Don't Go A Wafer Too Long!

I've mentioned this on this blog before, but it's time to mention it again:   Any food I like will not be around long.   It's a special curse that I endure, punishment for some past transgression that I can't recall.  Maybe it was pulling the "Do Not Remove" tag from my couch; maybe it was not washing my hands before leaving a restroom (I was just in there to comb my hair, I swear) but this curse has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, leaving a path of discontinued food products in its wake.   Quisp cereal, Delaware Punch, Fizzers candy, Chocolate Zingers and Mother's Raisin cookies are among the products I can no longer find (or find very hard to obtain).  And now, I find the curse has reached back to victimize a product over 100 years old.   I refer, of course, to Necco Wafers.

 

 Necco Wafers were founded in 1847 by Oliver Chase, who invented the first automated machine to produce lozenges for medicinal purposes. He eventually discovered the machine could also produce lozenge-sized candy wafers, which became the top product of the New England Confectionery Company, abbreviated NECCO.  The wafers became extremely popular in the intervening years due to their durability.   Admiral Byrd brought over two tons of wafers with him on a two year expedition to the Antarctic. During World War Two, the US government bought Necco Wafers to send to the troops oversees.   They found that the candy would not melt or break while being shipped overseas.  The soldiers returning from WWII eventually became a fan base that continued for many years.

In recent years, the company has experimented with the product, with some success and some misses.  Lime flavor wafers were eliminated, and a move to more natural flavors and colors was among the missteps.  The company has since returned to the original formulations.

Necco wafers is one of those candies that fall in the same group as Candy Corn - some people love them, while a large population find them revolting.   Many people feel Necco wafers taste like colored chalk, while others call them "Plaster Surprise."  Personally, I have always had a fondness for Necco Wafers, although I avoid the clove, cinnamon, licorice and wintergreen flavors.  (May I also add that I find Candy Corn revolting.  No room for debate there)

I recently discovered that NECCO produces Tropical Necco Wafers.   This pack, introduced in 2012, contains mango, passion fruit, banana, strawberry, coconut and the long-missed lime wafers.  I found these to be an exceptional treat, and will eat all the flavors except coconut.  I have been buying several packs of these whenever I find them.  Of course, I should have seen it coming...   They won't be around long.

According to this article, the NECCO company may close within the next 30 days if a buyer cannot be found.  This would mean the layoff of almost 400 employees, plus an end to the Necco wafers we all know and some of us love.  Not a Necco Wafer fan?   Well, maybe you'll be more interested to learn about another candy that NECCO started producing in 1902, and since that time has become a holiday institution.  But more on that next week.

Currently, the public at large is reacting as we would expect - they are panicking.  Retailers are reporting a huge spike in sales for Necco Wafers.   Not wanting to be left out, I am off to find some Necco Tropical wafers.  I will place them in the underground bunker where I store cases of Quisp cereal, Screaming Yellow Zonkers, Swenson's Ice Cream, Ramblin' Root Beer and other products that have been the victim of my special curse.  Tune in next week to learn about the OTHER candy that you are going to want to start buying.   Like them or not, it will be a tradition you'll be sorry to lose...

Another presidential option

Hmmm...   It looks like we have another presidential candidate who is not well-read on the US Constitution.  Check out the cartoon below:

Today's Un-PC Post

Now HERE is a product I doubt you will ever see again. 

I never saw these Hanna-Barbara characters smoking on their actual TV shows.   However, I think everyone has seen this famous clip of other Hanna-Barbera characters "lighting up."



Check out another instance of un-PC activity on the Flintstones (and there were several) by following this link...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6TI2dkk2MA

Saturday Morning Cartoon - Happy Halloween 2015!

Happy Halloween!   As is my usual custom every year, I am posting a Halloween-themed cartoon.  This year you're getting "The Monster Rally" a Tom Slick cartoon from 1967.  Tom Slick was a part of the George of the Jungle cartoon show which ran on ABC for a year, and in reruns forever after.

George of the Jungle was produced by Jay Ward, the man behind Rocky and Bullwinkle.  Unlike Rocky which was animated mostly in Mexico, Ward had George of the Jungle animated entirely in the United States, with several veteran animators and directors working on the cartoons.  The results were great, but the show ran over-budget and lost money for the Ward studio.   It was the last TV series Ward would produce.

Enjoy The Monster Rally!

Bugs Bunny - the Rare and Unusual

Bugs Bunny celebrated his 75th birthday last month, and I celebrated the occassion by posting my choice for top ten Bugs Bunny cartoons of all time.   Now, here's a posting listing some of Bugs' most rare, most unusual, and most unseen appearances.   We'll start with a 1942 film commissioned by the US Treasury.   America had just entered World war II and the treasury was using all the Hollywood stars to promote the sale of US Savings Bonds, so why not Bugs Bunny?  The short film features Bugs Bunny singing an Irving Berlin number, "Any Bonds Today?" and includes a short sequence of Bugs imitating Al Jolson.



Warner Bros. was not above using Bugs Bunny as a cameo in other shorts...  one of my favorites occurs in Porky Pig's Feat, which I posted on my blog HERE.  But Bugs made appearances in other places as weel.  During World War II, Warners Bros. produced a series of cartoons for the armed forces that starred a less-than-perfect soldier named Private SNAFU.  Snafu usually demonstaretd the wrong way to do things and was a big hit at the Army camps.  The cartoons were never meant for public viewings but have recently been showing up on Youtube and in DVD sets.  Here is a typical entry, GAS, with a short cameo by Bugs Bunny.



Bugs was so popular, he could even make a cameo in cartoons made by other studios.  In 1944, Paramount released a stop-motion cartoon by George Pal, Jasper Goes Hunting.  Take a look at who joins the film briefly at the 4:40 mark (and sorry for the poor condition of the clip)



Bugs Bunny - (Ep. 36) - Jasper Goes Hunting 2015 by serijedomace04

Bugs Bunny also appeared in a couple of live-action features for Warner Bros..   In the 1949 Doris Day comedy My Dream is Yours, Bugs gets a full song and dance routine along with Day and Jack Carson.  Friz Freleng directed the animation.




Next time, we'll hit a few other rare appearances of Bugs, including one of his several appearances at the Academy Awards!   Stay tuned!

Happy 75th Birthday, Bugs Bunny!

1940 was a banner year for cartoons.   In that year we saw the debut of three cartoon characters that would go on to become among the biggest, most recognizable cartoon stars of all time - as well as the most successful characters for each studio. In February 1940, MGM released Puss Gets the Boot, which introduced Tom and Jerry to the populace. In November 1940, Walter Lantz produced an Andy Panda cartoon dealing with a crazy woodpecker who was pecking holes in Andy's roof, and Woody Woodpecker was born.  And on July 27, 1940, Warner Bros released a cartoon that began very simply, with a hunter slowly making his way through the woods, pausing a moment, then turning to the audience to say, "Be vewy, vewy quiet...   I'm hunting wabbits."

And so it began.  Bugs Bunny popped out of his hole for the first time 75 years ago this week, and his first line, was, of course, "Eh, what's up doc?"  The classic line, then completely unexpected from the subject of a rabbit hunt, instantly became the rabbit's trademark and solidified his personality.  Bugs Bunny was not going to be the typical cartoon star that we had seen before 1940.   Bugs was calm, cool and collected in the face of adversity, and was always able to overcome his opponents in every situation (unless you were a turtle...  or a gremlin).  Bugs Bunny has always been my favorite cartoon star, and I am glad to be able to post this 75th birthday tribute to the wily rabbit.


Model sheet from "A Wild Hare" the first true Bugs Bunny cartoon

As a kid, the Warner Bros. cartoons were shown continuously on TV.  I've seen them all so many times I know them by heart.   However, as new generations come and go, I am finding that there are some younger people out there who are much less aware of the Warner Bros. cartoons.   Worse yet, I have heard that there are people who can listen to Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen without singing "kill the wabbit" to themselves.  To them, I am offering my list of Top Ten Bugs Bunny Cartoons.  After watching these ten classics, I am sure you'll understand why I can't turn off the TV whenever that rabbit comes into view.

I was able to find posted versions of most of the cartoons, with the exception of Hillbilly Hare.  If you look around the Internet a bit more you can probably find it.

10.  Hillbilly Hare (1950)  Robert McKimson
I had to include one cartoon from Robert McKimson.   Bugs Bunny vacations in the Ozarks, where he runs afoul of the Martins and Coy's infamous feud.   The last half of the cartoon, where Bugs directs a square dance like no other, is embedded below with subtitles added so you can sing along!



9. Little Red Riding Rabbit (1943) Friz Freleng
At this point, Bugs is only three years old, and the directors were still figuring out exactly how to handle him.   There is still some issues drawing him consistently from one scene to the next.   However, this cartoon has a lot of great things going for it, especially an unexpected ending that comes out of nowhere.   Follow the link and watch the full cartoon!


Bugs Bunny - Little Red Riding Rabbit by bugs-bunny1

8.  High Diving Hare (1949) Friz Freleng
A classic encounter with Yosemite Sam.   Freleng takes a one-joke premise, adds in some great gags and some razor-sharp timing, and ends up with one of the best Bugs cartoons there is. 


Bugs Bunny - (Ep. 73) - High Diving Hare by werewolf1912

7.  Rhapsody Rabbit (1946)  Friz Freleng
One of the more controversial cartoons on the list, due to its resemblance to a similar Tom and Jerry cartoon.  However, it's a great film on its own.


Bugs Bunny - Rhapsody Rabbit by bugs-bunny1

6.  Long Haired Hare (1949) Chuck Jones
Bug's first encounter with classical music, and in my opinion, the ultimate Bugs Bunny cartoon that defines all that is Bugs.   Bugs has no inclination to bother anyone - in fact, he is provoked three times until he finally delivers his famous line, "Of course, you know this means war."  From then on, it's Bugs getting revenge on his opponent in hilarious fashion. 


Bugs Bunny - Long-Haired Hare by bugs-bunny

5.  Baseball Bugs (1946) Friz Freleng
The best Bugs Bunny cartoons pit him against a worthy adversary, place him at a disadvantage, and have him come out on top.  In this cartoon, Bugs is bullied into playing a baseball game, by himself, against an entire team of thugs and cheats called the Gashouse Gorillas.  Guess who wins.


Bugs Bunny - Baseball Bugs (1946) by enteritament

4.  What's Opera, Doc?  (1957) Chuck Jones
I'll probably get berated for not putting this higher.  This cartoon takes the classic Bugs Bunny formula (Elmer hunting Bugs), uses the same gags we have seen a million times (Elmer not recognizing that Bugs is a rabbit, Bugs in drag, Bugs faking death, etc.) and sets it in the world of a Wagner opera. 


What's Opera Doc by MistyIsland1

3.  Rabbit Seasoning (1952) Chuck Jones
It was hard not to put all of the Bugs / Daffy / Elmer cartoons in here. I settled on the next two.  I doubt there's anyone out there who hasn't seen it, but it's definitely worth seeing again...


Daffy Duck - (Ep. 65) - Rabbit Seasoning by cartoonNetworks

2.  Duck!   Rabbit!   Duck!  (1953)  Chuck Jones
The less famous of the three "hunting trilogy", but in my opinion the funniest.  If you've never seen it, you're in for a real treat...


Bugs Bunny - Duck! Rabbit, Duck! by bugs-bunny1

1.  The Rabbit of Seville  (1951) Chuck Jones
Here it is, my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon of all time!  As near a perfect cartoon as there ever was.   Great characters, great music, great animation and truly funny gags all combine to make this a true tour de force.


Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Of Seville by bugs-bunny1

BONUS!   A Wild Hare (1940) Tex Avery
Here it is, Bugs Bunny's first true appearance, 75 years ago.  You can see how many of the gags and situations in this first film were carried on in the series. 


Merrie Melodies - A Wild Hare (1940) by Cartoonzof2006

There you go!  I hate to leave of so many true classics...   Slick Hare, Rabbit Fire, Show Biz Bugs, Buccaneer Bunny, Hare Trigger, Racketeer Rabbit, Bully for Bugs, The Old Gray Hare and Rabbit Punch are among the cartoons I was sorry to leave off.   I welcome you to leave your own top ten in the comments below.  Next week, I will post some rarely seen Bugs Bunny appearances.   Stay tuned!

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 - ???"