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!

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!

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!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Ballot Box Bunny

Only three more days until election day!   For today's cartoon I've picked a standerd Bugs Bunny / Yosemite Sam cartoon from 1950:  Ballot Box Bunny, directed by Friz Freleng.  This cartoon contains the infamous "Those Endearing Young Charms" exploding piano gag (used at least three times by the Warners crew) and a unusually dark ending that in recent years has been edited out of television showings.  I wish all elections could be determined this easily.   Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Puss 'n' Booty

Here's a classic Warner Bros. cartoon from 1943, Puss 'n' Booty, directed by Frank Tashlin.   I've mentioned several times before on this blog what a fan I am of Frank Tashlin's work, and here's a prime example of his directorial skills.  This was the last black-and white cartoon released by Warner Bros., and Tashlin makes use of the limited grays to create a real film noir feeling in this cartoon.   Parts of this cartoon were re-made five years later with Tweety and Sylvester in "I Taw a Putty Tat," but that's a cartoon for another time.   Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Here Comes the Grump!

Here's one of my all-time favorite Saturday morning cartoon shows:  Here Comes the Grump, produced in 1969 by Depatie-Freleng and broadcast on NBC.  The show must have cost quite a bit, as every episode required new characters, new settings, etc., as Princess Dawn and Terry visited new lands every episode in their pursuit of the Crystal Key.  Dave Depatie and Friz Freleng based the Grump on Yosemite Sam from the cartoon "Knighty Knight Bugs"  which Freleng directed while at Warner Bros.   Odd Fact:   Yosemite Sam was originally based on Friz Freleng himself.  Here is the title sequence, with a theme song I was still singing years after the show went off the air:



This is probably the best episode of the bunch....   And I am proud to say that I actually own the  "Cheese Mountain" background painting from this episode!   It's the Blabbermouth of Echo Island:



Here's The Grand Slam of Door City...



And the end credits...

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Dudley Do-Right

Dudley Do-right was created as a back-up feature for the Bullwinkle Show in 1961.  Jay Ward and is accomplished staff of writers and directers were always able to overcompensate for cheap animation with great writing and directing, and Dudley Do-Right was one of their crowning achievements.   I had the opportunity to watch the following episode recently in a crowded theater where it was a HUGE hit from start to finish.   Enjoy "The Sawmill."

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Porky Pig's Feat

Today I'm bringing you "Porky's Pig's Feat" a black and white Looney Tune released in 1943 and directed by Frank Tashlin. Tashlin is one of the lesser-known Looney Tunes directors among the general public; however, he was one of the most successful. He started directed at Warner Bros. in 1938, left for a while and returned for three years, from 1943-1946. At that point Tashlin left animation to become a live-action writer and director, working with such talents as Bob Hope, Red Skelton and Jerry Lewis. He wrote films such as "The Paleface" "The Fuller Brush Man" and "The Lemon Drop Kid," and directed "Cinderfella," "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" and "Artist and Models" among others. In his cartoon work, you can defintely see him experimenting as a director, with odd camera angles and movement that were beyond what the other directors were doing at the time. Watch the scene in this cartoon starting at 2:40, where much of the action is shown via camera pans, reflection, and very odd camera angles. Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Goonland

Today's cartoon features that one-eyed runt, that spinach-slurpin' sailor, Popeye.   Popeye originally appeared in in a comic strip called "Thimble Theater" on January 17, 1929.  He was originally just an incidental character, but his popularity rose and rose until he became the star of the strip.  In 1933, the Max Fleischer studios began producing Popeye animated cartoons.   They were highly successful, and for a time Popeye was the #1 cartoon star in the US, passing over Mickey Mouse for the title.  The Fleischers lost their studio to Paramount in 1942, and the Popeye cartoons began a gradual decline in quality at that time.   However, in their heyday they were inventive and fun, and rarely the same Popeye / Olive / Bluto rivalry thing over and over.  Here's a great one from 1938: "Goonland," which chronicles Popeye's quest to find his long-lost father.



For those of you who prefer the Popeye / Olive / Bluto rivalry, here's another great one, "The Paneless Window Washer" from 1937.

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Roger Ramjet

Today I'm going to introduce many of you to one of the funniest cartoons you've probably never heard of:  Roger Ramjet.  Created in 1965 and voiced by Gary Owens, Roger Ramjet was the leader of the American Eagles, a group dedicated to keeping the world safe from evil.   The animation is poor, but the direction and the writing more than make up for the low budgets.   There were 156 five-minute episodes produced for syndication, and while everyone one isn't a gem, as a whole they are hysterical.   The running gags alone are worth the price of admission.   Here are two episodes chosen almost at random:  "Hi Noon" and "Miss America."   Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Animaniacs - Chairman of the Bored

One of my favorite TV cartoons of all time was the Animaniacs.  Great writing, above-average animation and great characters came together to create one of the best, laugh-out loud cartoon shows on television.   Sure, it wan't perfect....   sometimes the animation was sub-par, some of the segments weren't so great (Mindy and Buttons pops to mind) and near the end they got too self-conscious, but in their prime, this was the show to watch.   Posted here is one of my favorites.   It's not typical of the Warner's cartoons, but great just the same.   Enjoy Chairman of the Bored...

Vezi mai multe peTeava.ro

Saturday Morning cartoon: The Critic

Once again, it's time for your Saturday Morning Cartoon!  Here's the 1963 Academy Award winner for best animated film, an obscure little gem featuring Mel Brooks.  This is the YouTube version; for a more high-quality version follow this link.

Saturday Morning Cartoon: The Great Piggy Bank Robbery

It's once again Cartoon Saturday!  I'm surprised it's taken me this long to post a Warner Bros. cartoon, But here is one of my all-time favorites:  "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" directed by Bob Clampett and released in 1946.  It was one of the last cartoons made by Clampett before he left Warner Bros., and one of his best.  Clampett eventually moved into early television with his puppet characters Beany and Cecil.  Enjoy!