Tom and Jerry characters.  They had immediate success in television, creating Ruff and Reddy in 1957, Huckleberry Hound in 1958 and Quick Draw McGraw in 1959.  Meanwhile, theatrical cartoons were going through a uneven time, as several studios were closing their cartoon departments but still wanting a steady supply of new cartoons.   Columbia Pictures was an earlier supporter of Hanna-Barbera (Harry Cohn owned 18% of H-B at the time) and its Screen Gems television subsidiary was handling the H-B product.   Columbia was releasing UPA cartoons to theaters in the late 1950's and when UPA stopped producing theatrical shorts, Columbia turned to H-B for a new series.  H-B created Loopy De Loop, who starred in 48 cartoons between 1959 and 1965.  The cartoons eventually received limited television exposure, but quickly slipped into cartoon oblivion.

A rare Loopy De Loop theater poster

Loopy De Loop is a French-Canadian wolf who has dedicated his life to clearing the bad name wolves have earned throughout the years.  Loopy is a "good wolf" who spends his time trying to do good deeds and prove to the world that he is a "good wolf."   However, he has a hard time convincing everyone of his honorable intentions, and usually gets shot or beaten for his efforts.  The problem with this formula is: 1) it is extremely repetative, and 2) it isn't funny.  After one or two of these cartoons you wish Loopy would revert to "bad wolf" and eat everyone he has encountered in the last 6 minutes.  The cartoons were produced in the same fashion as the rest of H-B's product at the time, which means limited animation and stock music.

For reasons I don't quite understand, Warner Bros. has chosen to release a DVD set of all of Loopy's cartoons (sigh...   yes, I admit, I bought a copy).   For the sadistics out there, here's a link.   Below is Loopy's first appearance in the 1959 cartoon "Wolf Hounded."

Loopy got his own Little Golden Book that was eventually reprinted in the Huckleberry Hound Treasury.

More Loopy merchandise.  Loopy looks a little too...  loopy here.

The Ten Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time - Number 7

Sorry for the delay, it's been a busy week.  I had to go out to the mailbox twice this week.  And those darn girl scouts keep ringing my door asking if I want cookies.  One day I may have to turn them down.  We're back to giving you our ratings for the worst cartoon characters of all time.   Competition is getting fierce, but I think when the final list is unveiled you will agree with at least 30% of the choices.   If you agree with less than that, I'll be happy to post your list in a subsequent column.  But let's move on to number 7, as we move up the list to number one...

10.  Baby Huey
9.  Squiddly Diddly
8.  Buzzy the Crow
7.  Hippity Hopper

Okay, let's get one thing straight right now.   THIS is a baby kangaroo:

...And THIS is a giant mouse, better known as a Capybara, native to South America.

See any resemblance?   Sure, I guess they are both brown and furry, but then again so is a brown bear.   And yet Ranger Smith never mistook Yogi for a giant mouse.  A bear from outer space, yes, but never a giant mouse.

However, this mistaken identity is the basis for every Hippity Hopper film released by Warners Brothers from 1948 until 1964.  In case you're not familiar with the premise, the cartoon usually begins with a baby kangaroo escaping from a zoo, a circus, an Outback restaurant, or any other place you're likely to find a baby kangaroo.   He inevitably ends up in the neighborhood of Sylvester the Cat, who mistakes the baby kangaroo for a giant mouse and spends the rest of the cartoon trying to subdue the creature, and getting beaten to a pulp in the process.  Every cartoon in the series was directed by Robert McKimson.

The first couple of cartoons were interesting and fun, but soon after that the cartoons fell into the same repeated formula that would curse such cartoon stars as Pepe Le Pew, Casper, and any Famous Studios cartoon star. 

Hippity Hopper, the name of the baby kangaroo, has almost no personality and really doesn't do much in his own films.   He is the star of these cartoons much like the Roadrunner stars in a Roadrunner cartoon.   Let's be honest, the real star of the Roadrunner cartoons is the Coyote, and in the Hippity Hopper films it is Sylvester that really carries the film.  However, the Warner Bros. cartoon department seemed to think that Hippity Hopper had the star power, as you can see from these title cards:



Pop 'im Pop, 1950, Hippity Hopper's third film.   At least Sylvester is still getting second billing.

Lighthouse Mouse, 1955



Too Hop to handle, 1956.  At least Sylvester made it onto the title card.

Hippity Hopper went on to appear in comic books, some merchandise, and the occasional resurrection of the Warner Bros. characters in TV and movies such as Space Jam.   Below I've posted a Hippity Hopper cartoon that has a plot somewhat different than all the others (but not very), Bell Hoppy from 1954.   The nice thing about this one is Sylvester gets top billing...


Sylvester The Cat - (Ep. 42) - Bell Hoppy by cartoonNetworks

A rare piece of Hippity Hopper merchandise, a ceramic decanter

The Ten Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time - Number 8

We're now at number eight in our listing of the ten worst cartoon characters of all time.   I've received a few emails and messages giving me your suggestions for worst cartoon character, so now may be a good time to post one of the rules I just made up for this little venture.   To qualify as Worst Cartoon Character, the cartoon character must actually star in a series of cartoons.  So this leaves out sidekicks and supporting characters.   As annoying as The Great Gazoo might be, he does not qualify.   Neither do characters from full-length animated films.  You need to appear is a series of films to qualify   More rules may be posted as I think them up.

Now, onto my choice for the number eight Worst Cartoon Character of all Time:

10. Baby Huey
9.  Squiddly Diddly
8.  Buzzy, the Funny Crow

It's pretty sad when you have to have "funny" as part of your billing so that audiences will understand that you are supposed to be funny.  Buzzy the Crow starred in a series of cartoons for Paramount / Famous studios, the studio that brought senseless cartoon violence to a peak.  Buzzy was not only pointless and violent but he was also offensive to boot.   His voice, an imitation of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, has been pointed out as an example of black stereotypes in cartoons.   In recent years, his voice has been dubbed over to remove the black dialect.   

A Buzzy Book

Every Buzzy cartoon follows the same format:  the dumb cat (usually Katnip) has some ailment or habit that he needs to kick.  It could be smoking, baldness, hiccups, insomnia - all of these were tastefully dealt with in a Buzzy cartoon.  The cat researches a cure and finds that every book recommends eating fresh crow meat to remedy his condition (does the FDA know about this?).  So, the cat will try and catch Buzzy, who then offers the cat his own home remedy in exchange for his life.  Violence ensues.  And as i mentioned in my previous post about Baby Huey, there was nothing subtle or sophisticated about the violence in a Paramount cartoon.  The biggest problem with these cartoons is that your sympathy is on the wrong character from the start of the film.  You feel for the cat, so all the violence that befalls him makes you hate that darn bird all the more.

Buzzy began his screen life in 1947 and made several films through the late 40's and early 50's.   He was eventually features on merchandise and in the Harvey comic books as a back feature. 

Here is an example of a typical Buzzy Cartoon.   Black Stereotypes, smoking and violence,,,  Yeah, I doubt you'll see this one on TV anytime soon.  It also has a gimmicky ending that had been cut from TV prints, now re-introduced for your enjoyment (I use the term loosely).  

The Ten Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time - Number 10

Last week, I took my nieces and nephews to The Greatest Cartoons of all Time, an annual event held at the Alex Theater in Glendale.  On the drive there, one of my nephews asked me what I thought was the worst cartoon character of all time.  Being a cartoon buff, I was somewhat insulted by the question - there are no bad cartoon characters, just bad scripts.  But later, sitting at my computer, several examples of just-plain-bad cartoon characters began to pop intro my brain.  Within 30 minutes, I had compiled a list of what I consider the worst cartoon characters of all time.  To be fair, this list only contains cartoons that I have, at one point in my life, watched and have some knowledge of...   So obscure characters like "Spunky and Tadpole" didn't make the list, despite how bad I am sure they are.   We'll start with number 10, and work our way up over the next few weeks until we get to the #1 absolute worst cartoon character of all time.   Here we go...

NUMBER TEN:   Baby Huey

 

The world of cartoons has a large number of idiots; Baby Huey is probably the biggest, most idiotic character of them all.   Baby Huey is a gigantic baby duck that has the IQ of a rock.  In most cartoons, he wants to play with the neighborhood ducklings, but the little ducks don't want anything to do with him (you know how cruel kids can be at that age).  He eventually ends up playing with a bloodthirsty fox who has plans to eat Baby Huey, but every plan to murder the duckling are thwarted by either Baby Huey's indestructible body or his indescribable stupidity. 

Baby Huey began his career in the 1949 Paramount Noveltoon Quack a Doodle Doo.  He starred in several Paramount cartoons in the 1950's and was featured on Casper's Saturday morning cartoon show.   He also had a long run of comic books and was even resurrected for an all-new TV series in 1994.   He also starred in a direct-to video movie in 1999, Baby Huey's Easter Adventure.  To top off his career, President Bill Clinton once compared himself to Baby Huey in a 1993 interview:  "I'm a lot like Baby Huey. I'm fat. I'm ugly. But if you push me down, I keep coming back."  I'd be the last person to argue with a president. 

Baby Huey cartoons share traits that were common with all Paramount cartoons at the time; while they are well-produced and animated, they are exceedingly and senselessly violent.  Even I have a tendency to cringe at least once during a Baby Huey cartoon.  We'll get another example of Paramount's violence in another top ten listing.   For now, here is a typical Baby Huey short:   Git Along Li'l Duckie, from 1955.

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Pink Plasma

Happy Halloween!   This year I'm posting Pink Plasma, a Pink Panther cartoon from 1975.  This one is pretty significant for me, as I am aquainted with this cartoon's director Art Leonardi.  When I was a kid our family got together with the Leonardi family on occassion, and I remember him timing out this cartoon during a visit.   He demonstrated the monster voice to me at the time, and I am reasonably sure he did all the voices / utterances you hear in the cartoon.   Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon - LA DOT

Got two minutes?   Then take the time to enjoy this brief cut from the Animaniacs, where Dot Warner makes a startling discovery about the Los Angeles transportation system (besides the fact that we don't have one).  Enjoy!

The Plumber

The Electric Company was a PBS show from the 70's that was sort of a Sesame Street for those who had graduated beyond numbers and letters.   They used sketch comedy and cartoons to hold your interest...   and some of it still holds up pretty good today.   Here's a favorite animated bit that used to crack up my sister and I every time we watched it.   I still use the parrot's line from time to time...

Super Bowl time!

Yes, it's that time of year again...  time for everyone to make their favorite high-caloric snacks, sit in front of their TV for hours, and watch that great American pastime, the Super Bowl commercials.  In between these salutes to commercialism, Denver and Seattle will be pitted against each other in a game that is sure to bring my level of apathy to new heights.  Personally, I am pretty jealous of the snack vendors in Denver this year.  Now that a certain illegal substance is legal in those parts, I can imagine that snacks sales will go off the charts during the game.   I wish I had the Doritos franchise in Jefferson County.

I assume that there are some of you out there who, like me, have only a passing interest (there's a pun there if you're not too particular) in football.  For those people I am posting this instructional video on how to play the grand old sport.   Made in 1944, it's one of the quintessential tomes on the sport.... as well as being one of the greatest Goofy cartoons ever made.   Enjoy!

Christmas Morning Cartoon: Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Merry Christmas, one and all!   This year we're celebrating the Holidays with a Max Fleischer Color Classic from 1936:   Christmas Comes But Once a Year.   This cartoon marks the first and only color appearance of Grampy, a wild inventor that co-starred with Betty Boop in several classic cartoons.  At this time, the Max Fleisher studios was trying to make Disney-type cartoons along with their roster of Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons.  This cartoon is kind of a weird bridge between the two styles:   The first couple of minutes tries to create a scene full of sincerity and pathos, but it comes off as cloying, maudlin and a little annoying.   However, once Grampy enters the cartoon, the picture takes off, because this is what the Fleischers were great at: innovention. 
Grampy appeared in ten Betty Boop cartoons and was always a welcome addition to the films.   If you have a desire to see more I suggest you check out Grampy's Indoor Outing and The Impractical Joker, two of his better films.
This cartoon also showcases the three-dimensional sets that the Fleischers liked to use with their characters.   You can see them at the beginning and the end.   Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon - Santa's Surprise

I am continuing my annual tradition of posting a few Christmas-themed cartoons in the weeks before Christmas.   This year I'm starting with Santa's Surprise, a Paramount Noveltoon from 1947.   This was the first appearance of Little Audrey, who replaced Little Lulu when Paramount decided they no longer wanted to pay for the rights for the Little Lulu character.  Little Audrey went on to appear in several other cartoons and a long-running series of comic books from Harvey.   Also appearing in this cartoon is one of the most stereotypical set of children since the Our Gang comedies.   Still, it's a cute cartoon to launch the holiday season here at JoeFood.   Look for the December calendar with only 30 days.  Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon - Dog Show

Earlier in this blog, I mentioned the new Mickey Mouse cartoons that the Disney studios were making.  They've now made close to ten of them, and each one has gotten better and better.   Here's one of the latest ones, Dog Show starring Mickey and Goofy.   It's a pretty predictable story, yet delivers some great laughs along the way.  If you like this one you can watch some of the other ones by following the YouTube link.   I recommend Gasp, No Service, and Ghoul Friend.  Enjoy!

Bonus cartoon! Safety Second

I can't think of a better way to celebrate July Fourth than with random cartoon violence.   So, with that, I give you "Safety Second" a Tom and Jerry cartoon from 1950, directed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera.  Not one of the better Tom and Jerry's.  The subject matter kept this one off of TV for quite some time.   Enjoy!  



Tom and Jerry - Safety Second cartoon TJ by takuyamiyata

Saturday Morning Cartoon: A Fractured Leghorn

Foghorn Leghorn is one of those cartoon characters that some people love, and some people hate.  I fall in the middle.  Some of his early cartoons are among the best cartoons Warner Bros ever made...   in fact his first one was nominated for an academy award.  On the other end of the spectrum, some of his later cartoons are among the worst ever made.   Check out Mother was a Rooster, The Slick Chick or Strangled Eggs to see the worst.  Look for Walky Talky Hawky or The Leghorn Blows at Midnight to see the best.   You'll notice I didn't create links for the worst; you'll have to find them yourselves.  I won't take blame for that.

A little history about Foghorn Leghorn might be appropriate here.  He started out as a supporting character to Henery Hawk, a character who had already debuted in a cartoon directed by Chuck Jones.   Foghorn debuted in Walky Talky Hawky and literally stole the show from Henery.   The cartoon earned an Academy Award nomination for director Robert McKimson, and a new cartoon series was born.  Twenty eight Foghorn cartoons were made, all directed by McKimson.

Most people think that Foghorn Leghorn was patterned after Senator Claghorn, a character that lived on Allen's Alley on the Fred Allen radio show.  In fact, in his early days he was patterned after a sheriff character that appeared on a 1930's radio show called Blue Monday Jamboree.   However, as the character developed, he began to sound more like Senator Claghorn, picking up many of his catchphrases ("That's a joke, son!" is among the most obvious)

The interesting thing about Foghorn is that, although it may seem like his cartoons are all the same, the writers and directors actually tried to create some variety in the series.  They created several characters to inhabit the Foghorn universe, and each cartoon may differ depending on the supporting cast.  Henery Hawk, the weasel, Miss Prissy, Little Egghead, and Barnyard Dog were among the regulars.  Sylvester and Daffy Duck also made appearances in the series.   This is in contrast to Pepe Le Pew, Hippity Hopper or the Roadrunner, in which every cartoon had the same basic plotline.

The cartoon I'm posting below is Foghorn's fifth cartoon, A Fractured Leghorn, from 1950..   It's a bit different than most of the others, and was rarely seen on television.  No Barnyard Dog, no Henery Hawk in this one.  Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Croissant de Triomphe

Yeah, I'm a little late with this one, but I think it's worth waiting for:  Croissant de Triomphe, a new Mickey Mouse cartoon from those fine folks at Disney.  Yesterday Bob Iger announced that this would be the first in a series of 19 new Mickey Mouse cartoons being made for the Disney Channel and Disney's website.  I think this first one is a great start...   it almost seems like a 1930's cartoon, but it also has a contemporary touch to it.  In addition, I like the characters all speaking French.  Click the link below the picture to watch the cartoon at the Disney website.  Aimer quelque chose!



Croissant de Triomphe on Disney Video

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Broken Toys

I hesitate posting this one, but in most respects it's so darn sweet that I can't resist.   Today I'm presenting Broken Toys, a Walt Disney Silly Symphony from 1935.  The film is one of my favorite Silly Symphonies, despite being a bit un-PC.  Among the caricatures of W.C. Fields, Ned Sparks and Zazu Pitts that you'll see, you'll see one of Stepin Fetchit.    All the caricatures in the film are true to the characters' screen personas in the 1930's, but unfortunatley the Fetchit character is now out of step with modern thinking, and rightly so.  There's also a few other stereotypes featured in the film.   For these reasons, this film is rarely ever shown, which is a shame.   It's a real charmer and shows the talent of the Disney artists at that time. 

Saturday Morning Cartoon - Gift Wrapped

Okay, I know I'm a bit behind in postings.   I haven't posted a cartoon in a while, so to celebrate the holidays, I'm posting a 1952 Christmas-themed cartoon:   Gift Wrapped, starring Sylvester and Tweety.   In keeping with the true spirit of the season, there are , explosions, gunplay, dynamite, and the chance to watch Sylvester swallow Tweety (and be swallowed, for that matter) at least three times.  Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Cartoons Ain't Human

Here's a favorite Popeye cartoon from 1943:   Cartoons Ain't Human, released by Famous Studios.   In this outing, Popeye makes his own animated cartoon, which he screens for Olive and his four nephews.   For the trivia connoisseurs, the nephews are names Peep-eye, Pip-eye, Pup-eye and Poop-eye.  In later cartoons, the number of nephews could change randomly to three or two, depending on how many they wanted to animate.   This was also the last black-and white Popeye cartoon before the studio switched to all-color.Enjoy!