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!
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Friday, July 31, 2015
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.
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| 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, June 6, 2015
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 - ???"
Friday, April 3, 2015
Top Ten Worst Cartoon Characters - Dishonerable Mention
Now that I've completed my postings of "Top Ten Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time," it's time to take a moment and look back at the many, many bad characters who, for whatever reason, didn't make the list. Many of you have been kind enough to post your choices on the Cartoon Research Facebook page, and I am grateful for your feedback. It certainly brought back many stomach-churning memories. Here's some of the characters that didn't make the list, and why.
In compiling my list, I knew I had to put some restrictions on my selections. If we listed any character they ever appeared in an animated film, the list could go on forever. So I restricted myself to characters that fell under the following stipulations:
1. The candidate must be the star of a series of cartoons.
This left a lot of popular characters out of the running. I received comments from readers nominating The Great Gazoo, Bat-mite, all the characters from Jabberjaw, and other such supporting
players that deserved the honor of Worst Cartoon Character. I must confess, those are all great choices. However, to keep this list down to ten I had to draw some lines. The one character I felt the worst about leaving off the list was, of course, Scrappy Doo, the poster child for antipathy. However, I felt he was a supporting player, not the star, so I begrudgingly left him off. Just as well; he's had enough hateful comments spewed on him in the last few years. He deserves a break.
A lot of readers suggested entire shows, such as The Barkleys, The Robotic Stooges, Uncle Croc's Block, Fonz and the Happy Days Gang... all terrible shows to be certain. But they should be on a list of Worst Cartoon Shows of all Time, which I may try to do in a subsequent post. That's a list that could go on for quite some time...
2. The candidate must be a cartoon series suitable for everyone in the family.
Beevis and Butthead were originally on the list, but I felt that would open up a large window of characters who were designed to be edgy, extreme or obnoxious. How can The Beary Family compare with Family Guy? Don't answer that. I decided to use only characters that were meant to be beloved by one and all, and failed miserably at it.
3. The candidate had to be a cartoon character I had heard of.
Sorry, I haven't watched every cartoon show that has ever existed, so I have probably missed some good ones. Jeffrey suggested FooFur, which I remember avoiding as a kid at all costs. If I had ever seen an episode, Foofur would have probably made the list. What ugly character design. Doug suggested CatDog, another excellent choice. Evidently I need to spend more time in front of the TV. Darn that stupid full-time job!
Other great suggestions:
Kwicky Koala: Kwicky Koala was a cartoon series created by the legendary Tex Avery, one of the very last things he did before he died. A bad cartoon character to be sure, but the show had a couple of great Tex Avery gags in it. That saved it from making the list.
Rubik the Amazing Cube: OK, this one probably should have made the list. More puzzling than the cube itself is how this show ever made it to television.
Pepe Le Pew: Some people love Pepe, some people hate Pepe. I'm in the middle. While there are some fairly bad cartoons along his film career, I must confess that his Academy Award winning short, For Scent-imental Reasons is a great little cartoon. So he escaped making the list.
Merlin the Magic Mouse: Yeah, he probably should be on the list. One of the last cartoon series made by Warner Bros. before closing up for good. A blight on the good name Warner Brothers.
Hunky and Spunky: The adventures of two mules. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? While I certainly don't care for the cartoons, I don't end up hating the characters at the end. I hate myself for wasting my time.
Gabby: Another one that probably should have made the list. Darn! How'd I miss Gabby? Is it too late to make this The Top Eleven Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time? Gabby was a supporting character in Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels that ended up with a series of his own. Loud, obnoxious and with a terrible temper, he failed to catch on with 1940's audiences.
Sniffles: Gee Willickers! I couldn't put Sniffles on the list! While his early cartoons were unbearably slow, his last three films were pretty entertaining. Lost and Foundling is one of my favorites.
Other choices I had that were cut from the original list:
Hoot Kloot: Who decided to base a cartoon series on a character from a Toyota Dodge commercial? I'm not sure, but that's the genesis of Hoot Kloot. The adventures of a loudmouthed southern sheriff in a western town. The animation in most of these cartoons is fairly good, but Depatie-Freleng sub-contracted a few Hoot Kloot cartoons to other studios outside of the US. The quality went 'way down.
Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: Another cartoon series from Hanna Barbera. This was a cartoon series based on those great comedy teams of the past, such as Laurel and Hardy. Only these cartoons weren't funny.
Spunky and Tadpole: I've never watched an episode, so I didn't feel qualified to judge.
The Chipettes, from Alvin and the Chipmunks: Boy, they were lucky they didn't star in a series... They would've been on this list quicker than cheese on a cheeseburger.
Scrappy Doo: Looking back, I should've put him on the list. Darn again!
Thanks, everyone, for patronizing me through this list! I'll end this thing be posting the opening to a cartoon show from Filmation that was so bad, so utterly dismal that after it aired, ABC cut all ties with Filmation and would not buy another series from them. I speak, of course, of the infamous Uncle Croc's Block, which I actually remember watching when it premiered in 1975. I remember standing there stupefied and what was blaring from the TV. Meant to be a satire of children's cartoon shows of the 1950's the whole thing just came off as a mess. The cartoon segments , M*U*S*H (a parody of M*A*S*H), Wacky and Packy, and Waldo Kitty were also nothing to be proud of. Shield your eyes one last time as you watch Uncle Croc's Block...
In compiling my list, I knew I had to put some restrictions on my selections. If we listed any character they ever appeared in an animated film, the list could go on forever. So I restricted myself to characters that fell under the following stipulations:
1. The candidate must be the star of a series of cartoons.
This left a lot of popular characters out of the running. I received comments from readers nominating The Great Gazoo, Bat-mite, all the characters from Jabberjaw, and other such supporting players that deserved the honor of Worst Cartoon Character. I must confess, those are all great choices. However, to keep this list down to ten I had to draw some lines. The one character I felt the worst about leaving off the list was, of course, Scrappy Doo, the poster child for antipathy. However, I felt he was a supporting player, not the star, so I begrudgingly left him off. Just as well; he's had enough hateful comments spewed on him in the last few years. He deserves a break.
A lot of readers suggested entire shows, such as The Barkleys, The Robotic Stooges, Uncle Croc's Block, Fonz and the Happy Days Gang... all terrible shows to be certain. But they should be on a list of Worst Cartoon Shows of all Time, which I may try to do in a subsequent post. That's a list that could go on for quite some time...
2. The candidate must be a cartoon series suitable for everyone in the family.
Beevis and Butthead were originally on the list, but I felt that would open up a large window of characters who were designed to be edgy, extreme or obnoxious. How can The Beary Family compare with Family Guy? Don't answer that. I decided to use only characters that were meant to be beloved by one and all, and failed miserably at it.
3. The candidate had to be a cartoon character I had heard of.
Other great suggestions:
Kwicky Koala: Kwicky Koala was a cartoon series created by the legendary Tex Avery, one of the very last things he did before he died. A bad cartoon character to be sure, but the show had a couple of great Tex Avery gags in it. That saved it from making the list.Rubik the Amazing Cube: OK, this one probably should have made the list. More puzzling than the cube itself is how this show ever made it to television.
Pepe Le Pew: Some people love Pepe, some people hate Pepe. I'm in the middle. While there are some fairly bad cartoons along his film career, I must confess that his Academy Award winning short, For Scent-imental Reasons is a great little cartoon. So he escaped making the list.
Merlin the Magic Mouse: Yeah, he probably should be on the list. One of the last cartoon series made by Warner Bros. before closing up for good. A blight on the good name Warner Brothers.Hunky and Spunky: The adventures of two mules. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? While I certainly don't care for the cartoons, I don't end up hating the characters at the end. I hate myself for wasting my time.
Gabby: Another one that probably should have made the list. Darn! How'd I miss Gabby? Is it too late to make this The Top Eleven Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time? Gabby was a supporting character in Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels that ended up with a series of his own. Loud, obnoxious and with a terrible temper, he failed to catch on with 1940's audiences.
Sniffles: Gee Willickers! I couldn't put Sniffles on the list! While his early cartoons were unbearably slow, his last three films were pretty entertaining. Lost and Foundling is one of my favorites.
Other choices I had that were cut from the original list:
Hoot Kloot: Who decided to base a cartoon series on a character from a Toyota Dodge commercial? I'm not sure, but that's the genesis of Hoot Kloot. The adventures of a loudmouthed southern sheriff in a western town. The animation in most of these cartoons is fairly good, but Depatie-Freleng sub-contracted a few Hoot Kloot cartoons to other studios outside of the US. The quality went 'way down.
Spunky and Tadpole: I've never watched an episode, so I didn't feel qualified to judge.
The Chipettes, from Alvin and the Chipmunks: Boy, they were lucky they didn't star in a series... They would've been on this list quicker than cheese on a cheeseburger.
Scrappy Doo: Looking back, I should've put him on the list. Darn again!
Thanks, everyone, for patronizing me through this list! I'll end this thing be posting the opening to a cartoon show from Filmation that was so bad, so utterly dismal that after it aired, ABC cut all ties with Filmation and would not buy another series from them. I speak, of course, of the infamous Uncle Croc's Block, which I actually remember watching when it premiered in 1975. I remember standing there stupefied and what was blaring from the TV. Meant to be a satire of children's cartoon shows of the 1950's the whole thing just came off as a mess. The cartoon segments , M*U*S*H (a parody of M*A*S*H), Wacky and Packy, and Waldo Kitty were also nothing to be proud of. Shield your eyes one last time as you watch Uncle Croc's Block...
Saturday, March 21, 2015
The Worst Cartoon Character of all Time - NUMBER ONE!!
Well, we've made it. We've sorted through the first nine Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time, and now we are at the Number One Worst. For those of you who disagree with my choices, I invite you to make your own list and I will happily post it here, where it will be read by nearly no one. Hardly worth the effort, isn't it? With that, I bring you my #1 choice for Worst Cartoon Character of all Time:
10. Baby Huey
9. Squiddly Diddly
8. Buzzy the Crow
7. Hippity Hopper
6. Loopy de Loop
5. Go Go Gophers
4. The Blue Racer
3. The Beary Family
2. Sad Cat
1. Klondike Kat
Total Television Productions is a mixed bag. They produced some cartoon series that were actually decent, such as Tennessee Tuxedo, King Leonardo, and their most famous creation, Underdog. On the other hand, they created some cartoons that are so bad they challenge even the most avid cartoon fan to sit through an episode. Klondike Kat was the worst, as far as I am concerned, beating out Commander McBragg as the worst thing they ever made.
Klondike Kat is a "Klondike Kop" (I don't know why they had this aversion to the letter C), working out of Fort Frazzle under the direction of Major Minor. He is constantly trying to apprehend Savoir Faire, a French Canadian mouse who is terrorizing the Klondike, robbing everyone of their food. Savoir Faire is aided by Malamutt, his sled dog and all-around valet.
Malamutt does not talk, which is a blessing. This cartoon series is saddled with more asinine catch phrases than any cartoon series I've ever seen, and every phrase is used at least twice in every episode. Klondike is fond of saying "Klondike Kat always gets his mouse!" and "I'll make mincemeat out of the mouse!" which is as inane as it is unappetizing. Savoir Faire's calling card is "Savoir faire is everywhere!" in probably the worst French accent since Pepe le Pew. By the end of just one cartoon, you want to rip off your ears as well as your eyes.
To add to all this, the cartoons are (I know I have used this a lot lately) badly animated and unfunny. The characters are badly designed and don't have any characteristics that make you want to root for them, sympathize with them - nothing. You actually end up DISliking the characters intensely after a viewing. This series is a total waste of time from beginning to end.
The Klondike Kat cartoons were created in 1963 as part of the Tennessee Tuxedo show. As Total Television began rerunning and syndicating their old shows, Klondike Kat ended up on the Underdog show and the Go Go Gophers show as well, which provided him with a much longer television life than he deserved. I watched a LOT of cartoons as a kid, and I distinctly remember leaving the room whenever Klondike Kat appeared on the screen. I hated him then, and still do to this day.
Another TV cartoon series, Dudley Do-Right, covered some of the same territory as Klondike Kat, but instead of being a train wreck it was actually a hilarious, well-written and produced parody of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. However, it was said that the actual RCMP protested the series. Evidently they had never heard of Klondike Kat...
OK, I hate to do it, but here is a Klondike Kat cartoon. If you can make it to the end, as a reward you can see a "Sing a Long Family" cartoon, one of the few cartoon series that Total Television did well. Hopefully that will make up for what you are about to watch. Put away any firearms and any sharp utensils as you watch Island in the Sky, a title which makes absolutely no sense...
Okay, I know that many of you are wondering why certan cartoons are missing, and why didn't they make the list. Next week i will post the 'Honorable Mentions," listing the cartoons that maybe should have been on this list but for one reason or another were not included. I promise I will discuss The Great Gazoo, Pepe le Pew, and other suggestions that were made. See you here next week!
10. Baby Huey
9. Squiddly Diddly
8. Buzzy the Crow
7. Hippity Hopper
6. Loopy de Loop
5. Go Go Gophers
4. The Blue Racer
3. The Beary Family
2. Sad Cat
1. Klondike Kat
Klondike Kat is a "Klondike Kop" (I don't know why they had this aversion to the letter C), working out of Fort Frazzle under the direction of Major Minor. He is constantly trying to apprehend Savoir Faire, a French Canadian mouse who is terrorizing the Klondike, robbing everyone of their food. Savoir Faire is aided by Malamutt, his sled dog and all-around valet.Malamutt does not talk, which is a blessing. This cartoon series is saddled with more asinine catch phrases than any cartoon series I've ever seen, and every phrase is used at least twice in every episode. Klondike is fond of saying "Klondike Kat always gets his mouse!" and "I'll make mincemeat out of the mouse!" which is as inane as it is unappetizing. Savoir Faire's calling card is "Savoir faire is everywhere!" in probably the worst French accent since Pepe le Pew. By the end of just one cartoon, you want to rip off your ears as well as your eyes.
The Klondike Kat cartoons were created in 1963 as part of the Tennessee Tuxedo show. As Total Television began rerunning and syndicating their old shows, Klondike Kat ended up on the Underdog show and the Go Go Gophers show as well, which provided him with a much longer television life than he deserved. I watched a LOT of cartoons as a kid, and I distinctly remember leaving the room whenever Klondike Kat appeared on the screen. I hated him then, and still do to this day.
Another TV cartoon series, Dudley Do-Right, covered some of the same territory as Klondike Kat, but instead of being a train wreck it was actually a hilarious, well-written and produced parody of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. However, it was said that the actual RCMP protested the series. Evidently they had never heard of Klondike Kat...
OK, I hate to do it, but here is a Klondike Kat cartoon. If you can make it to the end, as a reward you can see a "Sing a Long Family" cartoon, one of the few cartoon series that Total Television did well. Hopefully that will make up for what you are about to watch. Put away any firearms and any sharp utensils as you watch Island in the Sky, a title which makes absolutely no sense...
Okay, I know that many of you are wondering why certan cartoons are missing, and why didn't they make the list. Next week i will post the 'Honorable Mentions," listing the cartoons that maybe should have been on this list but for one reason or another were not included. I promise I will discuss The Great Gazoo, Pepe le Pew, and other suggestions that were made. See you here next week!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time, Number 2
We're almost there.... only one away from the worst cartoon character of all time! I'm sure that all the wagering is getting fierce, and the Vegas oddsman are offering incredible odds on the Great Gazoo, but let me remind you of the rules before you place your bets:
10. Baby Huey
9. Squiddly Diddly
8. Buzzy the Crow
7. Hippity Hopper
6. Loopy De Loop
5. Go Go Gophers
4. The Blue Racer
3, The Beary Family
2. Sad Cat
Film critic Leonard Maltin described Sad Cat as "The dreariest character ever created." I couldn't agree more. Sad Cat is the most pathetic, boring, dreary and depressing cartoon character I have ever had the displeasure to watch. The cartoon series was created by animation legend Ralph Bashki, who went on to create other things (the lack of adjectives is intentional). The cartoons were produced between 1965-1968 by Terrytoons, home of other beloved and world-famous cartoon stars such as Mighty Mouse, Dinky Duck, Gandy Goose, Dimwit, Sourpuss and Heckle and Jeckle.
The Sad Cat cartoons were based on the Cinderella fairy tale. Sad Cat, for some reason, is forced to play housemaid to his two ugly stepbrothers, Latimore and Fenimore. It is an oppressive, bleak, and dismal existence, until Sad Cat meets Gadimouse, an apprentice good fairy trying to earn his wand. Gadimouse does his best to try and give Sad Cat the Happy Ending that will turn things around for everyone, but he usually ends up just making things worse. The cartoons end with Sad Cat in a more desperate situation than he was at the beginning. Maybe this is a good life lesson, but it does not
make for good entertainment.
To add to this, the cartoons are loud, cluttered, unfunny and annoying. The voice of Sad Cat immediately grates on you the minute you hear it, and the feeling never goes away. There is not a gag or joke that is funny or even mildly amusing. The whole experience leaves you feeling like you've completely wasted six minutes of your life that you desperately want back at all costs. I can't imagine the audience reaction after having to sit through one of these cartoons while waiting for a feature film.
After the first five films, Ralph Bashki left Terrytoons. The Sad Cat cartoons continued on, but the Gadimouse character was replaced with SuperEgo, a confident, pumped-up version of Sad Cat. This character would appear halfway through the film and actually set things right, so that the cartoons would end on a more positive, upbeat note. Watching these cartoons, I was happy when the darn things just ENDED.
I hate to do this to you, but I am embedding a Sad Cat cartoon below. You are under no obligation to watch it. You would be better off removing your own appendix. But, for those of you who can't say "no" and have no fear of nightmares, here is the best copy of a Sad Cat cartoon I could find. It's titled Dress Reversal and traumatized the moviegoing population in 1965. Remember, no refunds...
- It must be the STAR of a cartoon series. No supporting players.
- It must be a cartoon series suitable for everyone in the family - no adult swim cartoons!
- It must be a cartoon series seen in America.
- It must be a cartoon series that I have heard of.
10. Baby Huey
9. Squiddly Diddly
8. Buzzy the Crow
7. Hippity Hopper
6. Loopy De Loop
5. Go Go Gophers
4. The Blue Racer
3, The Beary Family
2. Sad Cat
Film critic Leonard Maltin described Sad Cat as "The dreariest character ever created." I couldn't agree more. Sad Cat is the most pathetic, boring, dreary and depressing cartoon character I have ever had the displeasure to watch. The cartoon series was created by animation legend Ralph Bashki, who went on to create other things (the lack of adjectives is intentional). The cartoons were produced between 1965-1968 by Terrytoons, home of other beloved and world-famous cartoon stars such as Mighty Mouse, Dinky Duck, Gandy Goose, Dimwit, Sourpuss and Heckle and Jeckle.
The Sad Cat cartoons were based on the Cinderella fairy tale. Sad Cat, for some reason, is forced to play housemaid to his two ugly stepbrothers, Latimore and Fenimore. It is an oppressive, bleak, and dismal existence, until Sad Cat meets Gadimouse, an apprentice good fairy trying to earn his wand. Gadimouse does his best to try and give Sad Cat the Happy Ending that will turn things around for everyone, but he usually ends up just making things worse. The cartoons end with Sad Cat in a more desperate situation than he was at the beginning. Maybe this is a good life lesson, but it does not make for good entertainment.
To add to this, the cartoons are loud, cluttered, unfunny and annoying. The voice of Sad Cat immediately grates on you the minute you hear it, and the feeling never goes away. There is not a gag or joke that is funny or even mildly amusing. The whole experience leaves you feeling like you've completely wasted six minutes of your life that you desperately want back at all costs. I can't imagine the audience reaction after having to sit through one of these cartoons while waiting for a feature film.
After the first five films, Ralph Bashki left Terrytoons. The Sad Cat cartoons continued on, but the Gadimouse character was replaced with SuperEgo, a confident, pumped-up version of Sad Cat. This character would appear halfway through the film and actually set things right, so that the cartoons would end on a more positive, upbeat note. Watching these cartoons, I was happy when the darn things just ENDED.
I hate to do this to you, but I am embedding a Sad Cat cartoon below. You are under no obligation to watch it. You would be better off removing your own appendix. But, for those of you who can't say "no" and have no fear of nightmares, here is the best copy of a Sad Cat cartoon I could find. It's titled Dress Reversal and traumatized the moviegoing population in 1965. Remember, no refunds...
Friday, March 6, 2015
Worst Cartoon Character of all Time, Part 3
We've listed seven, and finally reached the TOP THREE in our listing of Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time! We are now at the point of severe badness. Up to this point, the cartoon characters listed had SOME redeeming quality that kept them from being ranked higher. These last three entries... are really rank. They are the true bottom of the barrel. As I have warned you before, shield your eyes from the videos as we start into listing number three....
10. Baby Huey
9. Squiddly Diddly
8. Buzzy the Crow
7. Hippity Hopper
6. Loopy De Loop
5. Go Go Gophers
4. The Blue Racer
3. The Beary Family
Walter Lantz had one of the longest careers in animation and was truly an animation pioneer. He began his career in 1916 working on silent films and by 1924 he was starring in his own live action / animated cartoon series entitled "Dinky Doodle". Any of the Dinky Doodle cartoons are better than
the best "Beary Family" cartoon ever produced.
In 1928, Walter Lantz was given the character "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit." whose cartoons were formerly produced by Walt Disney and Charles Mintz. Walter eventually set up his own independent cartoon studio and churned out over a hundred Oswald cartoons for Universal Studios, any of which is better than the best "Beary Family" cartoon that was ever planned to be produced.
In the coming years, Lantz would come up with a variety of cartoon stars, such as Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Wally Walrus and of course, Woody Woodpecker. Any of the cartoons with these characters are, of course better than any "Beary Family" cartoon that you could imagine being produced (with the exception of the last few years of Chilly Willy cartoons).
In the 1960's, as theatrical cartoons became less and less popular, Lantz tried coming up with a new cartoon series that he hoped would grab the public's attention. There was Inspector Willoughby, who almost made this list of "Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time." There was Hickory, Dickory and Doc. There was Windy and Breezy. And finally, the one that lasted the longest, the Beary Family.
The Beary Family was a take off of the family sitcoms that permeated television in the late 1950's. Think of "The Life of Riley" and you've got it. The characters included Charlie Beary, the usual loud mouthed, long-suffering father, Bessie, the nagging, long-suffering wife, dimwitted teenage son Junior and cute (and long suffering) daughter Suzy. Daughter Suzy got smart and left the series after the first few years, deciding life in an orphanage was better than a career with the Beary Family. The plots of these cartoons usually dealt with some household activity, such as installing a spare room, that would end in disaster. As the Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia notes, most cartoons in the series contained two lines of dialogue similar to this:
Bessie: "Charlie, we really need a ___________________" (fill in blank with new TV, spare room, new oven, swimming pool, bomb shelter, etc.)
Charlie: "OK, but I won't pay $10 to install it. I'll do it myself!"
The next six minutes would play like a bad Laurel and Hardy short (all of which are better than any "Beary Family" cartoon ever produced) as Charlie and Junior would wreck the house trying to install the TV arial, the gas pipes, or whatever it may be. Unfortunatley, all the Beary Family cartoons feature poor music, bad gags, uninspired plots and limited animation. Plus the characters themselves were worn cliches even by 1962, inspiring neither laughter or sympathy.
Walter Lantz produced almost 30 Beary Family cartoons from 1962 until 1972, when the studio officially closed. Andy Panda, a legitimate cartoon success, appeared in only 27 cartoons. Hollywood is fickle and unfair.
Please think it over carefully before you hit "Play" on the video below. Life is good, your friends and family love you, you make a significant contribution at work... why spoil the rest of your life by watching one little video? Here is "Let Charlie Do It" released to an unsuspecting public in 1972. I'm imagining the audience for 'The Godfather" who got this cartoon shown to them before the feature. Being killed by the mafia must've seemed like a welcome relief.
Below: There was some merchandise produced, such as puzzles, books and the like. Here is a coloring book featuring the family when Suzy was still around.
10. Baby Huey
9. Squiddly Diddly
8. Buzzy the Crow
7. Hippity Hopper
6. Loopy De Loop
5. Go Go Gophers
4. The Blue Racer
3. The Beary Family
Walter Lantz had one of the longest careers in animation and was truly an animation pioneer. He began his career in 1916 working on silent films and by 1924 he was starring in his own live action / animated cartoon series entitled "Dinky Doodle". Any of the Dinky Doodle cartoons are better than
the best "Beary Family" cartoon ever produced.
In 1928, Walter Lantz was given the character "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit." whose cartoons were formerly produced by Walt Disney and Charles Mintz. Walter eventually set up his own independent cartoon studio and churned out over a hundred Oswald cartoons for Universal Studios, any of which is better than the best "Beary Family" cartoon that was ever planned to be produced.
In the coming years, Lantz would come up with a variety of cartoon stars, such as Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Wally Walrus and of course, Woody Woodpecker. Any of the cartoons with these characters are, of course better than any "Beary Family" cartoon that you could imagine being produced (with the exception of the last few years of Chilly Willy cartoons).
In the 1960's, as theatrical cartoons became less and less popular, Lantz tried coming up with a new cartoon series that he hoped would grab the public's attention. There was Inspector Willoughby, who almost made this list of "Worst Cartoon Characters of all Time." There was Hickory, Dickory and Doc. There was Windy and Breezy. And finally, the one that lasted the longest, the Beary Family.The Beary Family was a take off of the family sitcoms that permeated television in the late 1950's. Think of "The Life of Riley" and you've got it. The characters included Charlie Beary, the usual loud mouthed, long-suffering father, Bessie, the nagging, long-suffering wife, dimwitted teenage son Junior and cute (and long suffering) daughter Suzy. Daughter Suzy got smart and left the series after the first few years, deciding life in an orphanage was better than a career with the Beary Family. The plots of these cartoons usually dealt with some household activity, such as installing a spare room, that would end in disaster. As the Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia notes, most cartoons in the series contained two lines of dialogue similar to this:Bessie: "Charlie, we really need a ___________________" (fill in blank with new TV, spare room, new oven, swimming pool, bomb shelter, etc.)
Charlie: "OK, but I won't pay $10 to install it. I'll do it myself!"
The next six minutes would play like a bad Laurel and Hardy short (all of which are better than any "Beary Family" cartoon ever produced) as Charlie and Junior would wreck the house trying to install the TV arial, the gas pipes, or whatever it may be. Unfortunatley, all the Beary Family cartoons feature poor music, bad gags, uninspired plots and limited animation. Plus the characters themselves were worn cliches even by 1962, inspiring neither laughter or sympathy.
Walter Lantz produced almost 30 Beary Family cartoons from 1962 until 1972, when the studio officially closed. Andy Panda, a legitimate cartoon success, appeared in only 27 cartoons. Hollywood is fickle and unfair.
Please think it over carefully before you hit "Play" on the video below. Life is good, your friends and family love you, you make a significant contribution at work... why spoil the rest of your life by watching one little video? Here is "Let Charlie Do It" released to an unsuspecting public in 1972. I'm imagining the audience for 'The Godfather" who got this cartoon shown to them before the feature. Being killed by the mafia must've seemed like a welcome relief.
 |
| Animation drawing from the cartoon above. |
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